To sustain oneself as a competitive employee in a tough economy, many people consider going back to school. For some this means getting their masters or doctorate and for others it means individual coursework to sharpen skills in an ever evolving communications industry.
Join us Thursday, Nov. 21 at 1:00pm EST as Dr. Amber Marcu and her colleague, Courtney Grose, discuss the special considerations of experienced professionals returning to school.
This webinar will cover:
• How to approach education, internships and core education-related experiences as an adult learner
• How to navigate the challenges of getting an education AFTER starting a career
• How to leverage your work experience in the classroom
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Practical vs. Educational Experience: What Experienced Professionals Should Consider When Going Back to School
1. Practical vs. Educational Experience:
What Experienced Professionals Should
Consider When Going Back to School
2. Center for Accelerated Learning
(CAL) at Lincoln College-Normal
Dr. Amber D. Marcu
Courtney Grose
Director of Faculty
Development
18 years in Higher
Education
4 years in industry
and not-for-profit
18 years as a student
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ABE Admissions
Counselor
7+ years in Higher
Education working
with non-traditional
students
20 years in workforce
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3. Purpose and Objectives
Considering going back to school?
1.
How to approach education, internships,
and core education-related experiences as an
adult learner.
2.
How to navigate the challenges of getting an
education AFTER starting a life.
3.
How to leverage your work experience in
classroom.
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4. How to approach …
education, internships, and core educationrelated experiences as an adult learner.
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5. Education / Schooling
Why return to school?
Career
advancement
Self-actualization
Mastery or Specialization
Improved opportunities
Higher pay (sometimes)
Networking
Recognition
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6. Perform a “gap analysis”
Where am I? (Current situation)
What is my goal? (Desired situation)
What marks progress?
Identify
milestones
What marks “the end” or success?
Individual
freedom? Advancement?
Modeling behavior?
A “piece of paper”?
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7. Where am I? What is my goal?
What is required?
Connections,
Resources,
Opportunity
Desired
Experience,
Time (seniority)
Education,
Knowledge,
Skills & Abilities,
Resources
Current
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8. Know thyself as an Adult Learner
Andragogy
(Knowles)
Transformational
Learning (Mezirow)
Experiential
Learning (Kolb)
Adulthood as Social
Construction
(Pogson & Tennant)
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Adult Learning and
Liberation (Freire)
Adult Learning as
ConstructiveDevelopment Model
(Kegan)
“Faculty are companions in the
learning journey … True learning
challenges the adult’s perception of
self, community, and worldview.”
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9. How to navigate …
the challenges of getting an education AFTER
starting a life.
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10. Challenges of getting education
AFTER starting a life
Sum of our experiences, successes, challenges
and roles
Work-life balance
Family support
Employer support
Finding long-term value in process
Degree/certificate
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is a “piece of paper”
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11. Work-Life Balance
My roles …
My hobbies …
Mother
Partner
Sister
Daughter
Caregiver
Volunteer
Community member
Employee
Supervisor
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Exercise
Reading for pleasure
Cooking/dinner parties
Traveling
Career focus is least of roles
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12. Poll
What do you perceive to be your primary role?
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13. Family Support
Absent from responsibilities – will they be
O.K.?!
GUILT!
Employer Support
Flexible schedule
Research programs that are a good fit for my
needs
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14. Long-term value in process
What is the goal?
More
than just a “piece of paper”
I want to make meaningful contributions!
Contribute
to my industry
Continue my education
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15. Graduate (Masters) Balance
My roles …
Partner
Caregiver
Daughter
Sister
Friend
Employee
Supervisor
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My hobbies …
Exercise/Athletics
Reading for pleasure
Cooking/dinner parties
Arts/Crafts
Traveling
All above rotated as 1st role.
School was always 2nd role.
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16. Graduate (Doctorate) Balance
Someone once said to me,
“getting your Ph.D. is the most selfish thing you
will ever do.”
They were right.
Career/Partner/School shared 1st role.
School was also always 2nd role.
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17. Family & Friend Support
Cheerleaders
Partner became head-of-household.
But missed weddings, showers, & parties.
Denied sister’s request to be her Maid-of-Honor.
Employer Support
Flexible schedule & tuition waiver!
Researched programs that were a good fit in
interest, but not for my needs.
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18. How to leverage …
your work experience in classroom.
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19. You are NOT alone
21 million students enrolled.
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20. You are NOT alone
21 million students enrolled.
8 million students are part-time.
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21. You are NOT alone
21 million students enrolled.
8 million students are part-time.
