BGSU Online flexibility and support inspired veteran Cincinnati teacher to pursue autism graduate certificate

A longtime intervention specialist, Alyson Fowler is already using her enhanced knowledge of autism to benefit her students

Alyson Fowler always loved the notion of adding to her education and increasing the skill set she would bring to her role as an intervention specialist working with young students.

But after an especially tedious and laborious experience with post-graduate studies at a college in her native state of Florida, Fowler did not believe she would test the waters again.

That all changed once she saw the opportunity at Bowling Green State University to enhance her education and earn a graduate certificate in autism spectrum disorders on a timetable that fit her schedule in a unique and flexible online format.

Initially, Fowler had considered several colleges where she could earn the certification required by the state, but BGSU Online consistently stayed at the top of her list.

“Every time I emailed a question to BGSU, I heard back right away, and every person I worked with who went there told me they loved it,” she said. “So, after I researched the education department at Bowling Green, I felt I would not be able to match that anywhere else. I loved the flexibility of starting the program at different times of the year. It was just a no-brainer.”

Fowler, who began the program in August, plans to complete her graduate certificate next summer, an accomplishment she did not expect to target following her previous post-graduate trials.

“I never wanted to go back to school after my master’s experience,” the 29-year veteran of the classroom said. “There was very little individualization and interaction with my professors – it was essentially just checking off a box.”

Fast forward to a recent reassessment of the educational landscape when Fowler, now teaching in the Lakota school system in suburban Cincinnati, found that she and her husband were empty nesters after their youngest son enrolled at BGSU.

“What does one do when you become an empty nester – you get a dog, and you go back to school,” she joked. “When we toured Bowling Green with my son and we walked the campus, I felt at home and loved the place and everyone I encountered there.”

Fowler said the BGSU program is already paying dividends in her classroom, and she expects the rewards to continue to benefit her students.

“I’ve learned how to do more with communication, and the information I’ve picked up is phenomenal,” she said. “The field is very different than it was 25 years or so ago when I started teaching, so learning new strategies on how to advocate for these students and make a difference for them is so valuable.”

She expects to finish the program equipped with new skills that she will partner with her unbridled passion for helping her students.

“We get into education to make a difference in the lives of children, and I want to do everything I can to continue that mission,” said said. “I am still in it because I love working with the children.”