UW Online Student Pursues Doctorate with Plans to Work with Adult Learners

Lonnie Thomas Robinson is earning her Doctor of Education through the University of Wyoming, with a focus on community college leadership and administration as well as advocating for adult education. She also is a mother, a caregiver for her husband and an adult learner herself with a full-time job.

Thomas Robinson, of Westerville, Ohio, always wanted to be a doctor. It was one of her goals in life, she says. But the opportunity never came.

Understanding the importance of continuing education, she previously earned her bachelor's and master's degrees through Franklin University, which is designed for adult learners and has in-person and online education components. One day, when it came to earning her doctorate, Thomas Robinson thought to herself, "If now is not the time, when am I going to do it?"

So, she enrolled in UW's College of Education online doctorate program, a path made possible by the college and UW's Online and Continuing Education Office, which assists with the development and offering of UW online programs.

In addition to her Ed.D., Thomas Robinson is earning her community college leadership certificate in organizational leadership, with a goal to finish her remaining two courses this summer. The certificate, which shares four credits with her doctorate, was suggested as a starting point by Reed Scull, an associate professor in higher education administration in UW's College of Education, and Jonathan Carrier, an associate professor in higher education administration, Thomas Robinson says.

"It was a wonderful opportunity, because I hadn't been in school for quite a few years," she says. "I didn't know if I was going to be able to handle being a student and being able to work full time, and I'm also a caregiver for my husband."

"There was a time when online learning was a secondary delivery option behind in-person learning, but that time has passed," says Matt Griswold, vice provost for online and continuing education at UW. "Today, online programs provide a path to employment, career advancement and general education for students whose standing responsibilities and lives don't allow them to move to campus. Similarly, it used to be more difficult for educators to work with virtual students but, due to instructional design and technological advances, we are able to reach equivalent learning outcomes in both online and in-person degrees and certificates."

Thomas Robinson initially considered another university's program but decided to attend UW after a call from the leadership of UW's College of Education.

"They called me and answered my questions and talked to me and, when I got to Dr. Scull, it was just like, 'This is a professional I want to learn from,'" Thomas Robinson says. "He's got so much knowledge; he's so in love with what he does; and I want to learn from this guy … that's what made me pick the University of Wyoming."

By attending UW, Thomas Robinson, who is originally from Big Piney, also could "wear the brown and gold in pride like the rest of the family."

Her brother earned a degree from UW and went on to become a history teacher. Their father, a lifelong learner with multiple degrees and interests, earned nutrition, history, art and biology degrees from UW. He went on to gain credentials from other institutions as well. Her uncle and 17 cousins also received their degrees from the university.

After Thomas Robinson completes her UW degree, in addition to focusing on community college leadership and administration, she also would love the opportunity to work with adult learners, she says, with a focus on helping women find resources to be comfortable and confident furthering their education.

Thomas Robinson, who has worked in continuing education and other administration roles, became interested in how adults learn when she was a K-12 administrator within health food services and noticed there aren't as may women leaders in education. In Thomas Robinson's opinion, adults need a break. At 18 years old, people don't always know what they want to do.

"Some kids do, but some do not, and I was one of those kids. I did not know what I wanted to do," she says.

As an adult, she has taken in-person classes alongside college-age students and found it was difficult to fit in. For adults, putting them with peers on a similar level, in her opinion, makes sense and is something of which community colleges and universities need more.

There's a great place for adult education within community colleges that has yet to be looked at, Thomas Robinson says, "and I think that universities are just coming into that entire phase of what adult education looks like."

In her time enrolled at UW, Thomas Robinson has had some great courses, she says, including education law. In that class, she has learned how education law affects students, teachers and institutions, and how it all intertwines.

"I got to know what was going on in different states and around the country with education," Thomas Robinson says. "My favorite, so far, has been a continuing education course that I took, which was on adult education and continuing professional development."

For Thomas Robinson, the most useful part of the program has been the ability to talk to peers who want the same degree she is interested in, and "being able to understand their experiences at the different university levels."

The program will give her more confidence and "a stronger voice to speak up in bigger settings for public education," she adds.

"I do know that, for me, education is never ending. If I could have been a permanent student and that could have been my career, that's what I would have been," Thomas Robinson says. "It may be an addiction, but I just think that it's so important for people to continue to learn and educate themselves and never stop that education."