This Insights article was contributed by Dr. Jerry M. Grimes II, instructor of Religious Studies in the Adult Studies Program.
 
As a college instructor in the area of professional and business ethics, one of my primary concerns is the overall usefulness of information provided to my students.
 
Likewise, what students who are enrolled in the Adult Studies Program at North Carolina Wesleyan College will acquire and use throughout the rest of their professional lives, are applicable skill sets and a propensity for developing solutions in their respective career fields.
 
Wesleyan instructors are aware of the needs of adult students who are transitioning in their careers, and the Adult Studies Program is staffed by experience administrators and counselors who understand the complexities of juggling work, family and school.
 
This is where options such as fully online courses and nighttime courses that meet only once a week enable our students to balance the demands of home, work and school.
 
Such options ensure that a student’s area of strength is made stronger while a student’s area of weakness is quickly identified and addressed using Wesleyan’s vast resources, which include - but are not limited to - online tutoring, digital library services and individual appointments with instructors.
 
Wesleyan also offers hybrid courses that combine the convenience of online studies with a limited number of in-class meetings for students, who still prefer more traditional interaction with their instructors. Subject to approval, arrangements can even be made for students to work with an instructor in an independent study course.
 
Wesleyan instructors are also keenly adept at using technology to simplify the learning process both inside and outside of the classroom.
 
From smartphone-friendly apps to an easy-to-use student portal, Wesleyan’s intuitive technology is designed to help out students whether they are entering, reentering or re-positioning themselves in the workforce.
 
My own field of ethics, for instance, covers a myriad of areas ranging from organizational management and human resources development to business administration and even psychology as it relates to matters of confidentiality and maintaining professional standards of conduct. By developing case studies drawn from current events relevant to a particular lecture topic, my students are able to immediately apply what is learned in class to their own professional contexts.
 
Students working in the medical field are familiarized with bioethics while students in organizational management and human resources are familiarized with EEOC regulations and collective bargaining agreements.
 
For this reason, the teaching methodologies of Wesleyan professors are regularly updated and modified to fit the specific needs of our students in their current or future career paths -- that is to say that our students receive instruction that is relevant, relatable and real.
 
Dr. Jerry M. Grimes II has served as an instructor of Religious Studies in the Adult Studies Program since 2013. His primary area of expertise is in the field of professional ethics. Most recently, he was elected senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church of Glenwood in the Chicago Southland.