Plexus 2007 Fall

8/9/2019 Plexus 2007 Fall

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PlexusPlatteville Extending to Us

Inside:

UW-Platteville Distance Learning Center

November 2007

UWP Graduate Receives Top Award for Project Management

Scholarship Applications Due February 15th

UW-Platteville Receives 10 Year Reaccreditation


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UWPlatteville

Distance Learning Center

D L C

PLEXUS is the University of

Wisconsin-Platteville distance

learning newsletter, published every

April, July, and November. PLEXUS

is available online at:www.uwplatt.edu/disted/edp/plexus.

Distance Learning Center

B12 Karrmann

UW-Platteville

1 University Plaza

Platteville, WI 53818-3099

Phone: 608.342.1468

Toll-free: 1.800.362.5460

FAX: 608.342.1071E-mail: [email protected]

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INSIDEPROGRAMSMaster of Science in Project Management....................................8-10Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.............................11Master of Science in Criminal Justice..........................................18-19novemberIN EVERY ISSUEOnline Course Listings..................................................................12-13Student Advisory Board Update......................................................14

Ask A Librarian...................................................................................15

Leer From the Director.....................................................................16

Lost Alumni.........................................................................................16

Alumni Advisory Board Update.......................................................20

Alumni Spotlight.................................................................................21

Contact Information for Online Courses.........................................23

PLUSScholarship Applications Due.............................................................3You Spoke; We Listened.........................................................................3

UWP Receives 10 Year Reaccreditation.............................................4

New Tools Added to Online Courses.................................................4

Geing to Know Your Student Services Representative.................5

Improving Student Retention..............................................................5

Recommended Online Resource: Nitvibes.........................................5

An Eective Learner.............................................................................6

Out Students Become Headliners.......................................................6

More New Sta......................................................................................7

National Distance Learning Week.....................................................10

Understanding the Financial Aid Guidlines.....................................14

Tutoring Resources Not Used At High Levels................................17

Recruitment Roundup........................................................................20

Announcements..................................................................................22

Tools to Assist with Avoiding Plagiarism........................................23


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Distance Education Scholarship Applications Due February 15

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The scholarship applications arein PDF format that can be lledout online by clicking on each lineA separate application should becompleted for each scholarship.Applicants and winners of the2007 scholarships may apply

again if they currently meet allcriteria. The application, resume,and a personal statement aredue to scholarship chair SaraDavis by February 15, 2008.Please direct any questions toSara Davis at [email protected]. The scholarship recipientswill be announced at the annualUW-Plaeville distance educationcommencement banquet, to beheld on Friday, May 9, 2008.

Area Grant AvailableThe Kubly Family Foundationis oering grants to studentscontinuing with their graduateprogram with the requirement thathe professional live or work inMonroe, Wis., aer graduation.

The goal of the Kubly FamilyFoundation is to increase thequality of life in Monroe, Wis., byincreasing the number of highly

educated individuals living andworking in Monroe.

For more information, visit www.kublyfamilyfoundation.org/grant_information.html.

Its scholarship time! We encourageour distance education studentsto visit our distance educationscholarships page at www.uwpla.edu/disted. You will nd a listof scholarship search enginesand information on loans and

scholarships. Place your cursoron Apply Now and FinancialAssistance and ScholarshipResources.

Following are the scholarships thatare currently available to distancelearning students:

The Dawn Drake Excellence inDistance Education ScholarshipCriteria: The recipient must havecompleted nine credits towardhis or her degree with plans tocontinue with his or her education.The recipient must also have aminimum grade point average of3.0 (4.0 scale).

Dawn Drake, the executivedirector of alternative deliverysystems at UWP, establishedthis annual scholarship in 2005.This scholarship is to recognizethe important role that distance

education has played in her life,both personally and professionally.

The Walter Longacre MemorialScholarshipCriteria: Students in any of thedistance education programsare eligible to apply. One must

be a Wisconsin resident. Thisscholarship is available to students

at any point in their education.Students must have a cumulativegrade point average of 3.0 (4.0scale). Financial need is not aconsideration.

The Walter Longacre Memorial

Scholarship was established in2005 by Alan K. Langeteig tohonor his father-in-law for alwaysencouraging him to complete hisdegree.

The College of Business, Industry,Life Science and AgricultureScholarshipCriteria: The recipient must be adegree-seeking student enrolled inthe Bachelor of Science in BusinessAdministration distance degreeprogram. The recipient must havesuccessfully completed at least 15credits through UW-Plaevillesdistance business program and beplanning to continue with the UW-Plaevilles Bachelor of Science inBusiness Administration distanceeducation program.

The Project ManagementProfessional Development AwardCriteria: This is a one-time only

$500 scholarship award to be usedby a UW-Plaeville matriculatedMaster of Science in ProjectManagement student to defraythe expense of aending anyPMI Global Congress oered inthe calendar year of 2008. Therecipient must provide a copy ofthe registration to the event priorto the scholarship award.

You Spoke; We Listenedcourses and services, pinpointtrouble spots, and resolve them;therefore, we ask you to pleasecontinue to provide us withopen and honest feedback. Yoursupport will help UWPs distanceeducation programs to continue togrow.

Further information about thisproject can be found on page 8-9.

The Distance Learning Centerrecently compiled the summer2007 Faculty and CourseAssessment results. A commontheme expressed by students wasthe need for online courses toinclude a diversity of instructionaltools such as PowerPoint slides,chat rooms, and video/audiointegration. In response, DawnDrake, the executive director ofalternative delivery systems at

UWP, kicked-o the Drums andCymbals Project. The aim of thisproject is to study and integratemore advanced technology inUWPs online courses to ensure theprograms remain on the cuingedge and to demonstrate to you,our students, that not only do welisten to your feedback, we takeaction to improve the programs.The feedback from the surveysis what helps us to improve our


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UW-Platteville Receives 10 Year ReaccreditationDuring 2006, UW-Plaevillewent through the nal stages ofreaccreditation, by submiing aself-study and hosting reviewersfrom the Higher LearningCommission (HLC). Whenthe accreditation team le thecampus, they identied numerouspositive aspects of the campus.However, it wasnt until late in thespring 2007 semester that ocialdocumentation was receivedfrom the HLC, indicating thatUW-Plaeville had been granteda full 10-year reaccreditation.As indicated by UW-PlaevilleProvost Carol Sue Bus at the fallconvocation, While 85 percent ofschools are granted provisional

reaccreditation and receive follow-up visits from the reaccreditationteam, UW-Plaeville is in the 15percent of schools that were notrequired to have follow-up visits.

In 2005, the distance learningprograms went through a focusedvisit for accreditation and receivedvery high reviews as a part ofthis process. During the 2006accreditation visit, a member ofthe HLC team spent an entire day

reviewing the distance learningprograms, teaching, policies,procedures, and support features.The following comments were partof the nal accreditation report:

1. The Distance Learning Centerprovides outstanding support tostudents and faculty engaged in

distance learning. The Centerprovides a single point of accessfor student learners where theyreceive administrative andtechnical support, and accessto student services, libraryresources, and course materials.The Center assures that bestdistance education practicesare implemented across the

curricula it supports and seeks toconstantly improve the e-learningenvironment for students.2. UWP actively engagesconstituents of its distance andcontinuing education programs inplanning and assessment. Studentand Alumni Advisory Boardsevaluate and provide feedback onall aspects of distance education

programs. Faculties involved indistance education programs arefully engaged with professionalsocieties and organizations thatoversee certication standardsin their respective disciplines.Quality and relevance of serviceto distance learning communities

is adequately assured throughactive engagement of appropriateconstituencies.

In addition, the followingcomment was made as a partof the accreditation teams exitinterview:

The Distance Learning Center,with its student services andcomplete degree programs online,serves as a model for the nation.

So, what does this mean foryou, our alumni and students?For some of you, it means thatyou will be able to get tuitionreimbursement from your

company because UW-Plaevillecontinues to be an accreditedinstitution. For others, it is asense of pride for being part of aninstitution that is being recognizedin a positive way. For everyone,it can help ensure you that UWPtakes its commitment to qualityeducation in a very seriousway. This reaccreditation is theacknowledgement that UWP hasmet and exceeded the standardsthat a national, external body

has deemed appropriate for aninstitution of higher education.

If you are interested in obtainingmore information about theaccreditation process, self-study document, and planningteam, visit www.uwpla.edu/hlcaccredit/index.html.

New Tools Added to Online Coursesdocument against a large databaseof web documents. The tool can

be utilized in dierent ways.Availability of this tool to studentswill be le up to the instructorto decide. Some instructors maymake the tool available to theirclasses, others may not. Moreinformation on this tool will beavailable on the Distance LearningCenters current student pages, onthe RSS feed, and the blog.

