Colorado Tech Online Students and Alumni

Meet Denise Valdes
MBA with a concentration in Marketing

Welcoming Change

Denise Valdes had just been through several major life changes and wasn't sure she wanted to introduce yet another change into her life…especially when the new change would be going back to school. It had been almost ten years since Denise had been in a classroom. Always up for a challenge, Denise decided to go for it and is now two months into her MBA degree program with a concentration in Marketing through Colorado Tech Online. She says she's comfortable in her classes, learning a lot, and has adjusted to the online format very well.

"I was pretty scared before I started. I didn't know what to expect." Every step of the way though, Denise had a fantastic advisor who would reassure her. "He said that if I wasn't nervous about going back to school he would be worried. It is a big task."



Aside from her uncertainty about adding yet another change into her life, Denise was worried about being in school online for the first time. She had previously earned her Bachelor's degree from a traditional brick and mortar school she attended directly after high school.

This time around, online was the only option. "I had thought about getting my MBA before, but as soon as I started thinking about what a hassle going to a physical school would be, I had stopped. I didn't want to have to make a lot of sacrifices in my life to get my Master's degree. But online is different. It is so convenient. I am able to study at my own pace in the time I have available. I can integrate it into my life rather than it forcing me to rearrange my life."

Denise has discovered that online learning, at least through Colorado Tech Online, is more than just convenient. "I thought online learning would be mostly video conferencing. My first class put all my fears at ease though. I could hear my instructor as she lectured, but could not see her. Instead I watched as she gave a PowerPoint presentation, which was very helpful. I could see everyone's comments as they typed their answers to her questions into the live classroom chat box. Everyone has a different learning style, and this fits my learning style perfectly."

Learning Without Distractions

Of course Denise thought about the difference between sitting in front of a computer rather than in front of her instructors, as she had when earning her Bachelor's degree. She says that while she definitely enjoyed being on a physical campus when she was younger, she is at a different point in her life now.

"As an adult student going to school online, I'm not distracted with extracurricular activities such as clubs and classmates. It is easier to concentrate and in discussions everyone's responses get recognized. There is no competition of raising hands to give an answer because it's a live type-written chat."

Advantages to Online Learning

Denise now sees other advantages in online learning as well. "I feel I'm absorbing more of what I'm learning than when I was in a traditional school. The format helps incredibly. I find myself glued to the computer as I listen to the instructor give class. What I didn't like about traditional school, especially with large classes, is that instructors weren't able to spend as much time going over material. He or she would speak for a few minutes on a topic, write some notes down on the chalkboard and then a few minutes later erase the chalkboard and move on. If you didn't catch it the first time or didn't have time to write it down, you were in trouble."

"With online classes I can listen to chats over again if I need to, although I haven't needed to yet because the lecture is reinforced instantly through the interactive live classroom chat. On the live chat we type in our questions and responses. It accommodates people with visual and auditory learning styles very well."

"I love attending class in my own living room; it beats the hassle of traveling to class. My class assignments are challenging, and I've spent many long hours researching from the comfort of my home, rather than in a large library. I don't have to travel anywhere and I can study as late or as early as I need to—no one is going to tell me that the Online Library is closing."

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