Get a Head Start on Class to Get a Head Start on Life (Podcast)
/
At Grantham University, we believe in going the extra mile to help our graduates prepare for long-term career success. Recently, our Career Services team met with Nancy Miller, PhD, Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Sciences, to discuss how the school is implementing processes to help students get the support they need to succeed academically and in the workplace.
It’s no secret we live in the most scientifically advanced age the world has ever known. From the advent of self-driving cars to the supercomputers we call cell phones, technological marvels are a part of our everyday lives. In addition to helping make our lives easier, more enjoyable and more productive, these marvels give us something else: opportunity.
As in, the opportunity to pursue a fulfilling career in a technical field.
That’s where the Grantham University College of Engineering and Computer Science comes in. Its stated mission is to “prepare adult learners for careers in engineering, computer and information technologies.”
And it’s a mission that the college’s dean, Dr. Nancy Miller, is determined to accomplish as she seeks out new ways to help students be successful in life and in their careers. And it all starts by giving them the support and help they need to be successful academically.
An Online School Can Help Provide Real-world Technical Skills
“We have a number of things,” says Miller, “that we’ve been implementing in the past year or two that I think really helps the students. For one, we continue to add more simulations and virtual environments for our students.”
As courses are refined and developed, she plans to add even more simulations and to use more digital assets in the curriculum. She’s also looking into replacing some lectures with videos that show how problems can be worked. “I think that’s really going to give more of a hands-on component,” says Miller. “Even more than what we have already. I think that will be valuable for students.”
In addition to digital videos, virtual environments and other assets, Miller also developed a technical support chain for students who struggle with software installations. The first links of the chain are made up of Student Advisors with more technical backgrounds who can triage the specific problem. From there, the issue can be escalated to Grantham’s internal IT support team.
Miller has a little advice on how to streamline the process: “Make sure you let us know what your operating system is and send a screen shot.”
Just-in-Time Help with Specific Course Materials
Another process improvement Miller has recently added is a quicker way to get academic help. Just click on the helpful link in the left navigation panel of your learning system to access a live tutor.
“This is something I’ve been talking about for a couple of years,” she says. “I call it ‘Embedded Tutoring.’ Some call it ‘Just-in-Time Tutoring.’ Either way, I wanted to have tutoring more accessible to students. Not having to go somewhere and click. It’s just right there.”
In a nod to the scheduling needs of working adults, the school’s live tutor is available in the afternoons and evenings most days of the week: Monday and Tuesday, 5-10 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday, 6-10 p.m.; Friday, 7-10 p.m. and Saturday, 1-4 p.m.—all times CST.
In addition to the live tutor, Miller wants students to know that Grantham’s faculty is also available to help, especially if there isn’t a tutor available through the link for the specific course they struggle in.
“Tell your SA you would like some tutoring and ask them to contact me,” says Miller. “Sometimes we have some full-time faculty that can help out in more extreme cases.”
You May Be Closer to Earning Your Degree than You Think
Students can get credit for real-life experience using Grantham’s Prior Learning Assessment (PLA).
With PLA, students are given the opportunity to gain college credit for work and life experiences. It’s a documented process where the student demonstrates they have met the objectives of the course. It’s a great way to move closer toward earning a degree, but it has to be thought through carefully and be very well documented.
“It’s not just experience that you put down on a piece of paper,” says Miller. “We need to see those documents that demonstrate you’ve done these things.” It could also include getting a letter from supervisors who witnessed your expertise in the area under consideration.
There is a caveat to the awarding of PLA credit, however. It takes more than just hands-on experience. It also takes a deeper understanding of the theories behind the practical skills. A student must understand why something works, not just that it does.
“Sometimes we have people coming with some really good experience,” says Miller, “and while it’s really good, real hands-on experience, a lot of the theory is not really there. They don’t get that in their work. The course will be providing that theory that really substantiates and gives understanding to what they’re doing hands on. And so, in those cases, we can’t give credit for that because they haven’t had that theory.”
Any Advice for Success in the College of Engineering and Computer Science?
“There are two things to being successful,” says Miller, “stability in your life and a solid schedule that you stick with.”
Students whose lives are in upheaval—sick parent, child with a medical emergency, natural disasters—their focus is not on their schoolwork. This might not be the time to pursue a degree. “I think timing for school is very important,” says Miller. “In general, having some stability is very important.”
The other thing is having a schedule. “One gentleman I know,” Miller continues, “every single term, he mapped out the hours that he was going to get work done. And not just school work. It was this reading, this assignment, this lab. That’s the key. I think those two aspects, stability and schedule, are so critical.”
Download Our Podcast
Take some time out of your day to listen in as we explore what Grantham’s College of Engineering and Computer Science to improve the online learning process to help you pursue real-world technical career opportunities.
How does government policy influence higher education?