Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Thiuda]

[ACT III]

For those who are doing or did the ma tesol were there any modules or classes where you had to demonstrate applying the theories you learn to the class situation? Is it only through the written final thesis or do you have to demonstrate it with a video or an advisor who's present?

[El Macho]

I guess what it boils down to is what one wants to get from one's MA.

For someone who primarily sees the MA as a piece of paper that gives job security and access to better jobs, it probably doesn't matter how the degree is earned. Do it by distance, do it as cheaply and quickly as possible.

On the other hand, someone who's interested in primarily using the MA as an opportunity for learning (both professional training and preparation for possible further study) would be better suited to study on-campus. Frankly, no online forum, no matter how good, can replicate the experience of living, studying, and working in an intellectual/scholastic environment. Additionally, no matter how good libraries are about scanning and emailing things to distance students, there is no replacing having a good library at your immediate disposal. Just browsing the stack I find so many books, some of which are even relevant to TESL!, that I want to read.

Sometimes distance learning truly is the only choice one has for bettering yourself. And if you're truly doing the best that's possible, exhausting your potential, good on you. However, there will always be people who see distance degrees, whether they be online or through the mail, as less than brick and mortar degrees.

We're rarely held to standards set by our own potential � instead we're compared to standards that come from ideals.

[Thiuda]

[Thiuda]

[jugbandjames]

As a person who has taught distance courses and has an MA (in linguistics, but not applied linguistics so it may be a bit different in terms of what you need), I'd say that a distance degree is generally inferior. Obviously, you'll have situations where a good distance degree program is better than a poor on-campus degree, but all things being equal, I'd go with the traditional method. Certain things lend themselves to distance courses, such as programming or low level writing classes, but graduate level work doesn't. Grad school isn't about simply learning material. It's about being immersed in a research community, and you don't get that from distance programs. The majority of what I learned in grad school was in the lab doing research rather than in the classroom. You really need to find a school with faculty that are getting published in important journals, going to major conferences, etc. because they're the ones who will be in the forefront of your field. You're unlikely to find that from a distance program. Even if you do, you won't have the same level of access to them as you would at a traditional school. You also don't want to pay for grad school, unless you're getting a law or medical degree. You should be teaching undergrad classes for the school, or doing research, in exchange for free tuition and a stipend. Most of the good schools won't even accept you if they won't pay you to go there.

I'm sure that some very intelligent people have gotten distance degrees and learned quite a bit. They probably would have gotten more out of a traditional school though, and if you compare the amount you pay in tuition plus the work you put into the degree with the increase in salary (provided you can get a job at a university--not guaranteed) it probably isn't much of a net gain. Bear in mind I've only taught at American colleges and I know next to nothing about the Korean job market, but I imagine it's similar to the US--easy to get a job in the middle of nowhere, very competitive in cities.

I strongly disagree with the statement that distance degrees are as good as traditional degrees. If that were the case, then the people who are leading the research and who are at the cutting edge of their field would have an equal distribution of traditional and distance degrees, and they don't. They all have traditional degrees. You'd be hard pressed to find someone with a distance degree doing important research and getting published in rigorous, peer-reviewed journals.

[Thiuda]

[bobbybigfoot]

*bump*

More comments please... ^^

[Thiuda]

[namerae]

I was just thinking about getting my Master's while in Korea. Do you have to get a special visa if you want to do this full-time without being a teacher?

Alternately, if you take a PT teaching job and get your Master's at a Korean University, do you get the same visa rights/expectations?

My main motivator for going to Korea to teach is to save money to fund my MA. Any info would be great. :]

[Thiuda]

[Mikejelai]

I've earned degrees both ways (on campus and on line), so I know the truth: Thiuda is correct (though he can be a bit obnoxious at times, haha)

[Becka]

[TECO]

I've done degrees mainly on campus but with some distance courses.

I prefer the on campus route, myself. I enjoy the interaction with professors and the seminars and meeting other students who were teaching in other countries. One could argue that with an Internet connection and web camera that it's the same. Not quite. Different people have different preferred learning styles and for me I appreciated being able to go in and talk to instructors, use the library and socialize with other students in the classes.

Also, and something important to consider, distance / online study is not well trusted, especially in Asia. Some schools, like those in Australia, have pretty much been devaluing the master's degree with how easy they've made it to obtain a master's these days over the Internet.

I've not sat on hiring committees in university English Departments, but some of the foreign profs that I work with have and they have mentioned that they are distrustful of the quality of degrees obtained through distance or on-line study.

Taiwan and the U.A.E., for example, refuse to acknowledge distance Master's / Ph.D degrees. So if anyone here is ever planning or considering teaching elsewhere in during their career, they need to consider this before they dump A$15, 000 of their savings into a distance Master's degree program.

[Hadit]

Taiwan's not a big deal, and only one organization in the UAE don't accept online degrees. Go read the boards over there for proof. One can teach in Oman, UAE, and SA (I think) with an online degree from an established Western Uni, as well as in US and England.