During two chilly March days, EE&O sponsored a mobile billboard in the form of a golf cart to drive student to class. During the drive, students were told about the flexibility and convenience of UNL’s independent study courses (open-enrollment courses, summer independent study, term-based “X” courses)

The Independent Study High School (ISHS) has been awarded the University Continuing Education Association’s 2009 Community of Practice Meritorious Course Award for The Science of Health. This is the program’s sixth consecutive award.

The award recognizes new and innovative courses that utilize one or more forms of instruction at a distance. The course, Science of Health, was authored by Donna Hahn and developed by Judy Montgomery. In the online high school course, students are introduced to medically accepted means of promoting physical and mental well-being. Among the subjects addressed are skills for living a healthy lifestyle, self-esteem, physical fitness and nutrition, the effects of alcohol and drugs on the human body, and disease prevention.

Dr. James Schmidt, Professor of Economics in the College of Business Administration, has taught business and economic statistics courses at UNL for over 25 years.  

Dr. Schmidt teaches the online ECON 215 Statistics course. In this course, he focuses on helping students understand roles that probability and statistics play in analyzing economic and business information, providing students with many opportunities to become proficient in statistical procedures that are commonly encountered in the business world.

Dr. Schmidt uses a variety of teaching strategies to help students master statistical procedures and fulfill their goal of becoming effective decision makers and insightful consumers of economic and business information. The course is organized into modules that include lists of readings and suggested exercises from the text with keyed answers, audio lectures and corresponding PowerPoint notes, links to the CengageNOW system for extra credit quizzes, and instructor developed randomly generated computer homework. Extra credit pre- and post-quizzes prepare students for the proctored unit exams, which consist of short-answer questions and problems/applications.

Semester-based “X” courses are a great option for students with demanding schedules. These classes run on the same semester schedule as traditional UNL classes, but are available online. The number of available courses and their popularity have grown:

The Independent Study High School is looking to expand the interaction between, and connection with, our global student body and UNL. We would like to partner with UNL colleges or departments to offer our students a deeper look into UNL.  We are exploring offering a “Guest Lecturer” series that could showcase UNL experts as well as serve as a recruiting tool to UNL.  Imagine being able to share your project and expertise with our worldwide student base of 2,400 high school students through new technologies. This would allow our students the chance to see the new and creative activities happening at UNL.  Sharing an online lab, a new technology developed on campus, cutting edge projects, interesting content is a great way to attract students to UNL. The possibilities are endless.

If you have ideas, please contact Tim Ernst, Director of ISHS, at 472-4424 or ternst2@unl.edu.

On Monday, April 6th the Advanced Scholars Program held an on campus event for students, parents and high school administrators to learn more about the program, what to expect and learn from other students and schools currently using Advanced Scholars program. The Advanced Scholars program will soon offer courses to KS and MO high schools in addition to schools in NE, IA, and SD.

The Fourth Biennial Symposium: The Global Quilt: Cultural Contexts will be held from April 2-4, 2009. The Symposium is designed for individuals interested in exploring quilts as a means of cultural expression and cross-cultural transmission.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Honors Program will host the 2009 Great Plains Honors Council Conference. Honors administrators, faculty and students from Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas will converge on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus for the annual conference on April 3-5.