Spring 2002 Cal State Northridge Offers First Online Degree Master's Program Trains Speech-Language Therapists in Their Homes Written by Caroline Miranda Although they had been in the same class for three years, many of the 24 students in Cal State Northridge's first online degree program will meet face to face for the first time this May at their graduation ceremony. In fact, most of the students, who finished their master's degrees in speech-language pathology entirely online, had never before set foot on the CSUN campus. The graduation ceremony represents the first student cohort of a recently established online degree, sponsored by CSUN's colleges of Health and Human Development and Extended Learning. Students can complete the program via Web, e-mail and fax while engaging in supervised fieldwork. They take one or two classes at a time, proceeding through the courses in a group. While a relative watches television in another room and their children sleep, students are actively engaged in a classroom setting in their own homes. "The program allowed me to custom-fit class schedules around my job and family," said Denise Druiff, a graduate from Huntington Beach. "I could attend class early in the morning or late at night. I could go to class in my pajamas and slippers." The three-year program trains therapists in schools, hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers to help people overcome speech impediments caused by conditions such as autism, strokes, accidents and birth defects. Communication disorders majors from around the country now can complete their master's degree without coming to campus-a vital incentive for working professionals and those without easy access to a university. "Without being able to do this program online, I would not have been able to do the program at all," said Debra Colombo, a recent graduate who lives more than two hours from campus. "I would have had to quit my job to take the classes. Aside from wear-and-tear on a vehicle, the time spent in the car almost could be enough to cover two more classes." Professors give tests over the computer and communicate through email, computer discussions and chat rooms. "There are many challenges on both sides of the fence," said Karen Green, distance education coordinator for the communication disorders and sciences department. "The program requires a person who is extremely well organized and can learn independently," Green said. "They are managing a job, full-time graduate school and a family. The ability to not procrastinate is very important." More than 101,000 speech-language pathologists, audiologists and speech-language-hearing specialists practice in the United States, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a national education group representing the profession. Most states require a master's degree for employment. Those in California must obtain a license from the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board, a state agency that oversees practitioners. California also requires a master's degree in speech language pathology, passing a national examination and supervised clinical experience. Jim and Rhonda Taylor, a married couple who were graduated together, chose CSUN over other universities because of the chance to work in the field while earning their degrees. "We were told by many that we were nuts for going through this together, but it was to our advantage in the end," they said in an e-mail interview. "It's not a piece of cake, (but) this program definitely rivals any on-site program in terms of expectations and the amount of knowledge gained," said the Taylors, who work for the Bakersfield City School District. "This program may even be more difficult" Jim and Rhonda Taylor, a married couple from Bakersfield, received master's degrees in speech-language pathology in CSUN's first entirely online deqree program. The speech-language pathology degree is the only online master's offered at CSUN, although future programs, including engineering, are in discussion stages, according to Tyler Blake, executive director of distance learning for the College of Extended Learning. Home
| Prospective
Students | Current
Students Site
last updated
January 14, 2008
|
