Graduates of Arkansas State University’s
Master of Education Online Academic Partnership program:
It is a very big day. I’m so excited, my brain is jumping all over the place.
It just had always been a personal goal of mine to go back and get a master’s degree, and so this online program gave me that opportunity.
President of ASU:
“I confer upon each of you this Master’s Degree, and I declare upon you all the rights and privileges…”
Graduates:
It was directed towards to what I was doing in my own classroom at that time and that makes a huge difference. It wasn’t trying to fit a mold. It was what we needed as educators.
I was a little intimidated at first because I’m not that good with computers, but I had some co-workers who encouraged me, and it turned out to be a great experience…a wonderful experience.
I started 20 years ago on my Master’s, and then I decided it’s time to do it. My kids are in college, so…time to go.
I love the flexibility of setting my own schedule, being able to spend time with my kids in the evening, put them in bed, and then get started on my work. That was the best part, but the clarity of the instruction—I could go back and play the video back again and pause, write down notes, and things like that made it really easier.
I feel like a lot of things I was doing for the classes would actually transfer over immediately into my classroom. It’s not something where I had to wait for a degree before I could use it in class.
I had the opportunity to hear about Academic Partnerships, and once I went ot a meeting and looked at it, I said, “this seems to be doable.”
I’m an art teacher. I really don’t receive that much professional development, so I love how ASU let me step into the role of becoming a principal. I got to see what a principal does every single day, and how much responsibility [they have], and how they handle emergency situations. I got to be in the role of a curriculum coach. I didn’t realize how much research was involved—always analyzing data and making sure when you start with a brand new curriculum, how intensive it is.
I teach third grade, and my students are very inspired, “You’re in college!” And even my son, he goes around and tells everybody that his mom is in college and he’s always encouraging me to continue. He wants me to get my doctorate so he can call me Dr. Mom.
I had always intended to get a Master’s, and maybe even a Doctorate, but I thought I would have to wait until my kids finished college, and then I would have to take a leave of absence from school. I haven’t had to wait for either of those things in order to get my Master’s.
If I had to choose between an on-campus and an online course, I would definitely pick online because it would allow me to continue my outside activities besides work, and I could do it on my own schedule.
One of the main things that this program taught was how to reflect on your lessons. That’s not something that I was taught in my undergraduate studies, and that’s been a big plus for me.
This was the first time I had ever attempted anything like this, especially online. I’m just amazed that it all happened online, so it was a good experience. It was a wonderful experience. I wouldn’t change a thing!
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