Student Profile: Eleni
MAT-SE student
Hometown: Athens, Greece
UTTC: Well clearly you would have one of our longer commutes to a UT institution, but other than location why did you choose to learn online?
Eleni: I live in Filothei, a suburb of Athens, Greece. I’m taking the MAT-SE program with UT Dallas. I chose it because I wanted a program where I could learn more about teaching. I can’t study the conventional way – I have two young children and work part time.
Why did you select the UT TeleCampus program?
Here in Greece there aren’t post graduate degrees in education. All programs are for working teachers. I did look into other online programs but all were restricted to existing teachers and educators, not those wanting to enter the field. In addition to that, the program at UTD seemed perfect for what I was looking for, namely to learn more about how to teach Science.
Will earning this degree allow you a career change?
Yes, that is my goal. I currently work as a part time nutrition consultant. I do have a background in Science. My bachelor's degree is in Biology and I have a master’s degree in Nutrition. My jobs have all been related to clinical nutrition. After I had my children, I chose to become a free lance consultant so I could spend more time at home with them. When they get a bit older I hope to begin a career as a high school biology teacher. The MAT-SE prepares me for that.
You’ve earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree prior to starting this graduate program, so you’ve clearly had a good deal of academic experience. Has there been anything about the online classrooms that surprised you compared to your expectations?
I was not sure what to expect at the beginning. I was really stressed out by the fact that I could not physically get to meet the instructors. I was afraid that I would be alone or isolated during the course – just me and my computer. I was surprised by the fact that it was more personalized than I expected, yet required me to be very responsible about keeping up with the schedule. I found myself learning a lot of new things through my own initiative and research, and by discussing topics with my classmates. In general, I didn’t expect it to be as demanding as it is. I was surprised it resembles a virtual class as much as it does.
What do you like best about learning online from Texas while living in Greece?
I love the freedom it gives me to set my own pace. I love the fact that I have the chance to be in the same classroom with students who are living so far away from my home. It gives me the possibility to gain understanding from a culture quite different from mine here in Greece. I am learning things that I was completely unaware of. I also love the fact that this program has prompted me to look into what is going on in Greece more, and I have found out that there are plenty of educators in Greece who are sharing the same interests and concerns that I have. I have found sites on the web where Greek science educators share ideas, and I’ve been impressed by the fact that they promote constructivism so much.
What’s been your greatest challenge in this degree program?
Trying to stop behaving like a high school student who wants to please her teachers! I have decided that the important thing for me in this program is to learn, not to just do well. So my greatest challenge is overcoming the "doing well " imperative that I always had as a child, and even had as a college student.
Do you interact much with your fellow students?
I do interact with my classmates during courses, but not after a course is over. I would say that during a course I come to "understand" the characters of my fellow classmates, especially the ones that are in the same workgroup as me. I am not sure I would say that I know them. Unlike undergrad school, where I tended to spend more time with my classmates after class or in lab, with this course I tend not to keep in touch so much. But the little that I do I find very beneficial.
Did you complete any interest research yet in this program?
I did do a research project during this online degree. It started with an extensive literature search on a personally chosen topic in the first semester and was completed with research, data collection and analysis in the next semester. My project was a quantitative survey of Greek and English speaking high school students. My survey investigated their concepts and attitudes toward science, with relation to the frequency of hands-on activities they performed in their science classes. For this specific research project I have to confess that this online degree program provided a much more organized structure, and paid attention to detail to a much greater degree, than my previous master’s degree in Nutrition. I learned a great deal.
What’s the support system like at home for you?
I’m married to a wonderful man. I’ve known my husband since high school though we haven’t been dating that whole time. If it weren’t for him I probably wouldn’t be studying for this degree – he’s encouraged me to do this. When I’m not studying or working, I’m busy with our children. We have a daughter Alexandra who is three and a half, and a one and half year old son, Spyros. I get to spend a lot of time with my kids, which is the best thing I could ask for. Once they grow older I’d like use this degree to teach Biology to junior and seniors in high school. I hope to graduate Fall 2008, or at the latest, Spring 2009.
What advice would you give other adults thinking of learning online?
To not think about it all too much and just do it! I’ve actually already recommended this to a lot of people I know.
What advice would you offer to faculty teaching online?
I would suggest they try to maintain frequent contact with all the students. It makes the students feel that they are not alone.
What do you think you’re taking from this program aside from the opportunity to teach high school?
I think these courses have helped me look at science, and the teaching of science, from many new points of view. It’s helped me understand a lot more with regard to our actions and their impact on the environment, and the people around us. Taking this program makes me feel that I am becoming more complete as a person.
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