Students enrolled in Catherine Chauvin’s human resource management courses tap into a wealth of practical industry knowledge, built from 20-plus years in the industry in the U.S. and abroad.
As a human resource manager in Europe, Chauvin learned the importance of clear and efficient remote communication, which she’s able to utilize and share with her online students in Management 365.
“My boss sat in London,” Chauvin says. “A lot of the people who reported to me were in other countries. A lot of people I had meetings with, I never saw.”
Chauvin began teaching eight years ago, keeping one foot in the industry through area organizations.
She says teaching business students online was a natural progression to meet demand.
“If you track needs of students, and how they want to be educated, it’s what our students want,” Chauvin says. “More and more universities are offering those kinds of opportunities.”
The B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration has amplified that opportunity by offering the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Management degree 100-percent online.
The online opportunity combines the same level of rigor that is a trademark of the college in a more flexible format. The blend is ideal for students balancing full-time work schedules and other responsibilities.
“I was really pleased to see the turn toward giving students that opportunity,” Chauvin says. “It offers something I think the community wants and it’s not limited to Lafayette. It’s online — it can be anybody.
“Millennials sort of want it all and now. They are enrolled full-time in school, living on their own, and working, in many cases, the equivalent of a full-time job. The online program will afford them the opportunity to work full time while pursuing their four-year degree.”
Online students have to be independent, self-driven, and self-directed, Chauvin says, holding themselves accountable for assignments and progress.
“Students have this assumption that online is easy, but my students have as much work during the week as if they were in class,” Chauvin says. “They do not sit idle.
“They have a lot of written assignments, they have research assignments, they have reflection assignments; I try to find different ways of engaging them.”
By the end of the course, students have a foundational understanding of human resource management and the impact it has within an organization.
“Most small companies don’t have human resource professionals,” Chauvin says. “That is done by managers. So they will be doing this, either in their own businesses or small businesses where they may be a manager.”
In addition to delivering practical human resource management skills, Chauvin ensures students connect with her as an instructor, as well as their peers.
“You need to have a different skill set to be an online instructor,” Chauvin says. “You have to create an environment where they know you're there.
“I want my students to get to know each other and to work in teams and to use virtual communication tools,” she says.
In doing so, students develop even more skills they can take directly into the workforce.
“It’s what employers want — students who make decisions, follow instructions, deliver in a timely manner, and can communicate electronically,” Chauvin says.
The business administration in management degree prepares students for the global business community with a foundation in accounting, business statistics, finance, management, marketing, economics, business law, and professional ethics.
Students can complete their degree in eight semesters or fewer, based on previous credit earned and number of credits taken each semester.
Request information today about earning your degree online, whether it’s a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Management degree, an MBA, or one of UL Lafayette’s other accredited or online programs.