Meet AIU Students and Alumni
Margaret Green
M.Ed. in Instructional Technology
Meet Margaret Green
Meet Margaret Givens-Green – single parent, doctoral candidate, college-level instructor and AIU alumna. The door to the world of higher learning opened for her after she decided to continue her education. AIU Online fit in perfectly with Margaret's goal of becoming a full-time instructor, but not before experiencing academic life as both an instructor and student in a brick and mortar setting.
Margaret believes in the power of education and knows from experience that learning and teaching go hand in hand. "I initially attended Washtenaw Community College (WCC) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After my first semester, I was hired by the English Department to work as a tutor at the Writing Center based on the recommendation of my English professor. I worked there for five years, part-time, even after I transferred to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I was promoted to part-time instructor at WCC right after I earned my Bachelor's degree. Then the offer I had been waiting for finally came, but there was a condition that I had to meet."
When Margaret was offered a position as a full-time instructor at WCC, it was contingent upon earning a Master's degree within five years. After taking a much-needed academic rest, she once again enrolled in a brick and mortar university. But this time things were different. As a full- time instructor and single parent, taking on full-time studies was extremely difficult for Margaret. "I began my Master's degree study at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I finished the first semester with the grade of "A", but it was so difficult for me to physically attend classes that I did not return to EMU."
Over two of the five years within which Margaret was required to earn a Master's degree had now passed by and time was running out. Margaret had to do something soon, so she began to look into online learning. "I had to quickly find an accredited university with an accelerated Master's degree program that offered enough flexibility to fit my busy lifestyle and also fit my style of learning. When I discovered AIU Online I looked no further. It was the perfect fit for me!"
AIU Online offers accelerated degree programs that can help career professionals like Margaret achieve their goals without interfering with their work and family life. And, American InterContinental University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Associate, Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Margaret soon found that AIU Online has a lot more than that to offer. "I was introduced to new ideas and instructional methods that were immediately applicable in my career. AIU Online not only helped me improve as a student, but also as an educator. I came in contact with some excellent instructors through AIU Online that I still keep in touch with and who have become role models for me. The use of the internet for research, Power Point presentations and visual hands-on learning helped me develop a dynamic, multi-faceted approach to teaching that is very effective. AIU Online opened a new world of learning for me and for my students."
Margaret's professional life has changed in many ways since earning her Master's degree through AIU Online. "I use the instructional methods I learned through AIU Online every day. I learned through AIU Online that students learn from each other, which can motivate them to learn on their own. There are no absolutes in teaching, but the key is motivation. Students have unique styles of learning. I learned that a strong instructional method along with a hands-off approach gets better results in the classroom because it enables students to receive the information and then develop their own styles of learning. I learned that students can work together better in group projects. Students learn teamwork through responsibilities in regard to the projects and responsibilities to their team members. I learned that facilitating the learning process by questioning students can help them develop better critical thinking skills and look deeper into concepts. I give the guidelines of projects/presentations, but then step back as students completely follow through in the development, organization and delivery of the projects and presentations. I see the results every day with better projects and better participation from my students. I give AIU Online credit for that."
Margaret is beginning to see results in other ways as well. She is currently enrolled in a doctorate program in Adult Education Leadership through another institution. "I just completed my first week and found it easy to adapt to new educational technologies because of my AIU Online experience. I have also written and edited three course-packs that include audio-visual instructing techniques based on methods I learned at AIU Online. I was thrilled when a representative of Houghton-Mifflin Publishing expressed an interest in one of my course packs! AIU helped me prepare for Ph.D. study and also has helped me develop a very positive outlook on online learning. I would eventually like to teach some online classes and AIU Online has helped prepare me for that as well. Thanks to AIU Online, I have more career opportunities than ever."
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