Student Success Stories
"I‘m not really sure what I expected when I joined the AET masters program at Colorado State University. I was at a crossroads in life and felt like I needed some more “direction”, I use the word direction because more education is not always the answer. As it turns out I received both. Upon applying and getting accepted I had a conversation with my advisor in regards to my personal direction in the program and what I wanted to get out of it. I was shocked at the flexibility it offered as I was allowed to structure everything around a career path I had interest in seeking out as a corporate sales trainer. I knew some of my business peers had started their MBA but I wanted something unique, something I could transfer to any leadership position I eventually wanted. From my perspective no matter where I went in my career I would be teaching and leading adults.
The program walks through adult theory, instructional design and most important, application of what you have learned. Every class and project focuses on how you can bring it to life in your own personal path. The capstone of the program is the portfolio you leave with. The portfolio is a “one stop shop” about you, which combines your accomplishments within the program and your professional life; it was this portfolio that proved most valuable for me. While building my portfolio online, a posting for a trainer came up at my job. I was able to feature my online portfolio in my interview and highlight all of the accomplishments and projects I had worked on, it was like a resume on steroids! The best part is, it will continue to be a constantly changing body of work I can edit and amend whenever I like, molding it to highlight current work.
The bottom line is the AET program helped prepare me to get to the next level in the corporate world. I was offered the position I applied for and could not be more pleased with the result. There is no doubt the hard work accomplished, combined with the flexibility and direction the AET program, was paramount in my personal journey. Whether you are a corporate employee, teacher, current student or small business employee, if you are seeking to be a leader in your field I encourage looking into the AET program at Colorado State University, it could be that one thing that vaults you to the next level in your personal journey!"
-Sean O’Donohue, M.Ed. 2014
"I already had some teaching experience before starting the AET program. Although I enjoyed it, I was lacking the skills to make a bigger difference in the classroom, and to turn that teaching experience into an actual career. That is when I decided to join the AET program.
I was more than satisfied with the quality of the courses and the instructors. But most of all, surprised by how much of what I learned came from peer interaction. Having the theoretical framework and other educators’ experience at my disposal was fundamental in developing classroom strategies and a deeper understanding of students’ motivation and behavior.
Right at the time I was finishing the program, I moved to Slovakia. I presented my teaching portfolio (developed as my capstone project for the program) to two of the major universities here. Both immediately offer me jobs. I took a job at the School of Education at Comenius University, where I was tasked with designing and teaching an American studies course oriented to EFL instructors. The Dean was impressed with the course and asked me to design two more courses to teach the use of technology in English language learning.
The job opportunities kept on coming. A few months later, the police unit in charge of protecting VIPs in the city asked the American embassy if they could provide them with a specialized English course to train their officers. I presented them with a blended learning project that included the use of interactive material through a website and tablets. The program was funded by a special State Department innovation grant and has been running for a year now.
After all this, I decided to continue studying to learn more about online and blended learning. I competed and won a State Department fellowship to study an advanced e-learning instructional design course. The next step would be getting a doctorate degree, which I feel more than ready for now, in great part thanks to the AET program."
Ernesto J. Luna, M.Ed. 2012
Experiential Learning Testimonials
Experiential Learning Seminar at Pingree Park
Are you just starting out on your AET journey and wondering whether the Experiential Learning Seminar at Pingree Park is right for you? Or if you already know that you want to attend this seminar, how do you decide the best time to do it? Would it be better to attend at the very beginning of your program, in the middle, or toward the end? What a great dilemma to have! And in my opinion, there is no wrong answer to this question. I’d like to share a little bit about my own experience with you.
The Experiential Learning Seminar at Pingree Park was the very first class that I took in my graduate studies, and it was a fantastic way to begin the program! Some of the reasons it worked so well for me:
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experience and learning are among the central themes in the AET program and through this course I was immediately immersed in those concepts and their application;
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the opportunity to connect with faculty and fellow students in person gave me a stronger connection with these individuals when I met up with them again in online courses – I felt like I was meeting up with old friends;
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the activities and interactions we engaged in increased my self-confidence and belief in my capabilities;
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the experiences and atmosphere at Pingree Park were conducive to deep reflection, helping me develop habits that would support and enhance my learning throughout the AET program and beyond.
Yes, there were times that I felt a little lost when unfamiliar terms or concepts came up in discussions. But the support was there, from my professor and peers, so that I could learn and apply these new ideas. Later, when I encountered those concepts again, they held so much more meaning in their new context because of my early introduction to them.
We each follow a unique path on our individual AET journey. Follow yours with confidence and know that if you decide to attend the Experiential Learning Seminar at Pingree Park anywhere along your path, you will find it to be a valuable experience and will be glad you made the trip!
Jani Jackson
October 2014