Division of Lifelong Learning


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Haning Hall

Thomas Shostak
Dean

Richard Moffitt
Assistant Dean


Lifelong Learning offers a variety of innovative and alternative educational opportunities and experiences for both traditional and nontraditional students. With its mission of outreach and access, it extends the services of Ohio University to learners of all ages throughout the world. Lifelong Learning is the home for Community and Professional Progrms, Independent and Distance Learning Programs, Ohio University Without Boundaries, the Ohio University Program in Hong Kong, and Summer Sessions.

Classes, independent learning courses, workshops, and seminars-both credit and noncredit, for both personal and professional development-are offered in response to interests and needs. Some programs may lead to a degree. If you are interested in seeking an Ohio University degree, you must be admitted through normal University procedures. Participants in designated noncredit courses may earn continuing education units (CEUs).

Options for learning online are offered through all the programs in the Division of Lifelong Learning. These include credit courses in both term-based and independent learning formats as well as self-paced noncredit courses.


Lifelong Learning

The following programs and services are available through Lifelong Learning:

Community and Professional Programs serves over 10,000 individuals each year in programs as diverse as University-run summer youth sports camps, regional, national, and international professional conferences sponsored by University faculty and departments and professional associations. Professional development opportunities are provided through online courses and certificates, a mobile computer training laboratory, and workshops and certificate programs. While programs offered by Community and Professional Programs do not award academic or college credit, many qualify for professional relicensure and recertification. A full listing of Community and Professional Programs educational opportunities and services is available at http://www.ohio.edu/noncredit.

Professional Development programs include career and certificate programs that are taught by University and professional faculty. Professional development staff assists organizations and professions in determining learning needs and develop appropriate solutions to enhance workplace skill and technical development. A mobile computer training laboratory provides area and regional businesses with hands-on instruction in the most widely used software packages. Many organizations augment hands-on training, whether in computers or management, with Web-based courses available through Community and Professional Programs. Professional certificate programs in management, Web-design, legal assiting, Sex Offender Treatment, and Law Enforcement training programs are also available. Many professional development offerings carry Continuing Education Units and some are approved for professional license renewal and recertification.

A mobile computer training laboratory provides area businesses with hands-on instruction in the most widely used software packages. Many organizations augment hands-on training, whether in computers or management, with Web-based courses available through Community Professional Programs. Professional certificate programs in management, web-design, legal assisting, and Sex Offender Treatment are also available. Many professional development offerings carry Continuing Education Units and some are approved for professional license renewal and recertification.

Conference Management provides complete conference services including program development and management; Internet, mail, fax and telephone registration; on-site coordination, budgeting and financial management and reporting; marketing, site selection and contract negotiation, and educational meeting planning. These services are available to all University faculty and staff, as well as community, professional, governmental, religious, social, and fraternal organizations. During the summer the University has the capacity to host conference groups up to 1,500 attendees. Lifelong Learning is the primary contact for organizations interested in the University as a conference site, or in conference management services.

E-Learning--Community and Professional Programs E-learning focus on new career and professional devekionebt courses and certificates. We offer over 500 non-credit, Web-based (Internet connection required) programs for adults desirous of increasing their marketable business, professional and technical skills, or who need to acquire new skills in order to become competitive in the business worl.

E-learning offers individuals the opportunity to learn new skills at their own pace and on their own schedule. Many courses and all certificates programs provide Contining Education Units upon successful completion. In ddition, E-learning may be eligible for the Lifelong Tax Credit. A complete list of all non-credit E-learning programs can be found at http://www.ohiou.edu/noncredit/.

Independent and Distance Learning Programs offer both independent learning courses and assistance for nontraditional students earning selected Ohio University degrees.

Courses completed through any of the Independent and Distance Learning options can Ohio University resident credit, which can be applied to an Ohio University degree program or transferred to another institution (subject to its restrictions, if any).

Independent and Distance Learning (IDL) courses by correspondence are structured independent learning options. University faculty members prepare a course guide, which may be presented in print, through audiocassette, videocassette, CD, computer disk, or at a site on the World Wide Web. The content is divided into lessons with submitted assignments at the end of each lesson, which allow students and faculty memebers to participate in a dialogue that may be conducted by postal mail, fax, or e-mail. Supervised examinations are generally required, although in some courses, a project or paper may be required instead. Students may arrange to take examinations in their own location.

Independent Study Projects can sometimes be arranged in undergraduate courses not currently available as independent study courses. These arrangement are made on an individual basis and are contingent upon the approval of the department in which the course is offered and the availability of a qualified faculty member willing to direct the project. Students and faculty members agree upon the coditions that must be fulfilled for credit to be awarded. The work may include a variety of readings, papers, projects, and examinations. This option is most successfully used by experienced students.

