navigate: home: magazine: fall 2003: article

Staff sergeant logs into classes from Iraq By Melissa W. Kaye and Joseph Sanders
	While stationed in Kurdish-controlled territory during the Iraq war, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Juston D. Losey worked the nightshift in his position as an air transportation specialist. His responsibilities included inspecting air cargo, setting up storage facilities and loading and unloading aircraft during 14-hour shifts.   About an hour or so before a shift started and for about an hour or two afterward, he turned on a computer, logged onto the Internet with a portable satellite and took classes on turfgrass management with the Penn State World Campus.   The 26-year-old resident from Lawrenceville, Pa., said, “It was a nice escape. During downtime, we were able to use e-mail and check news and sports. I used my time to send assignments to my Penn State professor, post bulletins and read my lessons.”   He completed his advanced certificate in the World Campus turfgrass management program while in Iraq, receiving As in two courses. Currently stationed on the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, he is working toward his bachelor’s degree, with an emphasis on turfgrass.   “I really enjoy the online experience,” he said. “It’s definitely the same, if not better, than residence courses. The best part is being able to thoroughly think through answers during discussions. Everyone has had the ‘that’s what I should have said’ feeling during or just after discussions in a classroom. This doesn’t happen online, and I think this aspect really enhances the educational experience.”   Losey, who became interested in turfgrass after visiting a friend at work on a golf course in Virginia Beach, said he selected the World Campus turfgrass certificate program after researching educational opportunities on the Internet. While remaining “flexible” on career opportunities, he said he would eventually like to own a landscaping and lawn service company.   “Flexibility is, indeed, the hallmark of online learning in general,” Dr. Gary E. Miller, associate vice president for Outreach and executive director of the World Campus, said. “We created the World Campus to ensure flexible access to some of Penn State’s best research-based educational programs. This concept may sound kind of abstract, but as Staff Sgt. Losey demonstrates, it is very real to our adult students. For them, learning is a daily part of life.”