I’m pursuing research halfway around the world from Japan. Yet I’m still enrolled in campus classes, writing papers, turning in assignments, and taking instructions from my professors.

How does one pull this off? Thanks to Texas A&M University’s mastery of the internet, and faculty innovations that are blurring the boundaries between campus and online education.

When I began my studies I was assigned an office on the fifth floor of the HFSB building, and later moved to the new WFES facilities. I’ve had classes in both buildings, dutifully commuting from my northwest Houston hub of Cy-Fair to the College Station campus, mostly using the Harvey Mitchell Parkway to avoid the worst traffic.

This is how it went for me. Then I discovered a coastal sciences course developed by my graduate program advisor, designed as a hybrid on-campus/distance education opportunity. The flexibility was impressive. I frequently turned up in person to sit in for the lectures. But on occasion (when busy with work, for instance) I was permitted to dial in via Google Hangouts at a prescribed time, “attending” classes that way, and never missing a beat. Assignments could be turned in in-person, but pretty much everyone opted for the online route. And the learning never stopped – questions could be submitted by email and responses picked up and digested at any hour that suited both professor and students.

In fact, I could have taken the entire course from my home and not be any worse off for it. Turns out, there’s a surprisingly large number of classes at TAMU that fit this mold, and the population of in-depth, interactive and informative online courses seems to be growing by the year, as eCampus evolves into a must-have tool for students whether they are attending live or commuting to school via keyboard and computer screen.

This is the thing that has surprised me the most about Texas A&M University. By encouraging the faculty to be flexible and bold with technology, TAMU is truly making the world its campus.

So take my advice – don’t fear slipping behind or missing out on some great classes if you’re pondering conducting research abroad. Talk to your department and advisors, peruse the course offerings and class syllabi, and figure out a way to do both. You won’t regret it.

---Nathanial Gronewold
Nathanial Gronewold is a Masters student in the College of Agriculture