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The Spring 2011 issue of the ELI community newsletter
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S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 2
ELI Bulletin Board
News from ELI to you!
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
New Courses for Fall 2
eResources 2
New Fire Science
Technology Program
3
Announcing ProctorU 3
Updates from the
Student Success
Coaches
4
Get Ready for
Academic Advising
Week
4
“What’s in a Virtual
Student Union?”
5
Faculty Spotlight::
Dr. Semmler
6
Profiles of Service 7
ELI Service Events 7
E X T E N D E D L E A R N I N G
I N S T I T U T E
http://eli.nvcc.edu
703.323.3347
1.888.4DL.NVCC
WRITERS WANTED!
ment, by political upheaval, or by
natural disaster.
This issue of the ELI Bulletin Board
asks you to think about service.
What can you do to serve your
community and your world in
the face of all these problems? In
these pages, we'll share with you
some recent and upcoming ser-
vice events, plus profiles of ELI
faculty and staff who are exam-
ples to us all of the importance
of contributing to our communi-
ties. We hope that reading this
newsletter will inspire you to
find new opportunities to serve.
Maybe you'll even join us at our
Habitat for Humanity work day,
April 27 or be part of our Race
for the Cure team, June 4 (see
There's so much going on in our
world today that calls for our
attention. As we watch the
events in Egypt and Libya, see
legislators travel en masse to
other states to fight against votes
they deeply oppose, and discuss,
debate, or argue about every-
thing from health care to gay
marriage to the economy, it can
be easy to become overwhelmed
and tune out all of it. At the
same time, it's easy to forget
about all the individual people
affected by each and every one
of these events and issues—
people whose lives are being
changed in concrete and lasting
ways by violence, by hunger, by
illness, by poverty, by unemploy-
page 7 for details).
However you decide to serve, I
hope your service will not only
help others but also bring you
personal satisfaction and intellec-
tual growth. There is much you
can learn about critical thinking,
about problem-solving, about
communication and leadership
skills, and about any area of
study you might be pursuing,
from serving your community.
Service should be a part of the
life-long learning we hope every
NOVA student pursues.
Thank you for serving!
Dr. Jennifer Lerner, Associate
Vice President for e-Learning
Spring into Service
On January 17, more than 300
students, faculty and staff joined
together to celebrate Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day, a NOVA
Serves event. In one day, more
than 900 hours of service were
provided at seven service sites
across the community, including:
CrossLink International—14
volunteers provided an inventory
of the pharmacy and organized a
medical supply warehouse. The
medicines and supplies are sent
to third world countries.
Drive to Employment—11
volunteers provided vehicle re-
pairs to five low-income or un-
employed members of the com-
munity.
ReStore, Habitat for Hu-
manity—48 volunteers at two
locations processed donated
building materials, organized the
sales floor and assisted custom-
ers. Proceeds from the sales
went to Habitat for Humanity’s
building projects.
SERVE, Northern Virginia
Family Services—30 volun-
teers unloaded 25,000 pounds of
donated food and moved it into
the Food Distribution Center.
USO—30 volunteers packed
more than 3,000 care packages
to be distributed to U.S. troops
deployed or being deployed.
Tails High—7 volunteers cared
for animals at an adoption event.
The socialization they provided
makes the animals more adopt-
able and comfortable in their
future homes.
Operation School Supply—
176 volunteers assembled more
than 450 school supply kits. The
school kits are sent to U.S.
troops, who distribute the sup-
plies to needy schoolchildren in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
2nd Annual NOVA Serves Recap
The ELI Bulletin Board is
published by the Extended
Learning Institute of
Northern Virginia Com-
munity College to keep the
ELI community informed
and connected.
We welcome comments
and contributions from
students, faculty, and staff.
Contact Bridget Downey
for details.