The DLC and the UWP KarrmannLibrary have made available twonew tools to online students.Links to these services appear inthe navigation bar of your onlinecourses. The rst is RefWorks, theonline research management and

bibliography creator service. Thistool assists you in research and inciting the documents you use inyour papers. Check the RefWorkspage (www.uwpla.edu/library/refworks.html) for instructions,

and check the DLC libraryresource page (www.uwpla.edu/disted/started.html?libAcc) for anarchived online presentation thatintroduces RefWorks. While on theDLC Library Resource page, takethe time to review the archivedlibrary orientation presentation.

The second new tool is Turnitin,an online plagiarism detectionand avoidance service. Thisonline tool checks submied


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5

Getting to Know Your Student Services RepresentativeYour student servicesrepresentative is an expert inadmissions and registration foryour specic program. He or sheworks very closely with youradvisor to ensure that you aregeing the quality education and

service that you deserve. If youhave any questions about whom tocontact and for what, contact yourstudent services representative,who will be happy to point you inthe right direction.

Who is your student servicesrepresentative? Following is

a list of the student servicesrepresentatives by program:

UndergraduateBusiness AdministrationTravis [email protected]

Criminal JusticeAmy [email protected]

GraduateProject ManagementSara [email protected]

Criminal JusticeJoyce [email protected]

EngineeringSara [email protected]

You may also reach your studentservices representative by callingtoll-free at 800.362.5460.

If you are a new student or anexperienced distance learningstudent, you need to communicate

with your student servicesrepresentative. He or she will

be able to guide you throughthe registration process for yourrst course (you should alwayscommunicate with your advisor atthe beginning of the registrationperiod to talk about what coursesyou wish to register for) or willguide you through the graduationprocess.

Your student services representativewants to ensure that you succeedat being a distance learningstudent. He or she also wants tohelp you reach your educationaland career goals.

Improving Online Student RetentionOne area that the DistanceLearning Center (DLC) is focused

on improving is its online studentretention rate, which is thenumber of students whosuccessfully complete theironline courses.

In an eort to achieve thisobjective, the DLCsstudent service re-presentatives will

be contactingstudents whodropped a coursethis fall term toask why thatdecision was made.It is clear fromnational and inter-national research ononline student retentionthat students decide toleave a course beforecompletion for a variety ofreasons. Finances, work-life

balance issues, and simply not

enough time are common reasons.However, given the diversity of

distance learning programs andthe students that UW-

Plaeville serves, we mustassess our studentsto determine their reasonsfor dropping a course,

because the informationwe obtain might bedierent fromthe data obtainedfrom studies

currently in the eld.

We would liketo help our students

successfully completecourses, and your

feedback will aidus in this eort. The

DLC will compile theseresults and performanalysis to determineif solutions to studentsleaving a course before

completion are available.

Recommended OnlineResource: Netvibes

An online resource that youmay nd very helpful isNetvibes (www.netvibes.com),a personalized web portalpage. It lets you assembleall of your favorite websites,

blogs, rss feeds, e-mailaccounts, social networks,search engines, photos, videos,instant messengers practicallyeverything that the world wideweb has to oer in ONE

PLACE. Netvibes helps youmanage your virtual life andshare it with friends and family.It is completely customizableand contains no annoying adsor logos. At a glance, you cansee if you have new e-mail or ifnew articles have been postedto your favorite websites, orcheck on the weather forecastor sports scores. Check it out!

[email protected]


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An Effective LearnerThe beginning of each semesteris an important time for students.Student expectations are likelyto aect course performance.Successful students are eective

learners. Eective learners takeon the responsibility for theirown learning. They possesscertain characteristics that comefrom years of rening their ownmethods of learning. This can

be hard work, but it pays o.Eective learners must determinetheir course schedule and if theyare resourcefully progressingtoward degree completion. Plus,they read their learning materialscarefully and take time to learn the

university policies. It is importantfor eective learners to be able tonavigate academia and understandtheir course registration andexpectations. It is necessaryto continually revise strategiesand techniques. In other words,students must make the techniquestheir own. Active learners masterstrategies and techniques thatwork for them. Students needto carefully concentrate on whatareas they need to improve. Thisis substantial to their achievement.Generating a list of ideas on howto incorporate changes in habits

and develop a plan of actionwill further advance the active,eective learner.

Proactively communicating with

advisors is a signicant part ofthe active learners process in adistance learning program. Oneof the main implementationsof academic advising is to helpstudents realize the educational

benets available to them. It isimperative that students consultwith their advisor before enrollingin their spring 2008 courses.Students should, at minimum,contact their advisor eachsemester to notify her about what

courses they plan to register foronline. The Distance LearningCenter sta will be reviewingtheir registration information atvarious points in the programas well. Taking a proactive leadmitigates and further developsthe learning process. I hope thatthese approaches will fosterand augment students previousknowledge acquired througheducation and experience.

Our Students Become HeadlinersBy Sue Fager

The UW-Plaeville distanceeducation homepage (www.uwpla.edu/disted) has dedicatedthe prominent space on itswebsite (front and center) to thepeople that maer the most thestudents. With the title TellingIt Like It Is, we present thecomments, trials, and tribulationsof distance education students. Wegive you a teaser quote, hopingthat you will click into the articleto get more details. Once in thearticle, click All Proles to seea complete list. (The home pagerotates through the list randomly,

but only with those students whohave sent us their photograph touse.) In addition, a faculty prolelist is available.

We hope that you enjoy readingthrough the proles, with thecurrent students being encouraged

by those who have gone beforeyou and the prospective studentsemboldened by others who havemade distance education workwithin their personal obstacles oftime and space.

Current students, we encourageyou to be added to our list bylling out an online form foundat www.uwpla.edu/disted/general/consent.html. Thereyou will nd instructions andcontact information for sendingus your testimonials and programinformation.

By Shayla NealVirtual OrientationBefore you begin your springsemester courses, be sure tocomplete the UWP virtualorientation at www.uwpla.edu/disted/orientation/index.html or visit our homepageand click on the virtualorientation link. This site willprovide important resourcesfor being a successful distancestudent.

It will also oer tips and

information on:

Prioritization Motivation Learning Styles Memory

There are also downloadabletimetables for you to utilize indeveloping a study schedulethat works for you. Dontmiss out on this valuableopportunity!


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Online Undergraduate CJ Program Gets a New CoordinatorIn August2007, AmyNemmetz

joinedUW-Plae-villesCriminal

JusticeDepart-ment toserve asthe coor-dinator

and academic advisor for theonline undergraduate Criminal

Justice Program. Although Dr.Susan Hilal enjoyed her roleimmensely as coordinator of theprogram, she opted to take aposition with another university to

be closer to friends and family.

In addition to teaching for UW-Plaeville, Nemmetz has alsofullled wide-ranging roles inthe criminal justice eld. Whilecompleting her undergraduatedegree, Nemmetz worked withUW-Plaevilles Campus Police asa community ocer, PlaevillesPolice Department as a dispatcherand 911 telecommunicator, andcompleted an internship withprobation and parole. Further,aer graduation, she had theopportunity to work with

juvenile oenders at a grouphome, criminal oenders in court

ordered transitional housing, as aninterim director for Volunteers inProbation, and as a licensed socialworker for Dane County CourtsAlternatives to IncarcerationProgram with jail diversion clientsin bail monitoring, drug court, andelectronic monitoring.

Subsequent to her positionwith Dane County Courts, shetransferred into a child protectionintake unit, where she conducted

child maltreatment investigations.This was the most emotionallychallenging position I held inthe criminal justice eld, saidNemmetz.

With the investigations, Nemmetzengaged in forensic cognitivegraphic interviews with childvictims of abuse, teamed withlaw enforcement on perpetratorinterviews, participated in a

multi-disciplinary team at a childadvocacy center, took emergencycustody of abused children, andparticipated in the court process testifying, writing petitions, andpreparing court reports.

In addition to Nemmetzsimpressive employment trackrecord, she completed herundergraduate and graduatedegrees at UW-Plaeville. Further,Nemmetz obtained a Masters

of Science through the DistanceLearning Program. As a result,she understands rsthand thatstudying at a distance is rewardingyet challenging.

Occasionally life can get a lilechaotic. You may have familycommitments, social outings,professional demands, andeducation deadlines all at thesame time, said Nemmetz. I canhonestly tell you that, everything

will balance out. Taking yourcourses at a distance helps youmaintain a sense of normalcy

because, for the most part, youget to choose when to access yourcourse and work on assignmentseach week.

Additional words of wisdomfrom one of UWPs DistanceEducation alumas is that anyanxiety you may have about the

juggling process or the road tograduation will quickly pass asyou develop positive relationshipswith your peers and yourinstructors.

Nemmetz is looking forward tojoining criminal justice studentson their educational journey and ishappy to assist in any way that shecan. So do not hesitate to give hera call or e-mail her with questions,comments, and/or suggestions.

