With my graduation fast approaching, I have taken time to think about the past two years and my experience at the University of Wisconsin Superior.
I have spent my entire undergraduate career as a distance learner and only recently visited the UWS campus for the first time, although I only live about two hours away. I was very impressed by the campus: it is attractive, welcoming, clean, charming, and feels very similar to the small and cozy community college campuses that I am used to.
While I have enjoyed the convenience of distance learning and studying on my own time, I miss the campus experience and wish I could have attended classes in person. I often felt like I was missing out when I learned about events hosted by the Yellowjacket Activities Crew, plays presented by the Theatre Department, and the various student organizations available to join.
Additionally, I have found distance learning to be a more challenging endeavor compared to earning my associate’s degree in person on a small campus. In particular, classes like Spanish and Experiential Learning in Multimedia Journalism, or COMM 403, were challenging as an online student.
Learning a foreign language is ambitious enough as an adult but learning it online while taking multiple courses at once makes it exponentially more difficult. COMM 403 requires students to find leads, interview people, and write articles for The Promethean, and Multimedia Journalism majors and minors need 135 credit hours to graduate.
Completing 135 credit hours as an online student when you can’t be physically there to take photos at events or help with the newspaper layout has been trying. Online learners don’t have the same opportunities to see posters about upcoming events or hear talk of campus news that in-person students do.
However, my work with The Promethean has been rewarding and provided me with practical experience in journalism. I was able to practice my interviewing, copyediting, and social media management skills, and I am grateful I could take this class.
Learning in a 100% online format was not for me. I have realized that I absorb information best through demonstration and repetition, not through reading material on my own. While some students groan at the thought of long lectures, I actually prefer them, as I can hear the professor’s take on the course material and take lots of notes.
To help mitigate the difficulties I have faced with distance learning have been many helpful professors and other staff members at UWS, which has been my favorite experience at this college. Many of my professors and advisors have been there to answer my sometimes excessive emails and meet me for a Zoom call when I was struggling.
UWS is staffed with friendly and helpful professionals who genuinely want to see their students succeed. In particular, I have been impressed by and want to thank Tom Hansen, Meg Muthupandiyan, Brent Notbohm, Emily Moran, Toni Kramer, Jayson Iwen, Julie Gard, and Tom Notton. I appreciate everyone who has helped me along my educational journey, and congratulations to my fellow class of 2024 graduates.
