PawCast World Campus Advising and Learner Success

What if, instead of 25 students in your class, there were 160,000? Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are making this a reality -- many universities now provide these free courses to anyone with an internet connection. Penn State launched its first MOOCs in fall 2013. On this episode of PawCast, we're going behind the scenes, talking with three faculty members and one administrator at the forefront of Penn State's MOOCs.PawCast-Episode-19-Behind-the-Scenes-with-Penn-State's-MOOCs.mp3

At Penn State, a group of students and researchers are replacing the engine of a Chevrolet Malibu with a more energy efficient engine that they designed and created. Known as the Penn State ECO CAR 2 team, this group of students is competing in a national competition to reduce gas usage and increase fuel mileage in cars. Learn more about the team on this episode of PawCast. PawCast-Episode-18-From-Guzzler-to-Green-Penn-State-Eco-Car-Team.mp3

The Lunar Lion team -- a group of Penn State students, faculty, and staff -- are building a spacecraft to fly to the moon as part of the Google Lunar X Prize competition. If they are the first team in the competition to complete this, Penn State would receive $20 million, which would be used to found a space exploration research center. Episode 17 is all about the Lunar Lion mission.PawCast-Episode-17-Penn-State-on-the-Moon.mp3

Studying is not always easy, but it's important to your success as a World Campus student. From the first day of classes, you can start preparing for exams in an organized way that will be manageable with your other life responsibilities. In this episode, we chat with Dr. Angelique Bacon-Woodard, a scholar in residence with Penn State learning, about study skills, including when to start studying, how much study time you should schedule, different reading and note-taking tools and strategies that can increase learning, and how to effectively use study groups.PawCast-Episode-16-Don't-Cram-How-You-Can-Study-The-Right-Way.mp3

Identity security, making connections in online classes, social media, and being safe with personal information online are all topics of episode 15, which features an interview with Chris Ritzko, from Penn State's Security Operations and Services office. We also feature a tip for success related to family, from alum Venancio Ybarra Jr., a sound at Penn State that's popular for film lovers on the University Park campus, and information about a new career planning resource available to World Campus students.PawCast-Episode-15-Be-Safe-When-Connecting-Online.mp3

World Campus professor and Army veteran Dr. Mark Corson says his worldview changed "from black and white to color" as a result of his graduate education in geography. With more than thirty years of military service -- starting as a tank officer during the Cold War and later leading peacekeeping missions in Iraq, Kuwait, and Kosovo (deploying as recently as 2011) -- he brings a wealth of experience to his online classes with World Campus students! Hear about Dr. Corson's perspective and tidbits of his life story on this episode of PawCast. PawCast-Episode-14-From-Black-and-White-to-Color.mp3