The DLC Welcomes a New Admissions RepresentativeThe UW-PlaevilleDistanceLearningCenter ispleased to

welcomeClintNemitzas thenew ad-missionsrepresen-

tative. He will be assisting ourcurrent admissions representative,Kim Maier, in our eorts to helppotential students through theinitial information gatheringand application process. Nemitz

was selected from a large pool ofapplicants for the position and

brings an incredible knowledge ofthe UWP advantage.Nemitz is a 2006 graduate ofUWPs on-campus program andis well aware of UWPs historyof educational excellence. The

chance to work for an organizationwith a reputation such as UWPs isan excellent opportunity. I hope Ican help others have as great of anexperience as I did, says Nemitz.Nemitz sees online learning as the

primary option for adult and non-traditional students in the future.Working adults dont have theexibility in their schedules to goto class during rigid times. Theyneed the ability to go to class ontheir own terms, says Nemitz.


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project management

e sn wTonya Peterson

Project Management Graduate

UWP Graduate Receives Top Award for ProjectManagement

The Project Management Institute(PMI) Educational Foundation hasrecognized 2007 UW-PlaevilleMaster of Science in ProjectManagement graduate TonyaPeterson as Student Paper of theYear Award winner.Peterson is the rst student

from UWP to win this award.Academic sta member GingerLevin advised Peterson with thepreparation of this paper. Peterson

began her work on this paper asa student in Levins InterpersonalSkills for Virtual and Co-LocatedProject Teams class.Levin encouraged Peterson toenter her work in the contest.Peterson created an abstract ofher paper and submied it for

competition. In June, she wasinformed she was a nalist andthen submied her complete paperfor the competition.Her paper covered many topicsof project management such asimproving team performance,working with dierentmanagement styles, commonmistakes project managersmake, and how to continually

improve team performance. Shealso included a number of tablesand charts that can be utilized

by a team manager. I try to beconscious of the mistakes thatmany project managers make.Peterson presented her paper atthe PMI North American Congressin Atlanta in October. She coveredthe main points of her paper ina one-hour presentation. The

PMI will make her entire paperavailable online to the public.(The PMI Congress) is consideredthe premier learning eventfor project managers in NorthAmerica, said Bill Haskins,program coordinator for theProject Manager Program at UWP.

Haskins joined both Petersonand Levin at the congress. Aerteaching Peterson in the onlineclassroom, Levin was lookingforward to meeting her in personfor the rst time.Peterson is not stopping with herpaper. She is currently in the nalstages of writing a book for projectmanagers, which has alreadygained the interest of publishers.She has always been a person to

go beyond the requirements, saidLevin. She is the type of personwe could see in a chief executiveocer position.She recently also started withKohls Corporation in the projectmanagement oce. In thisposition, she will guide projectmethodology, analyze projectperformance metrics, implementprocess improvement, train(information systems) departmenton the project lifecycle, mentorproject managers, and supporttroubled projects.

In addition to the opportunity topresent her paper, Peterson andHaskins received paid trips to thecongress. Peterson and the UWPProject Management Program alsoreceived a $500 cash award.Current students will benet fromPetersons recognition and the

spotlight UWP received. Thisraises the visibility of UWP in theproject management community,said Haskins.

This award is an annual contest.Current students can get involved

by talking to course instructorsor by contacting Haskins. Moreinformation about the contest isavailable online at www.pmi.org/pmief/scholarship/award-ispa.asp.

By Sco Skelly

Drums and CymbalsProjectIn our last issue of PLEXUS,we introduced the Drums andCymbals technology enhancement

project. The project will testtechnology enhancements in vecourses this fall, three next spring,and two in summer 2008. In eachcourse, we have determined aparticular module, subject area, orassignment that could benet froma technology enhancement. Thesetechnology enhancements will

be assessed, using feedback fromstudents and the instructors todetermine if the enhancements hada positive impact in the courses.

Fall SemesterGinger Levin PM 7060Advanced Tools and TechniquesUtilization of Flash to designand interactive plagiarism tool

Phil Micech ENGRG 7830Advanced Cost and Value AnalysisUse of Audacity to provideaudio feedback to studentsCont. on page 9


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9

Levin Sets Record for Certifications in PMGinger Levin,lecturerin projectmanagementat UW-Plaeville, hassomething onher resumeno one in theworld does.She is the only

person in the world to hold everycertication oered by the ProjectManagement Institute (PMI).

Levins certications are certiedassociate in project management,project management professional,program management professional,and assessor and consultantorganizational project management

maturity model. Levin workedfrom November 2003 to June 2007to obtain her certications. Theprocess for earning the certicationsincluded having years ofexperience, going through rigoroustraining, and taking exams. Shewill be featured in one of the PMIsprofessional publications, the rsttime anyone from the UWP Masterof Science Project ManagementProgram has been featured in anyof the publications.

I feel privileged and honoredto have these certications. Itwas dicult to achieve, but thecertications are important to

be a thought leader in projectmanagement, said Levin.

According to Levin, thecertications have enabled her

to keep up with her professionand provide her with continuouslearning and recognition.Additionally, they have enabled herto help UWP in obtaining approvalfor its project management coursesfor the Project ManagementInstitute. In order for the coursesto be approved, they must beevaluated by someone certied bythe Project Management Institute asa project management professional

to ensure they meet the institutesstandards.

Levin was always interested inthe planning and managementof projects, even though whenshe graduated from high school,project management was not yetrecognized as a career and therewere no degrees oered in theeld. Levin got her doctoratein public administration at theGeorge Washington University in

Washington D.C., and has beenworking in project management for41 years.

Levin began teaching at UWPas part of the distance educationprogram in 2002, aer a friendrecommended the program. Shelikes the caliber of students and

their dedication, as well as theinteresting courses and the qualityof her colleagues in the projectmanagement program.

Dr. Levin is one of our stars. Sheis very active in the program andcommied to its success, said BillHaskins, coordinator of the Masterof Science in Project ManagementProgram.

Levin encourages students to getcertications from the ProjectManagement Institute, along withtheir masters degree. She saidhaving certications opens thedoor for students to get promotionsand become well recognized in theeld, and according to Haskins,a masters degree in projectmanagement is an eective way forstudents to dierentiate themselvesfrom others in the eld.

Drums and Cymbals ProjectCont. from page 8

Ryan Melbard ENGRG 7070Optimization with Eng. Apps.Use of Camtasia to providedemo for excel solver tool

Amy NemmetzCJ 7430 VictimologyProgressive utilization ofwebquests to maximize use ofInternet resources

Patrick Montgomery ACCT2010 Financial AccountingUtilization of whiteboard topresent course material

Spring SemesterTom Kershaw ENGRG 7840Systems Engineering Management

Pat Bromley PSYCH 7230 CrisisIntervention TheoryTony MunosPM 7020 PM Techniques II

Summer Semester

BJ ReedCOMM 5010 Business Comm.Susan HansenBSAD 1300 Global Business

It is imperative to the success ofthis project that students enrolledin these courses provide feedbackon their use of the technology.This rst year of the project willlay the groundwork for futurecoursework. The technologyenhancements will be evaluated

based upon outcomes on studentperformance, student andinstructor satisfaction, and time/cost eciencies.

Each instructor involved inthis phase of the project will bementoring two other instructors,who will in turn assess technologyenhancements in an identiedcourse. Our assessments will beongoing as we continually seek toimprove learning outcomes andincrease student satisfaction in thedistance learning program.

Your participation as a studentis key to our success. As the titlestates, Together we can make

beautiful music.


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PM Instructor Travels to Abu Dhabi to TeachUW-Plaevilles distance learningprograms enroll students fromcountries all over the world --from Canada to China to SouthAfrica and the Middle East.International students are able

to participate in online coursesbecause of the exibility in timeand location that is inherent indistance education programs.In a global and at world, thediversity of ideas, customs, andvalues that international students

bring to online courses are not onlyassets to the distance educationprograms, but also to the students.As a result of the physical locationof international students, theyrarely have an opportunity to

meet fellow classmates or courseinstructors face-to-face. Recently,however, a partnership with theChicago Training and ConsultancyCompany allowed Tony Munos,an instructor for the ProjectManagement Program, to teach aface-to-face course to internationalstudents in Abu Dhabi in August2007.

According to Wikipedia, the city ofAbu Dhabi is the capital of one of

seven emirates that comprise theUnited Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabiis on an island that borders theKingdom of Saudi Arabia (south),

the Sultanate of Oman (east),the Persian Gulf (north), and theemirate of Dubai (northeast). Notonly is Abu Dhabi the wealthiestemirate within the United ArabEmirates, it is also the richest city in

the world.

When asked what his immediatethoughts were when he landed inAbu Dhabi, Munos replied that thecity is modern, upscale, beautiful,and opulent. Most of the areasare brand new. Munos initialassessment of the city is a reectionof Abu Dhabis booming economy.Below are some facts about AbuDhabis fast-growing economy:

Each of Abu Dhabis citizens isworth $17 million.

