University of Wisconsin Stout | Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

Title 1: University of Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin's Polytechnic University

Title 2: Master of Science Degree in Training and Development

Caption: Dr. Kevin W. Tharp, Lead Instructor, MEDIA 710 - Learning Technologies

Kevin Tharp: I'm Dr. Kevin W. Tharp. I've been at Stout for two years. Before this I was an information architect at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and before that I was doing research on social informatics in Australia. Every workplace in modern society is moving more and more towards technology. I think it would be very difficult to point to any type of work environment, especially where there's education and training involved, where technology isn't going to significantly impact the way that you do that.

Caption: Mandy Wolbert, Graduate Student, MS in Training and Development

Mandy Wolbert: For a non-traditional student and somebody who's coming from the world of work and hasn't been in school for a while, i would say, don't be afraid to ask questions. The technology that you use may be different than what you used in your  undergraduate degree, it may be something you're not exposed to, but ask questions becuase there are people out there who are more than willing to help. As far as the use of technology, Stout is a great campus for using computers and for using online learning and really utilizing that to it's fullest.

Caption: Dr. Kat Lui, Program Director, MS in Training and Development

Kat Lui: The MS in Training and Development program offers its students a pretty solid foundation in the skills and competencies and proficiencies that would be required in the training and development profession so that they are able to under stand and utilize a variety of learning technologies, they understand and are able to utilize a variety of different methods of which technologies are a part of that. They also able and quite competent in running evaluation studies to determine did that help our org and in what ways did that tr4aining intervention help our organization.

Kevin Tharp: Whether it be training that's done in a game like environment or whether it's training that's done face-to-face and enhanced with Technology, their exposure to this will be applicable in any training environment because technology is transient it's going to change, but the skills, the confidence to know that you can work with a new technology because you understand what you have to do to work with that technology, you can figure out that technology but you'll have the skills form having gone through this program to know it's not how do i use the technology but what can I use the technology to accomplish.

Mandy Wolbert: I had been contemplating coming back to school for a couple years and the MSTD program had a real;ly nice match with my background of being in supervision and management and a little bit of training so it was a really nice transition for me to got from work to the MSTD program.

Caption: interested in learning more? Click the Testimonials link to read what faculty and graduates of MSTD have to say.