Online Master of Arts in Teaching: Online Program Surpasses Expectations
Haley De Maria never imagined that she would pursue her Master's in Teaching in a virtual environment.
A graduate of Notre Dame, she thoroughly enjoyed the on-campus life, but then a friend introduced her to a new MAT program through the University of Southern California online and she changed her mind. Haley, who is 36 years old, has two young girls whose husband was often gone on business.
"For a good chunk of my time I'm a single parent. When you put all those pieces together my life is not conducive to going to a classroom, to taking classes at proscribed times." She found USC's program to be a perfect fit. "I'm learning from some of the best professors in the country and I became part of that same family atmosphere I was used to in college."
"I'd never taken an online course before and my image of it was reading material on the computer and taking a multiple choice test online and not having any sort of personal connection in the learning process," says Haley. "For me that has been blown away out the window."
Her full-time course load this semester consists of three courses, each with its own weekly 90-minute videoconference in which up to 14 students participate in real time. "It looks like a Brady Brunch screen - you can see everyone's face and the professor's there too. She'll lecture, she'll put us in smaller breakout groups to have discussions using the same video conferencing system and we can come back together at the end." The video "forum" also includes an instant message area where students can type comments as others are speaking.
Video: A Prominent Tool For Learning
In addition to the videoconference class time, each student is provided a Flip video camera with which to record interviews and teaching sessions at local schools where they are placed. Each student uploads their videos to the virtual learning environment for feedback and critique. "This is really neat because even in an offline program you might not get to see your classmates teaching," says Haley.
The MAT students are all assigned to Title I schools in or near their home location. Title I schools are those that receive federal funds targeted for low-income and at-risk student populations. Haley spends three to four hours per week observing and participating in the classrooms of a local Title I school near her home, and compares notes with her classmates who are working in schools across the country.
"We're all teaching in a similar type of school, but the situations and issues are all very different," says Haley. "For me, to hear what's going on across the country has just added to the educational experience - if we were all in L.A., we would all be dealing with L.A. issues."
Flexible Schedule is Key for Mother of Two
Haley's typical week involves attending her three, real time classes, spending time at her placement school, and she estimates about 15 hours of active coursework - reading, writing papers, watching classmates' videos and required participation in discussion threads. For any given class, the MAT students are given three or four time slots during which the live classes will be offered. This makes it possible for students from Hawaii to the East Coast to be able to participate. Haley generally schedules her classes for morning or midday when her kids are in school.
Last summer when her husband was working in London, Haley was able to take her daughters on an extended visit without missing any of her classes. "I'd spend the day with the kids, put them to bed, and go to class at 11:30 at night," says Haley. "I couldn't do that with a regular on campus program." In fact, she'll be attending her 8 A.M. class next week at 5 A.M. because of a trip to the West Coast.
Haley says that the challenges that come with online learning are minor, and mostly logistical. "There have definitely been times, especially in the first classes, where it took five or 10 minutes with student support to make sure the audio was working and that everyone's video feed was working," she says. "Being the first cohort to go through the program, we kind of helped work out the glitches." It's also tough to coordinate study group schedules because of different time zones and work schedules. "We're not all on campus and 21 years old and can meet at 11 at night," she says.
Haley has never regretted choosing an online degree program since starting in April 2009. "The thing that's surprised me the most about taking classes online is how personal it is and the interactions I've had with other people," she says. "We do have this face to face time and you do end up being Facebook friends with some of your classmates, you really get to know them even though we've never met."
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