More than $1 trillion worldwideis invested in the city alone. The Gross Domestic Product percapita is $63,000.

In 2006, the per capita incomegrew by nine percent.

While in Abu Dhabi, Munostaught an introductory projectmanagement course called

Tools and Techniques. Twenty-two students, most of whomwere employed by the policedepartment, military, or othergovernment agencies, participatedin the ve-day course. Munosdescribed the students as veryinterested and eager to learn thecourse materials despite a fewchallenges. Some students lackeda full command of the Englishlanguage and struggled with thecourse materials, which were

culturally based on Western policiesand idea.

Munos believes that there arenumerous career opportunities inAbu Dhabi, given their growth.For people interested in workingin Abu Dhabi, Munos oers thefollowing advice:

1. Be aware and respectful of localcustoms.

2. Get to know the culture and be

respectful of it.3. Make a good aempt to learn the

language.4. Try the food.5. Be sociable with the citizens

National Distance Learning WeekOnline learning programs areinvaluable because they providea segment of our populationwith critical literacy and job-

related skills as well as the meansnecessary to take their education tothe next level states United StatesSenator Edward Kennedy (D-MA).Kennedy supports distancelearning programs because theyhelp students to reach theireducational goals.To learn more about NDLW, visitwww.ndlw.org.

Distance Education hits thenational spotlight during NationalDistance Learning Week (NDLW)Nov. 12-16.

Sponsored by the United StatesDistance Learning Association(USDLA), NDLW seeks topromote and celebrate thetremendous growth andaccomplishments of distanceeducation programs. Organizershope to bring a greater awarenessto the general public about thefastest growing segment of theeducation system.

All levels of distance educationfrom K-12 schools to graduatelevel programs will be recognizedthrough this special week.

Currently more than 2.5 million

college students are involved indistance education and more than700,000 high school students takeat least one online class.


11/2411

business administration

e sn wBusiness Administration Program to Phase Out Annual ServiceAgreement Fee

In an eort to serve you beer,the Distance Learning Centerhas implemented signicantimprovements to the fee structureassociated with taking courses viathe print-based delivery format.Starting Nov. 1, 2007, we willphase out the Annual ServiceAgreement (ASA) Fee, whichwas assessed yearly, regardless

of ongoing enrollments in print-based courses. More eciently,a University Services Fee will

be assessed on each ContractEnrollment Plan.

Specically, for degree-seekingstudents enrolling in one courseon a Contract Enrollment Plan, aUniversity Services Fee (USF) of$60.00 will be assessed; the USF fortwo or more courses per ContractEnrollment Plan will be $120.These fees entitle the student to thesame services administered under

the Annual Service Agreement(i.e., university administrativesupport services and academicguidance and counseling). Equallyimportant, payment of this feeexempts the student from payingsegregated fees for the businessadministration distance programcourses.

Students who enroll in thebusiness administration distanceprogram are subject to the universitydegree requirements that are ineect at the time of their admissionto the university. Students whodo not show academic progresstoward meeting their degreerequirements may be required toreapply for admission under thecatalog in eect at the time.

Students with Active AnnualService Agreement:Students with an active Annual

Service Agreement will not beassessed a University Services Feeuntil their ASA expires; however,aer the expiration of the AnnualService Agreement, the USF will

be assessed on all future ContractEnrollment Plans.

Students with Inactive AnnualService Agreement:

As stated above, students whohave not shown academicprogress toward meeting degreerequirements may be required toreapply for admission. The USFwill be assessed on all ContractEnrollment Plans.

New Students:The USF will be assessed on allContract Enrollment Plans.

Student Profile: Toni McCutchinAer becoming a successful wife,mother, and working professional,Toni McCutchin decided tocomplete her bachelors degreein early 1999. Introduced toUWPs Business AdministrationProgram at a distance by a friendand co-worker, McCutchin beganher distance learning studies atUWP with print-based courses, butgradually transitioned to takingonline courses. She quickly grewto appreciate the set, yet innatelyexible schedules the online coursesoered. The online format allowedher to arrange her school workaround her many other roles in life,yet still helped her feel like she wasprogressing toward her degree.

I have learned to prioritize whatneeds to be done in regards tomy work and family life. I havelearned to juggle a busy scheduleof work, school, and my sonssporting activities. I have had tosacrice time with my husbandand two sons, but they are behindme 100 percent, said McCutchin.

McCutchin admits that thecompletion of her degree andalways nding time to assume hermany roles have not been easy.She will tell you about times thatshe has had to do coursework inthe car while waiting for her sonssporting event to start, studyingthrough lunch breaks at work, or

staying up long aer the rest of thefamily has gone to sleep.

To still nd the time for myfamily, I have spent hours aerthey have gone to bed studying fora test and/or nishing up coursework, said McCutchin.

Although she would have liked tostart down the path of completingher degree earlier, through whatToni describes as determinationand discipline, she has stuckwith her program and is currentlyscheduled to graduate next spring.The DLC sta and faculty all lookforward to seeing her at springcommencement!


12/2412

Spring 2008 Course Registration InformationONLINE COURSE REGISTRATION TIMELINE

Oct. 13, 2007 Registration opens for spring 2008 online courses.Dec. 19, 2007 Aention: Financial Aid Applicantslast day to register and choose the nancial aid payment option.

Jan. 1, 2008 Last day to register and choose mail-in payment option. Jan. 8, 2008 Last day to register (with credit card payment) and payment deadline for those who sent in payment by mail.

Jan. 8, 2008 Last day to cancel your enrollment and have the administrative fee refunded. Jan. 22, 2008 First day of classes.May 16, 2008 Last day of classes.

Please refer to our website www.uwpla.edu/disted for changes to this spring 2008 online course listing and fee scheduleCourses that count toward certicates are also listed on the website. All courses are three credits unless otherwise noted.

B S B A

ACCT 2010 Financial AccountingACCT 2020 Management Accounting

BSAD 1300 Global BusinessBSAD 2630 Introduction to MarketingBSAD 3030 Human Resource ManagementBSAD 3130 Legal Environment of BusinessBSAD 3340 Management, Gender and RaceBSAD 3530 Organizational BehaviorBSAD 3540 Quality ManagementBSAD 3620 Financial ManagementBSAD 3720 International Marketing

*Contact advisor for prior approval and registration instructions.

You may register for undergraduate print courses for the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration any working day of the

month. Contact us for information.

B S C J

ACCT 2010 Financial AccountingBSAD 1300 Global BusinessBSAD 2630 Introduction to MarketingBSAD 3030 Human Resource ManagementBSAD 3130 Legal Environment of BusinessBSAD 3340 Management, Gender and RaceBSAD 3530 Organizational BehaviorBSAD 3540 Quality Management

BSAD 3620 Financial ManagementBSAD 3720 International MarketingBSAD 3740 Consumer BehaviorBSAD 4200 Employee Recruitment and SelectionBSAD 4630 Marketing Management


You may register for undergraduate print courses for the minor in business administration any working day of the month. Contact us

for information.

BSAD 3740 Consumer BehaviorBSAD 4200 Employee Recruitment and SelectionBSAD 4630 Marketing ManagementBSAD 4840 Business Policy/Strategy

*BSAD 4950 Portfolio DevelopmentCJ 1130 Introduction to Criminal JusticeCJ 2230 Correctional PhilosophyCJ 3130 Criminal InvestigationCJ 4230 Community-Based CorrectionsCOSC 1830 Microcomputer ApplicationsECON 2230 Principles of Microeconomics

CJ 1130 Introduction to Criminal JusticeCJ 2230 Correctional PhilosophyCJ 3130 Criminal InvestigationCJ 3900 Research Methods in Criminal JusticeCJ 4230 Community-Based CorrectionsCJ 4330 Criminal Procedure and Evidence

*CJ 4500 Directed Individual Studies (1-3 cr.)*CJ 4880 Internship in Criminal Justice (8 cr.)*CJ 4930 Criminal Justice Seminar

COSC 1830 Microcomputer ApplicationsECON 2230 Principles of Microeconomics


13/2413

M S C J

BSAD 5030 Human Resource ManagementBSAD 5340 Management, Gender and RaceBSAD 5530 Organizational Behavior

CJ 6030 Criminal LawCJ 7030 Criminal Justice SystemsCJ 7330 Law as Social ControlCJ 7530 Criminal Justice AdministrationCJ 7730 Evaluation and Program Analysis

in the Criminal Justice System

M S E

BSAD 5720 International MarketingENGRG 5000 Engineering CommunicationsENGRG 6050 Applied StatisticsENGRG 6230 Structural Steel Design with LRFD ApplicationsENGRG 7070 Optimization with Engineering ApplicationsENGRG 7270 Advanced Deep Foundation Design with LRFD ApplicationsENGRG 7280 Geosynthetics EngineeringENGRG 7310 Control Systems EngineeringENGRG 7340 Digital Control SystemsENGRG 7520 Design for ManufacturabilityENGRG 7550 Product Design and DevelopmentENGRG 7830 Advanced Cost and Value AnalysisENGRG 7840 Systems Engineering ManagementENGRG 7850 Taguchi Method of Designing Experiments

*ENGRG 7930 Special Topics in Engineering (1-3 cr.)*ENGRG 7980 Independent Study in Engineering (1-3 cr.)

