FYI and Announcements

2008-2009 Distance Education Annual Report / FYI and Announcements

"… I cannot say enough about this individual.  He has the patience of a saint.  He coached me through the most fundamental and mundane tasks while helping me design the look and approach to the course.  He encouraged me to be bold with the work.  Several sections go beyond typed lecture notes and include footage with me narrating over the film.  I never imagined I would learn to do such a thing. 

At the start of the course, the text had been held up and had not arrived.  I called Jacob in a panic and he made several suggestions…  His recommendations solved the problem and kept the course on track.

I do not think this man sleeps.  I can email him day or night with an issue and he quickly responds solving the problem and helping me to learn how to tackle it in the future." ~ Stephen Young, MFA, School of Arts

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This Year in Distance Education
Distinction in Distance Education Award Winner
2008-2009 Distance Education Degrees
Fall 2009 Distance Education Snapshot Report (pdf)
Distance Education Organizational Chart (pdf)
Instructional Design Services (pdf)

 

This Year in Distance Education

Distance Education Milestones

Course Support
1,642 contacts with faculty
580 contacts with students
26 full course redesigns
66 partial course redesigns
249 short-term technical support contacts
33 informal course reviews
24 formal course reviews

Faculty Development
272 faculty attendees at DE presentations and events
145 student attendees at DE presentations and events
28 meetings with departments or programs
27 invited presentations outside the institution
41 TWU faculty members attended the TWU QM workshop
More than 50 faculty members have expressed interest in forming a Teaching and Learning Faculty Learning Community.

Distance Education Staff Milestones 

Mike Simmons graduated from University of Texas at Arlington in May, earning his PhD in public administration and urban affairs.

Dr. Lynda Murphy, Director of Distance Education, along with Dr. Jody Oomen-Early, Assistant Professor of Health Studies wrote an article, "Self-Actualization and E-Learning: A Qualitative Investigation of University Faculty's Perceived Needs for Effective Online Instruction." It was published in the Volume 8, Issue 2 of the International Journal on E-Learning.

Ms. Heidi Ashbaugh was promoted this summer to Sr. Instructional Design Specialist for the Dallas campus. She was previously an Instructional Design Specialist for the College of Health Sciences.

Also this summer, Heidi contributed a chapter for the newly released Sacred and Immoral: On the Writings of Chuck Palahniuk, edited by Jeffrey A. Sartain. Ashbaugh wrote chapter nine, “Chuck Palahniuk's Diary: American Horror, Gothic, and Beyond” which discusses how Palahniuk’s uses traditional gothic style to form a new, unique version of gothic literature.

 

New Distance Education Staff

Laura Macsas joined the Lifelong Learning Team in March. She conducts administrative duties such as coordinating meetings, travel and purchases. She also interacts with students to provide answers, resources and contact information. She has been at TWU since 2007 when she started in the Bursar’s Office as an accounting assistant. Prior to coming to TWU, she co-owned Max’s Café and Grill in Krum, Texas. Her favorite pastimes are family time, reading, camping and working in the yard. Her pride and joy are her three daughters ranging in age from 18 to 25. She can be reached at lmacsas@twu.edu or 940.898.3409.

 

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Distinction in Distance Education Award Winner

Dr. Sharla Snider, professor in the department of family sciences won the 2008-2009 Convocation award for Distinction in Distance Education. Dr. Snider has been at TWU for 13 years. 

In her current position, Dr. Snider leads courses in early childhood education and child development. Her teaching style includes the use of technology in meaning making and learning opportunities. This extends to the construction of dynamic online learning experiences in her graduate and undergraduate classes at TWU. She has taught a variety of graduate courses at both the Masters and Doctoral level, several focused on early language and literacy. Integrating teaching and scholarship to improve student opportunities for learning while contributing to the larger academic arena has been a hallmark of her work to date. She uses a variety of structures to explore content and create content. These structures include, but are not limited to, wikis (for course management, glossary development, and collaborative peer writing), blogs (for student reflections and peer reviews), MUVEs (for synchronous book group discussion and cross-class and level interactions and dissemination of content created) as well as other social networking tools such as Diigo or Ning.

 

She has presented research related to the impact of technology on a child's growth and development to the American College of Osteopathic Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Her publications include articles in Early Childhood Education Journal, Computers in the Schools, Journal of Research on Technology in Education, and Journal of Educational Computing Research. Additionally, Dr. Snider has earned several grants, including awards from the United States Department of Education, Intel Corporation, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to examine the integration of the Internet into the curriculum and the effects on the change process as related to pre-service and in-service teacher stages of concern and levels of use.

 

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2008-2009 Distance Education Degrees

Graduate

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science
Master of Library Science
Master of Science in Speech/Language Pathology
Master of Science in Nursing - Nursing Education
Executive Master of Business Administration
Master of Science in Family Studies
Master of Arts in Teaching
Master of Science in Food Systems Administration
Master of Science in Education of the Deaf  
Master of Science in Kinesiology
    Softball Coaching Emphasis
    Sport Management Emphasis
    Coaching (all areas) Emphasis
Master of Science in Health Studies
COTA to Master of Occupational Therapy
Master of Education in Reading Education

Undergraduate

Bachelor of Science in Health Studies Completion   (Upper level courses only; transfer students)
Bachelor of General Studies Completion   (Depending on concentration area and previous coursework)
RN-BS Online Program for Registered Nurses   (Denton and Dallas)
Bachelor Applied Science Completion (Health Studies)  (Upper level courses only; transfer students)
Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management Completion  (Upper level courses only; transfer students)

DE Certificates

Post Professional Graduate Certificates Physical Therapy
Advanced Geriatric Physical Therapy
Advanced Pediatric Therapy
Advanced Studies in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation

Post Professional Graduate Certificates Occupational Therapy
Advanced Pediatric Therapy
Advanced Studies in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation  

Courses Towards Certification in Family and Consumer Sciences
Family and Consumer Science Alliance

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