University of Louisville Online Programs | Student Resources & Feature Stories

UofL’s Master of Science in Social Work program earns national recognition

By admin | October 9, 2014

BestMSWprograms.com, an online guide to Master’s in Social Work Degree Programs, has ranked the 100% online Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) at the University of Louisville as the #4 Best Online Program in the country.

The on-campus MSSW program was ranked #14 among public institutions and #33 overall. The MSSW program was one of the 230 programs evaluated for this ranking, though fewer than 30 offer 100% online coursework.

The ranking system combines two well-known publications, U.S. News and World Report, which has ranked graduate social work programs since 1993, and The Gourman Report on Graduate Schools. The Gourman Report bases its results on factors such as program history, facilities, and the content of the curriculum. The rankings from U.S. News and World Report, on the other hand, are based on survey responses from senior faculty and deans.

“I think this is big. I have never seen the combination of U.S. News and Gourman,” said Dr. Terry Singer, Dean of the Kent School of Social Work. “Of the two, slightly more weight has been given to the Gourman Report.”

“No matter what we think of these rankings, it is good to know that people ‘out there’ are taking notice of the good work being done,” Dr. Singer added.

The BestMSWprograms.com rankings note that “the diverse program of study at the Kent School of Social Work allows MSW students to specialize in Marriage and Family Therapy, Military Social Work, School Social Work, Alcohol and Drug Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, Gerontology, or Psychosocial Oncology.”

They also note that the Kent School “was founded in 1936, and has a strong and growing tradition of leadership in social work education,” with specific recognition of UofL’s well-funded and strong research initiatives. “Strengths of the Kent School include its focused research on health disparities and aging, child welfare, trauma, substance abuse and the fact that the school has the only endowed chair in oncology social work in the nation.”

Now, students across the U.S. can also enjoy the excellent quality and tradition of teaching and learning by earning this degree completely online. The online MSSW offered by the Kent School features the same instructional quality, faculty and curriculum options, while also offering the flexibility of the online learning environment.

In fact, BestMSWprograms.com makes note of both the flexibility and variety in their ranking of the online program: “The coursework can be completed either full or part-time, with program lengths ranging from 1-4 years. The Kent School offers a great variety of specializations for an online program, with focused study available in psychosocial oncology, gerontology, mental health, military social work, and alcohol & drug counseling.”

Dr. Pamela Yankeelov, Associate Dean for Student Services at Kent School has a bird’s eye view of this program. “Our faculty and administration staff at Kent School are committed to making our online programs as academically robust as our on campus program. We are known for being rigorous and we will continue to stay rigorous, regardless of the delivery method,” said Dr. Yankeelov. “We work closely with UofL’s Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning and continuously train on pedagogical best practices and we strive to be as responsive to online students as we are to our students in the classroom. Responsive and rigorous, that’s who we are here at the Kent School.”

The online program’s structure, quality and rigorous coursework mirror those in the on-campus program. The combination of online learning and real-world practicum (hands-on supervised field instruction, completed in the community of choice) helps students gain valuable field-related knowledge as well as critical thinking, self-discipline and time management skills.

Visit the MSSW online program site to learn more about the 60-hour program that starts every fall or the 30-hour advanced standing program with starts in both summer and fall. For campus options, please visit Kent School’s pages.

Engaging Your Workforce — A Three Stage Model

By admin | September 29, 2014

Corporations should focus on HOW work gets done – instead of the standard HOW MUCH work gets done. It’s all about engagement, according to Dr. Brad Shuck an assistant professor in the Organizational Leadership and Learning Program at the University of Louisville, and a pioneer in employee engagement research.

Reflecting on his own past experience with less effective work environments, Dr. Shuck points out that the places he worked at were not bad companies, but they were filled with bad managers, “People,” he says, “were being promoted into positions with responsibilities they were not ready for. These managers only wanted to know how much I could get done, not how I was getting it done.”

Dr. Shuck’s research focuses on employee engagement to help design organizations where corporate leaders learn to increase engagement to reduce turnover and meet business objectives. Results suggests that people who rate themselves as being more engaged at work experience less exhaustion, have a higher sense of personal accomplishment and practice better collaboration in their workplace.

Dr. Shuck’s employee engagement model is called “Think it, Feel it, Do it.” and determines the employee’s level of engagement in three steps:

“Think it” stage — employees encounter situations everyday and ask themselves whether the work is a) meaningful, b) safe and c) offers the right resources. A ‘no’ answer to any of these questions makes engagement levels plummet.
“Feel it” stage – If employees make a positive appraisal from the first question, then they emotionally commit.
“Do it” stage — employees change their behavior.

“Worldwide research shows that only 30 percent of workers go to work every day fully engaged. I am looking to reach out and partner with the Louisville community so we trump that figure,” he says.

Dr. Brad Shuck is an Assistant Professor in the Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) Program at UofL. The OLL Program offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to foster leadership, learning, and performance. Programs are available 100% online and on campus.

This article was adapted from an original piece about Dr. Shuck’s research, written by Dr. Denise M. Cumberland, Assistant Professor in the OLL Program at UofL.

Computer Science Professor spotlight: Roman Yampolskiy

By Laura Dorman | September 29, 2014

2013 Online College “Professor of the Year” Nominee

Assistant professor Roman Yampolskiy has been teaching computer science courses at the Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville since 2008. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science combined degree in computer science from Rochester Institute of Technology and earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University at Buffalo.

An active computer scientist, he has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and had his research featured by the BBC, MSNBC, ACM, Yahoo, New Scientist, and LiveScience.com. In his online courses Yampolskiy’s policy is to “use, but not overuse” online tools so to not overwhelm students responsible for learning advanced engineering concepts with having to learn complicated tools just to participate in the course.

Maybe this is why he was chosen by students in the Master of Science in Computer Science and the Computer Engineering and Computer Science department as “Professor of the Year” in 2012 and students university wide as a “top 11 in 2011 and “Faculty Favorite” in 2010. In the last year alone, Yampolskiy has been recognized for several accomplishments, including EEWeb Featured Engineer, and 3rd place in app development competition at SU-NASA Ames.

Obviously a class favorite, he is described by his students as an exemplary teacher who is a driving and inspiring force, always willing to go the extra mile, and sticks to strong academic expectations and standards.

But perhaps Yampolskiy says it best himself:

“I am a dedicated educator and I believe that online students are not just ID codes on Blackboard, but human beings who are looking for knowledge, camaraderie, excitement and challenge. They are already doing something extraordinary – trying to get their education in a previously non-existent virtual world and they deserve to have the best digital pedagogy practices and tools available to them.”

We wish professor Yampolskiy good luck and continuous success in his teaching endeavor at UofL Online.

2013 Online College “Professor of the Year” Nominee

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