Universities provide a masters degree online to learners who opt for the Web-based choice in their graduate courses. Even if many identify distance learning immediately as the convenient choice, they should keep in mind that it is not without certain hurdles. Many of the things that people love about this type of learning are also things that could become potential obstacles to education.
Online Masters degrees are now offered far and wide. It is no longer surprising that even the more traditional, older establishments, Stanford and Harvard included, are joining the bandwagon. Indeed, it is odder now for a school not have Web-based classes.
The first challenge in entering a borderless, teacher-less classroom is the absence of competition. The simple truth of the matter is that the presence of your fellows can push you to work harder. The presence of competitors can drive you forward.
The other people in the class may well be your yardstick for measuring your achievements, and a good motivating factor. Peers compete with each other regularly to test themselves. This is what will push many to throw themselves into their lessons even more.
Classmates bounce off each other and “feed” off each other’s competitive spirits. Net-based classes cannot offer this type of motivation. There is something to the physical absence of competitors that does not permit the student to feel them, even when they exist and try to communicate over the Web.
It is therefore the self that becomes the yardstick. This is one of the best trainings and working mindsets that a professional should develop – the ability to deliberately push oneself to become better than how he used to perform last month, last week or yesterday. The gauge is not how others are doing it, but how one should better do it based on his past performances.
Another problem some might have with distance learning is the fact that classic authority figures are absent. The online Masters student should know what he wants and how to get it. The ability to seize one's own chances and complete one's tasks absent pushing is crucial.
Online schooling trains learners to be responsible, proactive and independent. There are no shoulders to cry on, which is why the learner must see to it that he accomplishes all the readings, spends time to really understand them, completes all the required assignments, and passes all the self-tests. Indeed, the student must take initiative and put more into his studying than is actually demanded of him.
Third and finally, the online Masters student must learn how to balance work, family and study commitments. Why, this is even the root of the Net-based programs, truth be told. The individual is therefore someone who has the ability to create a responsible, sensible schedule.
There shall even be occasions when the flexibility of your schedule will be interrupted, because these programs still have some set activities. These web-based activities should make it into the student’s schedule. While this may seem tedious at first, just keep in the mind that the masters degree online has excellent returns later on.
