Classes begin January 7th

Northeastern University – Seattle will launch it’s first classes on January 7, 2013. 

Beginning this January, 28 master and doctoral degrees from seven of Northeastern’s colleges and schools will be offered through the Seattle Graduate Campus. The majority of courses will be offered in hybrid format, providing students the flexibility of partially asynchronous learning partnered with on-campus class sessions.  Some courses will be offered completely online; students taking courses 100% online have access to and are encouraged to utilize all Graduate Campus resources. 

For assistance in course registration, please contact your Academic Advisor or Gina Takasugi at g.takasugi@neu.edu

Admissions for January 2013 enrollment are closed; we are now taking applications for Spring and Summer admissions. 

From the Academic Dean: Is Grad School Right for You?

I often find when talking with prospective students about graduate school, that they wonder what it is like and if it might be right for them as their next step. Many applicants to a graduate program are basing their decision to attend grad school on their undergraduate experience. While some elements are similar, many are not. For example, a student attending graduate school should expect to be very self-motivated and driven because much of the requirements set out by the professor will involve individual learning often determined by individual research interests or projects. Professors expect a high level of thought, writing ability, and critical thinking in any graduate program. My experiences show that most graduate students who enroll complete the program successfully as they are motivated in their particular field of interest.

There are many types of graduate programs; hence, a prospective student must research multiple programs of interest to know what best fits their interests and lifestyle. For example, a student wanting a very traditional graduate program, often leading to the Ph.D., might want to consider a conventional program where they often take classes during the day and work at a university as a research assistant or teaching assistant. Other programs are less traditional and offer classes in the late afternoon, evenings, and on weekends for working adults. Others are fully on-line programs, and still others are a mixture of on-line and on-ground designed for working adults. In addition, a prospective student should always look at the program in terms of whether it offers the types of courses and requirements he or she is interested in – as well as the quality and reputation of the department and university. Depending on a prospective student’s personal life and working life, it’s crucial he or she chooses the program that meets his or her needs and fits his or her lifestyle.

Angela L.E. Walmsley, Ph.D., Associate Dean – Academic

From the Academic Dean: Time to Shift Careers?

Many people will change or alter their career in a significant manner throughout their adult working life.  According to bizcommunity.com, people change their careers five to seven times in their lifetime.  This is a significant difference from previous generations where it was quite common for a person to work for the same company his/her entire career. 

Why do working adults shift careers so often?  There are two major reasons for adults switching careers.  The first is the common issue of budgetary changes.  For example, companies change directions, downsize, force retirement, merge or are acquired by other companies; these or any of the myriad of situations that arise because of financial reasons can force working adults to shift careers.  The other major reason people change careers is that they are no longer satisfied with their current challenges and working environments.  This could be a change in management that affects the workers’ conditions and general happiness, but often is because the adult worker is no longer challenged in his or her current job.  Most adults changing careers are ready for different challenges or ready to learn new things.  While money is certainly a driving force for many people in career choice and change, it is often not the main motivating factor.  Being adequately challenged is crucial. 

Are you ready for a career change?  If you have been contemplating this, the best advice is to research, research, and research your options.  Many career shifters will best be served by looking at higher education opportunities – many of which may offer slightly different degrees than were possible even ten years ago.  With the changing economy and changing world, new and different degree programs are constantly being developed or modified to meet society’s demands and needs.  It could be that your past experiences, education and skills could be enhanced by higher education.

 Angela L.E. Walmsley, Ph.D., Associate Dean – Academic

Northeastern-Seattle Dean Leads Regional Task Force on Technology Workforce Development

The largest challenge facing the Seattle region’s technology companies is the difficulty in getting the talented workforce they need to grow and prosper.  The success of the region in attracting companies is also its greatest challenge, as it creates a large demand for qualified workers in computer science, engineering and other areas.  Microsoft, for example, currently has 6,000 job openings nationwide, 3,400 of which are for software engineers, developers, programmers, and the like.  The same is true for other small, medium, and large companies as well as startups.  The Washington Technology Industrial Association (WTIA), with over 600 technology company members, has taken on this challenge and set forth a key Strategic Initiative on workforce development.  WTIA asked Northeastern-Seattle Dean Tayloe Washburn to chair its new Workforce Development Committee (WFD Committee).  The committee has regional leaders in academia, an array of technology companies and representatives from workforce nonprofits.

The  WFD Committee first hosted a meeting of higher education institutions in the state, which included the University of Washington, Washington State University, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, Bellevue College and Western Washington University.  In recent weeks many other institutions have agreed to help inform this advisory group of higher ed institutions, including Central Washington University and Eastern Washington University, and subsequently crafted a 12-18 month strategy to implement this initiative.  The WTIA Board of Directors last week met and approved the WFD Strategy.  It calls for 1) documenting the technology industry talent gap with precision, so all are working off the same data; 2) inventorying academic resources and identify possible gaps, areas for improvement or filling gaps, and identifying best practices which effectively address tech talent; and 3) inventorying and identifying the best practices of employers in this region in tackling the tech talent gap.

Other economic development groups, public officials and stakeholders in the region see this WFD Strategy as a key means to tackle this regional problem.  EnterpriseSeattle will kick off its 2013 Economic Forecast Conference by showcasing this iniative in January, and we will also involve the Technology Alliance in helping document the talent gap.  Those interested in more information and who would like to participate should contact the WFD Committee Chair, Tayloe Washburn of Northeastern University-Seattle at t.washburn@neu.edu or  206.419.3878.

From the Academic Dean: The Flipped Classroom

The expression “flipped classroom” is becoming a popular topic around education circles.  A flipped classroom in a traditional school is one where students listen to lectures and learn content outside of the classroom (at home via technology) and then use actual class time for involvement with the teacher, working on problems, interacting in discussion with each other, or completing labs.  Essentially what happens in a flipped classroom is that traditional teaching methods are moved to delivering instruction online and “homework” or activities are moved into the classroom when students and teachers come together.  This is a “flipped” or inverted model to what traditional education has been which is lecture based during class time.

The hybrid concept at Northeastern – Seattle is a graduate level model of the “flipped classroom.”  Students learn much of the content of a course on-line that was traditionally lecture driven in a classroom.  Students and the instructor meet on-ground in the hybrid model a few times a semester to work through problems, be involved in experiential exercises, and have group discussion that may be better face to face than on-line. 

A benefit of the flipped classroom which includes on-line learning in a hybrid context is that students are able to watch content multiple times before meeting together on-ground.  This makes their time face to face more meaningful because the time can be used to maximize their learning.

Angela L.E. Walmsley, Ph.D., Associate Dean – Academic