Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- Some students never leave school, and sometimes, that's a good thing. In the case of three University of Wisconsin-Platteville Distance Education professors in the criminal justice department, their previous role as students of UWP's online Master of Science in Criminal Justice Program led them to the other side of the teaching desk, teaching students through the online system they embraced as students.

Ken Wiegman, a 2007 UWP Master of Science in Criminal Justice graduate turned UWP criminal justice professor, finds it easy to relate to his current students.

"Having been a student in an online environment, I have first-hand experience in what the [current] students are facing," Wiegman said. "As a student, I had to juggle the same issues of time management that are needed to be successful in the program. When I am advising students I can respond with empathy because of this experience."

Gary Apperson, a UWP criminal justice professor, agrees. "I have never forgotten the aspects of being a student," Apperson said. "In fact, my credo as a teacher is, 'I am there for the students and not the other way around.'"

Apperson has modeled how he teaches from his experience as a student. "As a result of frustrations as a student, I am involved in the class discussions forums, answer e-mail daily, provide timely and meaningful feedback, provide 'A' examples of assignments, accept draft reviews and suggestions for improvement, and assist students with their research papers by providing a research paper discussion forum. I am also a fan of student-centered learning and constructing my courses for the success of the student."

Dan Avenarius, an adjunct criminal justice professor for UWP, describes how he first had doubts about online classes but now enjoys the advantages it offers and is excited about its future.

"When I was first considering going through the graduate program online, I was a little skeptical. I wondered how difficult the courses would be, if I would miss the classroom interaction and the ability to have discussions face-to-face. My first class put those worries to rest. The class was exciting, had students enrolled from all over the United States from a wide array of criminal justice backgrounds, and I have often said that I learned as much from my classmates as I had from the professors.

"Distance learning, online learning, or whatever you call it, is the wave of the future for education."

Wiegman adds a final note on the differences between a student and professor. "It is certainly easier to be teaching and grading papers than researching and writing them."

Wiegman, Apperson and Avenarius are all criminal justice professors who teach classes online. Their contact information and further information about Distance Education at UWP can be found at uwplatt.edu/disted/.

Contact and Written by: Dan Klein, UWP Distance Learning Center, (608) 342-1468, kleindan@uwplatt.edu