I'm wondering if anyone here has done a surveying degree by distance education and can share their experience of how well it went. I'm looking at studying through the University of Southern Queensland in Australia and it looks like a good course. It has week-long on-campus prac workshops at the end of some subjects so I guess that should cover off the practical part. What I'm mainly wondering about is whether it's hard to study this sort of subject matter on your own with only limited (probably online) contact with teaching staff. Also, I'm curious about whether you have to purchase specialised software or how else that side of things gets managed.
I am currently enrolled in the distance learning program (Land Surveying/Geomatics) at Great Basin College in Elko, NV. I live in West Virginia. The course delivery software isn't something you have to download and install, although your computer does have to meet certain browser, memory and speed specs. You just log in to the school's system and the course is delivered through one of several different platforms.
As for the lab portion of a class, the student is required to have a mentor, a licensed surveyor who agrees to provide assistance, equipment and sign off on field notes to be turned in to the professor.
At Great Basin, there are a couple of different types of course delivery options. Those are explained here.
The biggest challenge in a distance learning program is the dedication of the student. It requires more work on the student's part and you have to be a self-starter.
Good luck.
"As for the lab portion of a class, the student is required to have a mentor, a licensed surveyor who agrees to provide assistance, equipment and sign off on field notes to be turned in to the professor."
So, you're currently licensed, but need to find another licensed LS to "mentor" you for lab work?
I don't know how that would work. I took the classes that have lab portions at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, GA a few years ago, before I was licensed.
Cort-
Is it this one ?
http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/current/eng/BSPS.html#program.focus2
http://www.usq.edu.au/handbook/current/eng/BSPS.html#programsummary
Cheers
Derek
Mentors can serve multiple purposes
Different programs have different needs and uses for mentors. While your question about an LS needing another LS to serve as mentor is valid, mentors may:
- Offer specialized mentoring in a knowledge area that not all LS's have.
- Offer access to specialized equipment and / or software (think photogrametry)
- Provide equipment for students to use at lower level classes
- Proctor exams
etc etc
SPSU not distance ed
Yes that is the one but it is not available via distance learning.
That short guy with dark hair holding the instrument is my step-father. Some of you GA boys will know him.
Yes, that's the one Derek.
Thanks for your reply David. Using software through the uni's system sounds like a good solution - hopefully that's pretty standard practice. After reading what you said about a mentor I went back the the website and checked - they don't seem to have a mentor involved but I think that's because they have the on-campus practical workshops at the end. I did find a mentorship program you can apply for (non-compulsory) and have sent an email to find out if they have any surveyors on their list of mentors. Going the whole semester without any way to apply knowledge in a practical way or any contact with an experienced surveyor is really my main concern. I am disciplined and historically have been good at being self-motivated and driven so that's not a concern for me.
Why did you select Great Basin? I have been looking for an online school where i can get a degree in Geomatics and i have been leaning towards American Sentinel University. It appears like a solid curriculum, but I'm concerned that it is not a regionally accredited school and I just don't want to invest $40K+ and years of hard work to find that the accreditation is problematic and employers will not recognize it.
Are there any other recommended distance learning schools that i should look into? Has anyone had any experience with ASU?
Background: I'm an unemployed 40-something father of 2 trying to change careers after being laid off twice from Telecom Project Management jobs in the last 18 months. I don't want to make a huge mistake by selecting the wrong school.
Regards,
Chris