Keystone Fall 2017 Keystone Fall 2017 | Page 24

FRAN COULTER HONORS PROGRAM Thirty-six students were inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society for having a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the 2016-2017 academic year. Member- ship is by invitation in accordance with local chapter by-laws. Phi Theta Kappa Inductees: Rhiannon Casey Kiara Davis Amber Hamblen Marilyn Marcoccia Karen Nigh Mary Young Spring 2017 Phi Theta Kappa Inductees Chris Bogowith Brett Bosworth Jeremy Devors Mackensey Earwood Anthony Hathcock Martina Hershberger Heaven Horn Lyra Huffine Steven Huffine Lacie Jennings Gracie Lance Joseph Larue Mckenzie McFall Shania Merriman Brian Mooney Ryan Novak Margaret Nowakowski Melissa Penn Scott Powers Alexander Ruegsegger Racheal Sandoval Jessica Snow Victoria Spence Andrew Stevens Sarah Strode Sabrina Sturtevant Tabitha Tallman Les Toothaker Susan Urweider Melissa Weaver Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society serves to recognize and encourage academic achievement and to provide opportunities for individual growth and development through honors, leadership, and service activities. 24 FAC I L I T I E S # OF ACRES FACTS Five students received medals for their participation in the Fran Coulter Honors Program during the 2016-2017 academic year. Dr. Martin Eggensperger, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Rebecca Baird, Director of the Fran Coulter Honors Program, presented medals to Gabriel Apple, Beth Cobb, RoryTristan Evans, David Gann and Loanne Lasecki at the academic awards luncheon on April 21. The Fran Coulter Honors Program recognizes academic achievement through provid ing courses that encourage students to develop their leadership and academic potential. # OF BUILDINGS 140 8 MICHAEL BARNES PROGRAMMING/MOBILE DEVELOPMENT INSTRUCTOR KEYSTONE FACULTY Percentage of Students with Financial Aid and Scholarships (of any source) 85% Q&A Can you tell us what students can expect to learn in the new pro- gramming/mobile development degree at ASUMH? Programming is a Obviously, having them in the classroom is key, but--and I think we can all re- late--life happens and sometimes getting to class isn’t the highest priority. To that end, we’re going to stream classes as they’re happening, using some pret- ty sophisticated collaboration hardware and software. Students--provided they have the means--will be able to attend class virtually over the internet and in- teract--again, provided they have the means (some combination of camera and microphone)--in real time with the class as it’s happening. It’s not the same ex- perience as actually being there, but it’s pretty close. We’re also going to provide archived versions of those classes to students afterwards so that even if they have to miss it entirely they still get the benefit of some form of classroom instruction. big world and so, the program is being designed to cover a little bit of a lot of different things. The two biggest reasons–at least I feel they’re the biggest reasons–are to pro- vide students enough exposure to make them more marketable to employers and to help them find something they like in all the noise that’s out there. What kinds of skills are needed to be successful in the program? Tuition per Credit Hour 94 $ Approximate tuition costs to attend ASUMH for 2 years  6,540 $ Approximate tuition costs to attend 4-Year Schools for 2 Years 13,040 $ For most of us, learning to program isn’t easy, so–more than anything, in my opin- ion–a bit of determination is going to be key. We’re also trying to do something a little different, so a bit of flexibility wouldn’t be bad either. I’ve always been of the opinion that aptitude can be taught; attitude cannot. What is the new space going to be like where these classes will be taught? We’re trying to do something very different from that with which most students might be familiar. The space itself is based on a highly collabora- tive philosophy where every space is a learning space. Modular furniture, open spaces for collaborative work, and technology that lets you do this stuff without being shackled to a desk. Obviously, I can only speak to what I have influence over, but the general idea–at least for me–is to provide a space more like that which students would find in the real world. Obviously, we’re still a university in the business of education, so, we still have a bit of the traditional learning experience hanging around, but–and again, I can speak only for myself–the programming degree program (I really need a better way to word that) is being designed to better fit the project-based paradigm like that which students will encounter on the job (i.e., highly collaborative group work finding real-world solutions and working with real-world problems and projects). What kinds of jobs might be available to people who complete the degree program? L ocally, there are certainly opportunities out there, depending on the part of the programming world in which students find their calling. I’ve had conversations with people from local industries looking for all kinds, including people to develop / manage websites, create / manage databases, develop applications, etc. I also feel like there’s a pretty sizable freelance market in the area as well that just hasn’t been tapped as of yet. I think one of the bigger advantages of programming-at-large is that it’s also a gig you can work remotely, while making pretty good money. Work sites like Indeed, Glassdoor, etc., are chock-full of listings for entry-level programmers or people with programming experience and a lot of them don’t seem to mind if you’re sitting in an office down the hall or on your back porch hundreds of miles away. This program provides students a way to get their foot into that door. Anything else? I don’t know. I think this is going to be different and I think it’s What if I work full-time or have other obligations - will the classes be flexible enough to fit my schedule? I think the important distinction here is that the classes themselves aren’t flexible, but the delivery of those classes is. 25 going to be cool (I can still use that word, right?). I’ve been in academia for over a decade–both on the outside as a student and inside as staff/faculty–and I’ve not seen–and certainly not been involved in–a whole lot of this, which is both terribly terrifying and terribly exciting.