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Archives for July 2024

UW Flexible Option Celebrates 10 Years of Helping Adult Learners Excel

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UW Flexible Option is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Over the past decade, the competency-based program has changed many students’ lives by offering them an accommodating, affordable education that is 100% online and built for working, busy adult learners.

UW Flexible Option offers a variety of programs in business, healthcare, and technology-related fields. Since its inception, UW Flexible Option has launched several degree and certificate programs and has graduated nearly 1,500 students. Current programs include: one associate degree, five bachelor’s completion degrees, four certificates and one microcredential.  

“The UW Flexible Option certificates and degrees demonstrate the Universities of Wisconsin’s commitment  to winning the war for talent,” said Johannes Britz, Universities of Wisconsin Interim Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. “Helping adult learners meet their career goals while developing the skills they can immediately apply on the job, also benefiting Wisconsin’s employers. We are going to be relentless in providing new opportunities for busy nontraditional students in this space so that they can learn on their schedule while working and living life.”

UW Flexible Option was created to provide adult learners with a convenient way to complete their degree while learning practical skills they can immediately apply on the job or use to move up in their careers, like cybersecurity expert Torry Crass did. Crass earned his UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology (IST) offered through UW Flexible Option in spring 2023 using credits previously earned in college.

Like Crass, students who have already earned an associate degree or certification (or who have attended college in the past) may be eligible to receive credit toward their bachelor’s degree.

Antwaun Sanders, who received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at UW-Parkside through UW Flexible Option, began the program after taking an extended break from on-campus education due to personal reasons. Despite the many challenges he had faced in school prior to enrolling in UW Flexible Option, he felt supported throughout his time finishing his bachelor’s.

“The professors answering emails, making themselves available for virtual meetings and for feedback on concepts that you might be struggling with: I was like, ‘Wow, they actually care about you getting your degree.’ They’re not just trying to get you out of their class. They really care about you succeeding. I felt that throughout the entire program,” he says. 

UW-Parkside also recently partnered with Nicolet College to offer a direct transfer program for students. Through the agreements, graduates of Nicolet College’s Associate of Applied Science in Business Management can continue their education remotely by transitioning to the UW Flexible Option BSBA program. Graduates are automatically eligible for the UW Flexible Option BSBA program provided they meet the admission criteria. They’ll also receive up to 60 transfer credits for the BSBA program.

Graduates of UW Flexible Option have gone on to other degree programs and careers. Andrew Min, alumnus of the UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences: Health Sciences program offered through the UW Flexible Option, realized that teaching is his true calling after being in the program. Andrew is an occupational therapist by training, but needed his bachelor’s degree at a U.S. institution after receiving his initial education internationally.

Andrew, who now teaches occupational therapy at a technical college in Washington, encourages his own students to enroll in UW Flexible Option like he did. 

“I think this is a great way to advance your education. It’s an economical option. For someone who is already in a health-related field, this is really going to build upon the knowledge that you already have, and it’ll open so many more doors of opportunity after you finish this undergrad experience,” he says.

UW Flexible Option also offers students who have disabilities an opportunity to excel. Amanda Kauffman, who received the UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Health Sciences: offered through UW Flexible Option, has hearing loss and wasn’t excelling in a traditional classroom environment.

“I think it was my saving grace. I think the fact that [learning in-person] even with accommodations was so difficult for me because you’re dealing with different professors, personalities, even just talking levels. Only so much can be accommodated for you. So here, I love that it’s just all up front. You have all the information in your syllabus. Everything is very detailed,” Amanda says.

“And that was my problem before: A lecture, for example. You’re in person. You can take so many notes for so long. But what if you don’t hear something? What if you misinterpret something? And then you don’t understand that lesson plan. But here, there’s videos of lectures. I can go back and just rewatch this lecture and not be like, oh, I misunderstood this or anything like that,” she adds.

Are you interested in getting your degree? With UW Flexible Option, you’ll be able to:

  • Build on the expertise you have already developed on the job. Use the knowledge and skills you gained in your professional experience or previous academic work to move through program content faster. In addition, most degree programs will transfer up to 60 credits from previous course work or an associates degree. 
  • Fit school into your life. Start any month! Without traditional semester schedules, group work, required class discussions or scheduled log-on requirements, you can earn your degree whenever it works for you.
  • Control your pace. You can complete assignments when you have time, and pause your subscription to accommodate major life events (like marriage, moving, having children, or changing jobs). 
  • Enjoy the UW Flexible Option Tuition Guarantee. Worried about tuition hikes and the rising costs of a college education? With UW Flexible Option, your tuition price is locked in until you graduate. Even if the institutional rate increases, your individual rate remains the same. With a competency-based education, you control your subscription. 

To learn more, call an enrollment adviser at 608-800-6762 or email at flex@uwex.wisconsin.edu.

Health Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Graduate: ‘I Hope Others Find UW Flexible Option Like Me’

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If you’ve thought about going back to school to get your bachelor’s degree but aren’t sure you can do it, take some advice from Sonia, a recent alumnus of the UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences: Health Sciences offered through the UW Flexible Option:

“For those students out there who are still looking to complete their bachelor’s degree who didn’t get a chance to after high school, who didn’t get a chance to go back to school again or are waiting for a good time, do your research and find a program that works for you. I hope they will find UW Flexible Option like me.”

