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Anita Morgan, BS, MBA
Program Chair and Associate of Science in Accounting Instructor
In response to a question about her hobbies and interests, Anita Morgan replied, "I love to plant things and watch them grow." While Anita's response was a reference to her passion for gardening, it is also a good metaphor for the approach she takes to teaching and helping develop curriculum for the accounting courses taught through Colorado Tech Online and Stonecliffe College Online, an academic division of Colorado Technical University. "I give students ideas and concepts to work with, facilitate discussion on the topics and encourage them to take an active, physical and critical approach to learning. I state my expectations of students, then I reach out to them by asking, 'What I can I do to help you get there?' One of the most rewarding things for me about teaching is when I perceive the 'I get it!' moments from students. That's how I know that I have helped individuals grow intellectually." In other words, Anita Morgan plants ideas and watches her students grow from them.
While attending college, working full-time and raising a family, Anita was struggling in one her courses. "I contacted my instructor and she met me off hours on a Sunday afternoon to help me. The compassion and care that my instructor showed for me inspired me. I have always been a nurturing individual and I think that may come from being the oldest in my family, but when I experienced that from the receiving end, I said to myself, 'I want to do that someday in a professional capacity.' My education has opened so many doors for me in my life and I have always wanted to give that back to others."
Anita's academic credentials include a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from St. Mary of the Woods College, a Master's degree in Business Administration from Ball State University and a DBA in progress at Nova Southeastern University. The professional experience that Anita brings to her courses through Stonecliffe College Online includes nine years of teaching at Vincennes University and the Indiana Business College. She also has hands-on experience as an accounting professional in manufacturing, wholesale grocery, and health care, which led to a position as a CFO for a group of physicians. "I have worked in almost every type of position there is in the accounting profession - everything from clerical work to performing duties as a CFO. I truly enjoy working in accounting, but teaching accounting motivates and inspires me more than anything I have ever done."
Anita's educational philosophy is to take an active approach to education and she expects the same from her students. "I take an approach to instructing where I put myself in the position of being a servant and a leader. I do not want to be feared, I want to earn the respect of my students. I have always been an overachiever, so I reward students that go above and beyond course requirements. It may be enough for students to get by if they can reiterate course materials. But the students that respond to open-ended questions in a critical manner and go out of their way to research a topic, those that are curious and ask questions, those that prove their understanding of course materials through active discussion and present sound and valid arguments in their written work…those are the ones that stand out for me. I believe that every student can excel like that, and I do whatever it takes to get every student I encounter to achieve that level of learning."
Anita feels that online education through Stonecliffe College Online provides a great medium for reaching out to a wide array of students. "The Virtual Campus provides incredible educational tools for instructors and a wide array of learning resources for students. I have tools on hand that work with students that are visual learners as well as tools that work with students that learn better from written materials. I have found, however, that the best tool at my disposal is discussion and personal attention. The Virtual Campus at Stonecliffe College Online provides everything students need to reach to me…and everything I need to reach out to them. It is an incredibly effective teaching and learning environment!"
It is also an incredibly effective way for Anita to do other things in life that she has a passion for – like gardening. "I have had so little free time in my life that every moment I have free means a lot to me now. Thanks to a career in online education, I can not only keep up with the latest trends in accounting and incorporate them into courses, but also spend more time with my family, more time in my garden and more time doing the other things I love to do – like reading Stephen King novels. I would recommend Stonecliffe College Online to students as well as professionals in education. It is a great way for working students to move up the career ladder, but for me, helping develop curriculum and teaching online is the perfect career and a great way for me to do all the things I have always wanted to do in life."
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