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| Yours truly studying during not-so-busy hours of the Philippine Energy Efficiency Forum 2012 in Cebu. In distance learning, one has to be flexible and innovative ;-) |
The semester is technically over as it was marked by finals
day today. I was lucky to have to take only one exam – for my ENRM 221. One
word puzzle and 4 essay questions – I think I did okay, let’s see come October when we get our grades, hehe.
The first sem has gained me a couple of insights about
distance learning. Before you decide to get into such a program , let me share
with you some of the key elements of UPOU success based on my experience.
1.
Belief in the Distance Learning System
Treat distance learning as a “real school”
with real lessons, real deadlines, real assignments, and real grades. Get the
most out of it and participate in discussions or study groups. Unlike
traditional classroom learning, which is teacher-centric – distance learning is
driven mostly by the student. You are responsible for what you get out of it.
2.
Flexibility and Innovation
Parts of this blog entry and most of my
papers were written from different parts of the world and other weird places. I
assume people who opt for distance learning are people who travel a lot and
have busy schedules. Be prepared to lug around your modules and grab every
opportunity to study and do your assignments!
3.
Time Management
Because you don’t see you teachers and
classmates everyday (sometimes even not at all) be very conscious about the
time … schedules and deadlines are crucial. Gauge the level of effort needed
for specific assignments and plan accordingly. I appreciated the suggested
schedule that Prof Sandy, my faculty in charge for DM 201, gave us at the
beginning of semester for it gave order to my plan of study. I employed his
suggested strategy to my other subject and divided my ENRM 221 module into
biteable “chunks” I wasn’t able to follow it religiously, but still – it gave
me a clearer vision of what I needed to do.
4.
Social Skills ;-)
Be sociable and reach out to your classmates.
I think post-graduate studies are also about learning from the experiences of
your classmates, who usually come from different professions. More heads are
better than one, they always say – and it is good to learn different
perspectives, and to encourage one another.
Plus, interaction with classmates will also help you track your own
progress, time wise! My classmates in my current courses also helped a lot in
reminding each other about deadlines !
Being a full time employee (who travels a lot), a mom, and a
person with many other extra curricular activities, I had difficulty squeezing
in my academics into my busy schedule (and bouts of laziness.) But I am still
looking forward to my succeeding sems!!!
