Aimee Sirmon

John Ware, Executive Director of The Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools, met with me to discuss a new training requirement for admissions representatives in Ohio - an online course that covers important rules and regulations set forth by the Board.

John Ware, President of The National Association of State Administrators and Supervisors of Private Schools (NASASPS), joined me to discuss key goals and initiatives of the organization - all with the focus of promoting effective state regulation in our sector of higher education.  Thank you John!

Dr. David Vaillancourt, Online Director of Education at Ultimate Medical Academy, met with me to discuss the emerging--and some surprising--advantages of online education vs. traditional on-ground.  He also suggested several technologies that support effective and successful distance education.  One of my biggest wow's was the ability to proctor exams online - completely possible with technology available today.  Thank you David! 

Thanks to Dr. Chris Stabile for talking with me about the relationship between student preparedness and faculty development.  We discussed the development of faculty as expert learners as well as better instructors, and how learning techniques taught to students can assist instructors.  Chris also talks about metacognition, comprehension and reflective learning in relation to both student and instructor, and finally some specific strategies that can be used with both students and instructors in the learning process.

Dr. John King, Senior Vice President & Chief Academic Officer of Lincoln Education Services, joined me recently to talk about the need for eLearning tools to engage our students in traditional learning environments.  John speaks about why this is important, specific types of e-learning tools that are key, and how to get instructors comfortable with these tools.

Vince Norton, Managing Partner of Norton Norris, Inc., joined me last week to discuss mystery shopping – how “shops” can assist schools, what they measure, best practices from schools that use shopping effectively,  what to do on a limited budget, and more.  Thank you Vince!

Dr. Paul Bao, Chief Academic Officer of Anthem Education Group, joined me recently to share his perspective on the importance and place of "Learning to Learn" in the curriculum of career colleges and universities.  He spoke about how this strategy is implemented at Anthem, including the addition of courses focusing on study skills, time management, critical thinking, management of financial resources, communication and ethics in a student's chosen field, and more.