Greetings all, In addition to being a student in a distance program, I am an elected officer in the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS). One project I have been asked to undertake during my term in office is production of a "Distance Learner Survival Guide." While the I am particularly interested in the specific experiences of psychology distance learners, there obviously are similar benefits and challenges for us all. I am looking forward to everyone's contributions. I think it is a good sign that APAGS is acknowledging the unique challenges we face. (In other news, the newly elected president-elect of the American Psychological Association chaired a commission last year that investigated distance learning and professional psychology.) Thanks for your help. I'm looking forward to learning about your experiences. While I'm sure this will be a valuable board discussion, I'd appreciate if if you also send any responses to me at: [email protected]. Steve Stephen Hampe PhD candidate, Capella University MSEd (1999) Mercy College BA (1987) Framingham State College --- Member-at-large, Practice Focus American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) Moderator, CLINAPAGS & MENTORS listserv
This is a wonderful idea. I hope the finished product will be available to the public. And hope you and/or others will seriously consider expanding the finished product to make it relevant to all distance learners, and seeking publication. There is a real market for such a thing. I've not been a distance student in the current usage of that term, but I spent much time, over 7 years, doing marketing for the Edinburgh Business School distance MBA (which became the largest in the world), and watched my wife going through the DL Master's at Dominguez Hills. I think about three categories of people who pursue a DL program . . . Those that are enthusiastic at the start, and remain enthusiastic throughout. Those that are enthusiastic at the start, find things less than wonderful, but keep plugging away. Those that are enthusiastic at the start, but discover that this just was not the right thing to do. A survival guide, ideally, would enable people to reflect on, and maybe figure out, where they are likely to end up. I believe the main reason people did not finish the MBA -- roughly 2/3rds did not -- had nothing to do with ability, but only with time. We heard, over and over again, "I really planned to spend two evenings a week" (or "three Saturdays a month" or whatever), but then . . . the children . . . the spouse . . . the job . . . the illness . . . the golf course . . . the cheap fares to . . . the tedium . . . and I just got further and further behind. And, of course, there were plenty who hadn't written a paper and/or taken an exam for a coon's age, and found it somewhere between difficult and impossible to get up to speed. Thus one of the variables seriously to consider would be the "real time" programs, such as Dominguez Hills, vis a vis the "whenever you want" programs such as Edinburgh (where one has ten years to finish). And trying things out before making a major commitment of time and money. Even if not from the ultimate school, one can do a relatively inexpensive distance or online course for $300 or less -- or maybe even several, to explore some of the important variables available: highly interactive vs. non-interactive; on-line vs. ink on paper, or a combination; real time vs. your own time; mostly exams vs. mostly papers or other approaches; how forgiving (can you retake exams or resubmit papers), etc. And, of course, financing the whole thing. That's what the Finding Money for College book my daughter and I used to do was mostly about, although it was not 'positioned' well by the publisher. There is a possible plan afoot to re-do it as (the Adult Learner's guide to) Financing an Online Degree. Perhaps we can compare notes, or solicit thoughts from your colleagues and the DegreeInfo people if and when the time comes. Best wishes in this worthy project. John http://circledance.tripod.com
Hey, DL brothers and sisters... Let's help Steve here with your valuable input! Folks, As Steve shared with you, he fills an important role in helping students consider distance learning. He also simultaneously is helping the APA to become a distance education friendly agency. Right now, Capella University is trying to get APA programmatic accreditation. If the school pulls that off then it will be the second DL school to have that credential (Fielding Institute is the only totally distance program in clinical psychology now). Steve needs our support and our "Amens" because he is in an environment that is dominated by "brick and mortar" school students and grads. Many of you have very valuable experience and knowledge in this field. Already, Dr. Bear, our ultimate Guru of DL, has given some strategic suggestions. Steve, we all cheer you on. You've come to a great place to find kindred souls! BlackBird One class to go and then Comps and Dissertation Ph.D. Learner in Family Psychology, Capella University
Both UMUC and USQ have sent me "survival guides" in the past -- I shall try to dig them out. I think DL survival skills depend on the type of program -- e.g. online discussion format, or traditional paper-based "correspondence course", etc. For an online class, I think a key is given by this comment from UMUC website: Have a specific achievement goal for each log-on session. This will help you to concentrate on what you need to get done. Without a goal or plan for a session, it is very easy to be tempted by numerous Internet and non-Internet distractions--and then find that little was accomplished during the on-line session. I think John's point about time management is important for any type of DL program -- I have found it important to plan and track my schedule to ensure that I keep up with material despite travel and other commitments. For group projects, it's important to establish roles, responsibilities, and milestones early. And then to track progress at each milestone. Some students are really good at this, and generate a product that's greater than anything they each could have produced alone (and in much less time). But I'm not one of them ...
