Graduates earn first online education master’s degrees from FIU

Associate Professor Elizabeth Cramer, online master’s of special education graduates Dianelly Mouradian and Naomi Samole-Prager, Associate Professor Patricia M. Barbetta and Assistant Professor Kyle Bennett reunite before the College of Education’s Aug. 3 commencement ceremony.

When Naomi Samole-Prager learned of the fully online master’s degree programs offered by the College of Education, she knew it was the key to achieving a lifelong dream.

“I wanted to get a teaching degree with an autism endorsement,” said Samole-Prager, a 42-year-old single mother of two who could not have worked toward her master’s degree if it wasn’t available online. “My brother has autism so I’ve been around it all my life. It’s my passion. It’s my love.”

While commencement marked a special day for Samole-Prager and her classmates, it was also a milestone for the college, which graduated its first fully online student cohorts in the master’s of science in curriculum and instruction and special education programs.

In all, 22 students graduated from the fully online curriculum and instruction program and 13 graduated from special education program on Aug. 3.

Students in these programs are on an accelerated 12-month schedule, taking four courses per semester in lock step with the other members of their graduating class.

“Doing a yearlong master’s program is not easy,” said Samole-Prager, who earned a master of science in special education. “Not having a life was difficult, but it’s worth it because I want to teach students in Pre-K to make sure they get a good start on their education.”

Angela Ramirez, who graduated from the online curriculum and instruction program, was motivated to join the program because of a desire to help her colleagues.

“When I started teaching middle school science, I asked for curriculum guides and my school said they didn’t have any. Start at chapter one,” said Ramirez, also a mother of two. “I needed to develop some form of curriculum for myself and I found I really like doing this.”

Now that she’s finished her master’s program, Ramirez is armed with strategies and best practices that will allow her to help develop curricula for a variety of subjects.

“It’s very scientific,” Ramirez, 43, said of the approach to curriculum development she learned. “You have to listen to your children when you’re developing a curriculum. If they’re not responding, you have to try something new.”

For Dianelly Mouradian, earning her degree online was not just a matter of convenience, it was a way to create more opportunities in the future.

“I love that I’m able to teach students that everyone else has trouble teaching,” said Mouradian, 31, who currently teaches ESE students at Imagine Charter School in Weston. “I plan to be a teacher for a while, but I would like to become a school administrator and teach at the college level some day.”

After taking some time off, Joseph Luc, who graduated from the curriculum and instruction program, plans to return to the university and earn a Ph.D.

Luc, 36, was moved by courses that prepared him and his fellow classmates to better integrate technology into the classroom and to meet the needs of diverse students.

“We have to evolve and adapt to further our students,” Luc said. “I’ve been teaching for 12 years and what ends up happening in the classroom is that we think what worked last year is going to work this year.

“Not true,” he added. “Students are different each year, they come from different backgrounds. So to streamline education so it’s one size fits all doesn’t work.”

With the 12-month program now behind them, the graduates reveled during commencement.

“I had this feeling of euphoria,” Ramirez said of walking across the commencement stage. “All the hard work, the sleepless nights, my children who sacrificed a lot – we didn’t go on vacation. This is what I did this for.”