Daniel Dressel started his Master's degree at Allensbach University a few months ago and shares his experiences:
My first 100 days at university
For many years, I have been enthusiastic about helping young people start their careers and teaching them something. Since May 2020, I have been able to actively pursue this dream through Allensbach University and train to become a teacher.
And this is how it came about: Due to current challenges (including the coronavirus pandemic), my wife and I decided that she would go to work full-time and I would be the "family manager", running the household and looking after the children. When both children started kindergarten, it was clear to me that now was the right opportunity to do everything I could to realize my dream of teaching. During my research, I became aware of Allensbach University and the part-time Master's in Business Education. It was clear to me that a degree course had to fit in with my life and also be feasible alongside everyday family life.
Access to all study content at any time
To check this out, I attended an information event at Allensbach University and asked a lot of questions, which were answered competently and comprehensively by the student advisory service. It was particularly important to me that at the end of my studies I could be sure that I would really be able to become a teacher with my degree and not have to complete various additional modules. Thanks to the exchange between Allensbach University and the responsible regional council, it quickly became clear that I didn't need to worry about this.
The start of my studies was quick and uncomplicated. I had access to all the course content at all times via the online system. This allowed me to decide for myself when I wanted to study and how much I could take on at a time. I usually use the mornings when the children are at nursery to study. If I need more time than planned, the enormous flexibility of this course means that I can also study in the evenings or on Saturdays - an extreme advantage for me.
The self-study system is designed to be self-explanatory and logical and allows you to work on modules in the order that suits your time budget and exam dates. Speaking of exam dates. Here, too, everything is done online, I don't have to travel anywhere and I can decide for myself at what time I want to take which exam. The online system is also quite intuitive, so I had no difficulty finding my way around.
Quick response from the student advisory service
Of course, I still had a lot of questions at the beginning of my studies, e.g. about registering for exams, the order in which they were taken, etc. If I couldn't find the answer myself in the study guide, I could always count on the student advisory service. Either directly over the phone or by writing an email, which was answered within a day. Contact with the lecturers also worked well and smoothly, so that I received an answer to questions about the content of modules within 24 hours.
Nevertheless, as a person who seeks contact with other people, it wasn't easy for me to study "anonymously" at first. That's why I decided to get in touch with fellow students, which worked out really well with the help of the student support team. It helped me a lot to "connect" with some of my fellow students and to hear about their experiences of studying Wipäd.
In many modules, assignments are part of the examination, which I am very pleased about. They don't require memorization, but help you to deal with the topics of the respective modules in a goal-oriented way. For me, this means very focused learning in a shorter time compared to a normal course of study.
Study flexibly with your own schedule
The study material is also consistently of good quality. The physical study letters in particular, which I regularly receive in addition to the online documents, are very well prepared and very detailed. As I have not yet been able to attend the online lectures, which take place in the evenings (but are not compulsory), I use the recordings of these lectures, which are also available at any time. This allows me to watch the lectures, pause them and watch them again as it best suits my everyday life.
The fact that Allensbach University is actually a fully online university means that it can also respond very flexibly to individual wishes. That's perfect for me. Nevertheless, it was very important for me to draw up a plan of when I wanted to work on which module. I was able to use the module handbook as a guide. This helped me to use the correction deadlines for completed exams to work on new modules. This allowed me to reduce idle time and influence the duration of my studies.
All in all, studying at Allensbach University offers exactly the flexibility I need, while at the same time helping me to consistently pursue my career aspirations as a teacher. I can study at times that suit our everyday family life and also compensate for unforeseen circumstances. My conclusion: Becoming a teacher alongside family life? Yes, absolutely!
From Daniel Dressel
You can find all the important information about your degree program in your personal study guide.