Student Spotlight: Gilberto Maldonado, MSSW Online Student

Student Spotlight: Gilberto Maldonado, MSSW Online Student

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Gilberto Maldonado
Gilberto Maldonado

I am a third-year online student in the Master of Science in Social Work program at the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville. I am also an 18-year veteran of the U.S. Army. As I prepare my transition from a full-time military career to a career in Social Work, I find that the online graduate program at Kent School affords me a unique opportunity to obtain a high quality education while I continue to serve.

I have found the MSSW curriculum to be challenging and motivating, instructive and even inspirational at that same time. The program has allowed me to explore and improve my communication skills, which I anticipate will be paramount to my success as a social worker. The staff and faculty have been supportive and understanding of my need for flexibility and have gone above and beyond my expectations all throughout the enrollment process and leading to my practicum placement.

For me and my family, the MSSW online program at the Kent School has proven to be the most valuable resource for a bright and successful future.

Gilberto Maldonado
MSSW Online Student

Engaging Your Workforce — A Three Stage Model

Engaging Your Workforce — A Three Stage Model

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Dr. Brad Shuck
Dr. Brad Shuck

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:

  1. “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.
  2. “Feel it” stage – If employees make a positive appraisal from the first question, then they emotionally commit.
  3. “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

Computer Science Professor spotlight: Roman Yampolskiy

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2013 Online College “Professor of the Year” Nominee

Roman Yampolskiy
Roman Yampolskiy

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.

University of Louisville Masters in Engineering Management: Interview with Tim Hardin

University of Louisville Masters in Engineering Management: Interview with Tim Hardin

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Dr. Tim Hardin, MEEM Program Director 

If you like to focus on something over a small period of time, get it done, and then move on, the new Masters of Engineering in Engineering Management (MEEM) program at the University of Louisville (UofL) is designed for you.

In the online MEEM program, you can power through a different course every 6 weeks! Dr. Tim Hardin, Program Director, said that “the students see the 6 weeks turnaround as a flexibility rather than a limitation. You can complete two courses in a term, or if your next few weeks will be busy, you can take the next rotation off. You can always enter back into your next course at one of our 5 entry points.”

If you think that the 6 week time frame is a little restrictive then perhaps this program isn’t for you. But that’s not what the school is finding.

“We have had feedback saying that with non-structured courses like say some MOOC, students fall behind. They have no skin in the game. But in our MEEM program, it’s hard to get more than a week behind without repercussions. I’ve had many students asking for next week’s material so they can work ahead. It’s a refreshing change. The quick pace collects a different crowd,” explained Hardin.

“However, we have also had students realize that they are unable to meet the required time frame. It is good for a student to come to that decision early on. The accelerated online learning is not for everyone,” cautioned Hardin.

Though the MEEM program existed on-campus since 1972, it has recently transitioned the offering online in August, 2013. “The program curriculum covers the same material; we still use the same textbooks. However, the assessment quizzes and exams are different.  Those have been replaced with project papers and reports. This strategy helps alleviate some of the possible issues with identity authentication and cheating,” said Hardin.

“The move to online delivery was a little accidental and a little bit planned. I was interested in online learning and the school started to support the medium more and more. We asked our industrial advisory board about switching over and it was a unanimous ‘yes’ from the board and our students,” Hardin clarified.

You can still work on your own schedule as the courses are asynchronous. This is vital as the student body crosses about 14 time zones. The student base even has a few members of the U.S. Armed Forces deployed in the Middle East and Asia. “I think the Blackboard interface we use as a learning platform makes it easier on our students serving abroad.”

Blackboard, the popular online course platform service, allows for PowerPoint voice over videos or webcam videos, assignments, grades, and student-student/student-instructor communications. However, one-on-one phone calls can be scheduled if needed.

As for online teaching pedagogy, the University of Louisville has the full support of the Delphi Center for Teaching and Learning. Delphi staff provide instructional design and quality assurance support for online learning programs at UofL. Professors can take training courses from Delphi which includes best practices. They also offer a voluntary review process to assess compliance to teaching and learning best practices. However, the MEEM instructors will be given a few more semesters under their belt before the reviews will be requested.

Naturally, new course platforms can be associated with a few kinks that need to be ironed out. Though no issues have been noticed as of yet, best practices and technology, such as those that exist to curb cheating and assist students with disabilities have yet to be perfected. This is however, top priority for the online program team. As the MEEM online program gains momentum, more such best practices will be implemented and tested in the current format of the program.

To learn more about enrollment and graduation requirements for the Master of Engineering in Engineering Management Online at University of Louisville, visit our program page.

Written by Shawn Wasserman of Engineering.com.

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