PM 7010 Project Management Techniques IPM 7020 Project Management Techniques II

M S P M

ACCT 7000 Managerial AccountingBSAD 5030 Human Resource ManagementBSAD 5340 Management, Gender and RaceBSAD 5530 Organizational BehaviorBSAD 5540 Quality ManagementBSAD 5620 Financial ManagementBSAD 5720 International MarketingBSAD 5740 Consumer Behavior

BSAD 6200 Employee Recruitment and SelectionBSAD 6630 Marketing ManagementBSAD 7540 Advanced Quality ManagementCOMM 7330 Organizational CommunicationENGRG 6050 Applied StatisticsENGRG 7830 Advanced Cost and Value AnalysisENGRG 7850 Taguchi Method of Designing Experiments


Spring 2008 Course Registration Information

PM 7010 Project Management Techniques IPM 7020 Project Management Techniques IIPM 7030 Project Risk ManagementPM 7040 Interpersonal Skills for Virtual and

Co-Located Project TeamsPM 7070 Managing Multiple ProjectsPM 7080 Project Scope Management

*PM 7840 Project Management Capstone

*PM 7980 Independent Study in ProjectManagement (1-4 cr.)

*PM 7990 Thesis Research

*CJ 7880 Criminal Justice Internship*CJ 7920 Seminar Paper Research*CJ 7980 Independent Study in Criminal Justice

(1-4 cr.)*CJ 7990 Thesis Research (3-6 cr.)PSYC 7230 Crisis Intervention TheoryPSYC 7430 Abnormal Psychology in a Dangerous

World*PSYC 7980 Independent Study in Psychology

(1-4 cr.)


14/2414

Student Advisory Board Recruiting New MembersAs 2007 draws to an end, theStudent Advisory Board is onceagain recruiting new members forthe group. There are a numberof people on the current SABmembership who will be leavingfor a variety of reasons. Severalwill be graduating. We are lookingfor at least two members from eachprogram to serve for one year withthis group. To review the purposeof the group and the activities inwhich the SAB has been involvedwith during the past year, go toits website at www.uwpla.edu/disted/studentcent/sab/index.html. This group meets monthly(no meetings in May or December)

for 90 minutes via phone orweb conference in the evenings.Meeting times are determined oncea new group is formed. If youare interested in being consideredfor membership with this group,please contact Dawn Drake [email protected].

The SAB is an extremely importantgroup associated with distanceeducation. They truly serve as thevoice of the student in so many

ways throughout the year. Duringthe past year, the current SAB has

been involved in the followingways:

Provide input on the Top TenThings Online Instructors CanDo in Their Classes

Review information associatedwith the accreditation report

Assist with promotion andrecruitment ideas and activitiesfor the programs

Make suggestions for changes tothe program advising sites andencourage students to use thesites

Provide a student perspective

on adding new technologies toonline classes Participate in writing entries for

the distance education blog Review the changes made to the

new distance education website Serve as a reference point

for prospective and currentstudents

Respond to requests fromcurrent students regardingchanges in the onlineenvironment

The list could continue on andon. As you can see, this groupis involved in a wide variety ofactivities, and these items changeeach year. As a new SAB isformed, one of the responsibilitiesof the group will be to developa list of agenda items to discussand act on in 2008. The input thatthis group provides is extremelyvaluable in making plans fordistance education at UW-Plaeville

So, if you would like to beinvolved with charting thefuture development of distanceeducation, you are encouragedto apply to be a member of the

SAB. Feel free to talk to currentmembers of the SAB to getadditional information about beinga member.

A special thanks goes out to allthe SAB members who have

been active with the group thisyear. Best wishes to those of youwho will be going on to otherendeavors. Please know that yourinput has been extremely valuable.

Understanding the Financial Aid GuidelinesAll studentswho wishto use thenancial aidpaymentoption foronline courseregistration

need to makesure theyadhere to the following guidelines:

1. You must work closely with theUW-Plaeville Financial Aid Oceto make sure that you submit all ofyour nancial aid paperwork ontime. If you arent sure whether ornot youve done this, contact theFinancial Aid Oce (800.616.0412or 608.342.1836) and ask about

your status. Your nancial aidpaperwork should be in order

before you register for courses.

2. Students must be admied andmatriculated with UWP and must

be enrolled in at least six creditsfor undergraduate students, or ve

credits for graduate students, to beeligible for nancial aid. If you arecombining any online courses withother delivery mechanisms (i.e.,on-campus courses, print-basedcourses, capstone courses, etc.),ALL credits must be processedwithin the same term for aid to beconsidered.

3. You need to plan to purchaseyour textbooks for your onlinecourses with your own funds so

that you have them at the time thatclasses begin. Financial aid is notdisbursed until aer the start ofthe semester, and you need to haveyour textbooks for the course priorto the time that your aid will beawarded. Your nancial aid mayhelp you cover the costs of your

books, but you should not waituntil it is disbursed before youorder your books.

If you do not have all of yournancial aid paperwork in order

by the registration deadlines, youwill need to pay up front to securea spot in your courses. Pleasecontact your advisor, the DistanceLearning Center, or the UWPFinancial Aid Oce if you havequestions on this process.


15/2415

My name isJohn LeonardBerg, and I ama librarian at

the Universityof Wisconsin-Plaeville. Ihave beenat UWP for10 years,where I alsohold theposition of

coordinator of publicservices for the Karrmann Library.My major responsibilities are toprovide daily assistance to patrons

at our public service desk, to selectreference materials essential tothe teaching and research missionof the university and to providetraining to students using thelibrary. One way to best helpstudents is by writing about libraryservices and that is the purpose ofmy column in PLEXUS.

The Karrmann Library has a longtradition of providing qualityinformation to university students,

faculty, and sta. As UWP expandsits initiative to provide newcourses and new degree programson campus and at a distance, thelibrary sta is examining how to

best serve all students. I would liketo explore some of the resourcesand services currently available toeveryone at UWP.

Our library homepage (www.uwpla.edu/library/index.html)is a great place to begin searching

for general library material orspecic information relating tosubjects like criminal justice,project management, engineering,education, and business. Here youwill discover some of the nestscholarly tools and resourcesavailable on the Internet.

You can nd many items in theLibrary Catalog. The electroniclibrary catalog is easy to use.

Ask A Librarian

Using the search strategies ofauthor, title, subject or keyword,you can search through the recordsof 300,000 books and audiovisual

materials housed in the KarrmannLibrary and across the universitycampus. Be sure to take a minuteto read the help screens on theselected page before beginninga search. In the event that thelibrary does not own the titlein which you are interested, tryuniversal borrowing or contactthe interlibrary loan sta and theywill happily locate and obtain yourdesired item.

If you need to access periodicalsor newspapers, select the JournalIndexes link and begin exploringthe 150 general and subject-specicdatabases. Each database is brieyannotated for your convenience.(Note: A rst-time researchermay want to choose Resources

by Academic Discipline. Forexample, criminal justice and lawwill introduce all the electronicdatabases appropriate for thatspecic subject and a whole lot

more!) Many of the electronicdatabases are full text.

Reference Resources is amega site connecting you toprofessionally reviewed libraryinformation such as onlinedictionaries, electronic journals,Internet search engines, mediareviews, and citation guides. Justrecently, several new distanceeducation students contacted meabout locating information about

improving general writing skills.They were searching for a site thatwould review the fundamentalsof grammar and general writingprinciples. Writers Resourcesat www.uwpla.edu/library/reference/writers.html is theperfect resource. ReferenceResources is actually a virtualreference desk, complete withhundreds of links and servicesright at your ngertips.

By John Leonard-Berg

If you need help using theKarrmann Library or its services,select the Ask-A-Librarian link.You will be prompted to submit

a reference question. Librarianscheck the electronic referenceaccount several times an hourto provide a quick and accurateresponse to your research query.It should be noted that questionssubmied in the late evening hoursor weekends will be answered by alibrarian early the following day.

These are just a few of the servicesavailable to you when employingthe Karrmann Library. Please dont

hesitate to call the reference deskat 608.342.1688 or use our tollfree number at 888.450.4632 forimmediate assistance with yourresearch.

Everyjourney begins

with asingle step.


16/24

What Motivates You?

16

As you read PLEXUS, you areprobably thinking to yourself, I

have only a few weeks le in thesemester. How am I ever goingto get the remaining work donein my courses, keep up at work,stay connected to my familyand friends, participate in mycommunity activities, and stillkeep my sanity? As these variousworlds collide and we continueto get busier and busier, it isimportant to remember that thereare only 24 hours in a day andsome of that time needs to be usedfor rest, relaxation, and recreation!

