Charles
Meet Charles
As an active duty member of the armed forces, it is more than a little inconvenient to attend college. Especially if you are stationed in a remote area. If distance education were not an option, Charles says, he'd probably never get his degree. Or, at least it would have taken him a lot longer to start.
But he is on track to receive his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice in just one more year, sometime in 2008. He takes classes far from the Ohio home where he grew up, and far from the school he began way back when.
He attends Ohio Dominican University on his home computer. In Alaska.
As a life support technician, he is responsible for the maintenance and periodic inspection of ejection gear—parachutes, survival vests, seat cushions—anything that would be required if the plane malfunctioned and a pilot needed to “punch out”, say, above the Indian Ocean. Charles is a man who is used to dotting his “i's” and crossing his “t's.” He is accustomed to accountability. He is familiar with rigorous deadlines.
Still returning to school online is a big challenge. Keeping up with the demands of the program has been difficult.
“They are typical college courses,” he says of his schoolwork. “But they are condensed into 8 weeks instead of 15 weeks.”
The accelerated format means that he has had to juggle full-time work, deployments, and family commitments with an extraordinarily demanding school schedule. It hasn't been easy.
“It's rewarding though,” he says with a smile.
When he receives his grades and sees that his hard work has been recognized with an A or B, it is satisfying. “I'm doing two things I like at the same time.”
He had less on his plate 10 years ago when he started college, but the timing was not right for him to be there. He enrolled in Ohio Dominican University right out of high school. One year later, he had to make a decision.
“I was at a crossroads. I didn't know if I wanted to continue with school, or work a normal job.”
He decided upon the latter. For the next year he worked in various machine factories in Ohio manufacturing auto parts.
“It wasn't for me.” He decided it was time to make another tough decision. He planned to return to school.
“I tried to go back to Shawnee State. But I only got a partial scholarship. I couldn't afford the tuition.”
Chuck joined the military to take advantage of the GI Bill. He initially only planned to serve for four years. Along the way it became a career. With almost 11 years of service already, he will still be a young man when he retires. e-Learning is helping him plan for that future, which may include a second career as a DEA agent, or a role in homeland security.
When his wife enrolled in school to pursue a degree in nursing, “It started driving me.”
He researched his options and selected his alma mater.
“I wanted to make sure all my credits would transfer,” he explains.
He already had credits under his belt from his first foray into the college arena, plus he had earned credits from military training, and in addition he had earned credits from two CLEP exams.
Moreover, Ohio Dominican offered a criminal justice degree online. This was particularly appealing to the crime drama fan. “I'm a ‘Law and Order: SVU' freak,” he admits. “I've probably seen every episode two or three times.”
He has not regretted his decision. The experience has been so positive he has trouble nailing down just one favorite class. Although he readily identifies his favorite group project—one that required the team members to take opposing sides, defense and prosecution, in the Laci Peterson case. “We worked together in the Yahoo! chat room we created.”
Most classes require that students post a response once a week to a question posed by the instructor, and twice a week to fellow students. “That's the minimum,” he says.
But it often goes beyond that because discussions are so interesting and engaging. “People disagree sometimes, but it's kept respectful. People's opinions are what they are.”
As he found himself in class with some of the same students in his program time and again, he has developed a rapport. Still he has found something missing.
“I do miss the face to face interaction with students in a traditional class,” he confides. But he makes as much of the college experience as he can. He still feels a certain camaraderie with the others, traditional students and e-learners alike.
“I plan to walk with my class at ODU [graduation] next year. I worked just as hard as anybody.”
When he does feel a sense of isolation, and time permits, he utilizes the option of going to a physical college campus.
“I took Spanish at the University of Alaska,” says. The units transfer in, so it is a win-win situation.
He is getting a handle on the pace, but looks forward to finishing up soon. Writing one to two papers a week, one or two journals, and a couple of postings to discussion boards is a lot.
“There have been many times when I've stayed up until 3 a.m. doing schoolwork, slept for a couple of hours, then had to wake up, go to work, and do it all over again.”
The time difference in Alaska has presented its own challenge, not where one might expect in scheduling group meetings, but in delivering assignments.
“It's very difficult. Most papers are due at 2 p.m. Eastern. That's 10 a.m. for me. I lose hours,” he notes. “Sometimes the professors will give an extra hour here or there.”
That level of understanding is indicative of the experience he has had at ODU. “The faculty and staff have been tremendous,” he enthuses. He has found them to be very accessible and helpful. Questions are answered promptly. And problems are worked out.
Most of the time they communicate by e-mail. But, Chuck notes, “I've had conversations with professors on several occasions about assignments or term papers or exams, just to make sure we're on the same page.”
Ironically, he is one year shy of his degree and has not taken advantage of the benefit that lured him in. “I haven't touched my GI Bill benefits yet.”
Air Force tuition assistance has been helping foot the bill. But TA only covers up to $4,500 per year. He is on his own for anything beyond that. Plus, he spends about $600 per semester on books.
With two college students in the family, he and his wife really have to budget wisely. It hasn't been too much of a hardship, but it has impacted their lives in small ways. Trips home from Alaska, for instance. Fortunately they have each other and don't get too homesick.
Chuck knows there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And his family is proud of him. “They've been very supportive. They think it's awesome that I can pursue my bachelor's and maybe even my master's degree, while serving my country.”
