CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY STUDIES B.S.

"Not only did the faculty promote confidence in my learning, but they pushed me to be the best version of myself that I could be."

Alexandra Ashworth chose WVU Online because it gave her the flexibility to pursue her education to the fullest, while maintaining part-time work and additional academic pursuits.

"WVU Online has provided avenues for me to fully garner knowledge, while being able to complete a second degree, hold two jobs, and complete my academic work anywhere within the United States."

When choosing to pursue Child Development & Family Studies (CDFS), she found the online class offerings within the major to be extremely beneficial.

"At the time, I knew I desired to obtain two degrees simultaneously, but was unsure how I would be able to balance out the busy nature of my schedule. Upon finding out that my program offered many of its classes in an online format, it opened up my weekly availability to further pursue both my academic and extracurricular pursuits."

In addition to this, a big reason Alexandra chose to pursue a degree in CDFS was the faculty.

"The faculty within the Child Development & Family Studies major are phenomenal, both online and in person!"

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my degree and am excited to put my knowledge into action!"

Ashton Frame chose WVU online because of its flexibility and also because it would provide her with not only an excellent degree, but the ability to spend more time with her loved ones.

"I would definitely recommend WVU online to other students," she says. "You are able to complete the work at whatever time works for your schedule. There also aren’t the pressures of college life and you aren’t worrying about dorms or making it to class, or if you are non-traditional and so on."

But while there are usually no in-person classes, Ashton says that doesn’t mean the classes are any easier.

"There is actually a lot of work thrown at you all at once," she says. "It can be extremely overwhelming. However, taking an hour or so to just write down all your work for the week and planning it throughout the week according to the due dates can be a great help with staying on track."

She says this type of learning enables individuals from all over, of all ages, to receive an excellent education and her degree program has continued to inspire her more and more each semester.

"I’ve always wanted to help and teach young children and this degree and all the knowledge I’m learning has only fueled that desire."

"I am excited to put my knowledge into action!"

"I was very engaged. I still have connections with my professors, even the one from my very first class."

Jill Lenihan teaches children who are blind or visually impaired and needed teaching credentials to take advantage of an opportunity that came up to further help these children.

"Unfortunately, I had never completed college when I was younger and could not pursue teaching credentials until I had my bachelor’s degree. These children are extremely important to me, so I began researching my options."

She was quickly bombarded by online schools and felt very overwhelmed.

"Then, I happened to (thankfully) reach out to WVU to see what online programs were offered. WVU cared about me. It didn’t take long to discover that WVU was the place for me."

Her advice to others who are thinking of taking an online class is "Do it!"

"WVU is the place to go if you dreamed of getting a degree but thought you couldn’t do it. I’m a proud Mountaineer and you can be one too! Let’s go!"

"Once I left the public-school classroom to pursue doctoral work, I was able to expand my love for the classroom even further, by teaching pre-service teachers, who then go on to touch the lives of school children."

She wants her students to know that working with children is a way to profoundly influence lives and that teachers directly impact students and their academic success in ways nobody else can.

She points out that her students are constantly teaching her, as well.

"They bring new ideas and challenge my thinking."

Because all her courses are online, she strives to develop a relationship with the students in her classes by conducting weekly Friday video updates, personal check-ins, audio recordings for assignments, and by having virtual office hours.

"Doing all these things removes the technology barrier to a more human experience."

Virtual experiences are now the norm and Ashley even observes student teachers in the classroom using virtual technology.

"This is something we were already doing before Covid-19, but it will be even more common in the future."