News Archives: GPRC and University of Alberta Partner to Deliver Online Master of Education Program
Tuesday, January 30th, 2018
Helen E. Taylor School Principal, Jen Clevette has gained a wealth of knowledge through the online Master of Education program in Education Studies (MES).
GPRC has partnered with the University of Alberta (U of A) to bring the MES program to the region. The master’s program is blended between online and face-to-face teaching. GPRC offers an on-campus space to the U of A to deliver the program's face-to-face component.
Jen Clevette, a graduate of the MES program, grew up and went to school in Fairview, and has been teaching for Peace Wapiti School Division for 17 years. She is currently the principal at Helen E. Taylor School in Wembley, where she works with junior high students and coaches multiple sports.
Staying close to her family was very important to Clevette when selecting a master’s program. She wanted a program that would allow her to stay at home with her children for the summer rather than having a residency away from Grande Prairie.
Her closest classmates in the MES program were from the three districts around Grande Prairie. “That allowed us to talk about things that we had in common,” said Clevette. “We could work on some of the real problems and real issues that we have from being a rural Alberta school board.”
Another advantage of the MES program is that it focuses on research, allowing the students to pick what they are interested in and delve deeper into the educational research in that area. While Clevette stayed with technology, some of her peers focused on different areas that interested them.
Having graduated from the program, Clevette said, “I gained a wealth of knowledge, I became a much better writer and reader, and I expanded my connections with those in the field of educational research that I’m interested in. I think the biggest thing for me is that there are many more opportunities available to you once you have your master’s.”
Clevette believes it is important for GPRC to continue to have partnership programs that allow students to further their education from home.
“For those in my cohort, like many people, there are people with small children, people that were coaching, or had family they needed to go home to every night,” said Clevette. “It was awesome not having the issue of having to pay for a residency and being able to stay home with your family.”
To those that are considering entering the program, Clevette says, “Do it. It is fabulous to be at home while you are learning and have access to the resources you are familiar with. It is an incredibly stressful, taxing time period so having that little bit of extra comfort will make a huge difference.”
Learn more about the MES program .