Education 7.27.25 - Flipbook - Page 2
2
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, July 27, 2025
Students learn by doing
From study abroad to teaching and cybersecurity, colleges provide
hands-on experiences
By Gregory J. Alexander, Contributing Writer
ily Tsomos always loved
math. “My dad actually
would not let me use a
calculator as a child so
that I would learn math
on my own. I am so thankful that
he did that,” says Tsomos. It was
her love of math that led Tsomos
to pursue a degree teaching math
L
classrooms beginning in their first
semester of the program. “They
are in classrooms throughout the
Baltimore metro area and learn
how to foster their own students’
way of thinking by encouraging
them to think on their own instead
of being told what and how to
think,” Cooper says. “Also, UTeach
nationally as the first – and still
one of the only – institutions of its
kind to require that all students
study abroad in order to graduate.
However, Matt Van Hoose, Ph.D.,
associate vice president for
global, career and communitybased learning at Goucher, notes
that the college recognized that
learning and job shadowing, for
example, in study abroad. These
can lead to job opportunities
abroad and provide students with
the experience of what it’s like to
practice a profession outside of the
U.S. Even if they work in the U.S.,
they will likely be collaborating with
colleagues from other cultures and
countries, so they gain valuable
communication skills and practice
working with individuals in different
time zones. Being able to navigate
cultural boundaries gracefully is
very important to employers.”
Above: Students at AACC benefit from hands-on experiences working with the Cyber Range. Below: Goucher College is making study abroad more affordable.
at Towson University’s UTeach
program.
Tsomos says that she was drawn
to Towson due to the university’s
strong teaching program. After
spending her first two years at
Harford Community College, she
transferred to Towson and was
amazed how easy the process
was, which she credits to Linda
Cooper, Ph.D., director of Towson
UTeach. “Dr. Cooper had my
two years at UTeach essentially
mapped out when we first met. It
was so helpful, and I was really
impressed,” she says. “She was
also my first instructor, and she
made sure that she introduced me
to other students, which was nice
since I was new.”
Cooper says that the tight-knit
community in the UTeach program
is one of the program’s advantages.
“It’s such a supportive community.
There is a student-run UTeach
room adjacent to the faculty one,
where all doors are open, and we
collaborate and work together,”
she notes. Another advantage
for students is the opportunity to
be taught by “master teachers,”
clinical faculty with extensive
secondary teaching experience.
“They bring an authentic approach
that shows students what teaching
will really be like,” Cooper notes.
Perhaps the most important
element of the UTeach program is
that students get field experience in
students can determine quickly if
teaching is right for them.”
Cooper explains that in the first
semester, mater teachers give
students an outline of a lesson
plan that they then flesh out. As
they progress in the program, they
gradually develop lesson plans on
their own.
Tsomos says she appreciated
the structure of the program while
also providing her with multiple
options to pursue within the lessons
plans. “UTeach also provides
guidance on how to engage with
students. For example, if there are
football players in your classroom,
you can use football statistics
to teach math that will interest
them.” Tsomos, who graduated
in the spring, is weighing multiple
teaching opportunities to begin
teaching this fall.
Cooper adds that for the past
two years, the Towson UTeach
program has provided need-based
scholarships to returning students,
who meet academic eligibility
requirements, to cover their unmet
need as determined by FAFSA with
a maximum cap that covers tuition
and fees. Towson also offers meritbased renewable scholarships for
incoming first-year and transfer
students.
Making Study Abroad More
Accessible
Goucher College is known
it was important to ensure that
underserved students could afford
study abroad experiences. “We
are deeply committed, as is our
partner, ISEP Study Abroad, to
provide equitable access to all
students,” says Van Hoose. He
notes that 35% of Goucher’s
2024 class were first-generation
students, 55% were students of
color, and 40% were Pell Granteligible students. “Every one of
these students will participate in
study abroad at Goucher.”
With this in mind, Van Hoose
and his colleagues began looking
at ways to make study abroad
accessible. “The value of studying
abroad is unmeasurable and
transformational, but there can
be barriers by being away all
semester, so we looked at shortterm study abroad experiences
with a minimum of three weeks.
Student athletes, for example,
have difficulty due to their
practice schedules, so we look for
experiences that align with their
schedule and interest in sports.”
He adds that a survey of the class
of 2024 showed that 75% of
graduates said that study abroad
was the most valuable experience
of their time at Goucher.
Van Hoose adds that there
has been an increased focus on
incorporating career exploration
into study abroad experiences,
too. “We embed workplace
Addressing an Urgent Need
The need for qualified IT and
cybersecurity workers nationally
to fill vacancies is significant, and
Maryland is one of the nation’s
hotbeds of the industry. To help fill
the need, Maryland’s new Cyber
Workforce Accelerator program is
providing cyber ranges to all 16
community colleges in the state,
including Anne Arundel Community
College, which is a designated
National Center of Academic
Excellence in Cyber Defense by
the National Security Agency and
is part of the Centers of Academic
Excellence in the cybersecurity
community.
Through this program, AACC
students will gain hands-on
experience using the BCR Cyber
Series 3000 Cyber Range, an
immersive training system that
simulates real-world cyberattacks
based on actual events.
“One of the most difficult
challenges in this field is staying
current, which this hands-on
experience addresses, as the
Cyber Range truly mimics real
world experiences of combating
cyberattacks,” says Lance Bowen,
Ph.D., dean of the school of
science, technology and education
at AACC. Bowen says that the
field is perfect not only for those
interestedinscienceandtechnology
but also career changers such as
teachers and nurses. “We have
close relationships with the leading
cyber companies, and they recruit
open positions through AACC due
to our strong reputation. Also, the
program is very flexible for working
professionals.”
Bowen says that professionals
from local cybersecurity companies
serve on AACC’s industry advisory
boards who provide valuable
feedback such as incorporating
more artificial intelligence into the
program.
