HALE M.A. Final Project Insights

3/30/2015 HALE M.A. Final Project
Mary Keyes
Department of Educational Administration
Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (Online)
Dr. William Arnold (Advisor)

HALE M.A. Final Project: Keyes
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Table of Contents
Part 1: Contributions to Student’s Knowledge......................................................................................2
Part 2: Evidence of Learning Objectives..............................................................................................5
Part 3: Program Impact......................................................................................................................9
Part 4: Application of Knowledge & Skills ........................................................................................11
Part 5: A Current Resume.................................................................................................................13
References .......................................................................................................................................16
Appendix A......................................................................................................................................17
Appendix B......................................................................................................................................26
Appendix C......................................................................................................................................28
Appendix D......................................................................................................................................32

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Part 1: Contributions to Student’s Knowledge
The Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education courses taken during my time as a graduate
student of the program have made significant contributions to my knowledge of the field.
Coming into the program, I knew I epitomized the kind of student HALE graduates aim to serve;
I am a non-traditional adult learner with all the responsibilities that accompany life as an
employee, mother, daughter, aunt, cousin, coach, and student. As I learned in Adult Career
Development, Parker Palmer (2000) sums up my view on vocation in the following statement
from Let Your Life Speak:
Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with
you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let
your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent (p. 3).
Moreover, Palmer goes on to explain:
The word vocation…is rooted in the Latin word for ‘voice.’ Vocation does not mean a
goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear. Before I can tell my life what I want to
do with it, I must listen to my life telling me who I am. I must listen for the truths and
values at the heart of my own identity, not the standards by which I live – but the standards
by which I cannot help but live if I am living my own life (p. 4).
This one idea laid the groundwork for my entire program experience and has been supported
with coursework, projects, and opportunities for continued self-exploration of my philosophies
regarding teaching, learning, and the field of higher education.
As a student of higher, adult, and lifelong education, the current state of higher education
has been addressed in each course I have taken and the opinions of scholars vary widely. In Pro-
Seminar in Higher and Adult Education, we read and watched Academically Adrift, College:
What It Is, Was, and Should Be, and Declining by Degrees; The focus was on the academic and
financial short comings of higher education, academic and financial short comings of students,
and the pressures being put on faculty to be “super human” in their attempt at managing

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academic, research, and advising roles. Higher education is a battle ground where students,
faculty, administrators, and the overall institutions compete – not only within, but with other
institutions – for scarce resources. Money is the scarcest resource as government and policy
makers have eroded the foundation of higher education with legislation that does not lend
support to higher education institutions. Students are forced to find alternative financial
resources to pay for their college education; faculty are forced to manage academic, research,
and advising roles with increased pressure and less support from their institutions; and higher
education institutions look to increases in tuition rates and staff cuts as a means for infrastructure
improvements which will, hopefully, attract more students and academic talent. As a co-
facilitator of a hybrid section of EAD 315: Student Leadership Training, I witnessed the
financial struggles of my students, first hand. Students struggled to pay their tuition fees,
struggled to afford the textbook, and others even struggled to afford bus fare to get home from
class. Financial struggles have a profound effect on student motivation and engagement as it is
hard to focus on the rigors of academics when carrying a full course load and holding down one
(or more) jobs to help offset the cost of education.
Pressure to perform well is apparent across all levels of education and permeates every
role within higher education. Every class within the HALE MA program presented “best”
practices, models, modes, and dimensions of field specific topics from “The Seven Principles for
Good practice in Undergraduate Education” and “Dimensions of Well-Being” to “How Learning
Works: 7 Research Principles for Smart Teaching” and “Non-Linear Paths Through College.”
Every book, scholarly article, and excerpt was relevant to the course content and expanded my
knowledge of higher, adult, and lifelong education matters. In fact, some of the articles proved
to be more profound than some of the required textbooks. Unit six of Pro-Seminar in Higher and

