University of Wisconsin - Extension

Green Bay, Wis. -- At this week's commencement ceremonies, two University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) students will visit the campus for the first time, for the purpose of receiving their diplomas.

On May 25, 2002, Paulette Vrem of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Rafal Banek of Des Plaines, Illinois, will each receive a bachelor's degree in nursing from UWGB. However, unlike their commencement counterparts who attended classes on the UWGB campus, these two nurses completed their education by using computers at work and at home, miles from Wisconsin and the nearest UW campus.

Vrem and Banek are the first national graduates of the BSN-LINC program, an interactive, online nursing degree completion program established through collaboration among the five UW Schools of Nursing (led by UWGB), UW Learning Innovations (UWLI) and NursingCenter.com. Delivered almost entirely online, the program allows a registered nurse with a diploma or an associate degree in nursing to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. The online environment allows for multiple opportunities to network with classmates while at the same time it provides a personalized, asynchronous learning experience.

Both Vrem and Banek started taking courses in Fall 2000. Enrolled in a full-time program on the University of Illinois campus, Rafal Banek realized that he would face difficulties trying to balance his school program and his full-time job, so he decided to explore the online BSN-LINC program. Likewise, Paulette Vrem, who has a family and also works full-time, found the online degree program to be very convenient.

"BSN-LINC provides tremendous flexibility for registered nurses," said Jane Muhl, Ph.D., R.N., Interim Dean of Professional Studies and Outreach at UW-Green Bay, "because they can enter the program while still maintaining a full- or part-time work schedule. This allows them to fit their study time around individual schedules, as well as to continue participating in other activities. Geographic boundaries no longer prevent anyone from completing their degree."

Muhl adds that the program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and has received preliminary approval from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

BSN-LINC students receive individualized, Internet-based instruction from UW nursing faculty. They progress through their studies from home or at work. Focusing on cooperative learning and team-based problem solving, the online program has course requirements and class assignments with deadlines and specific expectations just like any other college course. The flexibility, however, is in the learner's ability to go to the class Web site and do the coursework at any time of the day. And while Rafal Banek agrees that this type of learning format is for those with self-discipline, he feels that "even with deadlines, it's been very flexible."

"The flexibility really appealed to me because I had a full-time job," explains Banek. "Not having to be in a classroom on a campus at a particular time was a real advantage."

Vrem, who would like to teach in an online environment some day, feels that the BSN-LINC online program "promotes critical thinking."

"I use critical thinking more with online classes than in a regular class setting because what I write is there for everyone to critique," observed Vrem. "My classmates are all professional nurses with varied backgrounds, and the information I contribute needs to be thought provoking. And the professors are very supportive and helpful."

A few of Vrem and Banek's professors will be in the audience on May 25 in Green Bay to watch the two "virtual" students graduate

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About BSN-LINC

BSN-LINC stands for Bachelor of Science in Nursing-Learning Innovations Nursing Center. It is a collaboration of the five UW schools of nursing-UW-Eau Claire, UW-Green Bay (lead institution), UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Oshkosh-and University of Wisconsin Learning Innovations, with marketing support from NursingCenter.com. See http://bsn-linc.wisconsin.edu or call 877-656-1483.