Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Laura Howard
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.
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
ASSIGNMENT 3: ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION 2
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
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
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
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
ASSIGNMENT 3: ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION 4
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.
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
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
ASSIGNMENT 3: ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION 5
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.
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
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
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
ASSIGNMENT 3: ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION 6
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.
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.
ASSIGNMENT 3: ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION 7
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
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.
ASSIGNMENT 3: ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION 8
References
Ellis, P. F., & Kuznia, K. D. (2014). Corporate elearning impact on employees. Global Journal
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
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
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:
https://learn.umuc.edu/d2l/le/content/202629/viewContent/8410918/View