Start of Fall 2010 Semester

Amazingly enough, I have made it through my first year of the MDE graduate program. Last semester was my hardest, with the travels, blizzard, changing jobs, and adjusting to life at home with school work. One would think that it would be harder to do schoolwork on the road, but I somehow found comfort in my schoolwork in the many Marriott's across the country.

At any rate, here I am, at the beginning of the Fall 2010 semester taking DETT621, Training at a Distance, and OMDE606, Cost of Distance Education. I am hoping that I will learn what goes into a distance education course, cost and training.

Currently, my courses are starting to merge with my professional life. When I started this program, I was an accreditation coordinator and was using my degree to develop a process for evaluations of distance education institutions. I determined that it was time for me to move on and now, I am creating an auditing/review/evaluation process for mortgage education schools. This is a different educational field for me as it is geared more so towards the training of mortgage loan originators. No longer am I responsible for ensuring that an entire institution is living up to the educational standards set forth by the accreditor, but rather, that training is being delivered effectively and in accordance with the policies set forth by the regulator.

Well, today being the official first day of class, I figured I would try to get a head start, seeing as how you are never caught up in dealing with school. My goals this semester are to be more vocal in class and not a classroom lurker. I am making the efforts now to make sure that my voice is heard, and that I also document my progress throughout the course. I think that only one course will require a learning journal, but I think that this will be beneficial as I track my progress throughout the course.

Here's to a new semester, filled with great opportunities!