Robert Lengacher
National Distance Learning Week Essay Contest
Bridge to My Future
Distance Learning at Florida State University
As I glimpsed my 40th birthday on the horizon, I realized that I was incredibly far
from where I wanted to be. I was blessed with a wonderful family, but I couldn’t
provide for their future on a teacher’s salary. I loved my job, but I yearned for a new
challenge. Unfortunately, too many family and job responsibilities and too little time
and money seemed to make the gulf between my reality and my goals impassable. I
needed a bridge to my future, and I found it through Distance Learning at Florida
State.
Bridges help us reach our destinations more easily, and my destination was a career
in instructional systems and design where I could combine my love of teaching with
my passion for problem solving and creativity. The online Instructional Systems
program at FSU was my obvious choice because of the excellent reputation of the
program and our faculty. I knew that a degree from Florida State would
automatically give me a competitive advantage in my field. The distance learning
program at Florida State also made my path easier with flexible schedules and
asynchronous collaboration that allowed me to access learning on demand.
Bridges are wonderful examples of design, and my distance learning courses at
Florida State exemplified excellent design. My professors created engaging learning
environments and experiences where their expertise, my efforts, and collaboration
with classmates allowed me to build knowledge far more effectively than merely
listening to a lecture. The design of these projects and experiences has also helped
me improve my communication and collaboration skills and prepared me for my
future profession with a portfolio of work that I am proud to showcase.
Bridges support us on our journeys, and I was continually been amazed at the
supports that were available to me as a distance learning student at Florida State.
The Blackboard learning management system put everything I needed for my
classes right at my fingertips, whether it was information about assignments, wikis
for collaboration, resource collections, or even communication tools like online
discussion forums and video conferencing capabilities. Blackboard also gave me
access to vital university services and information. Additionally, off-campus access
to Florida State’s incredible library system and thousands of full-text articles was an
invaluable support in my studies and research.
Finally, bridges also serve as connectors. One of my concerns about distance
learning was the potential for feeling isolated, but the collaborative learning
experiences and the availability of instructors in my distance learning classes at
Florida State bridged this gap and help me connect to my classmates, my
instructors, and my university. In my distance learning classes, I built relationships,
Robert Lengacher
National Distance Learning Week Essay Contest
enhanced my professional network, and connected with folks not only in
Tallahassee, but across the country and around the world.
With 40 now behind me, my future is here and I am already starting to achieve my
goals in the field of Instructional Design. My professors were wonderful advocates
and recognized my work as the Best Distance Student in my program, and I was
offered an incredible job opportunity before I graduated. As a proud Seminole, I
know that it was the Distance Learning program at Florida State that provided the
bridge to my future.