Wavering Motivation?

As many of you know, I started the EdS at Liberty this summer. I had a great time on campus earlier this month, but my motivation is wavering.

Does anyone else run into this?

I'm wondering if it's related to the online format. I had an awesome experience at my intensive, and it was great interacting with others, even on the late nights working toward the group presentation.

After getting back, my experience in my online class has been decidedly "blah." The content is fine, but my motivation has taken a major hit.


Has anyone else had a similar problem?

 

Yes, at some point you have to ask what you will gain from the extra effort. Is an EdS really worth the time and effort. If I remember correctly you were on the fence about even continuing at this point. Maybe it is your mind and body's way of saying, "Take a break - school will still be there next year".

 

I think we all face that from time to time. I'm having a difficult time staying motivated to work on my statistics class that I'm in this summer. The motivation will come and go, you have to keep your eyes on the goal; that great degree and the associated pay raise for a teacher. Plus, a master's degree is becoming ubiquitous, you need this EdS to stand out from the crowd. Also, if you are supposed to do this, the motivation will return. There is nothing wrong with taking a break, but sometimes it's difficult to get your momentum back after you do.

 

I won't get a pay raise for the EdS degree. I work in higher education. It would only be en route to the EdD, so I don't think I will end up completing it anyway. It's pretty much whether or not to do the EdD.

 

I understand where you have to wonder "why". Just remember that opportunities that you never expected or could have anticipated will come about once you complete the EdD / PhD/ DBA. The only thing that kept me going at the end was pure pride. I could not stand the idea of telling people I washed out. If I never told anyone I was in the PhD program, I bet I would have dropped it like a hot potato! :biggrin:

 

You may as well finish your EdS, or the time and money you have already invested will be wasted. I'll finish my EdS sometime next year and then will have to commit on the EdD. At this point I'm pretty sure I want to go for it, but I'm seeking guidance and I'm comforted by the fact that I can stop with an EdS and not have thrown away all that time and money. That's a cool thing about the Liberty EdS/EdD program; you have an bailing out point half way to the doctorate.

 

You are the Green Lantern of DL! :smile:

 

The time and money are sunk costs, so I'm not going to factor them into the equation.

My problem is not the idea of completing the program, but rather the online modality. I took the class on campus, and it was great. The side-effect, however, is that I am less than jazzed about more discussion boards, etc.

 

I can understand that. If felt the same way after the intensive at Liberty. It would be extremely cool to do the EdD in person at Liberty. Love most of the professors I met. It is an awesome campus too. I'm loving the year-round snowboard hill they have with that artificial snow!

Unfortunately I can't go there in person. Can you? it would be very cool.

 

So the motto is: "Be thankful for a big mouth"!

 

No doubt. It's why I laugh at people that think online is somehow easier. It requires complete motivation and focus to work all day and then log on to do schoolwork in the evening. I'm in a funk right now too, but I think it's because I'm completing a 3 year master's degree in 2 years with no breaks. Good luck.

 

YES! That is exactly right

 

No, I can't. It's an 11 hour drive from here, and I definitely can't relocate.

Regardless, most of the EdD classes aren't offered on campus, anyway.

 

You'll just end up like me...I was going to stop and chill for a year but just a few weeks into it I emailing my school asking if they accept Aleks credits. I bet if you took a few weeks off you will want to go back at it harderd than ever.

 

I plan to take as many classes as possible as intensive classes. I will take all of my electives that way and any other class I can get them to accept. I'm thinking I will spend 3 weeks there next summer and knock out three classes. It looks like I may can get almost half of my classes done that way (haven't actually checked with administration about that) and I can then say my degree was partially online and partially in person.

But I agree with you, the intensive classes rock.

 

Yea, that's exactly what happened to me when I dropped out of the doctoral program at NCU. I was depressed and disappointed with myself. About 4 months later, I enrolled in the EdD at Liberty.

 

My understanding is that EDUC 730, 741, 747, and 919 are the only intensives offered.

EDUC 919 will be right before comps, so if you already knocked two out this summer, you may only be able to do one more next summer.

 

I think it is possible to do all of your electives as intensives too, but I have not confirmed this. Here's my reasoning: It appears that you can use EDUC 600 level courses as electives and there are lots of those available as intensives. I did ask about a cap on the number of intensive courses you are allowed to take and was told that there was no cap, if they are available, you can take them. These 600 level classes are available and I'm pretty sure you can use them as electives, ergo, that's a few more classes you can take in-person as intensive classes.

The other thing I am thinking about is taking the max number of classes allowed for transfer at a local doctoral program and transferring them in. That would increase the number of in-person classes again. I have not investigated this avenue yet, it may not work out.

If all of this worked, I think I can get over half of my classes in-person.

 

I forgot about the 600 level electives! Yes, you can use those. I had 6 hours of post-grad coursework, so I already have my electives "burned," so I didn't think along those lines. Yes, you could do two intensives to fulfill your electives.

The max would be therefore be 5 courses at LU via intensives.

 

I'm not sure I follow you and this might warrant a new thread. :laugh:

2010 stats show that 15,357 out of 229,240 (roughly 6.7%) of the U.S. population (18 and over) hold master's degrees. Has this been a large increase over previous years?

For anyone curious, doctorate and professional degree holders are at roughly 2.6%. I'm not a statistical genius so my numbers might not be 100% accurate. :haha:

Educational Attainment in the United States: 2010 - Detailed Tables - U.S. Census Bureau