P A G E 2
E L I B U L L E T I N B O A R D
A N N O U N C E M E N T : E L I S E S S I O N C H A N G E S F O R F A L L 2 0 1 1
Beginning Fall 2011, ELI will no longer offer late-starting 16-week courses. While we will
continue to offer16-week courses the first session of each semester, later sessions will
be either 8 weeks or 12 weeks in length. Contact ELI Registration for more information
about sessions changes and course lengths: [email protected], 703-323-3368.
ELI offers over 300 courses and the list grows each semester.
Here is the current list of NEW courses that will be offered this Fall.
New ELI Courses for Fall 2011
eResources E T U T O R S Don’t forget
about this online tutoring ser-
vice available free to students
enrolled in ELI courses.
SMARTHINKING provides
certified etutors in a variety of
subjects, with many available
24/7.
E C O N T E N T An impressive
collection of high-quality eBooks and
eVideos are available free to students
through NOVA Libraries. Plus,
whether you’re working from laptop
or hand-held device, eLibrarians are
available via live chat to assist you
with your reference needs. Visit
NOVA’s Library website to explore
these great resources and more.
E R E A D E R S Using NOOKstudy, a free eText-
book application by Barnes & Noble, you can in-
stantly download digital textbooks to your MAC or
PC making it even easier for you to study on the go.
No NOOK device needed! With more publishers
now offering digital versions of traditional textbooks,
NOOKstudy is a great tool to help you study and to
manage all of your course content with one app. Find
out more information about NOOKstudy and eText-
books from the ELI-Alexandria Bookstore website.
PLAN AHEAD!
March 28—4th 16-week ses-
sion start date
April 4-8—Summer & Fall 2011
Academic Advising Week
April 12—Fall 2011 priority
registration begins
May 16—Summer 2011 session
begins
June 7—Fall 2011 open regis-
tration begins
August 22—Fall 2011 semester
begins
Check your course syllabus for
critical enrollment dates for
courses you are currently en-
rolled in. Refer to ELI’s website
for important date definitions.
ENV 272: Environmental Law
CHD 210: Intro. To Exceptional Children
CHI 102: Beginning Chinese II (Available this Summer)
MKT 221: Public Relations
MKT 275: International Marketing
PHT 231: Photojournalism I
PSY 200: Principles of Psychology
PSY 215: Abnormal Psychology
SDV 101: Orientation to: Education
SDV 101: Orientation to: Veterinary Technology
SOC 202: Intro. To Sociology II (Available this Summer)
VET 216: Animal Pharmacology
VET 221: Advanced Clinical Practices III
Call the ELI Hotline to
find out about session
dates and other course
requirements: 703-323
-3347. And contact ELI
Counselors with ques-
tions about which
courses best fit your
academic and career
plans.
P A G E 3 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 2
A Back-to-School Story
cam connected to their computer
can take their exams from home.
Students must be 18 or older and
certain other restrictions apply.
Though not available for all
courses, a growing number are
being added to the list each semes-
ter. If ProctorU is available for your
course, you will find information in
your Blackboard course site.
ProctorU is one of several testing
options. You can still take your
proctored exams at any NOVA
campus testing center, or other
approved locations if you are out
of the area.
ELI offers several options for taking
proctored exams for distance
learning courses. As of Spring 2011,
ELI now offers an online proctoring
option, ProctorU. For just $7.50
per exam, payable by credit or
debit card, students who have
speakers, microphone and a web-
Announcing ProctorU
As of Fall 2011, ELI will offer an
Associates of Applied Science
(AAS) degree in Fire Science Tech-
nology adding to the growing list of
programs and certificates that can
be completed completely online at
NOVA.
The AAS degree in Fire Science
Technology (FST) is perfect for
firefighters on shift work, or other
students interested in pursuing
advancement in technical or admin-
istrative careers in the fire service
and related fields, who enjoy the
flexibility studying online offers.
Although the curriculum is focused
on assisting students who are cur-
rently firefighters with their career
development goals, students from a
variety of backgrounds have gradu-
ated from the campus-based pro-
gram and they have gone on to
pursue careers in the public sector
fire services or private sector ca-
reers in safety, loss prevention
engineering, and risk management.
