Meet Our Faculty: Daniel Sherron, MBA

April 29, 2020 10:44am

What degrees have your earned and from what institution?

I double majored at Southwestern College Professional Studies and earned my bachelor’s degrees in health administration, and human resource development in 2015. I went back to Professional Studies for my graduate degree in business administration and completed it in 2017.

Besides teaching online courses for SC, what do you do professionally?

I am the Health Services Director for the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma.

What made you want to teach online courses at SC?

One of the main reasons why I chose to apply with SC was solely because I believed in the program. As an undergraduate and graduate alumnus of SC, I felt that I could be an asset because I knew the things that I liked and disliked as a student myself. My goal was to build on those experiences and apply them to the faculty side. SC has a great product that really works to provide higher education to working adults and parents. I really had a great experience as a student and wanted to pass that experience on as an affiliate faculty member.

In what ways do you think your own experiences make you a better online instructor?

Well, I would say there are not many instructors, if any, currently at Southwestern that have a set of experiences like mine. I have devoted much of my career to work in Indian country and have helped in tackling some tough issues that affect Native American people and communities. As a student myself, I seldom encountered Native American faculty and I am a sole believer that diversity really adds to the classroom experience and the delivery of education. We know through study that incorporating diverse perspectives into our classroom delivery really adds to the broadening of thoughts and application.

What is one misconception about online learning you hear often and what do you say to correct it?

There are two glaring misconceptions about online learning that I think can be addressed. First, online learning is always deemed as difficult. My experience centered on the program not being overly difficult as long as you have proper time management skills. Developing a schedule that works for you and sticking to it is key. I attended school while working full time and being a father of five. The second misconception is that online learning is somehow discounted when compared to a traditional classroom. If anything, you have to be more dedicated and adapt to a principled schedule that really takes priority in your weekly life. Online learners have to be dedicated and committed in order to stay on task and digest the weekly principles being discussed.

What makes Southwestern College stand apart from other online colleges?

Besides from having awesome instructors and faculty members, Southwestern College really works hard to make sure their students succeed. There are so many different tools that students can access that can aid in their degree completion. From the Online Writing Center, to the Academic Success Coaches, Southwestern is always thinking of ways to help. As an instructor, I always attempt to make myself available anytime a student needs help. Students need to know that the instructors are just as committed as we expect them to be and I think Southwestern College is testament to that brand of online education.