Name:
Location: Indiana, United States

I became a Professor Emeritus after serving 29 years as a recreational therapy faculty member at Indiana University. I'm a long-time Hoosier, having grown up in Hanover, Indiana. My RT practitioner work was in psych/mental health. After completing my Ph.D. at the University of Illinois, my first faculty position was at the University of North Texas. RT has been a wonderful profession for me as I have had the opportunity to serve as an author and national leader.

Monday, February 23, 2009

On-line Courses in RT/TR Available

I have been interested in distance learning for over 25 years. In 1999, Bryan McCormick and I instructed what I believe was the first TR course ever taught on-line. That was Indiana University's R378, Techniques in Therapeutic Recreation. Unfortunately, that was the only time the course was offered because faculty simply did not have the time to devote to on-line teaching -- even though the course was a success by every indicator.

I should mention however that IU's successful "MS via TV" distance learning program continues today. The program is now almost 25 years old and scores of recreational therapists have completed their master's degrees through this video instructional program.

Because of my efforts in DE, I was particularly pleased to receive information from Patty Thomas, MPA, CTRS,on her work in distance education. Patty has provided updated information about the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM) TR Certificate Program.

Patty reports that all 5 of the courses required for CTRS certificatin are now available online from UWM. Student may earn up to 18 credits total credits by completing the program. Courses include:
THERERC 203 Recreation as a Therapeutic Intervention - 3 cr
THERREC 300 Assessment and Documentation in TR - 4 cr
THERREC 308 TR in Physical Rehab and Behavioral Health - 4 cr
THERREC 310 Facilitation Techniques in TR - 4 cr
THERREC 400 TR Trends - 3 cr

Completion of the program allows the student to meet the TR coursework requirement for NCTRC initial certification or recertification requirements. Contact information for Patty follows below.

Patricia Thomas, MPA, CTRS
Clinical Associate Professor
TR Certificate Coordinator
UWM PO Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53201
(414)229-2507
pthomas@uwm.edu

By the way, Patty added this P.S. to her message to me:
P.S. Your RT Blog is listed in the Links section of my online courses.

7 Comments:

Blogger Danny Pettry said...

Hi there Dr. David Austin...

I am writing to give my support for the distance education program at Indiana University.

Of course, Dr. Austin, as you already know, I completed my master’s degree from IU. Other people who read this blog may not know that.

I am very pleased that I did and I must say that I miss taking the courses. I enjoyed them. I am passionate about learning in general.

I completed my undergraduate degree at Marshall University in little Huntington, West Virginia. You, Dr. Austin, were the author of the first TR book that I had read. It was an Introduction to Therapeutic Recreation.

I searched online for schools that offered Master’s degree in TR. I selected Indiana University for my graduate degree because I discovered that you were a professor there. I knew I wanted to learn more from you. I was real glad I had the opportunity to take the course, the social psychology of therapeutic recreation with you. I believe this may have been the last course you taught to students in the field before retiring from IU.

Naturally, I enjoyed having classes with Dr. McCormick and Dr. Lee as well.

I highly recommend that distance education program to anyone interested in a graduate degree in TR.

7:55 PM  
Blogger Diane Skalko said...

Hi Folks,
I also received my master's degree via distance education from IU. Although I lived in Indiana at the time, it was much more convenient for me to drive 10 minutes to the IU branch near my home versus driving to Bloomington. The DE program also gives people options. If the technology is not available to interact face to face through video cameras, you can also choose to have the recordings of the class sent to you. I did enjoy interacting with the class and was fondly known as the "girl from TV land". There were also folks in my class from Maryland and Texas. Some of which I have met years later at ATRA conferences. It took three years to complete the program and I would recommend this option to anyone that wants to advance their degree but may not have the opportunity in their home town. I have benefited from my advanced degree in employment opportunities that I know I would not have had without a master’s degree. Thanks for the chance to comment!
Diane Skalko

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