In addition, opportunities exist for
transfer into four-year baccalaure-
ate degree programs in fire science,
public safety, public administration,
and emergency management and
planning. Nationwide, fire suppres-
sion and emergency response is a
growing industry. Careers in fire
science and allied fields continue to
increase.
Currently, NOVA has the only Fire
Science degree program in North-
ern Virginia. Unique to the NOVA
program is that students have the
opportunity to earn certification as
a Fire Officer 1 and 2 by complet-
ing certain courses in the degree
program. As an added bonus, a
generous advanced
standing program
allows some stu-
dents to get credit
for the training and
experience they
already have.
New Fire Science Technology Program
For program details, contact
Michael Pariser, Assistant
Dean of Fire Science, at
tered the business industry, work-
ing for the Federal Reserve Bank
and Bank of America. I got married,
had two children, both of whom
are special needs children. We
moved from California to northern
Virginia back in 2003 in order for
the children to receive better spe-
cial education services. In 2006, I
began substitute teaching for Fair-
fax County Public Schools and real-
ized I really did miss out! During
this last summer I decided to go
back for the teacher license and
am taking two online courses,
one of them state-mandated. I
will be transferring to GMU in
the near future to enter the
teacher education program but I
chose NOVA for the conven-
ience of online learning. I LOVE
IT! Thank you so much!”
We love hearing from our stu-
dents. Contact Bridget Downey to
share your story in our next issue
of the ELI Bulletin Board.
After our last issue, ELI student
Melissa Coughlin contacted us with
her back-to-school story…
“I read with interest the article in
the ELI Bulletin Board about the
returning student who came back
to school after 18 years.
I can totally relate! I have three
college degrees, including the mas-
ter's degree I earned back in 1988.
I've always loved teaching but didn't
pursue that career. Instead, I en-
P A G E 4
E L I B U L L E T I N B O A R D
Student Success Coaching Updates Informed Success! provides
informational services directed
towards all ELI students.
These services include a pro-
gram of informative emails
reminding you of important
dates and events, blog posts
offering helpful ideas and high-
lighting useful resources, and
active Coaching Team partici-
pation in ELI's online social
media sites, like the NOVA
ELIfe Facebook page, and com-
ing soon, Twitter!
Individual Success Coaching
provides more targeted assis-
tance to students who need
more individualized support.
You may be referred to a
Success Coach by your in-
structor, an ELI counselor or
through Blackboard's Early
Alert system, or you may sign
up on your own to be assigned
a Success Coach. Success
Coaches will work with you to
identify your support needs
and connect you with re-
sources that meet those
needs. Your coach will follow-
up with you to make sure the
resources provided are help-
ful, to see if goals you've set
are working for you, to con-
tinue providing assistance with
ongoing problem solving, and
to provide encouragement and
social support.
This semester, we are pleased
to welcome Kristin Shriver to
our team and expect that
another coach will be hired in
late March.
ELI's Student Services staff is
dedicated to providing top-of
the-line services to our stu-
dents to optimize their experi-
ence and success in online
classes. Our registration staff
and course specialists will help
you resolve enrollment issues
and set up proctors for exams.
Our counseling staff are ready
to assist you with academic
advisement, help with aca-
demic decision making, trans-
fer counseling, and support in
gaining accommodations for
physical and learning disabili-
ties which might increase the
challenge of your coursework.
Our newest component to
support our students is our
Success Coaching Program.
This program has two differ-
ent components, Informed
Success! and Individual Student
Coaching.
If you haven’t been assigned an
advisor and have been program
placed (officially declared a
program of study) contact an
appropriate Division Office on
a NOVA campus that offers
your program to be assigned
an advisor.
Remember to print and review
a copy of your degree pro-
gress report before commu-
nicating with your advisor (see
instructions here). The degree
progress report will identify
how the courses you have
taken, are in the process of
taking, or have received trans-
fer credit for, apply to your
declared program of study.
