Louise Wildee, BA, BS, MA, MBA
School of Business
Colorado Tech Online instructor Louise Wildee likes to be at the forefront of the latest trends in business and education. Her résumé exhibits a personal drive and upward mobility that has taken her from positions as a server and store clerk to positions such as a Controller with Time-Warner Cable and Senior Vice President of Finance for DirectTV. Colorado Tech Online's latest degree program, a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Mediation and Dispute Resolution (MBA-MDR), may be the perfect setting for Louise to share her expertise and help students move forward in their education.
Louise is currently the Chief Learning Officer at the Institute for Advanced Dispute Resolution (IADR). IADR has teamed up with Colorado Tech Online to offer an MBA-MDR degree program and Louise is helping to lead the way. "According to some studies, 42% of a manager's time is spent reaching agreement with others when conflict occurs. That should make it crystal clear that conflict is a costly drain on resources. It is particularly corrosive in the realm of business, and is exacerbated by the expanding world of global commerce. There is a solution to that." The solution, according to Louise and many business leaders are managers who are trained in mediation and dispute resolution and who can quickly address conflict in order to help facilitate positive solutions. "My goal is to help the MBA-MDR degree program at Colorado Tech Online grow and flourish."
Louise not only brings vast corporate and educational experience to the virtual classroom through Colorado Tech Online, but also brings a passion for teaching. "I chose to become an instructor not only because I have a strong background in business and conflict resolution, but also because I have worked my way up and I understand people at all levels. I enjoy working with upwardly mobile people who can benefit in their careers from the knowledge and skills they can acquire in the courses I am teaching. I appreciate the earnestness of students pursuing new career paths and I understand the difficulties of doing that because I have experienced it. I am motivated by working with others toward achieving their goals and because I grow and learn as I assist others in growing and learning. The most rewarding part of instructing for me is the opportunity to be a part of enriching the lives of others by helping them achieve their goals."
Louise has an educational philosophy that is consistent with her business experience and her passion for teaching. "I expect one thing from my students - that they have open, yet discerning minds, are curious, and are open to new ways of thinking and learning. Individuals learn differently and each is motivated in their own way. I motivate students by acknowledging their accomplishments, assessing their strengths and weaknesses and encouraging them to step forward and grow. Helping students recognize opportunities to increase their knowledge and deepen their understanding is my primary goal as an instructor. I find the most effective instructional method is the combination of intellectual learning and practical application. I believe that one has to apply knowledge in order to understand how to utilize it most effectively. The project-based learning approach that Colorado Tech Online takes is an ideal setting for that."
Louise also feels that the Virtual Campus offered through Colorado Tech Online provides many useful tools for facilitating project-based learning. The Virtual Campus is accessible around the clock and enables interaction through e-mail, instant messaging, discussion boards and live chat sessions. Instructors can use visual aids such as Power Point presentations, a whiteboard and can share their computer screen with students as they conduct lectures in the live sessions. "The flexibility and convenience of online learning is obviously a big advantage for working students. The project-based learning approach, however, works best when students interact and learn from each other as well as from their instructors. Colorado Tech Online provides many means for students to interact with each other when working on their projects. There is always more to learn, there are many ways to learn and we can always learn from one another."
When Louise is not actively facilitating courses through IADR and Colorado Tech Online, she enjoys the same things that many of us enjoy and instructing online gives her more time for that. "I enjoy spending time with family, traveling, reading and spending time in beautiful places. I am active in my community with restorative justice programs and professional organizations. Instructing fits with my family life because it is not confining, yet it is stimulating – it is invigorating but it does not tie me down. I would recommend Colorado Tech Online to both students and educators if their goal is to make the most efficient use of their time without attending a physical campus location."