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Adult Education had a strategic focus on online learning and how media affects teaching and
learning. An article by Jeff Selingo (2013) titled, The New, Nonlinear Path Through College,
identifies the electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) as a technology that could bridge the gap between
society’s need for exiting college with some kind of credential and the “educational buffet” of
learning options and opportunities available to students. My curiosity with technology and
online learning drove me to enroll in CEP 813: Electronic Portfolios and, subsequently, all of
the other courses required for the Online Teaching and Learning Graduate Certificate! A
changing college student demographic and increasing costs of education creates a need for
flexibility in college curriculums. In addition, changes in technology have cultivated a need for
students to create and manage a digital presence. My coursework in electronic portfolios,
teaching students online, and learning technology through design, has expanded my knowledge
of higher, adult, and lifelong education into the digital realm and provided opportunities to create
and manage websites, electronic portfolios, and develop an online course through Desire 2
Learn.
The knowledge, skills, and abilities I have gained from my coursework in the Higher,
Adult, and Lifelong Education Online MA Program is profound. I entered the program with a
general knowledge of higher education matters in addition to eleven years of work experience at
MSU. As I exit the program, my understanding of the institutional environment, logic behind
policy changes, struggles of students and faculty, online teaching and learning, “best” higher
education practices, and my general vocabulary have all advanced and helped make me a better
student and employee. I feel as though I am prepared to help adults realize their true vocation
and help them “get into it” by providing the tools necessary for a successful pilgrimage.

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Part 2: Evidence of Learning Objectives
Intended Learning Outcome #4: Demonstrate skills to engage learners to deliver programs
and services in higher education.
While enrolled in CEP 820: Teaching Students Online, each student was charged with
developing their own online course using an individually selected course management system.
In order to stay in-line with the course management system used at Michigan State University, I
chose to expand my knowledge of Desire 2 Learn (D2L). Students were given artistic liberty to
design a course on any topic and I chose to develop a course titled, PSE 101: Permaculture and
Sustainability Education. One of the most difficult aspects of developing a course on
permaculture and sustainability education was to determine the most important topics to cover;
As an introductory level course, I did not want potential students to be overwhelmed with
information. I chose to utilize modules to break down what permaculture and sustainability
education is, permaculture design ethics, and permaculture design principles. In order to engage
potential students with the course material, each module utilized mandatory readings, quizzes,
discussion forums, and critical application assignments to assess student understanding and
application of the topic(s) covered in each module. The course culminated with a “permaculture
project” where potential students chose a social problem unique to their individual context and
apply permaculture ethics and principles to solve the problem.
The developmental course was created with the intention of being used by the university
as a “for credit” course and was designed as such. The syllabus included all of MSU’s required
syllabi components and the course content and resources were considered “rigorous” by the
faculty teaching the class; though, it should be noted the instructors had minimal prior
knowledge of both permaculture and sustainability education. (Appendix A)

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Intended Learning Outcome #5: Demonstrate a disposition for lifelong learning and self –
directed learning.
I have a deep interest in learning about permaculture and have spent the past four years
educating myself on the permaculture ethics and principles and incorporating what I have
learned into all aspects of my personal and professional life. My interest in permaculture stems
from a concern about the state of the world in which we live, financial constraints facing my
family, alternative food sources affecting my diabetes, and a general desire to work with
nature…not against it. David Holmgren writes, “By adopting the ethics and applying these
principles in our daily life we can make the transition from being dependent consumers to
becoming responsible producers” (http://permacultureprinciples.com/). This is exactly what I
decided to do!
The transition process began by approaching problems on my farm from a permaculture
perspective. Our family had begun raising chickens and allowing them to free range in the yard;
the problem with “free range” poultry is they are free to go wherever they please. Their idea of
free ranging included my neighbor’s yard and the road which led to complaints from my
neighbor and dead chickens in the road. Permaculture teaches us to work with the inherent
behaviors of animals; therefore, I installed a “fedge” (food hedge) along the property line as a
deterrent to crossing into the neighbor’s yard as well as forage in other areas of the yard to keep
the chicken’s interest away from the road. Eventually, I installed a large chicken run off their
coop and have planted perennial fruits and vegetables both inside and outside of the run. Other
examples of permaculture practices adopted on my farm include harvesting rainwater for use in
watering plants, animals, and the garden; removing sod to create raised garden beds and using

