This past April, at the apex of March Madness, I attended the Cooperative Education and Internship Association’s (CEIA) annual conference in Boston. In fact, I landed in Boston the night Northern Iowa upset Kansas—the second time Kansas has been upset by an MVC team in recent memory. The CEIA’s annual conference is an opportunity for universities, from not only around the nation, but the North American Continent, to share and present ideas on experiential education and learning, mentoring, the design and implementation of internship programs, and providing career education services to fledgling undergraduate and graduate students.
One thing that became quickly apparent is that I was the only person at the conference representing an institution exclusively committed to distance learning. Two things struck me about this fact. First, it helped to showcase how higher education is currently transforming. As education continues to undergo a process of technologization, allowing traditionally underserved or non-traditional students to pursue higher education, distance learning programs (run both by online universities and traditional brick-and-mortar universities) will continue to proliferate. The second thing that dawned on me, and this thought had occurred to me long before, is the uniqueness of the challenges distance learning institutions face with regard to career education and experiential learning programs.
What makes career education particularly challenging within the context of online education is the fact that an online university’s student body is geographically dispersed and its students vary a great deal in terms of professional experience and career-related needs. APUS’ career management tool, NACElink, is used as a means to inform students and alumni about job opportunities around the U.S. In addition to this, while the career-related information located on the Student Affairs Center is intended to assist students prepare for the job application process and its various components, the Career Services Blog serves as a means of providing information to students in every stage of career development–from application to retirement–and is a forum for APUS students and alumni to discuss career tips and economic news.
In light of this, we welcome your comments, topic suggestions, and any questions you may have about this blog or the articles it covers. Also feel free to contact the Office of Student and Alumni Affairs by e-mailing studentaffaris@apus.edu with any questions about the Career Services Blog and/or its content.
Please note: The Career Services Blog, and the posts and opinions contained within it, are representative of the opinions of individual staff members of the Office of Student and Alumni Affairs and do not represent the positions, strategies, or opinions of American Public University System and/or its member institutions, American Public University and American Military University.
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