Staci Gilbert

MEd in e-Learning: Corporate Training and Knowledge Management

Staci Gilbert has added her own twist to the adage, “if you build it, they will come;” In her case, she believes that “if you master it, your dream job will come.”

With nothing more than a vision of a new career path and a heaping dose of dedication and hard work, this 41-year-old administrative assistant at Medtronic embarked on her graduate degree program to get her closer to her goal of becoming a corporate trainer. She recently graduated from Jones International University with a Master of Education in e-Learning: Corporate Training and Knowledge Management and is confident of her future.

“It’s my passion,” she said of training. “To get where I want to go, I knew that a master’s degree is indispensable. And even though I’m not working as a corporate trainer at the moment, I continue to get opportunities in my office to do training. I’m hopeful that the experience will qualify me for a training job role down the road.”

Gilbert, who earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, said she was interested in an online format for graduate school because of its accessibility. She was drawn to JIU because of its reputation for exceptional faculty and top-notch academic programs. Her confidence in the university was bolstered even more when she found out that it was the first fully online university in the U.S. to receive regional accreditation.

“It was clear from the outset that JIU was developed for the working professional,” she said. “Every class was geared to giving students very practical information and challenging them to apply their skills to real-life situations.”

Initially, she explored several MBA programs but when she found the e-learning/corporate training specialization among JIU’s M.Ed. offerings, everything clicked.

“I truly believe that e-learning is inevitable in today’s global market,” she said. “I knew that this degree program in particular would give me the edge in the very competitive field of corporate training.”

Toward the end of her degree, Gilbert was able to parlay her newfound knowledge into an internship at her company. Working with the HR group, she rewrote the company forms module and conducted pilot training and web-based classes as part of her capstone project. She not only received a letter of recommendation and a bonus for her work, also won an exceptional performance award.

“It’s been a wonderful experience, and already I see a lot more doors open to me.”