Dr. Douglas McCoy

Dr. Douglas McCoy has been involved in almost every aspect of education at AIU Online since 2002. He started teaching undergraduate courses in sociology as an adjunct instructor and later took on graduate classes in education as well. In fact, he designed some of the sociology and education courses now taught at AIU Online and has also presented at various faculty development in-service and training sessions. Currently, Dr. McCoy co-chairs the AIU Online Faculty Development Committee and is a full-time instructor in graduate courses on educational research methodologies.

After completing his B.S. in Sociology at Illinois State University, McCoy went on for an M.S. in Sociology. Taking a position as Assistant Residence Hall Coordinator at ISU while still in graduate school, he got real life experience in building administration, as well as developmental and social programming even as he was enhancing his academic credentials.

In 1995, while teaching sociology and education at several colleges in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, he accepted the post of Director of Residential Life at Midwestern University. The first to hold such a position, he was directly responsible for supervising and developing professional staff members, programming social and developmental activities, as well as dealing with student judicial concerns at this small private university. His special concern for the students was publicly recognized in 1997 when he was given the MWU Customer Service Award.

Expanding his teaching experience into long distance learning, he became an adjunct instructor at the Capella University and the eCampus of St. Petersburg College in 2002. His deep interest and commitment to online education were ultimately demonstrated by his choice of dissertation subject for his Ed.D in Educational Administration from Northern Illinois University "A Policy Analysis of Public Virtual Universities in the United States."

In 2000, Dr. McCoy was appointed Dean of Enrollment Management at Waubonsee Community College. But despite a busy schedule and demanding position on the administrative staff of Waubonsee, he continued to teach online. It is this dual expertise as an educator and academic administrator that provides Dr. McCoy's students with the opportunity to learn about educational organization from someone who understands the subject on many different levels.

"My years of experience in the field of education," declared Dr. McCoy, "influence my approach to my classes in that I try to teach a grounded perspective that will allow my students to learn the skills that I teach in a functional manner. I want my students to learn that the process of educational research plays a function in their professions and their professional experiences."

In addition, he feels that students in his classes at AIU Online enjoy a unique advantage unavailable at other online institutions. "AIU Online provides students with a special dimension to their undergraduate and graduate education," explained McCoy. "In addition to the flexibility and convenience that online education generally affords students, I feel that AIU Online's platform and Virtual Campus environment are far more functional than that of other long distance institutions. The AIU Online Virtual Campus is not only easy to navigate, it's so comprehensive it allows students to interact with their peers for a true sense of a college community. So wherever an online student attends class, on a military base, at home in front a PC, or in a rural location, AIU Online offers him or her a more complete educational experience in every way."

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