After a long day of work on a Wednesday evening (or maybe a Tuesday, Thursday, or all three), I sit at my desk, turn on my computer and log in to go to class where I join up to forty others with the same goal. The goal of earning a Master’s Degree is what bonds all of these people together, tied by the thread of the internet. Working alone late at night reading, and writing papers for the next twelve months is a long, hard, and lonely road to travel, yet an expected scenario when entering online learning.
Time to look at what really happens. No one will be up late alone working on papers. Everyone will be in a group working together on creating projects in a variety of mediums. When a group project is not an official assignment, classmates and instructors are at my desk ready and willing to lend a hand when asked. Time is not a factor, the problems are not a factor, someone within this class of forty has an idea to make difficult tasks easier. These ideas are not held in secret, they are shouted from the top of the internet. Posted in social network sites, uploaded as tutorial videos, and emailed directly. If I get really lost one of these friends will put their screen on mine in order to help solve a problem.
I did not know what to expect when entering the task of earning a degree. I did not expect to make bonds and friendships with people from throughout the world. I did not expect to be able to work together, struggle together, celebrate together, and play together for twelve months.
The success I have experienced in this program can all be attributed the group I am on this journey with. The open sharing of talents and ideas is where the learning takes place. I did not earn this degree on my own, we all earned it collectively. Without the group, a video like the one posted here would never exist. This is not the work of one, but a creation of many.
Oh my, what a memory! That group project was certainly a lot of fun and memories of our virtual celebratory trip to the Second Life bar seem as real as a first life night out on the town! Heck we even have pics. Who would have thought that seven diverse students living in six states and Canada would be sitting together for drinks and a chat after class - all while never leaving the comfort of their own homes.
ReplyDeleteBut you certainly have it right, staying up late to work on projects is rarely means a lonely night. Even now, at 2:58 am EST, at least four other class members are a mere click away for advice, help, a chat, or even just to help remind you that getting through this journey is not the solitary experience I expected. The bonds of friendship we have created will extend beyond the completion of this program. Many relationships are sure to continue long into the future as partnerships, friendships, and simple networking keep us connected on our future career paths.
Thank you for the reminder of what we can accomplish together
And "Thesis Coming To Town" is certainly an appropriate song to revisit!
Bob, there are no words for how important I found our group of classmates during my time at Full Sail. I wonder when Full Sail devised the idea of keeping groups of students together for the entirety of the degree if they could have predicted how positive the experience would be for us?
ReplyDeleteI love knowing that if I have a problem all I have to do is post it on Facebook or mention it in class and almost instantaneously I'll get enormous amounts of help and support for my problem.
Being together these past 10+ months has made us a family of sorts. We want more than just individual success... we also want to know that our classmates are succeeding too. Every time I hear a classmate talk about a problem I want to help because I genuinely care about everyone in the class. I don't think there are a lot of other degree programs where the students feel as close to and supported by classmates as we do at Full Sail.
As we get close to the end of our time together I'm excited about eventually not having to scramble to find time to complete assignments, but I'm going to deeply miss the camaraderie. Sure, many of us will likely stay connected through Facebook, but I'll miss all of us working at the same time on common goals.