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Grand Canyon University
Tori Hoskins
Class of 2015, bachelor’s degree in secondary education
Grand Canyon University
San Diego native Tori Hoskins first visited Grand Canyon University when her family came to Arizona for their annual vacation. She and her mother also took the time to tour another Christian university in the Phoenix area, but Hoskins was drawn to the overwhelming warmth of GCU’s campus environment. “I loved the feel,” she said. “I could really picture myself there.” So after weighing her options and carefully considering her educational goals, she soon applied and was accepted to Grand Canyon University’s education program.
Now a freshman studying secondary education with an emphasis in English, Hoskins could not be happier with her decision. “It became home so quickly and so easily,” she said. “After looking at another similar school in Phoenix, I can really say that this was the place for me.” For Hoskins, Grand Canyon University is the perfect blend of traditional and modern, pushing her to think about her education in new ways. “The modern and traditional come together in a really nice way: the buildings, culture, programs,” she said.
In her time at Grand Canyon University, Hoskins has had the opportunity to take classes on-campus as well as online. At first, the thought of the virtual classroom was new and a bit nerve-wracking. “I’m not a computer person and had never worked with the online technology before, but the instructors were really good at teaching students how to use all the technologies,” she said. “It didn’t take long to get used to them.”
As for how the warmth of GCU’s campus environment translated in the online classroom, Hoskins found it to be much more engaging than she expected. “Everyone is still involved,” she noted. “Everyone has to post a bio and we learn about each other. We have to do two replies for four days each week in our online discussions. These interactions stimulate in-depth discussions that really help students get a sense of what is important to their peers,” explained Hoskins.
As for the secondary education degree specifically, Grand Canyon University offers a fully accredited program directly aligned with Arizona Professional Teacher Standards, Interstate New Teacher Support and Assessment Consortium principles, and applicable specialized professional association standards. All education students must complete foundational courses in topics such as communication, critical thinking, and, in keeping with GCU’s faith-based curriculum, Christian worldview. Additionally, as part of her specialization, Hoskins will complete 24 credit hours in her content area of English, including classes in everything from grammar and linguistics to Shakespeare.
Students in the secondary education program at Grand Canyon University are regularly given the opportunity to put the skills and knowledge they have gained into practice. Throughout the degree program, students will be required to complete 105 to 135 hours of field experience before beginning their full-time student teaching experience during their final semester.
Overall, Hoskins feels Grand Canyon University’s program will equip her well to pursue her goal of becoming a teacher. She also values the fact that she has been challenged to grow in new ways while still remaining in a warm and supportive learning environment. Particularly, the hybrid curriculum has forced Hoskins out of her comfort zone, but the aid of faculty and staff made this transition easier. “We get great feedback from teachers,” said Hoskins. Any student first starting college must learn to improve their writing and communication skills, but this is intensified in a virtual environment which is more writing intensive. In these instances, Hoskins is thankful she chose a school where professors are highly accessible and open to answering any questions she might have. Currently, Hoskins is on track to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in 2015.