57% of part-time students are female.
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22. You are NOT alone
57% of part-time students are female.
That’s nearly 6 out of 10 part-time students!
All balancing work/life + school.
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23. Your Strengths
Think of a life experience
you believe to be a success.
For 2 minutes, write:
•
How the success came about, and
•
Why you feel it was a success.
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24. Strengths you bring to learning
Use your skills in and outside of the classroom:
Rich work/life experience
Problem-solving
Understanding
Observation
Applied knowledge or theory
Time management
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25. Long-term value in education
What is the end?
There
is no end, but there are MILESTONES!
Achieving
balance
Critical thinking/problem solving
Time Management
…BETTER
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IN MY ROLES!
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26. Best Practices for Success
Assess “the gap”:
Current
vs. Desired
Identify challenges and supports
Self-Assess: What kind of Learner are you?
Knowles,
Mezirow, Kolb, Pogson and Tennant,
Freire, Kegan, etc.
Research schools and programs
Find
a good fit.
“Recognize that graduate school is a second job.”
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27. Recommendations
Use these tips to ensure your success once you
are committed to returning to school:
nd
Be a student 2 .
Attend an orientation session.
Identify ALL costs.
List ALL student services available to you.
When in doubt, reach out.
Buddy-system.
Find a mentor.
Use a calendar. Make a list. Stay on track.
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28. Thank You
Visit ABE in the Center for Accelerated Learning: http://abe.lincolncollege.edu/
Dr. Amber D. Marcu
Courtney Grose
Director of Faculty
Development
Center for
Accelerated
Learning
amarcu@lincolncollege.edu
11/21/2013
ABE Admissions
Counselor
Accelerated Bridge
to Education
Program
cgrose@lincolncollege.edu
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29. References & Resources
Brennan, S. (2010, September). An open letter to part-time
graduate students, ProfHacker blog. Chronicle of Higher
Education. http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/anopen-letter-to-part-time-graduate-students
Gomez, C. (2013, September). Return to college provides
important lessons about how to help adults succeed.
Recruiting and Retaining Adult Learners, 15(12).
Grose, C. (2013, November). My journey as an adult learner.
CAP Connected, 11(3) newsletter.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). Total fall
enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by attendance
status, sex of student, and control of institution: Selected
years, 1947 through 2010.
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d11/tables/dt11_198as
p
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Editor's Notes
Knowles: Andragogy assumes that adults are independent agents who use learning as tool to advance toward their goals. They learn for a purpose, they are autonomous, they want to immediately apply their learning in problem-solving or real-life programs, and wish to increase their job satisfaction, self-esteem, and quality of life.Mezirow: Transformational Learning is the process of life-altering insights that result in the individual perceiving themselves and the world differently.Kolb: Experiential Learning is a cycle of concrete experience, observation and reflection, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation with no beginning or end. They may be activists, reflectors, theorists, or pragmatists.Pogson and Tennant: Adulthood as a Social Construction is where the individual’s cultural self-identification influences their approach to the content and the profess of learning.Freire: Adult Learning as Liberation is when the learning has the potential of social transformation grounded in a belief that adults have the capacity to reflect on their experience and to initiate change in small and big ways.Kegan: Adult Learning and Constructive-Development Model is understood where reality is constructed by how the individual meaning of self and the world. Each and every experience creates an opportunity for “meaning-making” and through this adults take ownership of their beliefs, values, experiences, and relationship and understand how these elements shape their perspective (making them open to some ideas and blind to others).
Brennan, S. (2010, September). An open letter to part-time graduate students. http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/an-open-letter-to-part-time-graduate-students
Attend an orientation session: Find out if there is an orientation and whether or not it is on-campus or online. Become familiar with the student services available to you and how to use the learning management system and/or student information system.Identify ALL costs: Textbooks, software, hardware, workbooks, “excursions,” etc.List ALL student services available to you: Make your own list of services if one is not provided to you. List the admissions counselor, registrar, bursur, advisor, faculty contact (dept. head/chair, or Lead Faculty) for your program, graduate student office/dept., etc. Include hours of operation, email addresses, and phone numbers. You will need this list at some point many times over your educational pursuits.When in doubt, reach out: When you do not hear from a faculty member through one medium (i.e., email), try another method of contact after 24 hours. Also, pick the appropriate mode of communication for the type of communication you need. (Email is good for non-urgent questions that may require a “paper-trial.” But questions that require an immediate answer may be better answered through a phone call or text message.)Use a calendar. Make a list: Get a calendar or a planner to help keep you