Meet the Director of B.A. in General Studies

Carrie Johnson, Ed.D.

Dr. Carrie Johnson has worked in higher education for over 30 years. Since 2011, she has directed the B.A. in General Studies, an adult degree program, at Eastern Illinois University. Since 2015, she has held the title of Director, B.A. in General Studies, Educational Attainment and Outreach. She previously held a faculty position in the Chicago area.

Dr. Johnson earned her Ed.D. in Adult and Higher Education from Northern Illinois University. She has presented several workshops for the Adult Higher Education Alliance, Council on Adult and Experiential Learning and the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education at their annual conferences. Dr. Johnson has spoken internationally on her research which focuses on adult accelerated courses, adjunct faculty development, teaching adults, and supporting underprepared adult learners in higher education. She has also published several journal articles and book chapters on these topics.

Dr. Johnson is a past-president of the Adult Higher Education Alliance, and currently serves on the membership committee for the Association for Continuing and Higher Education. In addition, she holds the position of Assistant Executive Director and Director of Membership Development for Alpha Sigma Lambda, the honors society for adult learners.

Watch a short clip featuring Dr. Johnson speak about the Bachelor's in Liberal Arts Program at Eastern Illinois University.

EIU B.A. in General Studies Director

Interested in learning more about the EIU BGS Staff?

You can find out more about Staff Members and our B.A. in General Studies program on our website. If you have a question Tweet us @EIU_BGS or leave a comment below and we will get you in touch with one of our academic advisors.

Comments

We Are EIU - BGS Faculty

EIU B.A. in General Studies Faculty Members We recently asked our professors to tell us a little bit about themselves, including what they enjoy about teaching at EIU and how teaching adults has impacted their teaching. We also wanted to spotlight some of the work and achievements that our faculty members have accomplished outside of EIU BGS . We are very excited to share their stories and experience with our fans to showcase pride the faculty & students share in the School of Continuing Education at Eastern Illinois University and in the B.A. in General Studies program. Dr. Teresa Britton teaches Philosophy at EIU-BGS I like that BGS students attend (class); they are really smart students. They are eager to learn and know how to have fun too. Teaching for EIU is great as I am part of a large and talented faculty connected to a larger professional world. We are active and engaged scholars and researchers and it feels g...

Returning to College As An Adult

Written by Dr. Carrie Johnson, Director of EIU B.A in General Studies Program As the administrator of a degree-completion program designed for adults wishing to complete their bachelor’s degree, I repeatedly have prospective students tell me they did not finish their degree when “I should have done it.” I reply by telling them “I would not have a job without people like them and I love my job!” Let us take a moment to discuss adult learners returning to college and dispel the myth that they are doing this at the “wrong time.” Although most of us think of a college student as being between the ages of 18-23, this is not currently accurate in the United States; the truth is that close to 40% of today’s college students are 25 and older. What does an adult student bring into the college classroom? Here is a short list of pros and cons I have developed from my experience: As you can see, the strengths and challe...

What is Prior Learning Assessment?

Do you own your own business? Do you sell real estate? Do you write books? Do you schedule big events? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions have we got exciting news to share with you! The B.A. in General Studies (BGS) at Eastern Illinois University provides the opportunity for you to earn credit for what you know, through a variety of prior learning assessment opportunities. Read more below to see if this is something you’d be interested in! What is Prior Learning Assessment? Prior Learning Assessment is the process of evaluating a student’s college level learning that has occurred outside the traditional classroom. Many adults have learned things through trial and error. Examples of prior learning include work experiences, volunteerism, and military trainings. Why is prior learning assessment important? There are several valid reasons to pursue prior learning assessment. First, it validates knowledge learned th...

EIU B.A.in General Studies Blog

Search This Blog