Running head: ASSIGNMENT 3: ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION 1

Assignment 3: Analysis and Reflection

Laura Howard

University of Maryland University College

Introduction

The opportunity that I have to be able to pursue the Online Masters in Distance

Education and E-Learning (OMDE) degree, has provided me with a heightened sense of

ambition, knowledge, confidence and gratefulness. Online distance education has opened up a

new area of opportunity in my life that I did not envision for my future. It is a relevant field that

pertains to my current job position, work environment and hopefully for my future. This analysis

of my experience and reflection should reveal the OMDE programs impact and influence on my

life.

My current position as a community college Program Developer requires me to assist in

course monitoring, administrative tasks and student support. Thankfully, the community college I

work for is supporting me in pursuing this degree financially and encouragingly. Having the
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motivation and support from my professional superiors aligns with what Ellis and Kuznia (2014)

state will be needed to facilitate effective online work-related learning. If I am successful with

this program, I will hopefully be able to apply what I have learned to my career and I believe that

is what my work environment desires for me to achieve as well. My interest areas are learning

about computer-related, and new online technologies that are user-friendly, efficient and fun. All

of these components help to encourage my progress towards the degree.

Learning History and Family Education

Perhaps it is an innate trait, that I have chosen to pursue an education-related subject as

my career and learning field. Pursing a degree in an education-related subject, or even working

in the education field, was also something unexpected for me. My mother has always worked in

the Anne Arundel County Public School system, for a span of many years. I feel that I may have

inherited her desire and connection to work and be involved in education. Although I have no

desire to teach, I prefer being more involved with the administrative side of the educational

environment.

During the time, I was deciding whether or not to strive for the OMDE degree, I was

fascinated with the concept of online education, but also skeptical. My skepticism was due to not

having any in-depth knowledge about online education at the time. I received an Associate of

Arts in General Studies with a concentration in Computer Science and a Bachelors degree in

Social Work with a minor in Psychology. Since distance education brings a combination of my

education and general computer-related experience together, I think the OMDE program should

be an ideal degree for me to try to accomplish. I consider myself a visual learner, as I have

discovered over the years, so I think my online learning experience has been able to sync with

channeling my cognitive learning abilities.

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Contributing Factors of Success

Some things that I thought were successful in my learning was the ability to control my

discipline and time management application. Discipline and time management have helped in my

progress for OMDE 608 by making sure I am consistently keeping on track with all the tasks and

reading requirements for the course. My actions and methods for participating in the OMDE 608

and other OMDE courses, have been fairly consistent. I plan ahead of what I need to do on

certain days, such as task completion and readings. I am usually able to improvise in rearranging

my task completion, if plans changes. Also, making sure I thoroughly read all the required

resources in the OMDE 608 and prior OMDE courses have also added as a contributor in making

me a better student. Using the aspects of discipline and time management application in the

OMDE program have helped to contribute and facilitate my progress.

Strengths and Support

The OMDE degree has been very challenging mentally and physically, as I am working

full time, but it has also been rewarding experience. I have been able to build my confidence,

discipline and knowledge in online learning and distance education related subjects. The

strengths that have assisted me in achieving my goals so far are using discipline, time-

management application and writing experience. Focusing on the discipline aspect, has to be a

critical action that needs to be applied when participating in an online course program. I know

that if I do not, it may bring out my weakness of being overloaded and/or stressed. Personally, I

cannot participate in online course once a week or just on the weekends. I have to discipline

myself to do what I can each or almost every day. I also value and enjoy the sense of

accomplishment, once I complete what I need to do for that day. Time-management is another

strength I try to harness as much as possible. If there is something personal that I want to attend
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or do, I usually make sure I plan how much time I need to complete assignments or other class

tasks, so I can make sure I am up to date. I also usually set certain times in the day when I need

to focus or commit to learning tasks. This also helps in my learning because it gives me the

feasibility to accomplish and manage certain tasks within a reasonable amount time, so I can

utilize my mental energy and focus. Writing skills are the third strength that I would consider that

has assisted me in my progress. I do not consider myself an expert writer, or even close to that

level, but I do not know how I would be where I am in my progress without writing skills. The

majority of this class and the degree activity is built and evaluated in writing, so I could consider

the writing skills that I possess have contributed to my progress. These strengths, the ability to

use discipline, time management and writing skills, should all be essential for an online learner

to be successful.

OMDE Experience and Courses

The OMDE program has provided me with the knowledge, awareness and ability to

understand the importance and application of distance education. This is my first experience with

fully credit online courses and degree program, so it has led me to discover and unlock abilities

in myself that I was not necessarily sure I possessed. I was pleased with how I performed in the

Orientation for the OMDE program, which gave me the first inclination of what to expect in this

type of learning environment. My level of satisfaction in the orientation experience is an

example that aligns with Newberry and DeLucas (2014) findings that showed that nursing

students were also pleased being provided with an orientation as part of their introduction into an

online program. The teachers and learning support that I have experienced are all very

knowledgeable and have shown a great deal of passion and expertise in the subjects they teach.

