California State University Hayward Online Teaching program

Can anyone comment on the Online teaching program? Any first hand experience would be appreaciated.

I know there was discussion on this before but I can't seem to find it with the search function.

 

I don't recall if we have anyone around here who has actually done the program or is currently doing the program.

For those just joining us, the program is located at http://www.online.csuhayward.edu/.


Tom Nixon

 

There have been several threads on this CSU Hayward program. The most recent were two on 7-17-01. Click on show topics from last 45 days (on upper right of screen). Then click on 'page 4' at the bottom. Scroll down to two threads started by Susan2, one on masters in distance education and the other on CSUH.

Among the Degreeinfo participants, Sunnie is a recent graduate of this program and Susan2 applied to it about a month ago.

 

The CSUH program is very good -- but occasionally you run across an instructor/professor who just does NOT know how to teach online. That can be very frustrating. Some of us who just completed the program are on the slate to start teaching this fall quarter -- and we've talked a lot this summer on how to conduct classes a little differently than our own experiences as students. I have two classes lined up -- one being the very first required course -- 6701

The program is not easy -- you really have to put in the work. But I guarantee that you will finish with a very good foundation for online teaching and learning in education or business training.

Whether or not you will be able to design curriculum will depend in part on your past experience but you will certainly be able to take any training program or academic course and transfer from f2f to online format. You will also get some practical experience in facilitating online learning as you go along. Many profs invite students to facilitate instructional modules from time to time.

Would I recommend the program? YES. However, I could also tell you some instructors to stay away from -- but then that's true in any college -- traditional or online. You have to take the bad with the good.

Go for it - you can't find a better program for the money or the time.

 

Great. I'm planning on registering soon. Maybe I'll have you for my first class. Were you able to do two classes during the 10 week sessions? Or would you reccomend one at a time?

 

I'm in the middle of it now. I just completed the first quarter and it's quite good! I am glad I enrolled and knew about it sooner. I'm in Korea and for being overseas and the price it's great. Do it, you won't be sorry!

 

I averaged 2-3 courses each quarter and finished in less than a year. But I wouldn't recommend that if your full time job is stressful It is not a difficult program, but many courses are rather time-consuming. If you have some technical know-how -- it'll be easy. Unfortunately, I'm a tech moron -- though not quite as much so now as I used to be!

Hmmmmm wondering how to tell if you're in my class or if I'm your instructor .... LOL

 

I've been in the IT industry for the last 10 years in technical roles. If you think that will be an advantage that's great.

Thanks for all the tips. It will be interesting to see if you are my instructor. See you next quarter.

 

I've been in the IT industry for the last 10 years in technical roles. If you think that will be an advantage that's great.

Thanks for all the tips. It will be interesting to see if you are my instructor. See you next quarter.

 

I presume you are talking about the MS program? What was the total cost?

Thanks,
Eli

 

It is $595 per course and there are 10 courses (8 required and 2 electives).
http://www.online.csuhayward.edu/Ms/mssched.html

 

If it helps anyone, I was part of the way thru the Ed Technology MA at Western Governors University and didn't like the unstructured nature of the program. Like I've said before, I'm an ESL teacher in Korea (been all over Asia since 1995) and am a bit constrained by distance. I found out about the program at CSUH (from this website) in May and enrolled ASAP. I just got done with my 1st quarter and am doing well. (2-A's). I am starting the 2nd quarter in one month and (if all goes well) will have my certificate in Dec.

I don't know about the "not difficult" part Sunny spoke of but she's right that it's very time consuming. I am lucky now in that my teaching job is only 4 hours and 20 minutes a day, so I have alot of free time. You can very easily spend 20-30 hours a week on the first 2 classes (5 weeks each) so be prepared. I assume that the second 2 classes are the same--time consuming.

