More than 80 Students Who Studied Online Applied for Graduation in December

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For some students who participated in Saturday’s University of Arkansas commencement ceremony, it was the first time they visited the Fayetteville campus. These students studied online.

“I’m excited,” said Norman Whitmore, a bachelor’s degree candidate from Piedmont, Alabama. “I am the first Whitmore in the family to have a college education. I want to blaze a trail.”

His trip to Fayetteville to participate in commencement was his first.

About 80 of the more than 1,580 U of A students who applied for graduation in December studied online. They were enrolled in online bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree programs in adult and lifelong learning, agricultural and extension education, business, educational leadership, educational technology, food safety, human resources and workforce education, information systems, nursing or physical education.

Many of these graduate candidates plan to use their advanced education to move ahead in their professional lives.

“I would recommend it to anyone,” Whitmore said of the bachelor’s degree in human resources and workforce development. “I’ve already got a pretty good lead on a new position.”

Whitmore, who spent the last 10 years as a mechanic at General Dynamics in Piedmont, said he hopes to attain a position as either a supervisor or engineer at the plant that makes the Stryker Armored Combat Vehicle, an eight-wheeled vehicle built for the U.S. Army.

“(The degree) does open doors of opportunity for me immediately,” he said.

Rebecca McCann, a graduate candidate for a master’s degree in nursing, said her new degree has helped her rise in her career, too.

“My graduate degree has allowed me to be chosen by Washington Regional (Medical Center) as their new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit manager,” said McCann of Springdale.

Karen Meadors of Fort Smith said earning her master’s degree in educational leadership will result in a pay increase and give her the credentials she needs to apply for an educational administrative role in the future. Meadors, who has two daughters, ages 4 and 9, teaches special education at Euper Lane Elementary in the Fort Smith Public School System.

“It was convenient for me,” Meadors said. “I did take a couple of classes on campus, but that was harder (to fit into her schedule).”

Meadors preferred online classes in which all of the students met with the faculty members online at a specific time, listened to the lectures together and asked questions that were answered immediately by faculty.

“It was pretty much like being in class, except we were on computers,” she said.

Tamla Heminger of Texarkana, Texas, sought her master’s degree in educational technology to help her do her current job better. She is a program director for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas. She made her first trip to Fayetteville to participate in commencement.

“When I took my current position, I was told that I would be developing curriculum, designing instruction and teaching,” Heminger said. “This teaching was to include using a learning management system, using an AV system with students on three Cossatot campuses at the same time, teaching hybrid courses and teaching some courses completely online.”

She determined that the online educational technology program would help her most in that position, she said.

The University of Arkansas showcases its online program offerings from different academic colleges on the University of Arkansas ONLINE website. Some are completely online; some are primarily online.

“We are very proud of our online students who have applied for graduation,” said Javier Reyes, vice provost for distance education at the university. “Their success is our success. Their academic achievements show that our campus-wide efforts to produce high-quality programs and to support the students enrolled in them are working. ”

The university continues to enhance and expand its online programs and offerings to provide educational access to students who cannot make it to the Fayetteville campus every day because of work or family responsibilities.

One of the most recent additions is the launch of the online bachelor’s degree in general business by the Sam M. Walton College of Business in fall 2014. Other academic units that offer online degree programs include the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences; the College of Education and Health Professions; the College of Engineering and the School of Law.

The U of A Global Campus supports the university’s units in the development and delivery of online programs and courses. It provides instructional design and technology services, as well as assistance with academic program planning and marketing.