Online Learner Profiles: Joan M.
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Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Joan M., Master of Education in Instructional Design
Meet Joan M.
Name: Joan Medlen
Age: 46
Marital Status: Married
Children: 2 boys; 21 and 18
Strength: Caring for a son who was born with Down syndrome, autism, and celiac disease.
School: UMass Online
Target: M.Ed. in Instructional Design, June 2009
These students are now in her online classes and she knows who she can talk to for help when she has questions.
Joan particularly enjoys what she describes as the "collaborative nature of the environment for students."
Being able to "learn with other adults" has enhanced the experience for her. She believes older learners tend to be more engaged, perhaps because they have real world experience to bring to their classes.
When considering all the things that Joan likes about the online learning experience, she singles out the fact that it has made it possible for her to return to school at all.
"I would not be able to earn a graduate degree without online options," she says. "If I had to be in class at certain times on certain days, I wouldn't be able to do it."
An online program, she says, "allows me to fit it in where it fits in my life—rather than fitting life around class." Online learning "gives me the flexibility I need to be a good mother to Andy, work on contracts that I have, and do class work at odd hours. I often do my class work and watch the lectures in the very early hours or late at night."
Joan's passion and enthusiasm keep her juggling her many responsibilities while getting her education. She would like to dispel any misconceptions of online learning being easy.
"Online learning does not mean that you do not need to take notes or have homework!" she exclaims. "This is not like playing a game or going to a chat room. It's structured and it is work, just like any university program."
If anything, it is more of a challenge to keep up with your classes in an online environment, Joan believes. Her advice to new online learners would be to log in every day as posts from classmates can accumulate quickly and becoming overwhelming.
But Joan seems to be keeping up so far. Now that she is finally fulfilling that "dream deferred," she is not wasting a moment.
"Never give up on yourself," she says. "An opportunity exists in which you can learn successfully."
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