POWER June 2012 - 64

EDUCATION
Going the Distance: Online Courses
for Power Industry Professionals
Online learning is opening up new opportunities for those unable to attend
classes on campuses. Bismarck State College and the University of North
Dakota, for example, offer innovative online courses and degree programs
to students who want successful careers in the electric power industry.
By Angela Neville, JD
T
hrough hard work and a desire to advance
his career via education, Doug White
has moved up from his first job in 1988
at Muscatine Power & Water (MPW) doing
custodial work to his current position as MPW
maintenance supervisor. His job consists of budgeting,
handling human resource issues and expenditure
approvals, and training other employees.
White's career advancement has been made
possible by the education he received through
online college courses at Bismarck State College,
along with some local community college
classes in Muscatine, Iowa (Figure 1).
White told POWER in April: " It took me six
years to get my AAS [associate in applied science]
degree, and I believe it will take that long
to finish my BAS [bachelor of applied science]
degree in energy management through online
classes. It's not really a big deal for me to finish
quickly. I seem to get more out of the experience
if I salt it in my life a little at a time. "
He gave his perspective on the advantages
of taking online distance learning classes
versus traditional engineering classes taught
on a college campus.
" The obvious advantage is the flexibility of
class hours; I can work on it anytime, anywhere.
I worked on one class sitting in a beach chair
next to the ocean in Mexico-that's flexibility, "
he said. " The downside to the flexibility is disciplining
yourself to stay on track and being a
good class participant. It is very easy to 'do it
later' when you don't have a fixed schedule. "
White emphasized that MPW has been very
supportive, by reimbursing tuition based on his
grades and paying for half of his materials. Additionally,
" they were flexible when I needed
time off and have relaxed grade requirements
[for purposes of qualifying for company tuition
reimbursement] when I was working outages
and going to school at the same time. MPW has
always encouraged education and uses education
as one of the criteria for advancement. "
White's experience exemplifies how students
who are interested in careers in the
power industry can now obtain their education
remotely via online classes.
64
Distance Learning Takes Root in
the Power Industry
In the past, POWER has presented a wide variety
of articles about educating personnel in
the electric power generation sector. Examples
(all available at www.powermag.com) include
" Training Tomorrow's Power Industry Workers "
(March 2011), " Power Industry Needs to
Do a Better Job of Educating and Messaging "
(July 2009), " Generation Next: Strategies for
Recruiting Younger Workers " (July 2008), and
" World-Class Teaching Lab Prepares Next Generation
of Plant Operators " (June 2006).
This article focuses on newer educational
opportunities available through online classes.
Two educational institutions that are pioneers
in this area are Bismarck State College (BSC)
in Bismarck, N.D., and the University of North
Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks. Both offer online
courses and degree programs that focus
on the electric power industry. Their courses
appeal to students who want to broaden their
workplace skills but who might not be able to
attend classes on college campuses.
Bismarck State College Moves
into the Digital Age
The National Energy Center of Excellence
(NECE) is located on the BSC campus (Figure
2). Joan Trygg, BSC marketing and advising
manager, told POWER in February that
" The first offering of online energy-related
courses was in 1999 with about six courses
as a pilot test. "
In 2007, the NECE was recognized by the
U.S. Department of Energy as the National
Power Plant Operations, Technology, and Education
Center. Now the NECE offers more
than 100 online courses, available at various
times throughout the calendar year, dedicated
to serving the workforce needs of the energy
industry (Figure 3). Trygg explained that the
move to offering online courses developed
for several reasons:
■ Online learning is flexible learning in a
number of ways. Students anywhere, even
www.powermag.com
1. Balancing work and education.
Doug White, a maintenance supervisor at
Muscatine Power & Water, has advanced his
career by taking online college courses from
Bismarck State College as well as some local
community college classes. Courtesy: Muscatine
Power & Water
in rural areas, can complete their coursework
online to gain the knowledge and
skills they need. Students can focus full
time on earning a degree or complete necessary
training while working their jobs.
There isn't a minimum or maximum number
of years in which a program must be
completed. This type of flexibility offers
students an optimum learning experience.
■ Offering courses online provides companies
with a cost-effective way to offer
training either as an entire degree program
or as customized plans to meet their training
program needs. Several companies
have used many of the NECE's offerings
to train new hires and existing personnel.
■ Companies want to invest in their employees
and their professional growth in the
form of education. If the education they
are pursuing is a direct fit with their current
or future responsibilities, the return
on that investment is much higher.
■ Companies can develop workforce plans
with the NECE to train people from their
local community (known as the " Grow
Your Own " model). Such programs increase
the employee retention rate, which
is important for most facilities.
POWER | June 2012
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POWER June 2012

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