Online education courses offer experiential learning

From University of Montana Western

Kati McClish, a University of Montana Western student double majoring in secondary education and biology, said she is amazed with how experiential her first few online education courses have been this summer.

McClish came to Montana Western with an original plan to major in biology and later become a physical therapist. After completing her Associate of Science degree in December 2018, McClish said she came to the realization that she, instead, wanted to teach biology. She added a secondary education major in spring 2019.

McClish said she was surprised when starting her new chapter pursuing two online education courses this summer. “EDU 201: Introduction to Education with a Field Observation” and “EDU 222: Educational Psychology and Child Development” are both based on a foundation of experiential learning.

Estee Aiken, Ph.D., provides a hands-on experience through EDU 201, as students are introduced to the field of education and the relationships between schools and society. Students in the online course are placed in a K-12 classroom to observe and take notes for two days.

In EDU 222, Jen Gilliard, Ph.D. requires students to communicate through weekly online discussions of course content. Participants of the class explore and analyze major theories of development and learning, while later applying these theories to teaching practice.

“These online classes are extremely different from other classes I have taken. They are in depth and take a lot of work. They give you a real idea of whether you want to be a teacher or not. I have also taught mock classes which I never thought I would do in an online class,” McClish said.

Experience One, a one-course-at-a-time scheduling program at Montana Western, allows education majors like McClish to gain real-world experience well before receiving a degree by offering immersive courses both in the classroom and online.

“I was inspired to become a biology teacher by my professors on campus,” McClish said. “They make it clear how much they love their job and their students and I am excited to gain that happiness when I start teaching. Also, I really love biology.”

For more information about Experience One and the University of Montana Western, or to schedule a visit, people can call 877-683-7331 or visit http://www.umwestern.edu/.