Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- Deb Rice first entered the criminal justice field in 1975, after earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She worked as a Wisconsin probation and parole agent for seven years, then decided to apply for a military leave and join the army. She earned a graduate degree in management while in the army, but she always maintained her interest in criminal justice. Several years ago, she received a questionnaire from UWP regarding student demand for an online graduate criminal justice program. She had been thinking of pursuing an advanced degree and thought online education might work for her.

As a mom, a volunteer and a part-time officer in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, Rice's weekends were always scheduled, so she set aside two mornings a week to study. "Online learning is great, especially for non-traditional students," Rice says. " If I wanted to work on a class at 0600 I could. If I knew I was going to be out of town for a week I could work ahead on my assignments. The flexibility of online learning is its biggest selling point."

Rice found that the she enjoyed interacting with her virtual classmates and she discovered that her biggest challenge was staying motivated while working on independent projects. She was impressed by the diverse group of students she encountered in her online courses. "I had federal correctional officers, juvenile workers, State and Federal probation officers, FBI agents, police officers and private security officers in my classes," she notes. "Distance learning is the only way this diverse population would be in your classroom. You really get to know your classmates, even though I have never met them in person."

Now that she's graduated, Rice looks forward to teaching criminal justice either online or on campus in Madison. Asked what advice she'd give to those considering enrolling in an online program, Rice recalls something she read once in an Ann Landers column: "In five to 10 years do you want to say you have earned a degree or met a goal or do you want to just give excuses as to why you never tried?" Rice explains that she's just turned 50 and she's looking forward to using her new degree. " I served 22 years in the U.S. Army, so five to 10 years working on a degree is not a long period of time."

Rice recommends that new students take care not to overload themselves with too many classes. When work gets stressful, she reminds her colleagues that they aren't alone. "Your classmates will offer advice, will commiserate with you. Don't be afraid to ask for help from your classmates and your instructor. I had excellent instructors who offered support when I felt I was not understanding a subject."

UWP offers four degrees at a distance: an undergraduate degree in business administration and online graduate degrees in criminal justice, engineering, and project management. No campus visits are required. For more information, visit online at http://www.uwplatt.edu/disted, call 800-362-5460 or e-mail disted@uwplatt.edu.