norFoLK StatE uniVErSitY® a newsletter for Faculty, Staff, alumni and Friends of norfolk State university W A V E S MaKinG www.nsu.edu Created by the office of Communications and Marketing, (757) 823-8373 Literia Jones is proud of her Norfolk State University education although she’s never walked through the wings of Brown Hall, studied at Lyman Beecher Brooks Library or witnessed a Spartan Legion band performance. But in her brief time as an NSU student, she made history. Jones is the University’s first online degree graduate. In 2008, she earned a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in health services management. She currently works as a development disability waiver specialist for a nonprofit organization in Petersburg. Jones, who lived in Blackstone, Virginia, at the time, said she decided to enroll in online courses in 2007 after a co-worker who was an NSU alumna informed her about the University’s virtual offerings. She transferred her credits from a higher education institution she previously attended and says it turned out to be a wonderful decision. “I needed to work full-time and needed flexibility,” Jones said. “I like learning online and NSU gave me the mobility to finish my degree.” Jones said she encourages those with busy lifestyles that require them to work, or those who learn better from working on their own to seek an education online. “I'm very proud to be an alumna of NSU. The degree means more to me than my master’s because of the adversity I went through to obtain it.” First online Grad Feels Special Connection to nSu Dr. arletha McSwain, dean of the School of Extended Learning, was invited to serve on a panel at the 2014 USDLA National Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, to share an institutional perspective earning the USDLA Quality Standards in Distance Education. Dr. Macarena aspill aga, SEL course designer, received the certified faculty developer designation from the Learning Resources Network (LERN) in April 2014. Harry P. Styles, faculty/student Blackboard certified trainer, earned a second master’s degree—an M.A. in English—from Old Dominion University on May 9. The United States Distance Learning Association site team called the faculty certification program developed by Mark Eulo, SEL faculty trainer, “outstanding.” Lee Laska, director of media and video production, leads the production arm of the School of Extended Learning. Xuemei Li, Blackboard administrator and coordinator, completed the Blackboard course delivery Graphic User Interface (GUI) administration and content management GUI administration certification courses in 2013. SEL FaCuLtY, StaFF Earn CritiCaL inDuStrY CErtiFiCationS N orfolk State University’s distance education program has earned the Quality Standards Certification offered by the United States Distance Learning Association. NSU was the first and only historically black college or university (HBCU) in the country to have the distinction. NSU provides distance and online education through the School of Extended Learning (SEL) to students who may be around the corner or abroad. More than 3,000 students take online courses and 69 students are currently enrolled in fully online degree programs. The online degree program has offerings in majors such as Interdisciplinary Studies, Health Management, History, Psychology and also master’s degree programs in Teaching, Urban Education and Pre- Elementary Education. NSU currently offers seven fully online degrees—four undergraduate and three graduate degrees. Even if distance education or online learners are located faraway from campus, they can still feel connected to the University through Cyber Spartan, which links them to on-campus resources and allows them to interact with students.“The goal of Cyber Spartan,” said SEL Dean Dr. Arletha McSwain, “is to create a unified student body that is able to meet to share experiences, collaborate on studies and encourage each other academically and socially.” Distance Education Program Earns Prestigious Certification for Second Year