PROF - Professional Studies

In Strategies for Lifelong Learning, students will study the impact of their transition back to college and the meaning of their college degree, personally and professionally.  Students will analyze the connections between clarity of purpose, persistence, and success in an accelerated degree program. The course is designed to build upon and enhance students' academic skills and self-knowledge so that they will develop lifelong learning skills that can be applied in college and beyond.

This course offers ongoing academic support for students writing Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Portfolios.  Student work is individualized and no class meetings are required.  In order to maintain good standing in the course, students will write at least one prior learning essay per semester.   Students in the course will not be charged tuition and will not earn credit hours.  Class is graded on a pass/fail basis.

Students will learn to develop a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Portfolio for elective credit by reflecting on relevant prior experiential learning.  The completed portfolio includes a table of contents, vita, letters of support, autobiographical essay, learning outcomes statements, documentation, and at least two PLA Essays, which identify what they have learned from professional and personal experience.  The class meets every other week for 16 weeks, so that students have the time to produce all parts of the portfolio and are prepared to submit it for assessment at the end of the semester.  Students who choose to write more than two PLA essays have one year from the end of the class in which to submit their portfolio for assessment.

Explores the role of technology in contemporary professional settings by introducing the functions of computer software and hardware, networks, the internet, and social media.  Applies knowledge of computer systems to work based problems and the broader context of rapid technological change.  A basic level of computer proficiency is a necessary prerequisite for this course.

This course is an introduction to the principles, theories and practices which underlie holistic stress management. The student will be introduced to stress and its consequences from a holistic health viewpoint.  Individual stressors will be identified. Students will actively participate in interventions that alleviate stress and promote health as well as devise a long term plan to deal with stress.

Identifies habits of thought that promote self-awareness, open inquiry, and differentiation between ideas or arguments.  Introduces and applies methods reflecting on assumptions and values, evaluating sources, assessing arguments, and formulating conclusions based on evidence.

Examines theories and applications of collaboration in work environments.  Topics include identifying individual differences in team/group work, assessing group dynamics, and applying collaborative communication and leadership strategies.

Examines how global interconnectedness affects local communities and professional contexts.  Students analyze the ways social, cultural, and economic issues transcend national boundaries and explore transnational connectedness, difference, and inequality in an applied project that promotes critical reflection.  Course topic will vary.

Students develop independent projects that address professional or work-based initiatives and/or problems.  Topics include identifying a topic, determining appropriate sources, and writing a proposal.

Students implement a professional or work-based project, analyze its outcomes, and assess their learning. Fulfills the Advanced Writing Requirement.