On teams, appropriateness of online learning

One of the main reasons that I wanted to do the MLIS program at San Jose State is because their program is 100% online. The thing that I've always hated most about school is always the actual, physical necessity of being in class. I felt like it would be more effective for me to just stay home and read the book. Unfortunately, many a "participation" grade prevented that. I just get really bored in an actual class, as my teaching cohort, in particular, can attest. I think that I absorb information faster than most people, so classes feel slow for me. I'm always in the back, reading a book or something in a class.

The SJSU School of Library Science has this checklist to help determine if online school is "right for you." I laughed when I read it because I am like a check + for all of those. As readers of this blog doubtless know, I'm always taking up languages and learning them on my own time. I'm (usually, barring everything in my life happening at once) really good about keeping up on them. Readers may also recall that I have tested out of language classes more than once through a self-directed summer of studying. Take that, elementary Persian.

My introductory SLIS class has a segment that is meant to prepare everyone for working in teams. Apparently, I'm not the first person to dislike teamwork. Probably the best advice from the slew of information about how not to completely fail at teams is that the group has to set up clear rules and goals at the very beginning. This is to prevent one person from doing all the work while the rest do only some work. I'm still a little skeptical about that, being someone who always does the work. I am, however, willing to give it a go. And hopefully, people at the graduate level are the sort who really have their shit together and take care of business in a team situation. We shall see.