I'm looking to return to uni next year and complete some qualifications in early childhood education. I have a degree that I completed out of high school but I can't get a job out of it so looking to return and complete my teaching qualifications. I can do it on campus at one of the local uni's but I'm leaning upwards external as dh may need to be moved in the coming years (he is with the raaf) and with the boys I think it would be easier to just have two days where they are at child care to study. I'm looking for experiences of external study, the pros and cons. Also if anyone has studied with Charles Darwin university I'd be interested to hear how their external study works.
Thanks!
I did a BA/BT external and personally I loved it. For most of the time I was studying I was also working pretty much on a fulltiem basis. The pros are that you can studty when you like, you are able to arrange the study the way you want to get the assignments done, the help that is available is absolutely fantastic too (in my experience, actually from what I've heard the help can actually be better than being on campus), and there are discussion boards for topic conversations for all external students.
Im not one of those people who would have lasted at uni, I like to study at my own pace, I prefer not to have the competition in the classroom either. But thats me.
For me there are few cons to it, although finding a library near by that stocks the books you are after can be hard, being responsible for your own work and achievements, you have to be good at time management to get that done. Also it can involve a fair few emails and phone calls when you need to talk to lecturers but these days they are pretty good at getting back to you asap.
I did last year of a degree by distance, and am currently studying by distance. Love it! Much more difficult with kids, pregnancy etc, but I'm getting there.
I was never one for lectures, so it really suits me. Unis these days are well setup for distance learning.
I am studying distance and love it. I log on to forums to complete coursework. Down side is that you don't get the same Amt of detail that you would get from actual contact. If you have to ask questions they can't be answered immediately.
As I am distance I order books online and the library posts them to my house.
I don't have experience with the Uni you mentioned, but I'm currently studying externally through UNE. I am really enjoying it - I don't have the pressure of having to arrange childcare to attend lectures because I can download the podcasts whenever I have free time (usually at night) and I can structure my study around my family instead of having to structure my family around my study kwim? It does take a lot of work to keep your motivation going at times, especially if the subject or assignment etc is really hard or boring, but if that happens I ban myself from here (far too much temptation LOL) and I can knuckle right down and get it done. If you are self-motivated anyway, external study should work well for you, but if you struggle with motivation, then it wont make it impossible, but it will mean that you will have to create a schedule for yourself and make sure you stick to it to stay on top of study. As far as the course itself goes, externals get exactly the same lectures as internals (at UNE) and just as much access via phone, email and discussion boards. The only real difference is that you can't talk to them face to face obviously but they are always really good at replying to emails quickly. Even their library services are really good. I can put in a request for a book chapter photocopy and have it emailed to me within days so it doesn't matter if I don't have access to the books at the library.
I did my last semester external through UQ because DH is in the Army and we were relocated and tbh studying externally craps all over internal. You get sent all the lecture material and readings you need, you get marked easier, and they tend to pay more attention to any emails, enquiries, etc that you do have. Plus you can do the work on a schedule that suits you, and if you do live near the campus there's nothing stopping you from going to the classes anyway - and many uni's now have lectures recorded which you would also likely get online access to. I'm thinking about going back to do my Dip Ed because there's no way I can get a job up here in my field, and even if we didn't look like getting relocated again I'd still go with external just because of the flexibility and the resources handed to you on a platter!
Like Trillian said, it can be hard to stay motivated, especially with a really really boring assignment, but they often hook you up with a network of other students so you can contact them for help/support. You also have to really like reading. As a highly unmotivated person who absolutely abhors reading, if I can do it, you can too!
The only thing you might run into trouble with teaching is the prac requirements, so you would best to call/email the uni's you're considering to see what they require of external students when it comes to that.
I'm external at monash it's good...... But I miss my time with dd, just being honest. It does take a lot of time and reading and researching.
It's a pain because 3 times a semester I'm on campus (this semester it was the other side of the city for a whole weekend next semester it's 2 weekends and next year it's at a different campus 3 hours away so I'll have to stay on campus for the weekend) and even those interstate have to go. It's compulsory or you fail.
Une has a fantastic set up!!! I believe they are one of the best equipped off campus unis. I'm in Vic and was happy to be studying in nsw - primary teaching.
My yearning pulled me back to social work hence my change..... I got 3 offers accepted une and decided I had to withdraw and finish what I started 9 years ago.
Oh that's the other thing I forgot. Some subjects will have residential schools where you will be expected to go to the Uni and do face to face sessions. Some of these are mandatory and others are not, but the mandatory ones you have to go to. But I think over the entire duration of my degree I only have 3-4 of them so it's not too bad.
And as for the prac requirements, it's been easy so far for me. You just contact the schools in your area and see if they will let you do your prac. Some will require an interview of sorts, but most wont. It was easy for me as I just asked the principal at my kids school. I have heard from others though that while you're on prac Uni work takes a backseat so if you have your prac at the same time as you have assignments due, it might be hard to keep up. But I know for students in metro areas it has been really hard to get a placement and the places at the schools located close to the Uni are near impossible to get into. So that may be something to consider as well as childcare requirements as well. Thankfully I only need to put DS into care for 4 days out of the 20.
I finished my accounting degree externally through UNE Armidale years ago. I found that I had much more support as an external student than when I was internal and at a college as the lecturers expected you to be busier with your life and thus gave more support.
External study, experiences please.
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