Online Masters of Information Systems

by C. Richard
(Appleton, WI, U.S.A.)

What was your learning experience and coursework like? I attended the University of Phoenix online. I had a pleasant experience with entrance, classes, and all associates. The course counselor that was assigned to me was very helpful and quite courteous.

I enjoyed working online with the instructors and advisors since they understood the materials and had hands on examples that they could use to demonstrate techniques used in class. The post graduation experience has not been as pleasant.

The quality of the course and learning materials was above average. I thought the supplies provided were adequate for the needs of the classes, but there were times that I would have liked to get a deeper understanding of the ideas that were presented.

The professors were very responsive and were able provide daily feedback and responses to questions. The instructors would give quality directions and redirect when I was getting off track or misunderstood instructions. The administration was supportive, but they tended to give off a "canned response" type of vibe.

There was quite a bit of interaction with other students. Classes contained a bulletin board system that was like an advanced blogging system which allowed conversations and quality interaction. There were regular team projects that encouraged group thought and team leading skills. I have mixed reactions on the team experience.

Online tools I used were search engines, the interactive portal, and the interactive library. I was not pleased with the layout of the library and would recommend the site has significant revisions for ease of use.

Although I graduated with a Masters of Information Systems degree, I feel as though the rewards for the degree have not balanced out the cost of the classes. Overall, I feel as though the school is set up in a professional manner, but they did not offer any services to seek employment after I graduated. The lack of post graduation attention gives me frustration and I feel as though I was just another head of cattle pushed through the meat grinder.

I would recommend that anyone seeking an online degree should do research to find what jobs will respect the online degree and if the degree is worth your time and effort.

»Learn more about University of Phoenix