However, and this is going to come off as totally arrgoant and in general horrible, but I'm begining to see the downside of going to a school that admits anyone and everyone. Sometimes, I feel like the discussions are not furthering my knowledge and learning because it feels like I'm lecturing to people and no one responds to my stuff. I mean, I am learning. Learning is my responsibility, not my classmates to help me learn. I just don't feel like I get as much out of it as I could if there were more of, well, people like us. The discussion we;ve been having here about slavery is like, a billion times more in depth and thoughtful and not chock full of, "Yeah! I agree with that! Good thoughts!"

This was completely my experience of the coursework I did with Capella. In, I suppose I should add, PhD coursework.

The 'thank you for sharing' responses to hours of thoughtful analysis made me what to scream.

I went into it thinking, what the hey, it's convenient, in some ways cheaper, and I can just gut my way through it because it won't take that long to complete the degree. I quit after 5 classes because I felt the group experience was draining my soul and eating my brain from the bottom.

It IS my education, and I know that one gets out of it what one puts in, but it just ended up being painful.

The final straw was a classmate who wrote his human development final project on 'curing the gays.' After I swallowed my tongue and kept my brain from exploding, I wrote to the professor. She said she would address it...never did.

Tragically, online learning seems to be promoting craxy thinking as education.

I had a weird dream last night.

I think my future wife is the Indian version of Amanda Palmer.

I mean, I am learning. Learning is my responsibility, not my classmates to help me learn.

Well, yeah, and yet... Isn't the whole group experience, butting your brain up against other people's and using group discussion to, at the very least, illuminate why you think what you think and force you to be more articulate in stating it, part of the whole point of capital-E Education?

Er, well, I suppose the whole getting-a-degree thing is the central goal, but there's a reason you can only get a degree by enrolling in a school and having good meaty interactions with, at the very least, your professors if not all your classmates, instead of just by shutting yourself up in a wing of your local library and leaving when you feel like you've read enough.

It's not your classmates' responsibility to help you learn, but if all they're giving you is "Thanks!" and "Cool!" and "Nuh-uh!" they're not even helping themselves.

I can't imagine what it's like to actually slog through these classes -- I get frustrated enough just reading you and Suzi describing your interactions with your classmates. (And, Beej, holy shit, that's awful.)

We need Buffista University!

What would our mascot be?

Yes, I am posting because there is some demented squirrel in my brain merrily shouting, "Buff U!" and I am nothing if not generous with the brainworms.

What would our mascot be?

The Brainworm!

Er, well, I suppose the whole getting-a-degree thing is the central goal

The conclusion I ultimately came to was that the degree earned in this environment would be worthless and I could not, in good conscience, pretend to be a 'doctor' of anything.

I originally thought that online learning was the greatest thing since the invention of the cellphone (which I don't even own), but...like the degrading effect of the cellphone on public decorum (not to mention completely blurring the line between craxy-talking to oneself and craxy-talking to someone else in public)...I'm not seeing the expected benefit.

While I think education should be for EVERYone, I'm with Aimee about the environment where they will (for a buck, I came to realize) accept ANYone. I don't think it is helping uneducated people to pretend that they are otherwise. Or that they can become educated with no actual work or evolution of thought.

The Brainworm!

Fair point.

My nose is chapped and I have three times now gotten up to take my daily allergy meds before I fail to the dread tree sex menace and forgotten. Though I do now have more coffee, which is good.

Oh, I want to be in the design group for the admittance exams for Buff U!

Hi Saturday peeps. Went to the gym this morning. Doing wicked amounts of chores, both house and work today, and tomorrow until SB time.

It IS my education, and I know that one gets out of it what one puts in, but it just ended up being painful.

This is how I'm feeling. I'm going to continue to not just rely on the discussions taking place in class. Look forward to more of Aimee Discusses Class Subjects in Bitches. With proper forewarning, of course.

Isn't the whole group experience, butting your brain up against other people's and using group discussion to, at the very least, illuminate why you think what you think and force you to be more articulate in stating it, part of the whole point of capital-E Education?

Yup. At least, in my tiny little brain. One of the reasons that I chose to go with an on-line degree program is that I participate in discussions here and in LJ and elsewhere that I normally wouldn't if I were in a traditional classroom. Evidence to the contrary notwithstanding, I tend to clam up and not say anything for fear of saying something wrong or stupid. I know that's how one learns, but the embarassment overpowers the learning that I could get from being wrong. I don't feel safe to be dumb elsewhere as I do here.

What would our mascot be?

The Brainworm!

Have you the brainworms?!?

ION, I am so tremendously nerdy that when I read a headline on MSN that said "Inside A Rock Camp for Girls," I assumed it was about geology.

No, seriously.

Not exactly geology, you big square....