MAKING DEGREE COMPLETION CONVENIENT FOR THE ADULT STUDENT

Let’s face it- adult students who are seeking a bachelor’s degree are typically juggling several different balls in their busy world. Some are raising families; they’re working forty hours a week or more; and they like to maintain an active social life. Somehow, in between doing all of that, they are also trying their best to earn a college degree.

For this reason, accelerated degree completion options like APPEAL exist. The simple idea and concept behind a program like APPEAL is to make it as convenient as possible for the busy adult student to earn a BS. And while the classes themselves as well as the copious amounts of homework can be taxing and time-consuming, adult students appreciate the format and structure of the courses.

In an effort to continue to provide convenient degree completion options for the busy adult student, in January 2019, the School of Professional Studies began offering hybrid courses as part of the APPEAL program. So what exactly does this mean? Hybrid courses blend traditional college coursework and lectures with distance learning, better known as online learning. While the majority of the work for these classes will still be completed in class with one of our excellent and skilled instructors, having a portion of the course completed online adds to the convenience factor that makes APPEAL so, well, appealing to adult learners.

Online coursework for APPEAL courses typically utilize Blackboard, a software that colleges and universities use nationwide. It allows the students and instructor to interact by way of interactive forums, and it gives them both the opportunity to easily share work and view coursework that others in class are doing. It’s not uncommon in a course that is hybrid for the instructor to create a well-detailed Powerpoint presentation, and then share it with their students in either Blackboard or by email. This same presentation is something that the instructor could have physically shared in class, but by teaching the class in a hybrid format, the students can view the Powerpoint and even participate in a subsequent discussion about it from the comfort of their own home or even from their office.

Online courses and hybrid courses are nothing new for higher education. In fact, schools that were pioneering this style of learning broke new ground and made great strides with this as far back as two decades ago. Now, in 2019, APPEAL students can complete some of the work for that long-desired bachelor’s degree by using their computer (or even their smartphone) and a good wi-fi connection.

- Jon DeBenedictis

Director of Undergraduate Professional Studies

Comments

Happy Holidays Newsletter from SPS - Make 2021 Count!

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest" - Benjamin Frankli n Congratulations to all of our students who completed another semester. You made the best of a difficult situation by sticking with your goals and working on your education. Some of you added a few more credits to your program, some of you completed your final project and some of you completed your final classes and are graduating! I applaud you all! I invite you to read this newsletter highlighting our fall accomplishments, student achievements, and upcoming events. In SPS we have been working hard to stay connected and expand our network with engaging virtual programs. Hopefully, you have experienced this effort, if not please consider joining us for a class or our next Power Lunch series. I hope you stay strong and healthy during these trying times. We need to continue to be vigilant for ourselves and our families. Try to find some good in each day and help others find the same. Keep in touch and e

SPS Prof Richard A. Montanaro: Covid-19 resume gaps will become commonplace, yet still need explaining

Richard A. Montanaro: Covid-19 resume gaps will become commonplace, yet still need explaining As posted on Westchester & Fairfield County Business Journals January 4, 2021 By School of Professional Studies Professor Richard A. Montanaro B inge watching Netflix is not a valid explanation for gaps in your resume. While a prospective employer may understand, and even sympathize with an unexplained period of inactivity in your employment, you will need to put a positive spin on these gaps even given the pandemic. As an HR practitioner who has overseen the hiring process for over a thousand applicants during my career, I can say that it’s not uncommon for there to be employment gaps: periods without employment during a professional career. Given the pandemic, business downturn and related organizational downsizing, these gaps may be more prevalent now. Yet, regardless of the difficult times organizations and individuals are facing, gaps in employment and how to best represent them rema

2020 Sports...It's a Wrap!

On the Eve of 2021 SPS Professor Dave Torromeo Posted on Latin Business Today. As we approach the end of 2020—one of the strangest years known to mankind—we once again turn our attention to the things that make us happy, the things that bring us joy in the face of sadness and despair: live sporting events. We know the leagues and TV broadcast partners are happy, or maybe relieved? While the world tries to return to normal, we can be grateful that sports, although different, have at least given us an outlet. That is what sports have always done—provided us with a release! That is why when people attend or tune into a sports event they do not want to be reminded of their problems, politics, or other incendiary touch point issues. The sports world continues to roll on, albeit with various of stops and starts due to COVID-19. Teams are affected or infected, and then games are postponed or canceled. However, let us focus on the positives as we have live sporting events almost every day and

Search This Blog