online school question

[Getpaddled]

Went to school for 2 years at UWSP then got a job at the post office (part time) I don't see a full time job opening up for a while and would like to get a teaching degree online. What is the best way to go about this? I have been checking out this University of Phoenix online. Does anyone have any experience with online schooling and does anyone have any advice?

 

I really wouldn't mind being a mail man, but my passion is teaching. Id like to teach middle school on up.

[DHonks]

I got my teaching certification online. However, it was as part of a post-bac program, so I already had by BA with two majors. Online courses are alright, but if you are a procrastinator, things will likely get worse. The homework isn't all that difficult, but can be tedious, especially when having to read 30-40 pages of Educational Psychology.

[Crazyk1294]

I took three online courses this past semester at MATC. I had no trouble with my Microsoft Office course or my Math course, my Psych course was an adventure (see this thread).

 

The the Psych class instructor was obviously not paying much attention to this course. Grades wouldn't be posted for weeks after assignments were turned in. She was probably interested in an extra paycheck for teaching an online course and because she never had to see any of her students face to face, ignored my emails for over a month.

 

I had no problem getting responses from the other two instructors. Maybe I was just unlucky in getting a lazy instructor.

[hammytime]

I've taken two on-line courses in the past two years and hated the experience. I really prefer taking a class with the instructor in the same room as me during classes. It's a whole lot easier to ask questions and get answers that way. (I also took an ITV class last year--students in one city, instructor in another, meeting via satellite TV--with pretty much the same result. In-person classes are so much better.)

[falloutboy]

I have the displeasure of having gone the UoP online route. I regret it all the time.

 

If I were to list a couple of pros and cons:

 

Pros

 

- It's easy

- You can do it in your own time

- It is a degree

 

Cons

 

- It's for profit, and they treat you like it.

- You'll never be able to tell anyone where you had obtained your degree with a straight face. Even if you could it's still UoP online.

- Absolutely no hands on experience

 

In my business, I probably would have better off opting for industry certifications as opposed to even bothering with UoP.

 

Really, with all sorts of major Universities offering online degrees it's probably foolish to travel the same road I have. If I were an employer I'd probably be more impressed by the words "University of Wisconsin" on a resume. Online learning is probably the future, but I'd only fall back on UoP as a last resort to finish a degree.

[splitterpfj]

More and more schools are offering programs online. I know UW-Platteville has a couple of majors that can be done 100% online now.

 

I'd check out what some of the "traditional schools" offer online.

[DHonks]

simply put, the major challenge with online courses is the reading. You have no lecture to absorb the teacher's knowledge and ask questions. Instead it's all learned through reading, or any lecture notes. I earned my teaching credential through the Maricopa (Phoenix) County Community Colleges online school, called Rio Salado College. For me it was highly recommended by teachers as being cheaper, closer, and the same as the Post-Bac program at ASU. It definitely saved me a lot of traveling time.

[mothershipconnection]

I'd second the idea of getting an online degree from an actual college. If I saw an application on my desk from an online only school, I'd probably "file" it, to be honest.