Sonia’s educational journey actually began back in her native Bangladesh. She attended college there but dropped out in 2008. She moved to the U.S. in 2009 and got married.

Eventually she went back to school, receiving her associates degree from Chippewa Valley Technical College in 2018. She stayed home afterward to raise her children, and in  2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she continued to stay home while her kids attended school virtually and her husband worked outside of the home.

In fall 2021, her two oldest children returned to in-person learning, and Sonia wondered what her next step would be.

“There was already a three-year gap in my resume,” Sonia explains. “So my husband suggested to me, ‘You know, there are a lot of online degrees available in Wisconsin and outside of Wisconsin. Maybe you could look online and see if there is any program that will accept all the credits you got from your previous associates degree and then work toward a four-year degree.’ So that’s how it started. And I was thinking, ‘OK, maybe I will stay at home until [my youngest] is a little bit older.’”

Attending in-person college wasn’t realistic for Sonia and her family because they would need to pay for full-time daycare for her youngest child while the other two were in school. “And then for the two oldest, I must arrange something after school too, because my husband will be working and I will be in school all day. It would be difficult for us to afford care for three kids.”

Then, Sonia discovered the UW Flexible Option. “When I applied to UW Flexible Option, I found out that this is for mostly non-traditional students or working adults who want to change their field or who want to get a job to get a promotion. It really fit my situation. And after [I applied], the success coach reached out to me and said that they accepted all my credits. So that was a huge turning point for me. And my husband said, ‘OK, you should go for this.’”

Sonia looked at other schools, but they didn’t give her as many credits as UW Flexible Option did (67). One school gave her 36; another offered 42. 

“I think because of this, UW Flexible Option will be able to attract more students because no one wants to lose those credits. Because we spent time, we gave effort to get those credits, and we spent money,” she adds.

Sonia started her UW Flexible Option program in January 2022–and it wasn’t always easy.

“For all of the parents or all of the working adults who want to go back to college, it is a challenge,” Sonia says. “Because when you are a student, you study and work part-time or full-time after college. But when you are a parent, when you have a family or significant others or other commitments, then you have to find balance in all of this. And our family is a big support for us. They help us and encourage us to keep going.”

Online learning was another big challenge. “When you are in the classroom setting, you can ask your instructor questions and get feedback right away. I was kind of worried about how I would deal with online learning and doing everything at your own pace. You must drive yourself. You must push yourself to do the work so you don’t cram things in the last four weeks, which is hard.”

However, her online courses offered her the flexibility she needed to excel.

“It is a competency-based degree, so everything was online. And that helped me a lot. Everything is there: what to do, the directions, the deadlines. But believe me, it went so fast. And I worked most of the time at night when my kids were in bed. Some nights I was awake until 3 a.m. or 4 a.m., and then I woke up at 6 a.m. again to make breakfast and lunch for the kids. It’s a team effort for my family and my kids. They sacrificed a lot.”

Sonia wasn’t able to spend much time with her kids on the weekends because she had to study. When her husband was home on Saturday and Sunday, he took the children outside and did errands like grocery shopping so that she could stay home and work.

“Another goal was to finish the degree in two years, and I tried really hard not to take a class twice unless I really had to,” she adds. (With a competency-based learning format, students must pass assessments to move to the next course).

Sonia also received support from her Academic Success Coach. “ASC is very helpful with any questions regarding registration, class add/drop, or grades, any other concerns or emergency situations,” Sonia adds. 

For someone juggling multiple commitments, Sonia advises students to find a time to study that works for them.

“Try to start early. Do not wait until three weeks have passed because you only have 12 weeks. When I start early, it’s less stressful. Life happens. Kids get sick, we get sick, or there’s an emergency.”

She also notes that students should try and allow themselves enough time to read materials, do research, and write. While some course instructors will offer resources, students will have to find some on their own, which can be time-consuming.

Sonia appreciated the close contact she had with her instructors. She was able to email them and get clarification on her assignments. Some professors even video chatted with her to ensure she understood the material.

“Since I was already missing in-class, in-person interactions, when I got the clarification from my email, I got some assurance that I was on the right track.”

Sonia also received help from the UW-Milwaukee Writing Center. She says that the written assignments often took her a bit longer since English is not her native language, but the writing center helped her. For example, before submitting a paper, she would have a tutor look at it.

Sonia is now in the online Master of Public Health program at UW-Eau Claire and hopes to finish her degree in the next couple of years. In the meantime, she is actively applying for jobs to help pay for it. She’s already gotten a couple of interviews. Her graduate program can be completed part-time, so she plans to work and go to school.

“When I dropped out of college, I always wanted to go back. I made this promise to myself that maybe someday I will go back again. I get emotional because that was a really hard time in my life. But with my husband’s inspiration, I came back again, and I feel like if I can do it, anyone can do it. It’s not easy. And after a five- or six-year break from college, it takes courage.”

Think you don’t have time to earn a health sciences degree? Through the University of Wisconsin Flexible Option, you can earn a UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences: Health Sciences in an online, self-paced format that fits any schedule. As a UW Flexible Option student, you can start any month and learn at your own pace—as well as leverage your existing technical education and clinical experience to help you progress toward graduation more quickly.