Steve, I found these resources... Online Survival Skills: Ten Proven Distance Learning Study Techniques http://www.puertorico.com/forums/showthread.php3?threadid=13563 ____________________ Instructional design from a workshop sponsored by the Utah State University (PDF file) http://dlendorsement.usu.edu/design.pdf _________________________ Online Survival Guide: A Basic Guide to the Internet for Online Students & Faculty http://www.taft.cc.ca.us/newTC/DLI/Guide/ ___________________________ Wytheville Community College Distance Learning Survival Guide For Students http://www.wc.cc.va.us/dl/preparation/DistanceLearningGuideForStudents.pdf ___________________________ Online Learning Survival Skills http://webster.commnet.edu/DL/dl-help/help-DLSkills.htm ____________________________ Book: The Walden University Survival Guide: Hints on Progressing in a Ph.D. Program http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1878291408/ref%3Dnosim/qtvd-20/102-4277163-6356109 ___________________________ Book: Adults in College: A Survival Guide for Nontraditional Students by Authors: Wanda, Ph.D. Schindley , Wanda Schindley http://www.reference-1.com/Adults_in_College_A_Survival_Guide_for_Nontraditional_Students_0912011599.html
I am juggling several commitments at this moment (as are most dl degree seekers), but I can offer you the perspective and mentality of military degree seekers. I will email you in the following days and if you need an informal questionaire completed I have access to several dl students who would help out, just give me some questions and I will enlist their help. W Parker
Oooops, mistake corrected! Steve that first web site was wrong. Here is the corrected article on Distance Learning: Online Survival Skills: Ten Proven Distance Learning Study Techniques at: http://distancelearn.about.com/library/weekly/aa102102a.htm Sorry for the mix-up.
Ashworth College - A.S. Degrees Ashworth College (PCDI) has a brand new A.S. degree in Psychology wich I am half-way finished with. It's a great program for a broad depth of Psychology. Overall, I give this program a 9 out of 10 for distance education in Psychology. Downfall, only DETC accredited, not RA.
Here are my survival tips: 1. Always have your books and other course materials with you and work on your classes whenever you can steal a few moments from your normal schedule. For example, you can read them during your lunch break or while you're in the waiting room of your doctor's office. Many adult learners simply do not have blocks of free time to work with and often other obligations will interfere. Taking advantage of time that would otherwise be wasted keeps students on track. Because distance learning classrooms are virtual, you can carry them with you wherever you are. I generally did my reading assignments on the run and did my writing assignments at home. I would have never had enough free time to devote to both. 2. Buy a laptop that can run a word processor (used ones that are otherwise obsolete are very cheap). When assignments are becoming due, you can hide from your other obligations to complete your work. Often, children and loved ones will make it impossible to complete difficult assignments such as research papers. A laptop allows you to work anywhere that is quiet such as your car, the city park or the library.
