Maria Schilstra
Job title: Principal Lecturer
Time working at UH: 11 years in total; 9 years in research; 2 years as a lecturer
What modules (in which courses) do you teach?
Internet Technologies, Data Driven Systems, Principles of Network Systems, Foundations of Computation, Computer Architecture, Professional & Academic Skills for CS & IT, Final Year BSc CS and IT Project (on-campus and online), MSc CS and IT project (on-campus and online)
Why do you enjoy teaching online degrees at the University of Hertfordshire?
Even though there is much less - if any - face-to-face contact with online students, it is still possible to build good relationships, and to get a good idea of the students' strengths and weaknesses, interests, and even characters, through email, class discussions, and direct contact via Skype or similar.
Student-tutor contact can, in many senses, be more individual and personal in an online module than in a campus-taught one. Moreover, 'asynchronous' student-tutor interaction allows the tutor time to think, come up with more succinctly formulated answers to questions, and has the great advantage that both parties have a written record of the communication.
Judging from feedback from your current students, what do you think the benefits are of doing a degree by distance learning?
Distance learning allows students to complete their tasks at times that suit them, not the University. Personal contact with tutors can be more intensive in a distance learning programme than in an on-campus programme.
What advice would you give to students considering an online degree?
As with any university programme, do not take online study lightly - even if you can study in your own time, you will still have to put in all the work.
In many senses, completing an online degree is a greater challenge than completing an on-campus one, because of the freedom you have in pacing your learning.
Most online students will at one time or another hit a point where they wish they had never taken on such a challenge, particularly if they are combining their studies with a 'normal day-job'. However, when you have finished your course, your sense of accomplishment will be in keeping with the amount of effort you have put in to reach your goal.