Not all of my experiences through my classes have been perfect or positive, and there have been
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times when I was greatly overwhelmed. The courses are all different, and in my experience, this

has been a great benefit because I feel that the course structure overall is improving and is more

manageable. My progress in the OMDE program has provided me with a sense that I will be able

to possess and apply the knowledge and skills that I have acquired.

Personal Meaning of ODL

Online distance learning is a type of educational delivery method that incorporates the

convenience and capability of technology. It gives people, including myself, the opportunity to

achieve an educational goal that may allow them to choose their preferential way of learning,

such as a MOOC, a hybrid, or fully online course. It is a modern way to provide education that is

desirable to people because of technology, convenience and access. It has given me a greater

respect and awareness for online and distance learning.

Components that Assist My Learning

There are some components that assist me as an online learner. Having full access online

at home is one of the main contributors that provides me with the opportunity and desire to be an

online student. This is a convenience that I know many people do not have. Having efficient

internet access is a contributor to satisfaction for motivation for online learning as MacDonald,

Bullen, Kozak (2010) discovered in their findings for a corporate training online class. Another

contributor that helps me is that I have do not have too many family or other non-academic

responsibilities, besides work. Focusing again on my three strengths, of discipline, time

management and writing skills, are also helpful and valuable to me as an online learner, in

applying and completing the activities and other course tasks involved.

Challenge Strategies
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Challenges can bring difficulty, negative emotions and stress, and trying to find the best

way of dealing with can also be another obstacle. The OMDE program, in itself, is a major

challenge for me. Depending on what type of challenge it is, I think one strategy I use is

envisioning the final goal and what benefit(s) it will provide when I overcome the challenge.

Writing papers, to describe another example, is probably the most difficult task for me. I try to

plan when I will complete a draft, proofread and then when I plan on submitting the paper. Both

of these strategies help to relieve the pressure of managing deadlines, my energy and focus.

Improving My Learning Psychically, Cognitively and Organizationally

My OMDE learning experience should affect aspects of my life physically, cognitively

and organizationally. Physically, it affects my learning because it can cause emotional stress that

drains my desire to want to participate in the course. Some of the tasks required are difficult and

take a great deal of time to accomplish. I usually become the most stressed when I do not

understand something and feel that I do not have a lot of time to try to understand. This is where

student support I think can help with asking questions and/or receiving clarification. Also,

making sure I get an adequate amount of sleep is another way I can improve my energy and

focus. Cognitively, in my current class, is the challenge of fully understanding directions for an

assignment/task. I think I need to make sure I review any assignment task more ahead of time

and make sure I thoroughly compare and align it with the directions. Organizationally, I need to

make sure I am keeping all my artifacts, papers and findings in a more accessible, properly

labeled location. I have used multiple areas and devices to save my work to and sometimes it is

difficult and stressful for me to find what I need. Making more effort to do this, by creating more

folders and labeling everything more descriptively should help. I appreciate learning and

accomplishing skills that assist me in becoming a more productive and successful student.
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Additional Suggestion for Assignment

A suggestion for this assignment could be to ask if there are any types of additional

learning type media that would benefit the OMDE program or OMDE 608 course and the reason

why. Referring specifically to Hew and Cheung (2013) who state, Use a variety of media to

accommodate various student learning styles (p. 180). I think this could be a good question to

ask because there may be certain media that is not known or new that could be beneficial.

Conclusion

My experience and life as an online distance learner continues to be challenging, but

focusing on my goal of pursuing the degree is giving me motivation. Reflecting back, I am

surprised and amazed how far I have come, from where I started. There is still underlying

apprehension that I will not be able to accomplish the degree, but the more I extend my

experience in the OMDE program, the more I feel my confidence growing and ambition to want

to continue.
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References

Ellis, P. F., & Kuznia, K. D. (2014). Corporate elearning impact on employees. Global Journal

of Business Research, 8(4), 1-15. Retrieved from

https://learn.umuc.edu/d2l/le/content/202629/viewContent/8410960/View

Hew, K. F., & Cheung, W. S. (2013). Designing and implementing e-learning courses: A

comparative analysis of policy guidelines and nine professional organizations.

International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning, 3(3),

178-182. doi: 10.7763/IJEEEE.2013.V3.218 Retrieved from

https://learn.umuc.edu/d2l/le/content/202629/viewContent/8410908/View

MacDonald, I. S., Bullen, M., & Kozak, R. A. (2010). Learner support requirements for online

workplace training in the South African furniture industry. Journal of Asynchronous

Learning Networks, 14(3), 49-59. Retrieved from

https://learn.umuc.edu/d2l/le/content/202629/viewContent/8410954/View

Newberry, R., & DeLuca, C. (2014). Building a foundation for success through student services

for online learners. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17(4), 25-40. doi:

10.24059/olj.v17i4.385 Retrieved from

https://learn.umuc.edu/d2l/le/content/202629/viewContent/8410918/View