Daniel Maestro
Meet Daniel Maestro
Name: Daniel Maestro
Age: 30
Current Location: Bauru, Brasil
Financial Aid: Company tuition reimbursement
Biggest Benefit of Learning Online: Being able to balance work and school
School: Universidade Estadual Paulista
Target: M.S. in Information Systems
Distance learning has gone global—and Daniel Maestro is just one success story.
Daniel is a graduate of Brazil's Universidade Estadual Paulista, Campus de Bauru, where she received her undergraduate degree in Information Systems.
Now, she's continuing this education at the school and pursuing a graduate degree—levering distance education to get it done.
For Daniel, distance learning fits into her busy schedule, too, as she is already working in the information technology industry.
But she couldn't have done it without the University of Georgia's partnership with Utah State University. They've created the U.S.-Brazil Consortium on Technology Integration.
The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) and the Brazilian Ministry of Education's Fundacao Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES).
The program includes Instructional Technology professors from University of Georgia and Utah State University teaching courses to Brazilian students at Universidade Federal do Ceará and Universidade Estadual Paulista in Brazil. To implement the program, professors use multiple technologies such as Live Classroom from Wimba.
We asked Daniel about how this innovative program has helped her attain her career goals.
What is the hardest part of distance learning?
For me, the hardest part is organizing the time I need for my studies. With traditional classes, the teacher controls the relationship between the time needed for the class meeting and the additional time of study required of the student. [The teacher determines when the students meet for class.]
In distance learning, each student is responsible for maintaining all activities in a day. This flexibility, it is a "two-edged sword". While it provides students with autonomy and independence to organize themselves, a less mature student ends up losing [out by being disorganized and potentially not being able to keep up with the required course work].
There are two things I see as crucial factors for a student who attends a course online. If the student does not have access to certain technologies that were used for the conduct of an activity, how he can accomplish them? [i.e. If a student does not have the right software or computer equipment, how can he or she complete a project or course successfully?]
All the participants need to be careful of what and how they will talk to each other. Generally, communication is more textual, reducing our conversation to the textual interpretation by each participant who reads your text. [Without intonation and body language, communication in an online course can be difficult.]
What is the easiest thing about distance education?
In my opinion the two easiest things are access to the content and the possibilities of communication.
With the Wimba Live Classroom technology I can access the content anytime, and I can communicate with the participants of a course online 24 hours a day.
Is online learning easier than traditional classes?
I think this question can be seen in term[s] of two important [questions].
The question of access (platform [or delivery method in] which the classes take place: online [or] face-to-face). And the issue of learning (which is the main objective of [both online and face-to-face] instruction).
In terms of access to information, communication, [and] achievement of the tasks, I believe that … study[ing] online makes the process [of accessing information] easier because everything is available 24 hours a day with Wimba.
On the issue of learning, in my opinion, there should not be differences [between the quality of online and face-to-face education].
The students should learn … the same [amount] both in … online … as … face-to-face …
Do you feel like you're teaching yourself without a professor to teach you?
Sometimes. But the presence of the teacher is very important for the orientation of the student, especially if the course [is more academically focused]. Courses that are more technical, for training or professional [advancement], may have the character of being self-instructional [rather than needing the support and guidance of an instructor].
Tell us a little bit about the format of your classes.
I already attended three training courses online.
All classes have a constructiv[e] characteristic: forums for discussions, activities focused on students (some with the production of text in groups or project works), and reading offline.
Are your professors easily accessible?
Yes. In the three courses that I took, they were always available and [the] answers [to my questions] always came within 24 hours.
Do you currently work? Tell us about your job.
Yes, I work at an information technology (IT) company called MStech. My work is related to the use of IT for education.
Currently, I am the coordinator of the team producing learning content. We produce learning objects, create online courses, and design educational software.
Do you plan to pursue other online degrees after this? Why did you go for a degree?
Yes, I believe in distance learning. My specialization course in instructional design was a distance learning course and it was very important to understand how the process is developed.
And now, due to my responsibilities in my work, the distance courses represent a great alternative to losing work time; I use resources available in the company to complete the course.
Has your current job helped with tuition?
In all of [the courses I've taken,] I had the support of the company; paying the tuition in whole or in part, or giving me time to participate in virtual meetings.
Do you have any advice for people considering online education?
[Taking] a course online is not easier than [taking] a face-to-face course. It requires discipline, commitment, and communication.
