By Randy Gonzales
University Relations and Marketing
Thanks to the Virtual College at Fort Hays State University, Josh Fitkin is still learning while he is teaching.
As part of his course work, Fitkin has already passed on lessons he has learned to his students when he was teaching in Iowa and also to fellow educators in Canada, where he now lives.
Fitkin, through Fort Hays State, is already having an impact on people’s lives with his degree.
“As a working teacher, I could use activities that I was doing in class at Fort Hays State, I would use it in school,” Fitkin said of his teaching days in Iowa.
Distance learning through the Virtual College enabled Fitkin to achieve his career goal.
“I could not attend university in Canada,” Fitkin said. “No problem. I’m at Fort Hays State. I can take classes anywhere in the world. That’s the beauty of the distance learning program.”
Fitkin plans to walk across the stage at Saturday morning’s commencement exercises in Gross Memorial Coliseum after flying into Kansas from Canada just hours earlier. He will earn a master’s degree in instructional technology, part of the Advanced Education Programs Department in the College of Education.
An Iowa native, Fitkin moved his family to Canada about 11 months ago so his wife, a Canadian, could be closer to home. He had already started his online master’s program at FHSU and put the final touches on it just this week.
Since moving to Canada, Fitkin is waiting for the final paperwork for the work visa that will allow him to teach north of the border. In the meantime, his wife, Ruthann, is a substitute teacher, and he drives a shuttle car for a local car dealership in Trenton, Ontario. As part of his Fort Hays State online education, Fitkin was required to teach a professional development session with Canadian teachers.
“I was able to bring to them material that they had never heard of,” Fitkin said. “Again, Fort Hays is educating other teachers through their students. In a way, we’re impacting teachers and students in Canada.”
Fitkin’s advisor, Dr. Suzanne Becking, said the instructional technolgy master’s option is a popular online degree.
“It’s a degree that has been really well-received by teachers, people who have realized that the future for their students is in knowing and understanding some of our technologies out there,” Becking said. “The program itself is instructional technology. The focus is on instruction, not necessarily the technology or the devices. How do you use the technology to get at student learning?”
That is why Fitkin was looking for a master’s degree in the first place. His school in Iowa was buying laptops for each student, so he thought he should learn how to teach social studies and history while using that technology. Fitkin researched schools across the country before deciding on Fort Hays State. The lower cost of getting his degree at FHSU was a consideration, as was the fact he could do the entire program online.
“The master’s program was like thousands of dollars less than at my alma mater,” Fitkin said. “The thing that really made it possible was I never once had to step foot on campus as part of my program. A lot of other universities, even if they have an online program, you have to go there in the summer time for three weeks, something like that. Fort Hays State was completely off campus. I could be at home working from my recliner.”
Once his visa paperwork clears, Fitkin will again be working as an educator in Canada. Fort Hays State’s online degree will have furthered his career.
“With the master’s degree, I will be higher on the pay scale,” Fitkin said. “I also will be considered a highly qualified candidate as opposed to just a qualified candidate. It makes me more employable and gives me more opportunities.”
First, however, was the opportunity to walk across the stage for graduation. Fitkin, who struggled academically at the start of his college experience 20 years ago, has come full circle and will graduate from Fort Hays State with a 4.0 grade-point average. Even though his wife and two young children could not attend, Fitkin was determined to be part of commencement.
“It’s really a big deal for me,” said the 40-year-old Fitkin. “Having flunked out of college, I really wanted to walk, and I accomplished this. It’s going to be a little surreal to go through it. I am glad I am doing it.”
