Distance learning is becoming an indispensable part of a college education, allowing students to take needed classes asynchronously when in-person classes don’t fit into their schedules, or making it easier to take classes from other institutions to round out their degrees. 

And it’s playing an increasingly important role at PCA&D, enabling students from elsewhere to take advantage of our faculty’s expertise. 

Overseeing those programs is Holly Mosher, who joined PCA&D in 2020 as an adjunct professor in the Business Department, and segued into the role of Business programs chair and Director of Distance Education a year later. 

You’re working toward your Ph.D. in Education Leadership. What pulled you in the direction of education to begin with? 

Holly Mosher: I chose Education Leadership to diversify my education. I have a degree in Fashion Merchandising and a degree in Marketing, and an MS in Apparel, Textiles, and Merchandising with an emphasis in Marketing. I thought I would add Education Leadership to help me succeed in higher education. I have 15 years’ experience working in retail supply chain so I thought it would be nice to have some formal education experience since I already have real industry experience. 

Can you give an example or two of how your role, as Director of Distance Education, directly impacts the average student at PCA&D? 

HM: I think as the Director of Distance Education I am able to help students enhance their BFA. All of the minors, Business, Esports, Fashion, and Data Visualization are offered online, so I feel that I can help our students seek career paths that they have not even thought of. I enjoy working with students through Career Services and helping them develop an idea of how to be successful in the creative industry.

We currently are able to impact many students in the PCA&D learning experience. This Fall, we have approximately 50 students enrolled in online courses with distance education. This is a large number of students experiencing a form of online education. As the Director of Distance Education, I have worked on the development of course share through Acadeum, which offers (PCA&D) online courses to more than 440 schools. We strive to provide quality and engagement in our online environment with amazing course content. 

What do you find rewarding about your work in making distance education more accessible to students? 

HM: I find it very rewarding working with students online and giving them real-world experience. Our online professors have extensive real-world backgrounds in various creative industries. This is such an amazing opportunity to share with our students. We love to offer guest speakers from major companies like URBN. We also offer Business Bootcamp both in person and virtually. This helps our students learn about all of the possible career opportunities. I think understanding the remote-learning option in distance education can help our students be successful when looking for careers that could possibly have a remote aspect to their work. We enhance our curriculum with professionalism, career education, and online success plans.