Your Journey Begins Here You have reached the end of this series, and perhaps the beginning of something much larger. Over the course of these posts, we have tried to give you an honest, warm, and practical picture of what life in APPLE looks like. We have talked about practical preparation and pacing guides, about […]
Making the Most of Instructor Feedback in APPLE There is a moment that many learners know well. You have worked hard on an assignment. You have read the material, thought carefully about the prompts, and submitted your best effort. And then the feedback arrives. It is detailed, specific, and more extensive than anything you received […]
You Are Supported: What APPLE Learners Can Count On One of the most common concerns adult learners carry into a new program is a quiet worry that they will be on their own. They might assume that the flexibility of online, competency-based learning means navigating challenges without a net. In APPLE, the opposite is true. […]
Balancing Work, Family, and Coursework in APPLE There is a tension that nearly every APPLE learner knows. It does not always announce itself loudly. It shows up quietly in those moments when you close your laptop to help your child with their homework, when a meeting runs long on the night you planned to study, […]
Getting Ready: Practical Preparation for Your First Term in APPLE Starting something new is both exciting and a little daunting. Whether you are a paraprofessional already serving in a WELS school, a long-time classroom aide finally pursuing your teaching license, or someone answering a call you did not expect, the first term of APPLE marks […]
What You Bring to APPLE: Experience, Growth, and the Journey Ahead Every learner who begins APPLE arrives with a unique story. Some have spent years as paraprofessionals, working alongside classroom teachers and learning the rhythms of school life from the inside. Others have served as substitute teachers, stepping into unfamiliar classrooms with confidence and adaptability. […]
Setting Yourself Up for Success: The Mindset for APPLE Beginning something new almost always brings two feelings traveling together: excitement and self-doubt. If you are starting your first term in APPLE carrying both, you are in good company. Nearly every adult learner who has walked this path of returning to school has stood in the […]
A New Kind of Learning: What to Expect from CBE Coursework in APPLE Most of us carry a mental model of education built over years of traditional schooling. Show up, take notes, study for the test, earn the grade, move on. It is a familiar rhythm, and it is almost entirely unlike how learning works […]
Welcome to APPLE! Some journeys begin with a clear sense of direction. Others begin with the quiet conviction that God is calling you somewhere new, even if the path is not yet fully visible. If you are reading this, you may be at the beginning of one of those journeys. The APPLE program at Martin […]
Drs. Martin and Nichole LaGrow attended D2L Fusion 2025 in Savannah, Georgia. Brightspace, a D2L product, is the online learning environment for competency-based coursework at MLC. This three-day conference allowed both LaGrows to meet with our D2L support team and engage with colleagues from other institutions that use Brightspace. Both returned to campus with more […]