If you have not declared a
program of study or are not
pursuing a specific program at
NOVA, contact an ELI coun-
selor for assistance:
[email protected], 703-
323-2425
It’s almost time once again to
begin preparing for your next
semester. Advising week is a
great time for you to connect
with your academic advisor
and begin to plan your next
semester. Your advisor can
help you to identify and focus
on your long-term educational
and career goals.
Check the Student Center
panel within NOVAConnect to
see if you’ve been assigned an
advisor (see instructions here).
Get Ready for Advising Week,
April 4-8
Are you curious about disability
accommodations for ELI stu-
dents? One of ELI’s counselors,
David Highsmith, is available to
address questions related to
NOVA’s Disability Student Ser-
vices (DSS). You may contact
David at [email protected]
or 703-323-2404.
While ELI students must submit
their request for disability ac-
commodations and all support-
ing documentation through one
of NOVA’s six campus-based
DSS offices, David may be able
to help with general questions
or with the logistical facilitation
of approved accommodations.
Be sure to check out NOVA’s
DSS website and then let David
know if you have any questions!
D I S A B I L I T Y
A C C O M M O D A T I O N S
A R E Y O U R E A D I N G
E L I F E ?
Be sure to follow ELI’s student
blog, ELIfe. Here we post im-
portant reminders, tips and
other tidbits related to aca-
demic advising, careers, tech-
nology, testing, textbooks, time
management, scholarships, and
more. Comment, and visit
often!
We also invite student bloggers
on an ongoing basis. If you’re
interested in becoming an ELIfe
blogger, visit the Write for
ELIfe page.
Kristin Shriver Allison McElfresh
P A G E 5 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 2
Greetings! Last issue we announced the very exciting start of ELI’s Student Life
Program. For those new to ELI, the purpose of Student Life is to offer oppor-
tunities for engagement and personal development outside of your Blackboard
course site and provide a sense of connection among members of the dis-
tance learning community.
A variety of interesting events and activities are planned starting in March. So
whether the activity you choose be for social, recreational, co-curricular, or
just plain old informational purposes, we hope you’ll take part.
“The Civil War Through
the Eyes of Women”
An online lecture presented by ELI
History instructor, Alicia Tucker.
Thurs., March 17, 11am-12pm
Pre-Finals Stress Relief Session
An online info session presented
by ELI Physical Education
instructor, Beverly Pittman.
Later this Spring
More details TBA
Wellness Walks
Family-friendly workshops at Lake Anna
State Park, led by ELI Physical Education
instructor, Ildiko Strehli.
Sundays this Summer
More details TBA
In addition to providing engag-
ing online and face-to-face
activities, another component
of ELI’s Student Life program
includes plans for a virtual
student union.
What’s a virtual student union,
you ask? Well, in conceptual
terms, think of what’s tradi-
tionally available in a campus
student union and the purpose
it serves. As a hub for student
recreation and socialization, a
campus student union is a
place where you can grab
some coffee, play games,
gather for student events, find
out about student clubs and
activities, and connect with a
study group.
ELI’s plan is to provide a virtual
equivalent—an online site that
you could access any time of
day to ask questions; find out
about programs, activities and
events; get study help and peer
support; and in general, a place
to socialize with other online
students. More than just a
Facebook page, ELI’s virtual
student union will be an all-in-
one online community plat-
form with discussion forums,
chat rooms, blogs, videos,
photo galleries, games, and
more. Our goal is to offer
something for everyone in a
safe and welcoming environ-
ment.
So now that you have a better
understanding of what is
planned and why, we hope to
get your input regarding what
YOU envision in a virtual stu-
dent union. A Blackboard Or-
ganization is now available to
get the conversation going and
to gather student feedback. If
you’re interested in participat-
ing, sign up to be enrolled.
Later this Spring and through-
out the Summer, we will be
sending out surveys and orga-
nizing focus groups. There will
be lots of opportunity for you
to get involved and we look
forward to working with stu-
dents in creating a dynamic
online space that complements
and enriches your distance
learning experience at NOVA.
