Ms. Meg H. Giddings, Director and CEO of eMajor
Odum Library Suite 2621
Valdosta State University offers programs for learners seeking the on-campus college experience, online students completing their coursework at a distance, and graduate students completing post-secondary coursework. The VSU student body includes many adult, military, and non-traditional learners who are returning to school after a period of absence to advance their careers as well as those who are entering the collegiate classroom for the first time. In addition to academics, VSU offers many not-for-credit programs and courses through Continuing Education. Continuing Education programs offer personal enrichment courses, opportunities for professional development and certification, Learning In Retirement, and numerous summer programs for children in the community.
Established in 2013, the Office of Extended Learning incorporates two VSU units: the Center for eLearning and Continuing Education. The Center for eLearning is responsible for the promotion, development, and service provision of instructional technology for VSU faculty and students. Through this partnership, VSU seeks to create new and innovative programs which benefit not just the individual learner, but our community and our region by stimulating workforce development, enriching the lives and experiences of our neighbors, and which promoting new opportunities for engagement in lifelong learning.
Center for eLearning
The Center for eLearning provides support, training, and instructional design services for faculty teaching in online, hybrid, and technology-enhanced courses using the Valdosta State BlazeVIEW or University System of Georgia collaborative learning management system, GoVIEW. The Center also supports VSU and VSU-collaborative students with troubleshooting support for technology-enhanced courses including Student Response Systems (Clickers), web-conferencing, Turnitin, and other products. The Center provides assistance to faculty and students in USG collaborative initiatives including eCore (the online core curriculum courses), the collaborative graduate Education programs, and the Georgia WebMBA Program delivered via GoVIEW; and houses the Administrative Unit for the University System of Georgia eMajor Programs. In addition to support, Center staff provide professional development and training opportunities to VSU faculty and administrators, facilitate web- and video-conferencing for academic and administrative events, and offer instructional design consultation and reviews of online and hybrid courses based on Quality Matters national standards.
Continuing Education (non-Credit Courses)
The Continuing Education Department oversees the non-academic credit programs offered by the University for persons in Valdosta and the surrounding communities. Activities include Learning in Retirement, Children’s Programs, Professional Development, and Personal Enrichment Classes. In addition to general classes, Continuing Education develops and presents contract seminars and courses to meet the needs of specific business and industry groups and offers a wide variety of courses and career development certificate programs online. Some courses are developed especially to meet the licensing or certification requirements of specific professional groups requiring continuing education credit.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools requires the use of the CEU (Continuing Education Unit) by member institutions and provides this definition: “One continuing education unit is ten contact hours of participation in an organized, continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction.” Continuing Education administers the CEU procedures for the University. The department also manages the Professional Learning Unit (PLU) program approval and crediting procedures for teacher re-certification.
