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Where Are Online Students? Voices Needed / Encouraged.


Speak up, make your voice heard

Writing a blog for online learners represents an exciting task. Having worked in higher education for more than 10 years, most of my experience is in working with students on a physical campus. However, there are multitudes of similarities and differences that provide ample material for this site. One of my goals for 2012 is to feature stories from online learners. That is right. I want to share your story with our readers. Students love hearing from other students. If you are an online learner or if you represent an online degree program, I would love to hear from you.

What are you studying and why?

What are the "hot" new majors? Is your degree program the only one like it in the universe? I want to share your stories and experiences so that others can benefit from your wisdom. Think of this as "paying it forward." Students sharing with other students can be one of the most powerful and transformative methods of inspiring others. When I was an academic advisor, I would encourage prospective students to chat with our peer advisors. Students who were taking classes could give first hand accounts of what it was like to be in a course. Online learners are dispersed throughout the globe. Instead of having a physical campus where every student is located, online degree programs generate a community of learners that may never meet in-person. Therefore, having spaces on the web where online students can share their experiences is a necessary step in supporting online learners. Sharing why you are pursuing your chosen major, why you picked a certain subject as an elective, and/or why you chose a particular institution are all components to your educational experience. My motives are fairly simple and transparent: I want to give you a space to share so that your words can inspire others. Sound like a good idea? I thought so too!

Institutional Representatives

If you work for a school that has students who are willing to participate in story sharing, please let me know. I plan on serving as a filter so that honest and authentic stories get published and marketing plays a small role. If you have amazing students, in amazing majors, with amazing stories, let me know. I would love to post their tales of triumph on this site. Why did they pick your school? I want to know their rationale. Students need to know that there are large numbers of students who have stories just like theirs. Online students do not exist in a vacuum…and neither do their stories.

Comment and Leave your contact information

If you have a story (and let's leave complaints and negativity out of the equation), please feel free to post it as a comment on this post. Sharing your contact information will allow me to be able to follow-up with you. Being able to contact you will allow for a richer conversation and a more detailed blog post. That's right, your stories will be posts. I will serve as your editor, but in the end, your words will be shared for all to see. Go ahead, pay it forward in 2012! [image credit]