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the sod to create a terrace for fruit and nut trees; creating guilds with fruit and nut trees, followed
by berry bushes, herbs, and edible ground cover; etc.
My self – directed study of permaculture and the success I experienced on my farm led
me to answer the call for proposals for the 62nd Annual American Association of Adult and
Continuing Education and Adult Higher Education Alliance Joint Conference on “Building
Sustainable Futures Through Learning and Partnerships.” I used my self – directed education of
permaculture and action research experience to create and present a poster titled, “Teaching
Sustainability Through Permaculture” at the joint conference in Lexington, Kentucky. The
poster presentation resulted in scholarly conversations about permaculture as an educational tool,
an invitation to write a book chapter, connections with other scholars sharing the same
interest(s), and an invitation to join the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in
Higher Education. (Appendix B)
Intended Learning Outcome #11: Demonstrate leadership to function as a practitioner in a
higher and adult educational setting.
I have never thought of myself as a “leader.” However, my position as the
Undergraduate Secretary for the Neuroscience Program has allowed opportunities to advise
undergraduate students regarding course planning and concentration selection; provide resource
information to at-risk students; and create documents and publications to be utilized at the
college level. The 2013 – 2014 academic year exposed concerns regarding “time to degree”
obstacles from upper level administrators at MSU. The College of Natural Science discussed
how to handle the concern and charged each department within the college to develop a “time to
degree” flow chart to prove students are able to complete their degree within a four year period; I
was charged with mapping out a four year “time to degree” flow chart for each of the three

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neuroscience concentrations on behalf of the MSU Neuroscience Program. My flow chart was
approved by the program advisor, my supervisor, the program director, and Dean’s at the college
level and bears my name as the “developer.” (Appendix C)
Other opportunities to develop my leadership skills presented themselves in my
experience as a co-facilitator of a hybrid section of EAD 315: Student Leadership Training,
deepening my volunteer involvement as a coach and judge for the Corunna Odyssey of the Mind
program, and participating in the “alpha class” of the Graduate Student Leadership Academy.
The Graduate Student Leadership Academy is a cohort style, intensive, team based, experience
that aims to educate and empower graduate students to become effective and socially responsible
leaders. As a member of the “alpha class” of the GSLA, I was grouped with other members and
charged with developing a project about “Leadership Training and Development.” My
teammates and I chose to develop a website where graduate students could go to find resources
and information about developing their leadership skills while in graduate school. The website is
still live and can be accessed at the following web address: http://msugsla.weebly.com/.
(Appendix D)

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Part 3: Program Impact
Apart from academic performance and professional development, the Higher, Adult, and
Lifelong Education Online Master of Arts program has awakened the possibility of combining
my love of Permaculture with teaching in an endeavor to create a permaculture demonstration
farm where I can teach sustainability curriculum to all learners, regardless of age or background.
David Holmgren (2002), co-originator of the permaculture concept, explains:
Permaculture is a creative design process that is based on ethics and design principles. It
guides us to mimic the patterns and relationships we can find in nature and can be applied
to all aspects of human habitation, from agriculture to ecological building, from
appropriate technology to education and even economics
(http://permacultureprinciples.com/).
I read multiple books on the subject and studied several online resources in order to advance my
knowledge of permaculture, permaculture ethics, and permaculture design principles. My
growing understanding and use of permaculture led to an idea about permaculture as a way to
teach sustainability to others. I responded to a call for proposals from the American Association
of Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) and was invited to present a poster titled,
“Teaching Sustainability Through Permaculture” at their annual joint conference with the
American Higher Education Alliance (AHEA) in Lexington, Kentucky. In addition, I have
stayed in contact with many acquaintances made at the conference and have since joined the
MSU chapter of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. I
was also able to attend and present my poster at the 2014 Graduate Academic Conference at
MSU; my poster received positive feedback from the judge and generated a few scholarly
conversations with other poster presenters.