W E B I N A R W E D N E S D A Y S
Don’t miss our weekly webinar
series where we present special
topics to help you be more success-
ful as a distance learner. Check the
ELI Webinar Schedule for details
and to register for an upcoming
session.
U P C O M I N G S T U D E N T L I F E E V E N T S . . .
“What’s in a Virtual Student Union?”
F O L L O W N O V A E L I F E O N F A C E B O O K F O R D E T A I L S
E L I I S S O C I A L !
As of November 2010,
ELI officially went social
and established the ELIfe
community page. You’ll
find us @
www.facebook.com/
NOVAELIfe.. Join in our
discussions about the
Virtual Student Union
and stay tuned for up-
dates and announce-
ments about Student Life
events and helpful re-
minders from Student
Success Coaches.
P A G E 6
E L I B U L L E T I N B O A R D
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Richard Semmler
What is your advice to people
who want to get more involved in
service?
My advice for supporting charities is
quite simple and to the point. Eve-
ryone everywhere should support a
local charity to benefit the commu-
nity in which you live and one inter-
national charity to benefit the planet
upon which you live. If all of us did
this, we could make this a better
world for all 6.6 billion inhabi-
tants. Above all, select a charity that
is doing something beneficial in your
community or in another part of the
globe. Support that charity as best
as possible. Whatever your support
is this year, try to improve upon
that support in the years to
come. Your support to charities
will make you a better person, feel-
ing a sense of accomplishment to
help out your fellow citizens.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Semmler has been
profiled in The Washington Post,
U.S.A. Today, Chronicle of Philanthropy
(see video), and appeared on ABC
World News and Odyssey TV in
China through Voice of America. He
was honored with the Dream Build-
ers Award by Habitat for Humanity,
the Chancellor’s Award for Leader-
ship in Philanthropy, the Governor’s
Award, and an honorary degree.
Most recently, on March 4, Dr.
Semmler was presented the 2011
Distinguished Service Award by his
alma mater, State University of New
York at Plattsburgh, at a special
ceremony in his honor at the An-
nandale campus].
for further education. Starting off
small with awards of $50 in 1985, 13
students received awards of $500
each in 2010].
How is your expertise in math
helpful in meeting your philan-
thropic goals?
My training in math has helped me
to plan strategies to support seven
charities with gifts that total $1.2
million. Of course, each year I look
ahead to see what type of support I
can provide for the next six
months, hoping to be able to stick
to a specific schedule to support the
charities I love.
[Ed. Note: In 2009, Dr. Semmler
surpassed his goal to donate
$500,000 to NOVA. Earlier this
year, the Northern Community
College Educational Foundation
recognized Semmler by naming a
seminar room in the Ernst Cultural
Center in his honor].
How do you balance your charity
work with the demands of teach-
ing online and on campus?
It is difficult to keep up with the
workload although this has changed
due to several strokes in Novem-
ber/December. To keep up with
the demands of teaching as well as
support to several charities, my days
start at 5:00 in the morning, seven
days a week. Now that I am no
longer working two part-time jobs,
my days end much earlier so that I
can get the rest needed to prevent
future strokes, I hope.
Where are you from and what
brought you to teach at NOVA?
I grew up outside Rochester, NY. I
ended up at NOVA in 1973 as this
was the only institution to offer
employment at a time when there
was a downturn in the economy. I
got started at ELI by teaching Math
001 when the College was still on
the Quarter System. I have enjoyed
my work at NOVA as I always
wanted to teach mathematics and
have enjoyed doing this for 38 years.
What inspires you to give in the
way that you do?
The support of charities started
41years ago when I decided to give
something back to a college which
provided me with several scholar-
ships and employment on campus to
make it possible for me to have
enough money for a college educa-
tion. Even though the support was
only $25 at that time, it motivated
me in my life. So for the last 41
years I contributed to several chari-
ties where the total support to
seven charities over the last 41
years has been $1.2 million. This
support includes scholarships to
students at two institutions, technol-
ogy grants for faculty and staff at
one institution, meals for the home-
less in DC, and houses for Habitat
families through Habitat for Human-
ity.