Stephen, To get such a "traditional" organization such as the APA to recognize innovation will be a grat accomplishment. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors and hope that we who frequent Degreeinfo can give you some things that you can use. The Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications, a branch of the Western Interstate Cooperative for Higher Education (WICHE) publishes the Distance Learner's Guide through Prentice-Hall. The Guide is well done and should provide some good ideas, since it is targeted to current and potential distance learners. You should be able to apply the ideas easily to psychology students. http://www.wcet.info/resources/publications/ Another pretty good guide, believe it or not, is Distance Learning Online for Dummies[/] by Nancy Stevenson http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/076450763X/104-2591412-0323115?v=glance I have both taken and taught distance courses. Here are a couple of observations As Dr. Bear pointed out, two major ways in which distance learning courses may be classified are: 1. Those that follow the same basic schedule as a traditional course (e.g. instruction grouped into weekly segments, assignments due at regular intervals, course begins and ends at the same time as the traditional quarter or semester). 2. Courses that follow a non-traditional schedule (e.g. open-entry & open-exit, independent study, can complete the course outside the traditional quarter or semester). Each of these two create different challenges for the distant learner. The first may be best for those new to distance learning, since it follows a schedule more familiar to traditional learners and provides the deadline incentives that many learner need. Since the class ends with the semester, there is often more pressure on the instructor to provide timely and more frequent feedback, to make sure that the student does not wait until the last minute to complete assignments. The latter works for many learners who need flexibility, but these learners also need a high amount of self-discipline and self-regulation skills. It is too easy to say "Well, I have six months to complete this course, so I can put it off for a bit". The procrastinative learner will end up dropping these kinds of distance learning courses. One key to winning support in the APA is to plaster your guide with research findings. While these might not be all that interesting to the guide's target audience (students), it will give your guide credibility to the powers that be at APA. In my next post, I will give you a few references with which you can start. Tony Pina Faculty, Cal State U. San Bernardino
Here is some research in one area -- persistence/completion of courses and programs by distant learners: Ross & Powell (1990) found that women tended to complete DL courses at higher percentages than men. Dille & Mezac (1991) found that students that had a higher internal locus of control earned higher grades and completed DL courses more often than those with external loci of control. Dille and Mezac (1991) also found that learning style was not a good predictor of DL success (DL seems to be able to meet the needs of different types of learners). Coggins (1988) and Dille & Mezac (1991) found that abstract learners and learners who prefer to work with people were more successful in DL courses than those who are concrete learners (who prefer to work with things, rather than people). Laube (1992) found that distant learners that study more than 10 hours per week were much more likely to complete DL courses than those who study less than 10 hours weekly. Fjorloft (1995) studied distant learners age 20-60 and found that it was significantly more difficult for the older learners to remain in the DL program. This is just a small sample of the research that is out there. References Dille, B. & Mezac, M. (1991). Identifying predictors of high risk among community college telecourse students. The American Journal of Distance Education 5(1). Coggins, C. (1988). Preferred learning styles and their impact on completion of external degree programs. The American Journal of Distance Education 2(1). Fjorloft, N. (1995). Predicting persistence in distance learning programs. ERIC Document No. ED 387 620) Laube, M. (1992). Academic and social integration variables and student persistence in distance education. Research in Distance Education 4(1). Ross, L. & Powell, R. (1990). Relationships between gender and success in distance education courses: A preliminary investigation. Research in Distance Education 2(2). Tony Pina Faculty, Cal State U. San Bernardino
moral support/keep us posted, please Writing just to say thanks, Stephen, for embarking on the Distance Learner Survival Guide project. As a former student member of the APA who is again persuing my degree, now via DL, I'm very interested in contributing, if helpful, and learning from other contributions to your project, as well as completing a degree in psychology. Please, if you will, keep us informed here of your progress!
APA? Just a quick question, perhaps off topic, but, is capella apa accredited? I was under the impression that the only APA accedited RA distance program was Fielding Institute. I should graduate in March from COSC with a concentration in psych and I've been considering Fielding, Walden and even the Eastern Carolina University academic psych distance program. my interest is renewed in Capella now, and especially if it is APA accredited.
Capella not currently APA accredited Capella's Harold Abel School of Psychology recently made some changes to better position itself for APA programmatic accreditation. They dropped their Ph.D. in Counseling and Clinical Psychology in exchange for the inception of the Psy.D. There are speculations going on that the school could be accredited by the APA from around 2-5 years. If and when that happens then Capella will be the second DL psychology program to be APA accredited (Fielding being the first). Capella's School of Human Services has recently had their Masters of Mental Health curriculum accredited by CACREP. That is the agency that sets standards for Mental Health and Professional Counseling. Capella is the first and only DL school to receive that distinction. I am in their Family Psych Ph.D. program (on my last course) because I will be using the Masters level licensure. I won't be needing "psychologist" licensure because I won't be doing any kind of "testing" which is the main difference in curriculum. Going this route makes the Ph.D. time a lot less versus the 4-6 years it takes when you add the extra test and clinical practice based classes. Also, most Psychology (APA) programs will make you repeat a lot of what you have already taken. When you combine this all with having to do again more practicums, internships, etc. you end up being an old dude. Going the non-licensure Psychology Ph.D. route means just around 2.5 years more after your Masters. In my case, I took Family Psychology so that I can later also get the LMFT licensure besides the LMHC license. Hope that helps.
article re survival tips Hi Steve, This article showed up in my email today, and I thought of your posting. Hope it's of some benefit: http://www.distance-educator.com/dnews/Article10461.phtml Regards, Adrienne