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In 2013, I began to overhaul the property surrounding my home by planting fruit trees,
nut trees, edible landscaping, fruit bushes, medicinal herbs, perennial fruits and vegetables.
Permaculture design principles have been utilized to overcome obstacles on my farm; I installed
a “fedge” or “food hedge” along the property line between my cousin’s property and my own in
order to keep my chickens in my yard and out of hers. The fedge is comprised of four different
kinds of blueberry bushes, medicinal herbs, and fruit trees as well as a few beneficial bug
attracting plants to aid in pollination. Once established, the fedge will produce copious amount
of food and fodder for decades to come. Additionally, I am currently developing a permaculture
based sustainability curriculum to serve as the educational foundation for future programs on the
permaculture demonstration farm. The curriculum takes an online, learner – centered approach
to permaculture ethics and design principles and engages students through individualized
permaculture projects, content reflection, and engagement through online discussions.
I firmly believe that permaculture could solve many of the world’s problems, but only if
people become familiar with the concept and utilize it for the advancement of society and
ecological intelligence. Utilizing the knowledge, skills, and abilities developed from the HALE
MA program curriculum and my own “informal” education of permaculture, I gained the
confidence to turn a seemingly “impossible” idea for a permaculture demonstration farm into a
“possibility.” It is my hope to see this “continuing education” project through to completion;
however, I realize additional education will be required, post-graduation, in order to confirm the
curriculum adheres with state and other regulatory groups governing education in the State of
Michigan.

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Part 4: Application of Knowledge & Skills
As a graduate of the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education Master of Arts program at
Michigan State University, I plan to utilize my knowledge, skills, and abilities gained through
my coursework and experiences as a student to assist other adults in navigating their way
through their career and enable personal growth. My knowledge and experience of the
challenges facing adult learners makes me sympathetic to the educational and personal needs of
those I serve. I know how it feels to go through a heartbreak while trying to manage a full load
of classes…I know how it feels to wonder “how in the world am I going to pay for classes?”…I
know the demands of raising children, being the primary bread-winner, and overall “supermom”
all at once…and I also know how to persevere through all of life’s challenges by knowing when
to ask for help and finding the help I need. Helping people find their way to a career that brings
happiness or contentment to their lives will mean I have found a position that fulfills my life’s
purpose!
The achievement of obtaining a master degree will open doors for professional and
personal development not available to me prior to obtaining my degree; New and exciting
positions at MSU will be available for application, community college and community education
teaching opportunities will be attainable, and the “impossibility” of creating a permaculture
demonstration farm on my personal property will become a “possibility.” I do not have a
“destination” in mind for my career path, but positions utilizing my inherent strengths in order to
help others in navigating their own career path will bring joy to my life. I am content in knowing
my degree will open the door to many possibilities. In fact, I will most likely utilize my degree
to obtain another position at MSU which will make full use of my knowledge, skills, and abilities
and challenge me on an intellectual level. In addition, I will continue developing the

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permaculture based sustainability curriculum to be used at the permaculture demonstration farm
and populating the demonstration farm area with perennial fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
Problems will be solved utilizing permaculture techniques and will be used as “teaching
moments” for learners visiting the farm. Until I am able to obtain a higher level of employment
at MSU, I will continue to utilize my knowledge, skills, and abilities in order to assist
undergraduate neuroscience students in creating their semester schedules, choosing their
neuroscience concentration, and identifying the quickest way to obtain their degree based on the
courses already taken. Working with students is very satisfying and having been a student,
myself, makes it easy to create a rapport with those I serve because I can understand and
sympathize with the pressures they face in their individual situation.

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Part 5: A Current Resume

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References
Holmgren, D. (2002). What is Permaculture? Retrieved from:
http://permacultureprinciples.com/
Palmer, P. (2000). Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. San Francisco,
CA: Josey – Bass.
Selingo, J. (2013). The New, Nonlinear Path Through College. The Chronicle of Higher
Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/The-New-Lifelong-
Nonlinear/141867/

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Appendix A

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Appendix B

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Appendix C

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Appendix D

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Website: http://msugsla.weebly.com/

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