Barbara J. Whatley of North Buncombe High Recognized
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| Barbara J. Whatley is a distance learning advisor at North Buncombe High School. Photo: Urban News |
Staff Reports
Barbara J. Whatley, a distance learning advisor at North Buncombe High School, is one of eight NC high school educators who have been honored for outstanding support of UNCG iSchool, a state-funded online learning program that gives NC public high school students a tuition-paid head start on their college education.
“Barbara has been instrumental to the success of UNCG iSchool in Buncombe County,” says Robert Brown, dean, UNCG Division of Continual Learning. “She has taken a leadership role in expanding the program and in helping students to excel academically.”
Whatley has served as an advisor to students taking online classes since
2002. She previously spent 22 years in Arizona, where she was director
of The Classic Beauty College in Tempe. After moving to North Carolina,
she and her husband David became owners of Carolina Stoneworks, a
business founded more than a century ago.
“Online classes provide a variety of choices and opportunities for
Buncombe County students that they might not have in a conventional
classroom,” she says. “It’s fantastic to have a program as wonderful as
UNCG iSchool that can help them acquire the skills they need to make a
smoother transition to the community college or university of their
choice.”
During the 2009-2010 school year, more than 3,000 students from 250
North Carolina high schools were enrolled in UNCG iSchool courses. Each
of those high schools has an on-site facilitator to support the program.
“High school facilitators are our guiding presence in the classroom,”
Brown says. “They proctor tests, help students stay on task, and coach
and motivate them to succeed academically.” Each facilitator undergoes
extensive training by UNCG in how to promote successful online learning.
UNCG iSchool
UNCG iSchool is part of the Learn & Earn Online initiative funded by
the N.C. General Assembly. By offering courses online, the University
makes it possible for students from Murphy to Manteo to earn college
credit during their regular school day. For the spring 2011 semester,
several new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
courses will be added to UNCG iSchool to fill an important need in North
Carolina education.
For more information on UNCG iSchool, the courses it offers and the
enrollment process, visit http://ischool.uncg.edu, email
[email protected], or phone (336) 334-9782 (toll free at 1-866-940-6247).
