Take a Walk with Me: the Kaplan Experience

I.                   Intro: Being a college student is filled with many trials and challenges. Being an online college student is no different. The goal to both campus and online settings is to gain knowledge and graduate. My name is Terrica Singletary and I have been attending Kaplan University online since December 2009. Attending Kaplan as an online student has not been an experience that I will forget nor regret.

II.                First Point: When I first came to Kaplan, I will admit that I was skeptical. My thoughts were centered on things such as: How will I be taught? How will I turn my work in? Will there be any hands-on experiences? How will I get to know and interact with my classmates? Kaplan cares about their students and they make sure that any questions had are questions answered. Kaplan does an excellent job of helping you over the phone and over the Internet if you simply seek out help.

III.             Second Point: Sitting in a classroom is a thing of the past for those who attend Kaplan. There are seminars for students to attend while going to Kaplan. When I first signed up, I was under the assumption that someone would simply email me my orders and that would be that. But no, there are scheduled seminars where your professor will talk to you and answer any questions you have. It is a chatroom-style environment, so you are able to ask questions of not only your professor, but your classmates as well. Then you have your discussion boards that you have to respond to every week, posting your idea on the topic and responding to your classmates’ ideas. There are either projects, quizzes/tests, or both considering what class you have. Whatever tools you are required to use for that particular assignment, your professor has gone over them and has asked you about your experience with them. So, you are never going into an assignment blind.

IV.             Tools for the Digital Age: In my current class, Tools for the Digital Age, I have been taught how to use things such as blogs, microblogs, and this week: podcast. It has been interesting to learn about these different digital tools and how we can use them throughout our lives.

V.                Conclusion: Kaplan University offers many great things to those who seek them out. I have learned many things while attending Kaplan and I’ve learned many digital tools in the process. I hope to continue learning more things that will later help me in life.