Overview of Online Learning at Lesley University

History of online learning at Lesley University

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990's Lesley instructors increasingly enhanced their courses with electronic educational resources and communicated with students by electronic mail. In 1996, the first, totally online course was offered at Lesley. In 1997, students began to take entire Master's degrees online. Students from more than 20 countries and all of the 50 United States have taken Lesley’s online classes and become part of a community of skilled, knowledgeable, and inspired educators.

Benefits of online learning at Lesley University

At Lesley, you will earn your degree from an accredited university that combines creative and thought-provoking online teaching strategies with timely, practical content. With a reliable internet connection, you can enjoy the flexibility and convenience of taking courses from anywhere in the world.

Courses are asynchronous, so time zones and personal schedules do not interfere with class participation. Mathematics Education, Technology in Education and Science in Education master’s degree programs are fully online, without residency requirements. The Ecological Teaching and Learning program combines online learning with two three-week summer field experiences.

Lesley’s online faculty members are experienced with both face-to-face instruction and online teaching. Their responsibilities go far beyond facilitating learning: they serve multiple roles as teacher-mentors, researchers, consultants, writers, speakers, and community leaders. They are the primary force in promoting the vision and setting the high academic goals that enable us to deliver our online programs with the same quality and standards as our face-to-face education programs.

Online learning is not just a different format, it is a whole new way of teaching and learning. Online education tools provide more opportunities for communication between students and faculty, including discussion boards, chats, and e-mails. Adding these elements to a course enriches classrooms in ways not possible before the introduction of the internet. Students will discover new methods of collaboration, as learning expands beyond traditional classrooms, creating communities of worldwide learners.

Technical Information

The most important technical requirements are access to a high speed, reliable Internet connection and an email address that you check daily. Students can work with either a PC or Macintosh operating system and should have access to an integrated word processor/spreadsheet package, preferably Microsoft Office.

Overview of Lesley University

Lesley prepares women and men for professional careers in education, the arts, human services, management, environmental activism and liberal arts. Since 1909 when the school was founded to train early childhood educators, Lesley has been a leader and innovator in preparing people to have a positive impact on the world. A commitment to scholarship, citizenship, and lifelong learning forms the foundation of Lesley's educational philosophy.

Lesley offers a variety of graduate and undergraduate programs on its Cambridge and Boston campuses and in regional, national, and international locations. Lesley has also offered classes online, since 1997. Central to the mission of all its programs is a commitment to excellence, creative instruction, the integration of academic and field-based learning, and responsiveness to the needs of society and the student.

With urban campuses in Cambridge and Boston as anchors, Lesley's face-to-face programs extend to sites across the United States and abroad, while our online graduate degree programs serve students everywhere.