The Rochester Institute of Technology Online Learning Program attracts a small percentage of its students from abroad. Two such students are Lenworth Green, from Germany, and Nadya Faquir, from France. Both are enrolled in the bachelor of science in electrical/mechanical engineering technology program.

Online learning at RIT takes advantage of the Internet and computer conferencing along with other multimedia technologies, such as videotaped and/or CD-ROM lectures, to deliver the classroom to the student’s home and computer connection. With more than 7,900 enrollments per academic year and 20 years of experience in distance learning, RIT offers students the benefit of top quality and tested anytime/anywhere, asynchronous online degree programs.

Both Green and Faquir have cosmopolitan backgrounds. Green is a native of Jamaica who grew up in Boston. He works as a telecommunications, LAN/Tech administrator for Lockheed Martin at a U.S. military base in Frankfurt. Faquir is a native of Maputo, Mozambique. She frequently travels around the globe because of her husband’s job as a technical assistant with an international engineering products company that works on projects in partnership with organizations such as the World Bank, United Nations and the European Union.

While currently based in France, Faquir says that she can be "virtually anywhere on the planet," at any given time, depending on her husband’s most recent assignment, which can last anywhere from 15 days to several months or years. Recently, for example, she traveled through 13 African countries as well as in Eastern Europe.

For Faquir, the problem of staying connected while on the move, especially in a developing country, is certainly a challenge. However, she overcomes any obstacles by staying organized. "I organize my work accordingly and download what should be downloaded before traveling. It is only a matter of organization," she says. Plus, "in case of emergency," she can always utilize her husband’s easier access to reliable telecommunication services (fax, phone, email) he gets through his job.

Regardless, she adds, "I have been is some places in the world where the telecommunications services are not very reliable. This did not stop me from continuing my education. The online learning office has always been so very helpful, patient and understanding about all the different situations I’ve been through."

Green, on the other hand, has his trusty laptop computer and reliable Internet service provider, Deutsche Telekom, to connect him to the U.S. and RIT’s Online Learning program. His job, and the fact that his family lives two hours away from his work base in Frankfurt, frequently takes him on the road throughout Germany. Nonetheless, he claims to have "no problem connecting" day or night from wherever he may be located.

Both Green and Faquir did some research on online learning programs before they decided on enrolling at RIT. "I sent emails to hundreds of schools asking if they offered online technical courses," says Faquir. "I quickly understood that just a few accredited schools offered complete online technical degrees, and RIT was one of them. I selected RIT because the replies I received from the online learning support were quite helpful and straightforward – the opposite of some other schools!"

Green adds that he found RIT through a friend at MIT. "He told me that RIT was a good university with an excellent engineering program."

Finally, and most importantly, when asked if their learning needs were being met and how they were meeting their academic challenges, both Green and Faquir had interesting responses.

"I have found RIT to be an excellent university with a challenging academic program," says Green, who is married with two young children, age seven and three. "Balancing work, school and family is not an easy task. It takes discipline and much dedication to succeed in online learning. As far as family is concerned, it really takes a toll on the children. I sometimes feel guilty not having much time for them, especially on the weekends. I do the best I can while reminding them that this endeavor will benefit the family in the long run. So I press on through the long nights, and the migraine headaches at the end of the week, determined to complete this degree."

"I do feel that my learning needs are being met with online learning, because I do not feel like I am missing the physcial presence of a instructor," says Faquir. "Whenever I have a problem in understanding some course materials I take advantage of email, and the professors are always helpful and very clear in their replies. They always make sure we students understand the material.

"According to my lifestyle," she concludes, "the best of online learning is definitely being able to move around the world and still be able to have a degree from a school like RIT."

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