Course Credit by Examination represents the least structured method of obtaining college credit through Independent and Distance Learning Programs. Students enroll in the course in which they wish to obtain credit by examination and receive a brief syllabus that describes the nature of the course, the textbooks and other materials to study, and the type of examination. Students prepare for the examination without intermediate assistance from a faculty member. Letter grades, including failures, are recorded. Credit is awarded for a passing grade.

The External Student Program is for adults who are interested in a degree but cannot study full time on campus. The program provides help in evaluating previous college course work and planning a degree program. Students can work on one of several associate's degrees or the Bachelor of Specialized Studies by taking Independent and Distance Learning courses by correspondence Course Credit by Examination, or various online options. Many students also take advantage of the Institutes for Adult Learners and portfolio-based assessment.

The Experiential Learning Program, or portfolio-based assessment, helps qualified adults document and receive credit for learning that has occurred through employment or volunteer activities. A maximum of one year of credit may be eanred toward a four-year degree. EDCE 203 Credit for Work Experience: Portfolio Development, which focuses on the development of the learning portfolio and is required for the submission of a portfolio, is offered on the Athens and regional campuses and by correspondence.

The Institutes for Adult Learners allow adult students to come to the Athens campus for one to three weeks of intensive study. This award-winning program gives students the opportunity to earn college credit with other adults who are pursuing degrees.

The College Program for the Incarcerated serves incarcerated adults who wish to earn a degree or college credit. Students receive guidance in evaluating previous college work and planning a degree. The Bachelor of Specialized Studies and four associate's degrees are available, or students can transfer credit to other institutions. Most credit is earned through Independent Learning courses by correspondence or Course Credit by Examination. Comprehensive fees make college-level study more accessible to the incarcerated.

Ohio University Without Boundaries designs, develops, and delivers learning experiences that integrate life, work, and learning on a continual basis, regardless of physical location, for professional working people and other adult learners. Offerings include graduate-level degree programs for targeted professionals, executive or professional education programs for individuals or partner organizations, and online learning communities that provide enrichment opportunities featuring prominent faculty and alumni. Undergraduate course credit is also available through some programs.

Many programs are built upon a learning architecture that combines the convenience of online collaboration and content acquisition with the proven benefits of face-to-face interaction through a small number of high-intensity residencies. Interactive learning modules and enrichment opportunities are presented in a multimedia format, including video, animation, and sound as well as text.

Graduate program offerings include the M.B.A. Without Boundaries, Executive Master of Public Administrtion, Executive Ph.D. Curriculum in Higher Education, Master's in Higher Education, and Master of Leadership in Educational Administration. The School of Nursing RN-to-B.S.N. online program, and Winter Intersession are also administered by Ohio University Without Boundaries.

The School of Nursing RN-to-B.S.N. online program is for registered nurses who wish to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The program consists of 12 required nursing courses, all of which are available online, as well as courses that support the nursing major. Short residencies each term compliment online learning with face-to-face meetings where cliniccal skills are honored while working with faculty and classmates.

The Real Estate Certificate program consists of four undergraduate courses in Real Estate Technology. Completion of these courses qualifies students to apply to be seated for the Ohio Division of Real Estate state exam.

Winter Intersession provides students with an opportunity to complete required courses during the long holiday break in December. A variety of classes, including several Tier III, are offered primarily to juniors and seniors.

A complete list of programs and additional information about Ohio University Without Boundaries is available at http://www.ouwb.ohiou.edu/.

The Ohio University Program in Hong Kong was established in 1985, in cooperation with Hong Kong Baptist University School of Continuing Education. Ohio University in Hong Kong offers Associate in Arts (with Arts and Humanities or Social Science focus), Associate in Science and Associate in Individualized Studies, as well as Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachlelor of Arts in Economics with Business Minor, Bachelor of Specialized Studies, and Bachelor of Science in Communication with Organizational Communication focus.

Students can earn their bachelors' degree in four years by attending evening classes full-time or by attending part-time evening classes and taking as long as they need to complete their degree. Students can attend classes onsite in Hong Kong at any of the Ohio University campuses in Ohio, or complete coursework through several Independent and Distance learning modes. Most students combine several of these options. The degree awarded in Hong Kong is the same degree awarded to students attending classes on campuses in Ohio. All course work can be completed without leaving Hong Kong.

The Office of Summer Sessions offers undergrduate and graduate courses, workshops, and special programs on the Athens and regional campuses, and online to traditional, non-traditional, visiting, and high school students. Students experience a relaxed campus atmosphere, smaller classes, a friendly and diverse student body, unique and specialized classes and formats, and many extra-curricular events. Summer Sessions provide students with an extra quarter to begin a degree, earn a teaching certificate, learn a new language, update professional skills, or catch up on courses.

For further information about any of these programs, contact

Division of Lifelong Learning
Ohio University
Haning Hall 102
Athens OH 45701-2979
Telephone 740-593-1776/877-685-3276
Web: http://www.ohio.edu/lifelong/


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University Advancement and Computer Services revised this file (http://www.ohiou.edu/catalog/03-04/colleges/dll.htm) on February 6, 2004.

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