Continuing with our blog series bringing you answers to some of the questions we at Robert Kennedy College (RKC) get frequently from students who are looking to join one of our online programmes. We asked some of our past and current students to share their thoughts and opinions, to give their feedback on how they handled online learning challenges. Hopefully, this will in turn help you make an informed decision.
Let us learn from those who came before and see if what worked for them will also help you become a better student!
Andy is from the United Kingdom and has completed our 100% Online Master of Business Administration that we offer through an exclusive partnership with the University of Cumbria, U.K., and this is what he had to say about what worked for him.
An Introduction
Who are you, really?
Andy W
Which Uni are you studying with?
University of Cumbria
Which programme did you choose and why?
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
The Study Plan
How did you plan to study each module, and what was the reality? How many hours did/do you have to put in each day/or in a week?
I planned to allocate a certain number of hours per week on fixed evenings and the occasional weekend, but it didn’t work out that way. I’m definitely a “deadlines” person, so the regular modular structure of the course helped keep things ticking along nicely, with draft essays and other assignments keeping me focused on making good progress. It became more of a challenge with the dissertation as there was a) a hiatus after finishing the last essay and then being allowed to start the dissertation, so I completely lost momentum and, b) there were no intermediate milestones/deadlines to keep me ticking along. As a result, I had to be much more disciplined and ended up taking blocks of time off work to complete the dissertation. I clearly needed to get up a head of steam and tackle sections in a block rather than do a little often with stop-start not working for me.
What part of the day did/do you find most suitable to study? (e.g. early mornings, lunch break, evenings, weekends?)
As above, longer blocks of time suited me best, rather than a particular time of day. That said, because I was also doing a full-time job and other activities, I was mostly restricted to evenings and weekends.
How much time did you devote to each assignment?
Unknown, sorry – I didn’t keep a log.
Travelling and Communication
How did travelling impact your ability to study?
Work travel tends to be occasional long-haul flights for me, which helped as I could download relevant readings and could then take notes, etc. on the flight. Most of my study time, however, was spent at home. Travelling was not applicable in my case.
How were you able to interact with peers and/or professors given the time differences?
The forums were okay, but this is the biggest issue with remote courses in my experience. You simply don’t get the same level of interaction, shared learning, and general camaraderie/shared experience as you do with face-to-face learning. This was particularly noticeable with the excellent week-long sustainability residential in Cumbria, especially when juxtaposed against the comparative isolation (even loneliness) of the dissertation. The benefits of remote learning definitely outweigh the restrictions, however.
A typical day as a master’s student
What does a typical day as an Online Masters’ student look like for you?
Lots of evening reading during the modules, getting the interim assignments complete and then a bigger burst of effort in two or three day block for the final assessment submissions. The dissertation was a whole new ball game with longer blocks of time needed to really focus on getting the job done.
Any advice?
Any advice you have for students to better plan their studies.
I can only suggest people find their own rhythm – if you’re very disciplined, then a little often may work for you, but I’m not like that so had to adapt to fit my own way of working within the wider context of work and MBA deadlines.
I hope this blog has answered some of your questions, and please watch this space for similar posts. You can also chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors for more information on all the programmes we offer, the application process, and for details on discounts we might be offering at this time.
Hi Sahil.
Thank you very much for sharing this. Thanks and big up to Andy W for his advice that I find very objective. I really appreciate saying ” Listen to advice, but figure out what works for you” !!! In fact, we definitively face different challenges and meet different opportunities…I will start my first module on 15 March and really find this very helpful to build and strengthen my self-confidence. With thanks.
Hi Muhindo,
Thank you for your comment, much appreciated. I am happy that you find our blogs beneficial and hope you continue to benefit from our blogs.
Also, all the best with the programme! I am sure you will do well 🙂
Sahil
Hi!
I started my MBA at RKC in November, just finished my first module (still waiting for feedback on it) and is about to send in my Interim for the second module at the end of this week. Furthermore I will probably start my third module in March.
So far I can say that for all of you thinking of studying, you need to spend time on it! In the first module it was at least 1000 pages to read, probably closer to 1500 pages. Simple calculation, if you spend 2 minutes per page – it takes you close to 50 hours to read it. Then you need to do research yourself on the side and you need to spend plenty of time on your assignments. I estimate that my final assignment needed probably 50 hours by itself. The Interim is maybe 20 hours. (Pure estimations, depending of your knowledge of the subject and skills on writing this could be cut in half or maybe even doubled).
I think that all of you have seen that you should estimate 15 hours of studying a week per module and I feel that it is probably very close to reality. The modules are separeted in 6 units with 2 weeks per unit so you know where you are supposed to be in your studies at the moment. Everyone knows that life doesn’t stand still, so sometimes you have a few busy weeks – but if you try to plan you can either catch up later or study so you are ahead so the busy weeks doesn’t get you too much off the schedule.
Sorry for “scaring you”, but its better to be prepared that this is real stuying and you NEED to spend time! On the plus-side I can say that so far I feel that all subjects are interesting so you don’t get bored when you are studying. As long as you have a schedule and push yourself to keeping the deadlines – you will be fine! 🙂
Furhermore, you will hear A LOT about plagiarism… which more or less means that you shouldn’t copy/paste material into your papers. Yes, that is NOT ALLOWED! The same as you are allowed to look at other peoples paper when you take tests!
Just learn how to rewrite/paraphrase, and learn how to cite! This is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
Good luck everyone!
Hi Lars,
Thank you for sharing your experience; I am sure many of our readers will benefit from it.
Sahil