Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Ron S., Master's in Illustration Design
Name: Ron Smith
Age: 49
Location: California
Children: 18-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter
Why online? "Distance learning allows me to get a top education form a great art school. The closest art school to me is 75 miles away."
School: SCAD Online
Target: M.A. in Illustration Design, 2008
Though Ron doesn't have the luxury of in-person critique, he doesn't feel at a loss, especially since his program is geared toward people who already have proficiency in art.
"I never had one instructor who didn't give me a phone number to contact him or her with any questions," he says. "Over all it was just dynamic and fun; I just had a blast."
His biggest gripe with online learning? The required postings, which he believes are misguidedly intended to replace class discussion.
"They try to make up for interaction between students, but someone has to realize you can't simulate open discussion in an online forum. It's a different medium, so there should be new standards."
He does the math: if there are as few as ten students in an online course and each has to post, and each has to post on each post, and each has to respond, the amount of time writing out what could take just a few minutes in colloquial speech does seem daunting.
Though all of his classes had different requirements, some of his professors found a suitable alternative to the problem. They would assign discussion groups of three or four to post back and forth, which Ron found to be less superficial and therefore more rewarding.
Because of the required postings, Ron asserts that online classes are just a little more work in terms of time.
But the tradeoff is the flexibility. "For instance, I don't have to move to Savannah," he points out.
Ron has two more classes in fall and one in winter before he receives his Master's in Illustration and Design. In the meantime, he is pursuing another of his passions: politics.
Running for city council, he found that high quality design can sell a candidate as well as a product. The time he put into designing everything for his campaign paid off, and he is now beginning a four-year term as City Councilman in L.A.
So what's his next step? "I'm going to Disneyland!" he laughs.
And it's true, for all his "different pokers in the fire," Ron has managed to keep his priorities straight: the family's going on vacation tomorrow.
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