Sometimes when you are thebusiest is the time when you reallyneed to STOP and review whatmotivates you. Typically speaking,people are internally motivated

by what is important to them.And if we listen to that internalvoice, it is normally easy to

keep on task and move forward.However, there are lots of externalmotivators that creep into ourdaily routine that can derail usfrom our goals. These externalmotivators can come in a variety

of forms, are dierent for everyindividual, and many times areoutside of our control. Assumingthat you are not planning to throweverything away and start overin a dierent environment awayfrom everyone (i.e., moving toa secluded island or an isolatedmountain top), we all need togure out what we can do to keepthe internal motivation driving ourdaily routine.

As you focus on geing throughyour courses, be sure to keepin mind the ultimate goal thatyou have. Each of you choseto continue your education foran individual reason -- this istypically an internal motivator inyour life. Write that reason downon a piece of paper and put itsomeplace that is easily accessible.When you are up late studyingand thinking I cant do this anylonger, pull out that paper thatexplains why you are continuingyour education. This should helpyou continue to stay motivatedto get your courses nished andmove one step closer to youreducational goal.

At the same time that you areworking toward your educationalgoal, try to identify those external

Dawn DrakeExecutive Director of

Alternative Delivery Systems

motivators that have kept youfrom achieving this goal on a daily

basis. Are you still trying to beall things to all people in yourlife? Have you given up anytime commitments since starting

your degree that you can workon again once youve obtainedyour educational goal? Are youconstantly trying to defend yourdecision of continuing youreducation to your family andfriends? These are just a few ofthe external motivators that candetract you from staying motivatedto reach your educational goal.

Aer identifying these externalmotivators, take some time to

determine if there is anything youcan do about them and take action.Again, write down the strategiesthat you can use to lessen theseforces and keep it in an easilyaccessible area. The next timeyou nd yourself again feelingoverwhelmed, pull out the listand see what you can do to help

bring things back into alignment inyour life. Although we can nevercompletely rid our lives of externalmotivators, when they becomethe driving force of our dailyroutine, it is extremely dicult to

be successful at school, at work, orin life.

So, ask yourself the questionWhat motivates you? Thenwork toward making the internalmotivations the biggest part ofyour day!

Lost Alumni

Susan Case, 88, BSADPaul Czarapata, 01, BSADBarbara Decker, 88, BSAD

Jennifer Diener, 05, CJBrenda Hart, 97, BSADLisa Larson (Schwarze in PS), 98, BSAD

Jerey Nabarek, 93, BSAD

Jody OKane, 04, BSADAlice Rosenthal, 91, BSADRajesh Sankaralingom, 04, PMKenneth Seidner, 86, BSAD

Joan Shuer, 99, BSADAllyn Watson, 97, BSAD

If you have an address or contact information on any of the alumni listed below, please contact theDistance Learning Center at 800.362.5460 or [email protected].


17/2417

Tutoring Resources Not Used At High LevelsTwo years ago, the DistanceLearning Center received a grantto develop numerous educationalassistance components (i.e.,tutoring mechanisms) for a varietyof online content. The decisionregarding which courses should beused for testing various forms oftutoring was based on four criteria:

1. Which courses had the highestdrop rate

2. Which courses had the lowestgrades

3. Which course instructorsidentied a specic area in theircourse, in which a large portionof students struggled with the

content or assignment4. Requests from students fortutoring assistance

Aer reviewing this information,six areas of content were identiedfor the project. In reviewingeach area, the tutoring commieeidentied the type of tutoringmechanism that would be testedin each area. This information isfound below:

ENGRG 5230 Linear Algebra:Utilized UW-Plaeville MathLearning Center tutors for onlinestudents. Students could calla tutor during select weekendor evening hours and/or e-mailquestions to tutors, with responsesmade within 24 hours.

ACCT 2010/2020 Financialand Management Accounting: Aspecial online tutoring serviceSmarhinking was contracted

with to provide tutoringopportunities in a similar formatto the items listed above. Studentscould set up specic times tomeet their tutor online and/or send in questions and expect aresponse within 24 hours.

ENGRG 6050 AdvancedStatistics: An online tutorial andquiz was developed and madeavailable to students to participate

in before signing up for the class.This helped students determineif they needed some additionalrefreshers before taking the classor might need additional help oncegeing into the class.

ENGRG 7070 Optimization withEngineering Applications: Anonline review session was heldthree times during the class toreview content in a real-time web

conference with the instructor.

Library Orientation: A liveweb conference was developed toreview the resources and servicesof the library. This informationwas archived and is made availableto students on the library website.

Online Writing Resources: Ourinitial plan was to develop onlinewriting assistance for distancestudents, but this did not cometo fruition. Instead, a website ofonline resources to assist withwriting problems was developed.

This information was developedduring the rst year of the grantand tested in the classes duringthe second year of the grant. Thefollowing results were obtainedduring this time frame:

Students did not take advantage

of the specialized tutoring in theENGRG 5230 or ACCT 2010/2020classes. There were 148 studentsin these classes during the testtime and only three studentsparticipated in the tutoring options.

Students have participated inthe refresher module developedfor the Advanced Statistics course,and this information continuesto be made available to anyoneinterested in using it.

The participation in the onlinereview sessions for ENGRG 7070got high marks from the studentsthat used it, but only about halfof the class participated in at leastone of the sessions.

The library orientation materialshave continued to be used andupdated since implementation. Inaddition, a new online trainingsession was developed to helpstudents use Refworks.

Additional work has not beenconducted regarding online writingresources. However, we knowthis continues to be a concern of

both students and faculty. Thiswill be reviewed in the futureto determine if there are otherresources that can be developed.

As indicated from the abovesummary, it appears that theresources that had the biggestimpact and were used the most

by students were the itemswhich are available online thatthe students can access at theirleisure. However, this does not

give students the opportunity toask questions and get immediateresponses, which was cited as adetriment by the students. Also,students have not been active incompleting evaluations for thevarious tutoring mechanisms totruly tell us what worked anddidnt work for them. Whenstudents who dropped classes orfailed classes were contacted tond out why they hadnt used thetutoring mechanisms available,

most indicated that they did nothave time to ask for this extra help.

At this stage, the tutoringcommiee has made therecommendation not to developadditional tutoring mechanisms

because they were not heavilyutilized. We will continue toprepare self-paced modules forcertain areas that may be useful ina broad area of study.


18/2418

criminal justice

e sn wCheryl Banachowski-Fuller

Director

New InstructorTeaches in theMaster of Science inCJ Program

Welcometo Dr.Brian

Johnson,thenewestadjunctinstructorteachingin theMaster ofScience in

CriminalJustice

Program. Johnson holds a Ph.D.and a master s in criminal justice,as well as a masters in laborand industrial relations fromMichigan State University. He iscurrently a professor in criminal

justice at Grand Valley StateUniversity in Grand Rapids,Mich. Johnson served as a policeocer in Wisconsin, and alsoserved as the assistant directorand interim director of a regionalpolice academy in Michigan. Heis the author of two textbooks(The Mangement of SecurityPersonnel, Crucial Elementsof Police Firearms Training)and a forthcoming book in safetravel. He has also publishedseveral articles in policing, policemanagement, and training andsecurity. Johnson currently teacheCJ 7030 Criminal Justice Systems.

Aention Department of Justice Students

It is time to look forward to thebeginning of another semesterof online course registration. Tomake this semester as smooth aspossible for you, I will outline allthe information you will need tohave a successful semester.

Spring semester registration

for both First-Line Supervisoryand Leadership in PoliceOrganizations online courseswill open on November 5, 2007,and both courses will close on

January 4, 2008. To register goto www.uwpla.edu/disted andunder the heading ProfessionalDevelopment, select OnlineCriminal Justice Training. On thenext page, choose the course youwant and click on Registration.Scroll down to the registration

box (in gray) and click on theregistration tab. You will receivedetailed information on how toregister for the course.

In response to the hard work thatstudents have put forth to earn acerticate of completion from ournon-credit online courses, the CJDepartment oers credit for lifeexperience for a Criminal Justicedegree. All this simply meansis that students who complete

both the certicates in First-Line Supervisory Training andLeadership in Police Organizationscan be awarded nine electivestoward the Bachelor of Sciencein Criminal Justice degree. Weare extremely proud of thisachievement, not only in what itmeans to us, but what it meansfor you. This opportunity allowsyou to maximize your eorts byearning professional certicates

and geing college credit at thesame time. To see details on thisfantastic opportunity, go to www.uwpla.edu/disted and underthe heading UndergraduateDegrees, select Bachelor ofScience in Criminal Justice.Then select from the column onyour le hand side Credit forLife Experience. On the nextpage, choose the course you arein and you will receive detailedinformation about the credit for

Life Experience program.

