Here are some thoughts on my doing a master’s degree by distance education at a UK university while living in Canada. My wife and I work full-time and we have two school-age children, so home life can be a hectic whirlwind. Here are some reflections at the end of the course.
1. Approaching forty seemed the right age for a master’s. If I’d put it off much longer, any remaining enthusiasm may have waned.
2. Working in the North American higher education system pretty much necessitates having a higher degree.
3. The qualification may aid professional credibility in terms of giving presentations and publishing opportunities, should I ever decide to explore (however fruitlessly) these avenues of interest.
4. Chipping away at the workload in the available snippets of time has not been easy. It can take a couple of hours just to remember my line of reasoning from two weeks ago.
5. After a day’s work, preparing dinner, kids’ homework, bath and story time, and planning the next workday, my thirst for the fruits of academia is somewhat diminished.
6. Aspects of the course can be tedious. For example, bulletin board posts are required as the “attendance” component of the course. However, they are unassessed. Therefore, some people post inane drivel, whereas others guilt you into making a decent effort.
7. The level of support from the university has been first-rate: Quick response to all questions and excellent feedback on all draft and final assignments.
8. At more negative moments, I recall the quotation that says a thesis is simply the transferring of a set of bones from one cemetery to another.
9. On the plus side, I have re-evaluated many of my core teaching beliefs. And found them all to be entirely justifiable!
10. Overall, the necessary learning process and sense of accomplishment made the experience, for me, worthwhile and justifiable.
wapentake 