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Where are they now alumni profile – Janet Lamar
In 2011, Pennsylvania native Janet Lamar was embracing a cultural shift in the education industry. New technologies such as the internet and social media were helping to eliminate barriers that once existed in traditional classrooms.
At the time, Lamar was returning to the workforce after a few years away to care for a parent with Alzheimer’s.
“When I was ready to return, I found that it wasn’t enough to have the experience that I’d had. I needed to upskill to the current technologies,” Lamar said.
As she already held a master’s degree in instructional design, she turned to Rio Salado College to complete a certificate in eLearning Design.
“I wanted to augment my master’s degree with the latest models and methodologies of eLearning design,” Lamar said. “Rio Salado’s program syllabus really appealed to me, and as an out-of-state student, so did the cost.”
Upon earning her certificate, Lamar began a new job as an instructional designer and content writer for an online executive-education program in Pennsylvania.
"Rio Salado prepared me to work by providing me with a model of what I would eventually be doing," Lamar said. "I was completely confident that I could walk in the door and immediately apply what I had learned to my new position."
Lamar enjoyed the eLearning program, especially the internship requirement.
“All of my professors and classes were excellent,” Lamar said. “For my program, I had to do an internship. I did it with the Legal Aid Society of NYC. That brought all of my coursework together and provided the real-world challenge of incorporating critical thinking.”
Lamar said with Rio Salado she found online classes more challenging than in-person, but there was also a positive aspect.
“In a classroom, you have a single pass at the lecture and discussion,” Lamar said. “At home, you can re-watch online class content, reread posts from the professors and students, and give more thought to your own projects.”
Today, Lamar is a technology instructor at Morgan Lewis, a global law firm in Philadelphia, “where I put into practice what I learned at Rio every single day.”
While she’s nearing the end of her professional life, Lamar is passing on her knowledge by mentoring up-and-coming designers and instructors.
“Learning is a lifelong pursuit, and I am an example of that,” Lamar said. “Being employed and being employable needs to be the end result of your personal investment of time and money. Rio provides that unique opportunity.”