[Ed. Note: As just one example, in
1985, Dr. Semmler established the
ELI Scholarship program. For the
past 25 years, this fund has assisted
outstanding ELI students with paying
We could think of no better example of service than this issue’s faculty spotlight, founding
ELI mathematics professor, Dr. Richard Semmler. In addition to teaching, Dr. Semmler has
devoted his life to service, working additional jobs to give away half his yearly income to
support philanthropic goals that serve the community. A true NOVA legend, yet a more
modest and unassuming man you’ll never meet. Dr. Semmler was kind enough to answer a
few questions about his career at NOVA and how we can all strive to be more charitable.
D I D Y O U
K N O W ?
In addition to the
seminar rooms
funded by Dr.
Semmler in the Ernst
Center, the Annan-
dale Campus recently
added the Semmler
Study Room in the
CM Building.
P A G E 7 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 2
Dr. Laura Franklin, ELI French Instructor
Founder of “MS is BS”
Multiple Sclerosis Awareness
Multiple Sclerosis awareness became a priority for my family
when my youngest daughter was diagnosed with the disease
in 2008. Symptoms began
with numbness in her feet
that spread up to her waist,
followed by severe sensitiv-
ity to heat, extreme fatigue
and gastrointestinal prob-
lems. Prior to this, she was
an elite athlete and aspiring
journalist in perfect health.
It’s easy to feel helpless in the face of a disease with no
known cure. But we decided to fight back. We formed “MS
is BS” with a group of family and friends. Everyone brought
their talents in graphic arts, social media and even musical
performance to publicize our fundraising for the National MS
Society. Now every year, we field walking teams for Walk MS
and the Capital Challenge Walk MS. This year, we even have a
Bike MS team. For more information about MS is BS, activities
and upcoming events, visit our blog, MSisBS.org. We won't
stop till a cure is found.
Maureen Madden, ELI Instructional Designer
Co-Captain of “Sauntering Scholars”
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
Everybody knows somebody who has had to deal with the
effects of breast cancer. My “somebody” was my Mother. She
was a lucky survivor. In 1999, a number of NOVA faculty and
staff and their families wanted to participate in the Susan G.
Komen Race for the Cure and “The Sauntering Scholars”
became a team.
Each year the team has
grown in number and
enthusiasm. The Saun-
tering Scholars are on
the Mall the first Satur-
day in June, rain or
shine. While walking,
running, sleeping-in, or
sauntering, we join
together to honor our family members & friends who have
battled, or are still battling, this disease. Please join us and
“saunter” for a cure for breast cancer.
Profiles of Service...
“The one thing I've noticed is that even though
technology has made it easier to interact as a
"class" (even in the past 10 years), it also makes it easier
to be avoidant of "real" interactions. A lot of people
view volunteering as a "chore" but it can make a MILE
of difference in someone's life - and in your own
professional life. I guarantee half the reason I'm as
successful as I am at my age is not only because of my
volunteer experiences but also because of the
connections and networking I've done. (I'm also a
professional photographer and the networking has
helped me in that arena as well).”
- Lauren Hefner
ELI student Lauren Hefner holds positions on numerous
committees and Board of Directors at the local and
national level. Hefner directly attributes her success at
the young age of 28 to the leadership experience she
gained through volunteering, networking, getting
involved and giving back.
J O I N E L I F O R A N U P C O M I N G
S E R V I C E E V E N T :
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia
ELI Work Day with Dr. Semmler
Wednesday, April 27, 8am-3pm
Reserve a space
(limited to 20 students and faculty)
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
NOVA’s “Sauntering Scholars” Team
Saturday, June 4
Stay tuned for more details
Announcements will be sent by email and posted
on the ELIfe Facebook page. You may also contact
Bridget Downey, Student Life Specialist, for more
information: [email protected].
