When U.S. News & World Report ranked online education degree programs for the first time in 2012, Brenau University in Gainesville earned Top 10 Honor Roll status.
The school’s master’s of education and education specialist degrees ranked ninth in the nation in the faculty credentials and training category, 19th in student services and technology, and 38th in student engagement and accreditation. The magazine ranked 500 schools.
“We’re very proud of our rankings and believe that it reflects the quality of our programs, whether students study with us in the classroom or online,” said David Barnett, associate vice president and interim dean of the College of Education.
Brenau launched its first online programs in 2000 and aims to have all its academic programs online by 2018. Enrollment in online classes is growing among both working adults and traditional campus students. About 500 of Brenau’s 2,800 students take all of their classes online, and more than half take at least one online class.
High rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s faculty and credentials category is no accident, said Barnett, who supervises Brenau’s online academic instruction.
“Everyone who teaches in our College of Education has a terminal degree, and before they can teach online they must first become online students,” he said.
Brenau’s online faculty members take two online teaching courses: one to learn online teaching methods and another covering online technology.
“Online classrooms are unique and challenging,” Barnett said. “Teachers must ask themselves how they will set up group projects, student presentations and classroom discussions.
“They must address the different learning styles of their students, which are just as broad as in a regular classroom, and they must learn to manage their time in an environment where students can ask questions 24/7. It requires a lot more faculty presence, and our teachers generally respond [to emails] within 24 hours.”
Barnett is proud that many of Brenau’s online education students come from peer or principal referrals. Working certified teachers earn master’s degrees to make higher salaries, and to enhance career upward mobility and leadership opportunities.
“But most just want to become better teachers. It’s not an easy job,” Barnett said.
Brenau offers master’s of education degrees in early childhood education, middle school education and special education. The school also offers an education specialist degree.
Most students complete the master’s degrees in 12 to 18 months and the education specialist degree in 12 months, taking one or two seven-week courses each semester. Tuition is about $18,000 for the degrees.
“Most public school teachers will see a salary increase of $3,500 to $4,500 a year, so they recoup their investment in four to five years,” Barnett said.
Courses are both grade-level specific and interdisciplinary. All students take courses in the integration of technology in the classroom, educational research, integrating the arts into teaching, and teaching methods.
“We have a reputation for focusing on the teaching of reading and language arts, because that is a fundamental skill needed in all subjects,” Barnett said.
For information, call 770-718-5320 or go to www.brenau.edu.
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