Sessions /
From SOS to Success: The Distance Learners’ Dissertation Toolkit #1165

Sat, Feb 20, 15:30-18:00 JST | Main Stage
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Distance learning has the advantage of location independence when pursuing higher education qualifications while working abroad in EFL contexts. One of the disadvantages when entering the dissertation stage is that institutional support can fall short of what on-campus learners have access to, due to the distances involved and logistics of synchronous communication. The limited contact with tutors and supervisors can feel impersonal, and connections with peers can be minimal or non-existent. The resulting lack of an in-person support network may feel isolating, with no one to bounce ideas off or talk through problems and questions when they arise. This presentation will discuss the challenges experienced while completing the dissertation for an MA TESOL as a distance learner and share the online and offline resources that made all the difference.

*** Part of the Graduate Student Showcase; this presentation, itself, is ~25 minutes long. ***

Kirsten Razzaq

Kirsten Razzaq

The University of Sunderland Graduate 2021 / Yondong Elementary Busan
Kirsten Razzaq currently teaches English to young learners in Busan, South Korea, where she has lived since 2017. Her next milestone will be completing an MA TESOL from the University of Sunderland in 2021. Since 2018 she has been a member of KOTESOL and since 2019 has lectured online and offline for the NIIED, training incoming EPIK teachers and TaLK scholars. She is the KOTESOL Busan-Gyeongnam chapter Secretary for 2021.