I am quite pleased with the instruction and have learned alot for only 2 classes. I am going to return to the USA next summer after I finish and look for a teaching job. My undergrad degree is a rather weak BA Liberal Arts and hopefully this degree will make me far more employable than a BA! After the program CSUH I plan to go on, I am really interested in the technology side ofteaching and planto make this my career.

 

Wow. 20 to 30 hours a week for one class! I really want to do this, but have a fairly demanding job and family. I am going to register and give it my all.

What is so time consuming? Reasearch, writing papers, technical projects? I guess sense they are condensed to 5 weeks there is a lot to get in. Just curious as to what I have to look forward to.

Thanks for the info.

 

I can't speak to this program in particular, but teaching classes in general have a lot of what some people might call busy work. I am sure you all remember that from junior high school.
It often turns out that some of this busy work can be useful practice, but at the time a lot of teaching students are scratching their heads and asking why? So yes, there is a lot of time involved, but no, the assignments are not particularly difficult.

Jeff

 

There are alot of reading assignments and the writing assignments take a fair amount of time also. You are generally required to post comments and to do so and be graded well, you need to read the material.

Since there is no face to face contact, one of the ways the instructor evaluates your progress is by the input that you give as comments on the reading material. Hence, the many hours required to do this program. You may be a faster reader than I am, but as Sunnie has stated before, it is more time consuming than difficult.

There is a lot of material to cover in a short period of time. Incidently, the first 4 classes that lead to the certificate are the only 5 week classes, the rest are 10 weeks.

 

Thanks, one last question:

Is there an indication on the Certificate itself that it is accomplished via DL?

Eli

 

NOPE-they don't/it doesn't!

If you go to their website, you'll find they offer many certificate programs. Many of which look interesting (to me, at least). I don't know what the marketability of grad or undergrad certs are. Can anyone comment on this--the value of a certificate vs. a degree or in combo with a degree?
http://www.extension.csuhayward.edu/html/certificate.htm

 

Since it has been a while since you enrolled, I would like to hear how the CSU-Hayward Master's program in Online Learning and Teaching is working out for you. A longitudinal perspective. Thanks.

 

PLEASED WITH CSU-HAYWARD

I finished the certificate in December 2001 at CSU-Hayward. I took the quarter off because my work contract was ending (I'm still in Korea). I tried for 2 months and (about 20 interviews) to find a job teaching online but no-one in Korea is interested. I interviewed at Uni's, the Korean version of West Point (Korean Military Academy), places that teach TOEIC, TOEFL, SAT, etc.. AND NO-ONE WAS INTERESTED! Being Confucian, they tend to be very conservative about this kind of thing and Korea just isn't ready for it yet.

I wish I hadn't have sat out the quarter on a lost cause like teaching online here in Korea, but this is the kind of thing you don't know about until you get out and find out about it. (BOY, DID I FIND OUT ABOUT IT!!) Anyway, I start back spring quarter and am chomping at the bit to get started again. I will finish in December. Aside from the fact that CSU-H's application system is a bit anal and their online registration system (E-sailor) sucks, I'm glad I chose this program. It's what I want to do and am returning to the USA at the end of 2002.

I'm sort of looking to do the EdS program at U of Missouri-Columbia next year. I want to specialize in one of the 3 tracks (Technology in Schools, Network Learning Systems, and Training and Development) offered there. But at this time, am unsure of which to specialize in and their marketability. Can anyone comment on these that has more knowledge than I do on this?

 

I attended the program as well. Overall, I think it was pretty good. Relatively inexpensive and the instructors were, for the most part, pretty good. In a few classes, I think that there may have been some cultural differences that caused some problems with instructors, but overall I'd recommend it.

However, as has been indicated in another posting, the university as a whole just doesn't seem to get distance learning. In particular, I would strongly recommend against do a thesis - do the capstone project instead. They just don't have enough people doing thesis to have a smooth process. My advisor was great, but getting answers from the program office on even the simplest of questions related to the thesis was just absolutely ridiculous and frustrating.