Jenn Griffiths
"I never would have gone back to school if I couldn't go online," declares Jenn G.
As an elementary school teacher with a full personal life, Jenn required flexibility in a masters program. This New Jersey resident found just what she needed in an online Masters of Education program based all the way in Phoenix, Arizona at Grand Canyon University.
Jenn loves being a third-grade teacher—she couldn't picture herself doing anything else. A graduate of Bloomsburg University, she was working towards tenure two years ago when she set her sights on a master's degree.
Like most teachers, she knew she was not going to get rich teaching, but was looking for a way to make a labor of love a little more lucrative. Jenn knew one way to boost her earning power was to get an advanced degree.
But she also knew it would be tough to fit classes into her already busy schedule. Not only was she teaching full-time herself, but she was spending lots of time at after-school workshops in her quest for tenure. On top of that she was newly married.
"If I ever wanted to be home," Jenn says, "I couldn't add commuting to and sitting in college classes to that workload."
She didn't have to. Jenn had heard of Grand Canyon's online Masters of Education program through a colleague who was earning his masters in special education online. She liked what she learned about the university. Grand Canyon University is a regionally accredited university with both online and campus-based programs.
She says, "I liked that there was an actual college there."
The online program is no less rigorous than the program she would have encountered at the brick-and-mortar college.
"From my experience," she says, "online you get just as good an education as if you went to class." If anything, Jenn warns prospective online students to "be ready to do a bit more work than you would if you were in a classroom."
Jenn is currently wrapping up the last of the five semesters that make up her program. Each semester consists of two consecutive eight-week courses and the work is quite intensive.
Every week she has several assignments, including discussion questions, journal entries on the assigned readings, and a longer paper of 1000-1500 words. The paper alone would often take her 5 hours to complete each week.
"It definitely helps to be disciplined and have days you dedicate to each assignment," she advises.
The upside for Jenn is that she has been able to complete much of the work in her pajamas!
"I liked the idea of being able to be comfortable when I was doing my own work and liked that I could do it at my own pace throughout the week," she says. "When I had a moment that I felt productive I could act on it, and if I was busy or feeling uninspired about my paper topic that week, I didn't have to work on my assignment at that time."
She readily admits that school usually does not top her list of priorities. "My work and personal life generally come before my school," she says. Her philosophy is that "without a job a masters degree is not worth much and without family and friends, your life isn't worth much."
That doesn't mean she neglected her schoolwork. Her online program simply provided the flexibility to allow her to prioritize in the way that was right for her.
"I have been up late many Sunday nights working to finish papers because I have had a busy week at school or family events to attend over the weekend," she says.
"Even though I may be a little tired on Monday mornings, I look back on the week and see that I did a good job at work, had fun with my family and friends and got my course work done, so it was all worth it."
Her experiences with Grand Canyon University have been positive. Grand Canyon uses Blackboard technology for its online programs, and Jenn gave it high marks, saying it was easy to navigate.
She acknowledges that the technology "took some getting used to" at first, but she utilized the available tutorials to learn how to use it, and referred back to them whenever she needed them. With Blackboard, she could see each week's assignments, and access a chat room where she interacted with the other students and the professor. In addition, she could see all of her grades, and read comments from her professor.
The dedication of the professors at Grand Canyon University impressed her. "The professors are all over the country," she says.
"Many of them teach in traditional classrooms, too, and have busy lives, but they are usually online every day." She's found their feedback to be especially useful. "They are really good about giving you constructive criticism."
At times she misses the face-to-face interaction of a traditional program, but overall feels that you can get as much out of an online program as you can sitting in a classroom. Her learning has been enhanced by being able to bring her real-world teaching experience into her coursework. And though she has not graduated just yet, she has already been able to apply what she has learned in her program to her third-grade class.
Best of all, much of the expected total cost of Jenn's degree will be reimbursed by her school district. She pays for her courses each semester, and then submits her course grades and receipts for tuition to the district. Jenn pays out of pocket for certain expenses, such as fees and books. She estimates the total cost will be about $12,350.
Looking back as she nears graduation, the sleepless Sunday nights nearly behind her, Jenn is happy with the path she chose. "Online learning was a lot of work," she reflects, "but I don't think I would have chosen any other way."