If you have some free time andwould like to read up on thelatest issues in the criminal

justice world, visit hp://policechiefmagazine.org. Thisonline magazine is awesome, andI would recommend it to anyonewho is interested in keeping upto date with the hoest topics incriminal justice.

Last, please see the contactinformation below if you wish todiscuss anything about our non-credit online courses, or if yourinterested in receiving informationon how these programs canprovide you with formalleadership training.

Joyce Williams800.362.5460 EXT [email protected]

By Joyce Williams


19/2419

Oh, the People Youll Meet ...One of my favorite Dr. Seuss booksis titled Oh, The Places YoullGo. As the coordinator for theonline undergraduate criminal

justice program, Im not only here

to tell you about the places youcan go with a Bachelor of Sciencedegree in criminal justice, but alsoabout the people you will meetalong the way!

Introducing Your Criminal JusticeFall 07 and Spring 08 Faculty

InstructorKenWiegman,Teaching CJ

1130 Intro-duction toCriminalJusticeWiegmancompletedhis graduateand

undergraduate work at UW-Plaeville. He has worked in thearea of law enforcement to includepatrol, jail, and dispatch duties.To compliment his work in thecriminal justice eld, Wiegmanpursued his interest in the eld ofcomputer development. He hasconducted secondary researchin the area of technology andcrime with a specic focus ondigital piracy and identity the.In addition to being employedfull-time at UW-Plaeville asan academic computer supportspecialist and as an adjunctinstructor for the Criminal Justice

Department, Wiegman is also amember of the Wisconsin NationalGuard with more than 20 years ofservice. He is currently a mastersergeant in the 115th Fighter Wing,Air National Guard in Madison,Wisconsin. Wiegman seems totruly wear many hats.

Instructor Michael Ahrens,Teaching CJ2230 CorrectionalPhilosophyAhrens completed his Doctorate of

Psychologyand hisMaster ofArts in re-habilitation

counselingat theUniversityof NorthernColoradoand hisBachelor

of Science in criminal justice atUWP. Ahrens has more than35 years of experience workingwith correctional clients in stateand federal institutions acrossthe nation. He has provided

services to clients in minimumand maximum security seings toinclude psychological evaluations,crisis intervention, alcohol anddrug treatment, group therapy,training, and administration. Youcan only imagine that the sayingthere is never a dull day ringstrue for Ahrens.

InstructorGaryApperson,TeachingCJ4130PoliceComm-unityRelationsAppersonholds aMaster of

Science in criminal justice fromUW-Plaeville and a Bachelor ofScience in criminal justice from

Wayland Baptist University inAlaska. Apperson is a licensedairplane pilot with 4,000+ hoursof pilot-in-command time andhas completed the FBI instructordevelopment training program.Apperson recently retired fromthe Anchorage Alaska PoliceDepartment with more than 25years in policing. His experiencesincluded senior patrol supervisor,FBI special operations participant,police aircra pilot, and instructor

for Police Patrol Proceduresand Report Writing. AlthoughApperson retired from theAnchorage Police Force, he seemsto be busier than ever. In addition

to teaching at UW-Plaeville,Apperson teaches at WaylandBaptist University and developsseveral criminal justice courses.When Apperson has free time, heand his wife like to go ying in the

beautiful Alaskan skies, as well ashiking and snow-shoeing in thegorgeous mountains!

InstructorDeborahRice,

TeachingCJ3630,JuvenileJusticeRice isa UW-Plaevillealumna. Shecompleted

her Bachelor and Master of Sciencedegrees at UW-Plaeville. She alsoobtained a Master of Science inmanagement (with a governmentemphasis) from Florida Institute ofTechnology. In addition to thesedegrees, Rice is also a graduate ofthe Army Command and GeneralSta College. Rices experiencesstretch all the way to Germany.Rice has worked with adults and

juveniles while holding positionswith the Wisconsin Departmentof Corrections (probation andparole) and Wisconsin State Parks

before joining the U.S. Army,

which eventually landed her inGermany. Rices accomplishmentsin the armed forces include a rankof rst lieutenant, taking commandof the baalion headquarters andheadquarters detachment, andadministering the Uniform Codeof Military Justice (UCMJ). Aereight years on active duty, Ricetransferred to the Army Reservesthen later to the Wisconsin ArmyNational Guard, where she retiredin 2004 as a lieutenant colonel.

By Amy Nemmetz


20/2420

Recruitment RoundupRecruitment RoundupHappy fall/winter to everyone. Asthe warmer weather begins to fadeaway, its important to take noteof everything the marketing andrecruitment cell of the DistanceLearning Center has accomplished.As always, weve been roaringalong at breakneck speed withevents and process improvementsto accomplish our ultimate goal: Togive people an opportunity to go toschool without giving up all of theirwork and family commitments.

A major accomplishment for usis the implementation of a newcontact management strategyand updating of correspondingmaterials. We have added morepersonalized touch points with ourfuture students to ensure that theyhave all of the information theyneed to make an informed buyingdecision.

Our marketing eorts were alsoupdated to reect a 21st centurymarketing plan. Our FY2008marketing plan now is very close

to 50 percent online and 50 percentprint/face-to-face, allowing us toreach our target audience moreeectively. One piece of this isa distance education group onFacebook.com, where current andformer students can go to discusstheir experiences and questionsoutside of the classroom. I amalso hoping to get additional audioand video information pieces onvarious websites (including ourown) to show the world the UW-Plaeville advantage.

Moving forward, we will be joiningthe rest of the Distance LearningCenter in the new building thiswinter. The new oce will serve asan outstanding base of operationsfor developing our corporate andeducational relationships.

I, Les Hollingsworth, wish to thankthe Alumni and Student AdvisoryBoards for their input into our newbranding message. Their valuableinsight will help us to maintain ourfocus on providing an outstandingproduct at an incredible value.

Alumni Advisory Board to Become Official Alumni ChapterOnce again, your Alumni AdvisoryBoard (AAB) has had anothervery active year. Although thisgroup has only been in existencefor two years, it has made a hugedierence with the input it hasprovided to UW-Plaeville. Inan ongoing aempt to bringmore recognition to the distanceprograms, the group has madethe decision to apply to becomean ocial constituent chapterof the UW-Plaeville AlumniAssociation. The group is inthe process of developing aconstitution and bylaws, and will

be presenting this information tothe parent Alumni AssociationBoard of Directors in January 2008.

The group will continue tooperate in a similar manner towhat has occurred during the pasttwo years. A couple of changes

that will occur are selecting anexecutive commiee for the groupand developing sub-commieesto assist with special projects.In addition, when alumni fromthe distance programs pay theiralumni membership dues, aportion of those dues will be madeavailable to the AAB to pay foractivities associated with distancealumni. The group is very excitedto move to this next step in theevolution of the organization.Because more than 100 studentsgraduate from programs oered ata distance each year, it is importantthat there be a recognizedorganization that is supporting thisgroup of alumni.

So, if you are interested in beinga part of the AAB, either as amember of the Board or workingon an individual sub-commiee,

please contact Dawn Drake [email protected]. Thereare ample opportunities forparticipation at various levels,which can match your timeschedule. The board typicallymeets monthly via phone or webconference. To obtain additionalinformation about the group,review their website at www.uwpla.edu/disted/alumni/aab/index.html. Also, you areencouraged to contact membersof the AAB to discuss theirparticipation.

A special thanks goes out to allactive members of the current AABfor their work and dedication.

Your commitment to UW-Plaevilleis truly something to be proud ofand will continue to assist withimproving the services availablefor distance students and alumni.


21/24

Eligibility screenings, employmenthistory, an educational achievementinformation is gathered from eachindividual. If a candidate is foundeligible for the program, sta evaluateseach applicants career interests,achievements, work habits, andpotential through an individuallydesigned vocational assessment,resulting in a wrien report, which

is shared with the applicant. Oncea tribal member or descendant isenrolled in the program, workforcedevelopment sta, in conjunction withthe participant, creates an individual

21

Alumni Spotlight

In 1994, Peter Dishaw started hiscoursework with the Bachelor ofScience in Business AdministrationProgram at a distance. He

transferred in a number of creditsfrom another institution andwas hopeful that he would havethe drive and determination tocomplete his undergraduatedegree. As with most adultstudents who are working full-time and juggling numerous othercommitments, Dishaw questionedif and when he would completehis degree. There were numerousbumps along the way, but alsosuccess. Dishaw graduated from

UW-Plaeville in 2001. He wasalso hopeful that by completing hisdegree, new opportunities would

become available to him.

Fast forward to 2007, Dishaw hasnot only changed jobs, but alsochanged careers. He has alsocompleted his MBA from BakerCollege in Flint, Mich., and has

become a certied workforcedevelopment professional.

He currently works for theHannahville Indian Communityon a grant from the Administrationfor Native Americans (ANA)under the direction of CarolBergquist, Ph.D.

