Self-determined distance learning - Experience report Master's in Business Education

Daniel Dressel shares his experiences in the Master's degree program in Business Education at Allensbach University:

I have been studying Business Education at Allensbach University in Konstanz since summer 2021. While my wife goes to work and the children attend the local kindergarten, I'm writing my final assignments and my Master's thesis. I'll hand everything in at the end of the year and then start my traineeship as a teacher at vocational schools after the Christmas break. At last!

My studies had their good moments when I was enthusiastic and motivated. But it also had its challenges and crises. One major difficulty I faced was the feeling of loneliness during my studies. Despite the really good support and availability of the student advisory service and supervisors, I sometimes felt lost. I didn't have anyone next to me who shared my everyday life as a student, with whom I could exchange ideas and who supported me.

Networking with other students

Fortunately, I had been willing to make my contact details available to potential students, which turned out to be a great blessing. Although it took some time to advise prospective students, it was a good opportunity to get to know others and talk to them. Most of these contacts also went on to study, so they became my fellow students and benefited from the experience I had gained during my studies.

At the same time, I also started looking for contact with other students by searching for them on the Allensbach University online portal and writing to them. I wanted to network with students who were studying the same thing as me, but from whose experiences I could also benefit. Some were open-minded, others less so. Over the course of my studies, I was accompanied by three fellow students with whom I wrote regularly, exchanged experiences and work and with whom I also got along on a personal level. This made my studies much more approachable and was really good for me, especially in terms of my motivation to stay on the ball.

Learning to set new priorities

Another challenge that I have always faced since I started studying is that I often don't want to deal with complex topics, especially in the context of assignments. While I was able to complete most assignments quickly and efficiently, the beginning of almost every assignment was a struggle for me. I had to learn that it helped me to break down assignments into smaller work packages with sub-goals. Checking off these sub-goals gave me a new boost and helped me to focus on the essentials. It also made what felt like a huge mountain of work more manageable and manageable.

Especially with larger assignments, such as the seminar papers SAV01 and WIP07, I followed the motto "relaxation through variety". I simply inserted other activities between the blocks of work, such as submission tasks, to break out of the tiring rut of researching, reading and writing texts. Interestingly, I also noticed how this often helped me to reprioritize and focus on what was really important and effective. But I also learned to pay attention to my capacities on the individual study days and to regularly incorporate other short activities.

In my case, I did things that had nothing to do with cognitive performance and screen time. The fact that I stayed at home as a man and studied in the mornings while my kids were at nursery also gave me the flexibility I needed. So for me, relaxation meant stretching my body, taking 10-minute power naps or a mini walk. But hanging out the washing, cooking or tidying up in between was also active relaxation for me, as I was challenged in a different way to when I was studying.

Goal-oriented examination of individual modules

Despite the challenges mentioned above, the distance learning course in Wipäd fitted in very well with our lives. I was able to decide for myself when and how intensively I wanted to study and also determine the duration of my studies accordingly. Because Allensbach University is a fully online university, I was also able to organize my studies exactly according to my needs. For example, I always had several modules activated at once so that I could determine the order in which I completed the modules myself. My main aim was to avoid idle time so that I could complete my studies by the end of 2022. Although I often had to adjust my study planning, it helped me enormously to avoid getting bogged down in "small stuff" and to work towards the final goal of "Ref 2023".

What I found really great were the homework assignments. I didn't have to memorize anything, but was able to deal with the topics of the respective modules in a goal-oriented and, above all, speedy manner. For me, this was a very efficient way of taking exams and was a welcome change from the homework, some of which I was actually "allowed" to write during the course of my studies.

Some tasks were quite easy for me and I was able to hand them in well before the deadline, while I sometimes almost despaired with other projects. I experienced many miracles during my studies, for example in the form of flashes of inspiration, surprisingly good grades and early completion of projects, so that I was always amazed and shouted "Thank you Jesus" out of the skylight.

Now, towards the end of my studies, my Master's thesis is waiting to be written. In addition to what I have learned so far, it helps me to think in terms of stages of development rather than perfect results. Results never have to be perfect anyway. Perfection is a pointless attempt to achieve something that cannot be achieved. This realization helps me to simply get started, to not let myself be paralyzed by the mountain that lies ahead of me and to "let things go" from time to time.