National Distance Learning Week Essay Contest

Robert Lengacher National Distance Learning Week Essay Contest Bridge to My Future Distance Learning at Florida State University

As I glimpsed my 40th birthday on the horizon, I realized that I was incredibly far from where I wanted to be. I was blessed with a wonderful family, but I couldn’t provide for their future on a teacher’s salary. I loved my job, but I yearned for a new challenge. Unfortunately, too many family and job responsibilities and too little time and money seemed to make the gulf between my reality and my goals impassable. I needed a bridge to my future, and I found it through Distance Learning at Florida State.

Bridges help us reach our destinations more easily, and my destination was a career in instructional systems and design where I could combine my love of teaching with my passion for problem solving and creativity. The online Instructional Systems program at FSU was my obvious choice because of the excellent reputation of the program and our faculty. I knew that a degree from Florida State would automatically give me a competitive advantage in my field. The distance learning program at Florida State also made my path easier with flexible schedules and asynchronous collaboration that allowed me to access learning on demand.

Bridges are wonderful examples of design, and my distance learning courses at Florida State exemplified excellent design. My professors created engaging learning environments and experiences where their expertise, my efforts, and collaboration with classmates allowed me to build knowledge far more effectively than merely listening to a lecture. The design of these projects and experiences has also helped me improve my communication and collaboration skills and prepared me for my future profession with a portfolio of work that I am proud to showcase.

Bridges support us on our journeys, and I was continually been amazed at the supports that were available to me as a distance learning student at Florida State. The Blackboard learning management system put everything I needed for my classes right at my fingertips, whether it was information about assignments, wikis for collaboration, resource collections, or even communication tools like online discussion forums and video conferencing capabilities. Blackboard also gave me access to vital university services and information. Additionally, off-campus access to Florida State’s incredible library system and thousands of full-text articles was an invaluable support in my studies and research.

Finally, bridges also serve as connectors. One of my concerns about distance learning was the potential for feeling isolated, but the collaborative learning experiences and the availability of instructors in my distance learning classes at Florida State bridged this gap and help me connect to my classmates, my instructors, and my university. In my distance learning classes, I built relationships, [Type text] [Type text] [Type text] enhanced my professional network, and connected with folks not only in Tallahassee, but across the country and around the world.

With 40 now behind me, my future is here and I am already starting to achieve my goals in the field of Instructional Design. My professors were wonderful advocates and recognized my work as the Best Distance Student in my program, and I was offered an incredible job opportunity before I graduated. As a proud Seminole, I know that it was the Distance Learning program at Florida State that provided the bridge to my future.