Post on 12-Mar-2016
description
norFoLK StatE uniVErSitY®
a newsletter for Faculty, Staff, alumni and Friends of norfolk State university
WAVESMaKinG
www.nsu.eduCreated by the office of Communications and Marketing, (757) 823-8373
Literia Jones is proud of her Norfolk State University education although she’s
never walked through the wings of Brown Hall, studied at Lyman Beecher Brooks
Library or witnessed a Spartan Legion band performance.
But in her brief time as an NSU student, she made history. Jones is the
University’s first online degree graduate. In 2008, she earned a degree in
Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in health services management. She
currently works as a development disability waiver specialist for a nonprofit organization in Petersburg.
Jones, who lived in Blackstone, Virginia, at the time, said she decided to enroll in online courses in 2007
after a co-worker who was an NSU alumna informed her about the University’s virtual offerings. She
transferred her credits from a higher education institution she previously attended and says it turned out to
be a wonderful decision.
“I needed to work full-time and needed flexibility,” Jones said. “I like learning online and NSU gave me
the mobility to finish my degree.”
Jones said she encourages those with busy lifestyles that require them to work, or those who learn better
from working on their own to seek an education online.
“I'm very proud to be an alumna of NSU. The degree means more to me than my master’s because of
the adversity I went through to obtain it.”
First online Grad Feels Special Connection to nSu
Dr. arletha
McSwain, dean
of the School of
Extended Learning,
was invited to serve
on a panel at the
2014 USDLA National Conference
in St. Louis, Missouri, to share an
institutional perspective earning the
USDLA Quality Standards in
Distance Education.
Dr. Macarena aspillaga,
SEL course designer, received
the certified faculty developer
designation from the Learning
Resources Network (LERN)
in April 2014.
Harry P. Styles, faculty/student
Blackboard certified trainer, earned
a second master’s degree—an
M.A. in English—from Old
Dominion University on May 9.
The United States
Distance Learning
Association site
team called
the faculty
certification
program developed by Mark Eulo,
SEL faculty trainer, “outstanding.”
Lee Laska, director of media
and video production, leads the
production arm of the School
of Extended Learning.
Xuemei Li,
Blackboard
administrator
and coordinator,
completed the
Blackboard course
delivery Graphic User Interface
(GUI) administration and content
management GUI administration
certification courses in 2013.
SEL FaCuLtY, StaFF Earn CritiCaL inDuStrY CErtiFiCationS
Norfolk State University’s distance education
program has earned the Quality Standards
Certification offered by the United States
Distance Learning Association. NSU was the first
and only historically black college or university
(HBCU) in the country to have the distinction.
NSU provides distance and online education
through the School of Extended Learning (SEL) to
students who may be around the corner or abroad.
More than 3,000 students take online courses
and 69 students are currently enrolled in fully
online degree programs. The online degree
program has offerings in majors such as
Interdisciplinary Studies, Health Management,
History, Psychology and also master’s degree
programs in Teaching, Urban Education and Pre-
Elementary Education. NSU currently offers seven
fully online degrees—four undergraduate and
three graduate degrees.
Even if distance education or online learners
are located faraway from campus, they can still
feel connected to the University through Cyber
Spartan, which links them to on-campus resources
and allows them to interact with students.“The goal
of Cyber Spartan,” said SEL Dean Dr. Arletha
McSwain, “is to create a unified student body that
is able to meet to share experiences, collaborate
on studies and encourage each other academically
and socially.”
Distance Education Program Earns Prestigious Certification for Second Year