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Maria knew that she needed to update her skills as a dental hygienist in order to stay employable in her field. A resident of Ontario, Maria looked into degree programs at universities across Canada. She found that UBC’s Bachelor of Dental Hygiene program -- which allowed her to take courses online and in the classroom -- fit her needs as a bi-coastal student.
Taking a component of her courseload by distance education allowed Maria the flexibilty to complete her degree while still working part-time in Ontario and commuting to Vancouver for classes.
“My schedule is not for the faint of heart,” says Maria, who left a well-paid career as a dental hygienist to complete her degree. “Often I only get about three hours of sleep a night. But I have found the entire experience to be very challenging and very rewarding. I never could have done this program without the online courses offered. The courses have been very interactive and are a great option for those who can’t commit the time to be on campus or live out of province.”
The high level of teaching made the courses both enjoyable and user-friendly says Maria.
“My online statistics professor, Dr. Carl Cramer stayed on the phone with me for two hours many nights,” says Maria. “ I found that there was a lot of positive feedback given to students. Disrespect in any way was not tolerated -- which was encouraging when you are sitting alone at your computer at three a.m.”
Maria also found online courses opened up a whole new way of learning to her, which she is now passing on in her own teaching.
“People learn in their own way and that has really hit home to me since taking the online courses. I teach to different groups and found that my online coursework helped me formulate lesson plans and cater more to my audience whether it is children, a professional association or a women’s shelter. I learned new ways to teach such as question and answer periods and guiding conversations.”
Maria’s experience with distance education has been very positive – though not without it’s challenges. She admits to being a bit of a technophobe and has run into a few related problems.
“The minute I had any problems such as not being able to get a connection or post a comment, I called the Distance Education offices and they made every effort to help. I found the people there took responsibility for glitches and really made an effort to communicate,” says Maria.
As the first person from Ontario to do a full-time degree with a distance education component, Maria admits to missing some of the student interaction. “I walk alone. But I’m a 35-year old woman who was prepared for this and made a conscious decision to come back and complete my degree. I am getting so much out of this experience.”
Would she recommend online education courses to others?
“Without a doubt. Nothing is as valuable as learning how to think on your own,” says Maria.
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