Return to:
Kaplan University
Dr. Nina La
Adjunct professor, health
Kaplan University
Dr. Nina La is an adjunct professor at Kaplan University School of Health Sciences. She is also a holistic chiropractor and acupuncturist who uses the drugless approach with patients. She has been in practice since 2009 and is currently serving the people of Orange and Los Angeles Counties, in addition to being part of an allied medical staff at Tri-City Regional Medical Center, a hospital serving Los Angeles County. She graduated summa cum laude with a doctoral degree in chiropractics and graduated as the valedictorian and summa cum laude with a Master’s of Science degree in acupuncture and oriental medicine.
What subjects do you currently teach?
HW 205: Vitamins, Herbs, and Nutritional Supplements in the Department of Health and Wellness and HS 260: Anatomy, Physiology, and Chemistry in the Department of Nutritional Science.
What attracted you to working in online education?
I love to teach, learn, and treat patients. I currently have an acupuncture/chiropractic practice in Hawaiian Garden, Seal Beach, and Irvine, Calif., but yet I still feel that thirst to reach out and teach students. So since I only have 24 hours a day, I decided to dedicate my teaching online.
Had you ever taken any courses online? If so, how would you describe your learning experience?
Did I also mention that I love to learn? I want to be a lifelong educator, and I would like to teach how I would like to learn, and learn the way that I would like to teach my students. So yes, I am actually taking online classes now at Kaplan University toward a Master’s of Science in Psychology, emphasis in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). The moral of the story is, if I could learn everything I could about everything, I would! Kaplan University is actually accredited by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB), so I will have the option of taking my new-found Master’s of Science in Psychology degree another step and become a licensed behavioral analyst!
What would you say are the biggest differences/similarities between online programs vs. traditional, on-campus programs?
The similarities are pretty simple — students get to learn the same information as would traditional on-campus programs. The big difference is — students get to learn on their own time and in their pajamas! Likewise for teachers — we love to teach in our pajamas as much as our students love to learn in their pajamas! I even had new mothers who were breast-feeding their newborns while attending my seminar! I love multitasking, and I appreciate students that can do the same!
What makes the online learning medium a solid educational choice?
I have taught Anatomy and Physiology previously at various colleges and universities, namely Cypress Community College in California. Let me tell you, I personally feel much more comfortable teaching in my pajamas than in professional attire! The Kaplan teaching platform is through synchronous seminar, which allows teachers to share PowerPoints, lecture through a microphone, or share videos. We chat with students via instant messenger and email. The online learning medium that makes it a solid educational choice is teacher-student contact! It seems as though online learning allows for more teacher-student contact than traditional classroom setting. Another thing that I love about online learning — students get to chat along while I lecture, without the lecture being interrupted! How can a traditional classroom do that?
Every so often, online colleges are marketed as an easier, more convenient solution. Does the added convenience actually make things easier or perhaps make things more challenging for the wrong student?
I would like to think that there’s no “wrong student,” just “wrong teacher.” If a teacher applies the same principle of high ethical conduct to the students, both traditionally on campus and online, then the student would share that same high ethical conduct. I would not say that online colleges are “easier” in general, but I would admit that online colleges are “easier” to cheat! I have had a fair share of students who found it way too convenient to copy and paste Internet websites just to fill up their paper because they also had the misconception that online colleges are easier. We use the TurnItIn plagiarism detection program at Kaplan University, [which scans papers] for all Internet sources as well as other submitted sources for similarities. I have had a student who had 82% of her paper plagiarized verbatim. That student gets a “0″ for the assignment. If this would have been her second violation, she would have failed the course, and if a third time, she would have been expelled from the university. We as faculty take learning very seriously, and even though the Internet and the online world make it really convenient for students to plagiarize, we do not tolerate it. On that note, a motivated student would do very well both online and in a traditional on-campus setting. Kaplan University actually offers both, so it is rather for convenience of time (for those who work full time) to choose an online university.
What course management systems — such as Blackboard or eCollege — have you used?
We use the Kaplan platform, which is very similar to Blackboard and eCollege. These systems are very effective in instructing and communicating with students. The advantage is this platform allows for easier course planning and student access, which automatically logs the students’ participation. The TurnItIn plagiarism-detection program makes it extremely easier to track for plagiarism, whereas this task would have been much more daunting and time-consuming when done by hand.
As an online instructor, how much interaction do you have with students? In what ways are you able to provide one-on-one instruction and group interaction?
Online faculties have much more interaction with students than an on-campus faculty can. This is because we can reach out to many of our students at the same time with the help of technology. We also offer one-on-one instruction for those who need it. I came from University of California, Berkeley, which boasted 700+ students [in] attendance per lecture. Most faculty members did not remember my names, and I already had difficulty trying to find a seat, let alone talk one-on-one with a professor. I remember we had to make a reservation with the professor if we wanted to attend office hours. An online classroom usually has 20-30 students per class, which then makes it much more manageable and personal for the students.
What are your typical day-to-day responsibilities as an online educator?
Responding to discussion board posting, answering emails, grading, and reaching out to those students who are falling behind. It is very similar to when I was teaching at community colleges, except that I can do this in the comfort of my own home without the need to wear professional attire.
Do you believe that the quality of education that students receive online is of the same quality as that in a classroom setting?
I have had students who came back to me and said that there were days they felt like crying, but just attending my live seminar and re-channeling their focus to school really helps them. In short, the quality of education that students receive is of the same quality as that in a classroom setting, [or] even better! Now, many well-known universities offer either half traditional-half online classes, or even full online classes. Online learning is just more convenient for those non-traditional students who work full time or have a family to take care of and are unable to attend on-campus universities. In fact, Kaplan offers both traditional on-campus and online universities to accommodate both!
From your experience, does it make a difference to employers whether or not a degree was earned at a brick-and-mortar school or an online college?
It really depends on the accreditation of the school. If you attend an unaccredited brick-and-mortar school versus an accredited online college, your accredited degree would obviously mean much more to further your education and to future employers. So be sure to check and see whether your online college is accredited. For example, my Master’s of Science in Psychology degree is accredited by the BABC, which means that I have the option of furthering my education after the master’s by doing internships and testing to get the ABA license (and becoming an applied behavioral analyst).
