Are you looking to boost your information management skills and credentials without putting your career on hold? A part-time online program can help you strengthen your skills and qualifications without disrupting your busy schedule.
You can earn your degree online from a nationally respected institution by enrolling in the University of Washington’s Master of Science in Information Management (MSIM) program. The program is offered in both online and residential modalities.
Online students engage with the curriculum, faculty and fellow students through a mix of synchronous classes (held primarily in the evenings and on weekends, Pacific Time Zone), study sessions, and asynchronous text and video content that can be accessed 24 hours a day. This article explores the UW’s MSIM online students’ learning experience.
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The online learning experience explained
The UW online learning experience blends interactive course modules, asynchronous discussions, weekly live sessions and group activities to create a learning experience that parallels the residential degree program.
Asynchronous learning
Asynchronous content — videos, reading material, engaging tutorials, ungraded practice tests and assignments — makes up a significant portion of the coursework in the MSIM online modality. Online assignments utilize interactive learning tools to provide practical, hands-on experiences. Coding tutorials, for example, are often followed by ungraded coding exercises and assessments that confirm and reinforce learning.
Live online orientation and classes
The program kicks off with a community-focused online orientation where students meet and learn strategies to succeed in the program. Orientation includes workshops to build relationships among students in each cohort and small-group connections with peers in other cohorts.
All courses include once-a-week synchronous class sessions from 5:30 to 7 p.m. PT on weekdays. The faculty-led sessions enable students to engage with peers and faculty members through discussions and online activities. Small class sizes facilitate maximum engagement. The online learning experience is designed to enable students to build strong professional networks that include peers, faculty and industry professionals.
Online student summit
The UW hosts a yearly MSIM Online Student Summit that features workshops, speakers and networking opportunities. Sessions for this on-campus event include a mix of academic topics and student support seminars. The event facilitates face-to-face interaction with peers and instructors to strengthen program connections.
Student support services
All online students can access 24/7 tech support to ensure a seamless acclimation to courses and online learning tools. Each student is also assigned a dedicated success coach to help formulate course plans and navigate registration and orientation. And all students have access to the MSIM Academic Advising Team, which offers support in everything from program management advice to job search strategies.
Why learn online: Consider the advantages of a virtual classroom
Online learning at the UW provides a wide range of benefits, including flexible learning, career advancement opportunities and community-building experiences.
Learn from anywhere
The online modality offers students maximum flexibility, including the ability to study and attend classes from anywhere, without the need to commute to campus. They can also engage with significant portions of the curriculum asynchronously, making it easier to accommodate study and professional obligations.
Career advancement opportunities
The UW MSIM curriculum focuses on the skills needed for strategic leadership in information management. Core courses cover information management policy and ethics, strategic leadership, and data-driven organizational problem-solving; electives enable students to tailor their studies to their interests and career goals. Specialization options for online students include business intelligence, data science, and program/product management and consulting (PPMC).
Students who continue to work while studying part-time benefit from opportunities to immediately apply what they learn in their professional lives. This practical experience reinforces course content and improves professional performance. All MSIM students, regardless of their program modality, have access to career services, academic advising and career events and programming offered through the iSchool and the University of Washington Career and Internship Center.
Peer collaboration
Students in the MSIM program, offered online engage with peers representing a broad range of experiences and perspectives. Community is at the heart of the UW iSchool experience; the online learning experience is designed to enable students to build strong professional networks. Students can connect with faculty and peers during online class sessions, group projects, study sessions and faculty office hours. With only 25 students per online classroom, everyone has an opportunity to participate.
Helpful perspectives from online learners
Graduates who completed the MSIM program online praise the program’s collaborative structure and its networking opportunities. Classmates “Literally talk every day,” says Marquisha Hicks, ‘22. “It could be about family, work or whatever. It’s nice to be around like-minded individuals who can understand what you’ve gone through and understand what you’re studying.”
Online collaboration success
Program alumni Michael Ly, Vincent Kao, Nikhil Navkal and Divya Rajasekhar made the most of their peer connections by working together on their Capstone project. In collaboration with their sponsor, Sudhakar Kaushik of Jeeva Health, they created an interactive visualization of Maine’s health data to improve understanding of health-care gaps.
Jeff Barland instructed the students as they worked on their Capstone project, collaborating across time zones and dealing with academic and personal challenges. “They all put in significant effort. They really managed well together. They functioned as a cohort. And what they delivered was very professional. I was really impressed with their final product,” he notes.
Career advancement
Hicks enrolled in the online program to advance her career. She says the MSIM program gave her the confidence and knowledge of business analytics, risk analysis and enterprise systems to ace the interview for a management position with the State of California. “I feel like a different person than before I started the program,” she says.
Next steps: How to start your online journey
The UW MSIM program’s online modality offers learners the opportunity to earn the same degree as on-campus students without having to relocate or put their careers on hold. These features make it a popular choice among working professionals.
To learn more about the MSIM and the online learning experience, make an appointment with the enrollment team or register for a virtual information session. If you’re ready to proceed, review the admissions requirements and start your application now.