The Associated Press reported yesterday on Ian Newland, an Iraq war veteran who has started an online degree since returning to Denver, Colorado in the US. So why is online education so well suited to people in his position? And has he become the embodiment of the magic of e-learning?
It was December 4th when Ian Newland was injured in Adhamija. While on patrol, an insurgent threw a grenade through his Humvee’s gun port. Newland and most of his colleagues survived due to Spc. Ross McGinnis, who covered the grenade with his body to save the lives of the others. Upon his return, the non-profit organization Sentinels of Freedom awarded him a four-year scholarship.
Despite suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Newman now studies business administration online, has a job at a real estate company, and still has time to spend with his family and children — and he’s not the only war veteran to do so. At Jones International University, an online institution accredited by Denver’s Higher Learning Commission, 350 students are or were currently in the Army. That’s almost 20 percent of the entire student body.
It’s the accessibility of online learning that seems to make it so popular, with students being able to learn at work, at home, or even abroad. Ivan Moreno also states that in 2007 more than 710,000 online and traditional courses were attended by former or current military personnel. Others estimate that more than 10 percent of American college students are taking online courses.
Ian Newland admits that given his limited computer background, an online education seemed far-fetched. But there were other hurdles to overcome, including his short-term memory loss and the onset of symptoms common to dyslexics, such as: B. seeing words backwards.
Aside from the accessibility of e-learning, especially when compared to the traditional classroom setting, the flexibility of an online degree seems to be most important to Newland. The Associated Press describes how Ian Newland “is able to spend more time with his family because he can write papers on renewable energy sources and space exploration while he’s at work.”
It seems that Newland – in the US at least – has become a great example of how online education can really work, and if he continues to make headlines, he will no doubt influence many more to come.
Thanks to Sarah Maple | #Ian #Newland #War #Hero #ELearning #Celebrity
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