By Richard H. Miller, Global Campus
PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University’s Global Campus is introducing a new way for students to get ahead: One-credit online seminars.
“We find that students are sometimes one or two credits shy of graduating,” said Rebecca Van de Vord, Global Campus associate director and director of eLearning Services. “This will save them both money and time.”
The option expands the one-credit in-person seminars that the online degree program has long offered students at its Tacoma Rendezvous, a March event that includes museum tours and a catered lunch. Now those seminars will also be live-streamed over the Internet.
The seminars are Psychology 301: Seminar in Psychology and Music 496: History of Northwest Jazz. Each is open only to Global Campus-enrolled students.
Helping nontraditional students
“These seminars show WSU Global Campus’ commitment to helping nontraditional students and its willingness to accommodate the many demands on our schedules,” said Brianna Lisenbee, a business major from Sumner, Wash.
Students will get access to the course space on Jan. 13; they must complete their assignments and then attend the online seminar on March 8.
“At Washington State University, a credit is a credit,” Van de Vord cautioned. “Every credit requires 45 hours of work, whether it’s earned online or on-campus.”
Flexible and accessible
The program is part of a larger effort by the Global Campus to give students more flexibility. In the past few years, the Global Campus has added Winter Session and Intersession – each offering three credits in three weeks. These and six-week summer sessions all are open to students at other WSU campuses. WSU’s online MBA and executive MBA programs also have five- and seven-week courses.
On the noncredit side, the Global Campus presents online cultural and learning events to WSU students through Global Connections and free one-hour seminars to the public through its Digital Academy.
“This is how I know I’ve chosen an outstanding online degree program,” said Janna Carter, a social sciences major from Orcas Island, Wash. “The WSU Global staff is always finding ways to improve the student experience.”
Contact:
Rebecca Van de Vord, WSU Global Campus, bvandevord@wsu.edu, 509-335-4027