The Hannahville IndianCommunity is a federallyrecognized Indian tribe residingin Michigans Upper Peninsulawith a membership of 755 people.Current gures from the tribal

database show that the overallunemployment rate of tribalmembers and descendants who are

19 years of age and living on the reservation is 40 percent, although there aremore job opportunities than there are tribal members.

As outlined in the grants objective work plan, workforce development

sta begins by conducting recruitment eorts to unemployed andunderemployed tribal members and descendants 16 years of age and older.

Alumnus Helps Others Reach Their Goals

Alumni

career development plan (ICDP) detailing goals, objectives, activities andtimelines. Using the information from the ICDP, the workforce developmentsta and the participant begin the process of exploring options for themto reach their stated goals. The workforce development program oers avariety of job-related skills development, including certication programs,apprenticeships, GED or high school completion, career developmentworkshops, customized training, and on-the-job evaluation to empower

participants to prepare for their selected employment or career goal.

The workforce development sta oers on-going counseling, supportiveservices, and regularly scheduled appointments to discuss any concernsor issues the participant may have. All services, milestones, and outcomesare recorded in the workforce development database, which is then usedto prepare internal and external reports and to conduct formative andsummative program evaluations. The workforce development program,which is funded by ANA, is currently the only program of its kind in theUnited States. A comprehensive program evaluation is currently beingconducted to document the eectiveness of this program.

The Distance Learning Center sta salute Dishaw for his accomplishments,

and more importantly, for his work with other individuals who are usingeducation and training to make a dierence in their lives.

We would like to hear from our other alumni as to what you have been doing since graduation.Please ll out the brief online form at www.uwpla.edu/disted/general/alumniSurvey07.html


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UWP Distance Education Comesto FacebookUWPs DLC is now on Facebook.com! Come join us to connect withclassmates, prospective students,and alumni. Whether you are curious

about what students are sayingabout a course/instructor or justwant to connect with alumni, thisis your one stop shop outside of D2L.

Independent Study, Capstone,Seminar Paper Research, ThesisResearch, Internship, SpecialTopics CoursesIf you are planning to take anindependent study, capstone,seminar paper research, thesisresearch, internship, or special

topics course this spring, you needto communicate with your advisorimmediately! Remember, yourcourse topic needs to be approved

before you may register for thesecourses, so please allow extra timefor the registration process.

Also, if you are a nancial aidapplicant and are planning touse any of these courses to counttoward your eligibility, be awarethat the deadline for the nancial

aid registration/payment option isDecember 19!

Aention Undergraduate Students!If you are planning to take onlineclasses with UW Colleges, pleasenote that the registration andnancial aid deadlines are earlierthan the deadlines posted for UW-Plaeville. Contact your advisorand get registered early.

December and May Graduation

If you are planning to graduatein December and havent yetcompleted the paperwork andsubmied the fees associated withgraduation, contact your advisor

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Announcementsand the DLC (800.362.5460) to getthis process nalized.

If you are planning to graduatein May, you should notify youradvisor in December of your intent

to graduate in the spring. Includeyour full name, degree, and monthand year of anticipated graduationAll of your paperwork must becompleted by mid-February.

We will once again be honoringdistance education graduates onMay 11-12. Additional details will

be sent to graduates in Marchabout the activities that are beingheld. If you are planning toaend the graduation festivities

in May, you should make hotelreservations no later than January.Hotel rooms ll up quickly inPlaeville. To nd out more aboutthe city of Plaeville, and for linksto lodging facilities, visit www.plaeville.com.

Aention DOJStudents!If you are currentlyenrolled in the DOJcourse and you are admied to the

Bachelor of Science in CriminalJustice program, remember toll out the credit for life requestform. The form can be found atwww.uwpla.edu/disted/pdfs/crlifeform.pdf.

Be a UWP Distance EducationSpokespersonThe Distance Learning MarketingTeam is in need of studentphotos and quotes to use in ouradvertising and brochures. Ifyou would be willing to be aspokesperson for UWP distanceeducation, please contact ChristalSwigart at [email protected].

Changes to Tuition and Fees forOnline CoursesEfective Spring 2008Cost per Credit - (regardless orresidency)Undergraduate - $325Graduate - $575

Distance Learning Center (DLC)to Move Oces

The DLC willbe moving toa new locationon campus in

late January.Students canstill continueto address any

wrien correspondence to the DLCand it will get to the oce.

Financial Aid ReminderFinancial aid money does not getdisbursed until aer the semester

begins. If you are planning to usenancial aid money to cover thecosts of your textbooks, you need

to make alternate arrangementsfor buying the textbooks and thenpaying o the bill when yournancial aid is received. It is thestudents responsibility to have atextbook by the time the course

begins.

Problems with Your Advising Site?If you have problems with yourusername and password accessfor the library and advising site(remember, this is where you can

view your grades), please contactJohn Vieth at 800.362.5460.

Dont Delay Registering forSpring Semester

If you are planning to take anonline course, it is important foryou to register early for the springsemester. As we continue to grow,we are not able to accommodateall of the late registrations that weare geing. During the fall 2007semester, nearly 100 students didnot get the classes they wanted

because they waited until thelast minute to register. Dont getlocked out of the course you want.REGISTER EARLY!


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Tools to Assist with Avoiding PlagiarismIn the last issue of PLEXUS,we published an article aboutplagiarism and the negative impactit has on the individual, course,program, and fellow students. Asplagiarism has been identied

and students have been warnedabout it, there are typically tworesponses:

1. I didnt realize that what I didwas considered plagiarism.2. I didnt think I could get caught.I wont do it again.

In response to the rst statement,UW-Plaeville has identied threeresources to help you determine ifwhat you are submiing would be

considered plagiarism and/or theappropriate citation to use to givecredit for others work.

1. RefWorks is a service that isavailable to all students aliatedwith UW-Plaeville. It canassist you with correctly citingyour sources and developing a

bibliography. An online training

session was made available atthe beginning of the semester,describing how to use this systemand the archive of this session isnow available in all online classes.Additional information about this

system can be found in ChuckChristisons article in this issue ofPLEXUS.

2. TurnItIn is a plagiarismdetection service that is onlyavailable to faculty teachingonline classes. This service allowsa faculty member to submit astudent paper to the TurnItIn siteand obtain information aboutwhich portions of the article arelikely plagiarized and a link to

where the information is located.Again, additional informationabout this system can be found inChuck Christisons article in thisissue of PLEXUS. We are testingthis system in the online coursesand, if found to be benecial, will

be considered for purchase for thecampus and made available to allfaculty and students.

3. As part of the Drums andCymbals project, an interactivetutorial and quiz about plagiarismwas developed and is beingtested in a course during the fallsemester. As we receive feedback

from the students regarding thisproduct, we will update it andmake it available in a broader scope.

In addition to the items listedabove, there are numerous onlinesites that provide additionalinformation about what constitutesplagiarism. Links to many of thesesites can be found on the UW-Plaeville library and distanceeducation websites. Also, be sureto use your faculty member as a

resource. If you have reviewedthe documentation that has beenmade available to you and you arestill uncertain about somethingyou are writing and if it would beconsidered plagiarism, ASK! Withall of these tools at your disposal,I didnt realize that what I didwas considered plagiarism is nota good excuse.

Technical Support - UW Learning Innovations

Direct questions that relate to problems getting access to the course (e.g., passwords,

login name) and/or other hardware/software problems that you encounter when

navigating through the course.

Toll-free: 877.724.7883

E-mail: [email protected]

Learner Services - UW Learning Innovations

Direct questions that relate to billing, registering in an online course, ordering exams,nominating proctors, refunds, and problems with receiving textbooks from the online

bookstore.

Toll-free: 877.895.3276


Student Services - UW-Platteville Distance Learning Center

Direct questions that relate to admissions information and status, course grades,

nancial aid, transfer of credits, general questions about programs offered at a distance

from UWP, information about policies and procedures associated with each online

program.

Toll-free: 800.362.5460


Contact Information forOnline Courses

UW-Platteville Program CoordinatorsBusiness Administration (online)

Susan Hansen

Phone: 608.342.1436


Business Administration (print)

Marge Karsten

Phone: 608.342.1749


Project Management

Bill Haskins

Phone: 608.342.1961


Criminal Justice (undergraduate)

Amy Nemmetz

Phone: 608.342.1494


Criminal Justice (graduate)

Cheryl Banachowski-Fuller

Phone: 608.342.1652


Engineering

Lisa Riedle

Phone: 608.342.1686



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Since I have two small children and work third shift, I feel the

distance education program is much more convenient for my

schedule, she says. I was able to do my work when I

decided instead of having to attend a class at a

predetermined time.

Laura Palmer, 2007 Graduate

UWPlatteville

D L C

What our graduatesare saying!

REMINDERCourse/faculty evaluations will be available in the online courses during the rst week of December. Please take the

time to complete this evaluation. The results are used in very important decisions for the future of the online programs!

Documents

Plexus 2007 Fall