Distance learning helps adults juggle multiple roles

Donna Alston takes classes at her desk, at lunchtime, as a UD distance learning student.

4:24 p.m., Aug. 17, 2005--In 2001, Donna Alston, a divorced mother of three, juggled three jobs to give her kids the “good life.” With the goal of being able to support her family on one job, she began taking UD’s distance learning web-based courses, working toward a degree in consumer economics.

For the past several years, Alston has taken online courses at her desk at lunchtime and burned the midnight oil doing her homework after the kids went to bed.

Today, Alston is taking a short hiatus from online learning to earn her paralegal certificate, also from UD. Once that’s complete, Alston will resume online courses in consumer economics to earn the 24 credits she needs for her bachelor’s degree. Alston says she believes that the combination of legal knowledge with consumer leadership should give her better management skills and make her more marketable.

It all adds up to a busy life for Alston, who works fulltime as an administrative assistant in UD’s Facilities, Planning and Construction department, and part-time for two merchandising companies researching product placement in retail stores. The flexibility of distance learning has been a key ingredient to her success as an adult learner, Alston says.

When Alston began online learning, she was working as executive secretary to James O’Neill, director of UD’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship. In this position, she got to know teachers enrolled in the Master of Arts in Economics and Entrepreneurship for Educators Program. The program draws teachers from all over the nation, who spend two summers taking classes at UD and do the rest of their coursework at home.

Alston had always wanted to go to college, but didn’t have time to attend class. She was so impressed with how these teachers gave up their summer and spare time to further their educations that it motivated her to do the same.

“Seeing them do it, I figured I could do it, too. I could take care of my family and my education.” Initially, Alston says she was a bit concerned about how she would juggle it all, but the flexibility of distance learning, which allowed her to access coursework, assignments and information at any time of the day or night, was exactly what she needed.

“My day was full. It usually ended by midnight or 1 a.m. I would do my coursework at lunchtime and my homework after everyone went to bed around 11. I could work until 1 a.m. or later,” Alston says. “The web-based course fit perfectly into my life since I didn’t have set times that I had to do these things. It’s like education on demand.”

Alston says she is convinced she couldn’t have gotten this far without distance learning. “It opens higher education to many more people. For working adults, it’s wonderful.”

Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson

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