Liveblogging a masters degree: Introit

Many of you know that I've started an MA in Military History at Norwich University, in Vermont. It has been my intention to blog about grad school as I go through it. Now that I'm about 2 weeks in, I can start that process in earnest.

It's a distance-learning program. I won't actually meet any of my classmates in person until we all arrive in Vermont for our residency, 18 months hence. The lectures and readings are all online. The curriculum is set. There are no electives.

Naturally, I have some qualms about a distance-learning MA. I know they're quite common in ed schools, and in business, but Norwich had one of the only distance-learning history degree I could find. My qualms center around the public legitimacy of an online degree. I know perfectly well that the average university history department would not look on my Norwich degree kindly if I were looking for a tenure-track faculty position. On the other hand, I see myself most likely working for government, where an accredited degree is an accredited degree and, so long as the degree box is checked off, experience is more valuable to the job candidate.

These concerns are eased by Norwich’s history and reputation. This is not a fly-by-night diploma mill. This is a 190-year-old brick-and-mortar university. Norwich is the home of the first collegiate band in the nation, the birthplace of ROTC, the first private engineering school in the country, and the first private military school in the country.

My qualms about an online degree do not relate to the quality of the education. I expect to come out of my MA program better educated than most history MAs from regular, residential campuses. I know that there is no mystical force field of knowledge or collegiality that arises within the boundaries of a university campus or inside the walls of a classroom. I know this because I went to ASU.

The classes take the form of written and recorded lectures, graded asynchronous message board discussions, and written papers. Naturally, this is really liberating.

The change to online learning has certain pitfalls, too. The message board system is clunky and primitive. I am certain they could do better with one of several commonly-used systems. The HTML editing is dodgy, the threading is horrible, and it is impossible to edit or erase posts. There will apparently be a survey that rolls out at the end of next week, so I’ll be making that case there.

The lack of a physical library is a limitation, too. However, they have a dedicated distance-learning librarian and will ship books straight from their library to my home, as well as .pdf scans of journal articles that aren’t available online. Still, it’s a pain not being able to go to the library and brose a section of books.

I’ve been impatient with the pace so far, but there are two good reasons for this. It’s the first two weeks of school, and everyone, everywhere, takes it easy in the first weeks of a program. I also have more flexible time than almost anyone else in the program. I have to work a minimum of 10 hours a week for the Big G. If I have lots of free time, I can do more hours for them. If I have lots of schoolwork, I can cut back my job hours. So when I say I’m disappointed that we only got a selection from De Bello Gallico, it’s just because I have the time to spend reading the whole thing, with footnotes, if I want. What I don’t have is the time to get a better copy before my source review is due on Tuesday.

So what’s the class been so far? The introductory seminar, naturally, is Introduction to Military History. Last week, it was the state of the discipline and its purposes. This week, we’re hashing out the definitions of ‘war’ and ‘military’ and defining various aspects of the study. Next week, apparently, we’re focusing on sources and the classical world.

I’ll try to keep you up to date on how it’s going.

UPDATE: Oh, and they don't send me a student ID. How am I supposed to save money at the movies without a student ID?

Comments

[Chris]

I find it humorous that your praising of a distance learning concept should follow years of high praise for the advantages of a residential college in the English tradition. At least you are earning your keep, finally.

[ExUrbanKevin]

Admit it: You're just in it to leer at the co-eds, aren't you?

:-)

Good luck. I've seen ads for this degree from Norwich, and I admit I'm intrigued. I'm curious to know what your experiences will be like. Please keep up to date.

K

[Chas S. Clifton]

A friend of mine formerly taught for some years in the Vermont College part of that institution, and he had a good opinion of it.

As for employment, since you are in government, it doesn't matter, as you say. My wife got a "remote-control" MS from Regis University in Denver and taught at a community college and as a part-time university professor for a number of years.

Without a PhD, of course, there was no chance for a full-time job at the latter school, but she did not want one.

Good luck.

[Kevin Baker]

Cool! If you don't mind my asking, what's an MA in Military History going to end up costing?

If you do mind my asking, never mind!

[Mark Kautzman]

Greetings,

I've chewed on the decision to pursue the same MAMH from Norwich as you since Nov 06. I just got the application process rolling today for the March start time. How do you like it so far? I'm a bit hesitant regarding time and money...I'm a high school teacher and will be a first time dad in March. Does the course load seem pretty manageable to you?

This is a cool site and this is officially my first ever blog. I'll look forward to your next post!

Mark

[Frank]

Hi there,
didi you recieve any material from the university so far. What will you expect? real books or just copied paper. I am thinking of joining up myself, but i feel it could be a prolem that i would not a native english speaking student. Or could that be a benifit? in order to learn a better english es well?

Greets from germany
Frank
Captain
German Airforce Reserve