comparison to other statistics programs that I had researched, OSU could reasonably balance with my everyday life, but still finish the degree in a timely manner.” Despite being more than 1,000 miles away from campus, Wendland has found community at OSU. “Going into the program, I was concerned that I would be isolated as an online student,” Wendland said. “However, the support and community that I have gotten to experience was quite the opposite. Any time I had a question, the professors were easy to communicate with. Many courses also posted videos of the class in progress while they taught. This allowed me to hear questions from other students and classroom discussions.” “It has allowed me to advance in my career while still having time to take care of my family. I would encourage anyone interested in computers and willing to put in the work to pursue the program.” Woodard’s distance learning opportunity even before her December 2023 graduation from the program. technology company, and I started a remote position as a systems engineer with them this spring,” Woodard said. “Having the experience in OSU’s computer science program helped me SOCIOLOGY In the fall of 2021, students interested in sociology could begin pursuing their degrees online. Laken Pruitt, the advisor for the sociology degree program, said the opportunity is not only a great remote learning option, but also provides students who study on campus with a safety net. “While the program is fairly new, having the online option has been useful for several students,” Pruitt said. “The online degree allows students to have continuity in their degree and gives them the chance to keep working if they have to leave campus for some reason.” As the program grows and develops, Pruitt has seen more students enrolling. “The sociology degree is great because nothing happens outside of the context of society,” Pruitt said. opportunities to learn about society and more and more students are becoming interested in the opportunity.” LEARN MORE about online degree options through the College of Arts and Sciences at cas.okstate.edu/onlinelearning.html. Casie Wendland PSYCHOLOGY the online psychology program are implementing a newway to engage with distance learners. “We are introducing a special section of our succeeding in psychology course, specifically for our online students,” said Meredith Beyl, academic advisor for the online psychology program. “This required course leads students to explore their options after completing the degree, with assignments designed to help them understand what career options are available at the bachelor’s level, explore graduate school options, perfect their resumes and understand how to get involved in research and teaching assistantships in the department while completing their degrees.” Beyl emphasized that the best online courses are customized in similar ways, accommodating the unique situation of virtual classrooms. “The section specific to online students allows us to tailor those assignments and conversations to their unique standing as remote learners, making their experience more personalized,” Beyl said. STATISTICS For those who have obtained their onemaster’s level online degree through the Department of Statistics. The applied statistics programequips students with critical skills in data analytics. CasieWendland, a high school teacher inMonmouth County, New Jersey, graduated from the program inMay. “I began looking at programs to further my education and came across this one,” Wendland said. “In “Going into the program, I was concerned that I would be isolated as an online student. However, the support and community that I have gotten to experience was quite the opposite.” CASIE WENDLAND, OSU GRADUATE FROM NEW JERSEY OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SC I ENCES 15
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