Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - After Anne Bender received her undergraduate degree in communication technologies management at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 1998, deciding to continue her education there was easy.

However, instead of attending classes on campus, Bender decided that she would pursue her education on-line.Bender graduated this May from the UW-Platteville distance education program, receiving her master's in project management.

Bender said that she had an easier time organizing her work, homework, and family while she was pursuing her degree.

"The encouragement I received from my husband, friends and family was great," said Bender. "All were very understanding if I had to miss certain events or family gatherings so the final group projects could be finished, but it was all worth it."

Bender also found that she had to work through some obstacles in order to get her coursework completed. Bender said that, "The hardest obstacle was working with students from other time zones, everyone needed to be very organized."

Some classes, she also learned, were also tough because the professor was not always there to help show how to solve some problems. But, Bender said, the professors were very helpful and prompt on helping students understand the coursework.

Bender's coursework has helped her grow in her career and move up in the companies that she has worked for since her undergraduate graduation. She is currently working as the trade promotions manager in the marketing department at Auto Glass Specialists corporate office in Madison.

For those who are considering the on-line education program offered by UW-Platteville, Bender said, "Take one class to see if this is the type of setting that you can continue to do. Moving from a standard classroom setting to an on-line setting can be quite challenging at first."

Determination is something that Bender also says is essential in completing the on-line coursework.

"Having the determination to finish and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel will all be worth it in the end," Bender said. "You really need to be determined to make the sacrifices in your life to succeed in the on-line setting."