Education

C M Y K 2 Winnipeg Free press - saturDaY, august 1, 2015 FrenchandSpanishClasses StartSeptember14 th Visit:ustboniface.ca/educationplus orcall: 204-235-4400,204-233-0210 ortoll-free1-888-233-5112 EXPRESSYOURAPPRECIATION By Holli Moncrieff for the Free Press If you can't come to the University of Manitoba, the University of Manitoba will come to you. i n response to the needs of their students, the school is offering more of its courses and programs online. "We're finding adult students are really looking for flexibility, and the method of delivery of our courses has become quite important to them. But the general population of university students is also looking for flexibility. It's something that's wanted across the board at this point," explains Gary Hepburn, dean of Extended Education. "Our adult learners have jobs and families, and we have young students who have the same concerns as our adult learners. They may have families they need to take care of and jobs as well." Hepburn says the university's flexible programs — courses that can be taken through e-learning and distance education — are far more popular than traditional programs. "We've begun to see a merge take place between traditional and non-traditional learners," he adds. "We want to be very responsive to what our students want and make as many of our programs as flexible as possible. This is one of the biggest areas of education right now. E-learning is a real growth area for us. There's often a real need for this kind of flexibility." That flexibility made all the difference to Tamara Cranen, who took two certificate programs in management at the university. By taking advantage of the university's e-learning options, she was able to complete the two programs in four years while working full time at Manitoba Hydro. "I always wanted to go to the University of Manitoba, but I'm a single parent and I wanted to make sure I could balance work, home and school," says Cranen, 43. "I found their flexibility was amazing." The university offered condensed summer programs, where she could take an entire course during one week of vacation from her job. Cranen says she was nervous about attending classes in person at first. "I was very apprehensive about going to my first class because it had been such a long time since I'd been in school, but it was a very positive experience. It was nice to have that sense of community with the other students," she says. "The instructor was friendly and very approachable — very down to earth. If we had any questions, he was available at any time over phone or email." She graduated from university at the same time her daughter was graduating from high school. Their ceremonies were just days apart. "It's one of the best things I ever did. Finishing two programs in four years was tough, but if you're determined, you can do anything," she says. "It's totally worth it." The university has developed a series of post-baccalaureate certificate programs to help prepare their degree students for the workforce. "These programs are aimed at new or recent graduates of our degree programs," Hepburn says. "We're trying to emphasize work readiness." These programs include courses in business communications, leadership and project management. A new applied-leadership course will be available in January. "Students are welcome to take any of the courses that interest them, as long as they've graduated from high school," says Hepburn. "Most of these programs can be taken without a prerequisite." The university often partners with organizations to offer much-needed fields of study, such as the Manitoba Municipal Administration program or the university's partnership with the Canadian Institute of Management. "We're looking for more opportunities to partner with different organizations. We have a huge pool of expertise and talent. Something that we're working very hard on is partnering with the indigenous community to offer shorter certificate programs," Hepburn says. "Working closely with these communities leads to determining what kinds of training would be the most useful to them. We're trying to be a partner and develop a good delivery infrastructure for them." Since graduating this year, Cranen has been able to use her new skills in a temporary leadership role at Manitoba Hydro. "My education has helped me to understand both the business and the human side of what I'm doing," she says. "It's nice to be able to put both certificate programs to use." For more information about the University of Manitoba's Continuing Education programs, please see their website at umanitoba.ca/faculties/con_ed/coned. ■ Above: Jasleen Phangureh works in the new computer lab in the Extended Education building at the University of Manitoba. Photo by Darcy Finley U of M stats: • In existence for over 137 years, the University of Manitoba offers more than 100 programs and most academic departments have graduate studies leading to master's or doctoral degrees • In the fall 2013 term, 29,759 students attended the U of M, including 25,363 undergraduate students and 3,748 graduate students • 13% of students are international, representing 104 countries • Every year, the U of M welcomes more than 2,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, including over 150 graduate students — one of the largest indigenous student bodies in the country • The U of M ranks 15th among Canada's Top 50 research universities • Ninety-seven U of M students have been awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship — more than any other university in Western Canada • There are more than 131,000 U of M alumni in 131 countries across the globe — Source: University of Manitoba University of Manitoba University on DemanD

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