2010 Ecampus Graduates

Heather Nebrich

Master of Adult Education
Hillsboro, Oregon

Heather Nebrich

What does completing your degree mean to you? How do you feel it will improve your life and career? Working through the Master's in Adult Education program has changed me on so many levels. I have accomplished tasks I never thought possible prior to this program. I can create an original training full of exciting activities accommodating different learning styles. I can also create a visually appealing and trainer friendly facilitator's guide accompanied by a meaningful and interactive participant's guide for the training class. I would have never thought I could create these documents and be successful doing so.

Finishing this program will be bittersweet. It feels amazing to be at the end of the three year long journey but I will miss my cohort members the most. I have worked with some very talented educators that are dedicated to their student's and school's success. Group work was something that brought many of us closer in our friendships. We learned a lot about each other and ourselves when it came to getting things done with strict deadlines and not being able to meet but once a month. I leave the program with ten new lifelong friends I would have never met if I did not attend the program.

Why did you choose to complete your degree online through OSU Extended Campus? What did you like about this method of education?  OSU Extended Campus program came highly recommended by a previous graduate. She explained how it worked and that it had the flexibility she needed to continue working a full-time job while going to school to earn her degree. I took her advice by joining the program and I am very grateful that I did. I have taken online classes in the past and benefited from this style of instruction. This program was even more enjoyable. The teachers were very assessable when I had questions and the students in the program all worked together to achieve our goals and master our assignments.

My dad, who lives in Arizona, was diagnosed with Bladder Cancer in January. If I was enrolled in any other program, I would have had to drop out so I could be with him during his surgery and treatments. Since we only meet in person once a month and our assignments are posted on Blackboard, I was able to keep up with my work and be with my dad. My cohort members were very supportive and helped me keep up with class projects to guarantee my success.

Did you have an instructor or advisor who was influential in helping you succeed as a distance student? The most influential instructor in our program was and is Jennifer Webster. Jennifer taught several classes in our program including the first class. When she found out that I wanted to start the program very close to the beginning of the school year, she did everything she could to make sure I was admitted. She knew if I had to wait until the next year my likeliness of starting the program was minimal. I attended the first day of class very grateful for all of Jennifer's persistence to get me there.

Jennifer was also my supervisor for my internship with Columbia Sportswear. She was there to guide me through the process and answer any questions that I had about the project. I created a four hour training on conflict management for new managers and was asked to pilot the program. Jennifer was there the day I taught the training for moral support and to give feedback on the training. Because Jennifer was available to me every step of the way, the training was a huge success. I will never forget this experience or how dedicated Jennifer was to my success in the program and my internship project.


What will your Ecampus degree allow you to do that you were unable to do before? The degree I will receive through the Ecampus program allows me to obtain a teaching position at the community college and university level. My undergraduate degree is in Secondary Education, I loved teaching high school but I was seeking a new opportunity. I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try teaching adults. With little understanding of how adults learn, I would not have been successful prior to attending the program. I did not realize adults learned differently than a student at the high school level. I thought once a student hit high school, their learning style stayed the same. Throughout this program, I learned how to accommodate to adult learners educational needs after they reach maturity.

The classes I completed in the program showed me how to become a successful instructional leader, instructional designer, instructional technology leader, organizational leader, and action researcher. Feeling successful in these roles will allow me to acquire the job I desire to find.

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