University of Phoenix faculty spotlight: Beverly L. Jensen

Beverly L. Jensen is a University of Phoenix faculty member who brings a wealth of experience to the College of Nursing. As a registered nurse for four decades, she has held roles ranging from county health nurse to coordinator for the federal nutrition program WIC. Her first love, however, has always been education. She initially planned to become a special education teacher, but life took her in a different direction, leading her first to nursing and then to earning her master’s degree. Today, she teaches Master of Science in Nursing practicum courses (among others) at UOPX. In this Q&A, she reflects on how online college may not be easy, but the connections and other resources make it a powerful journey.

A: I think it would be [when I worked at a community college and] represented all of the faculty during collective bargaining. (This is when colleges negotiate terms of employment with faculty and staff.) I was able to bring forward faculty concerns, and it gave me a lot of personal satisfaction to support my fellow faculty across the spectrum. My skills at negotiating compromise were enhanced, which served to help me be a better leader.

A: One formative assessment strategy I have used in the classroom is to have students submit a five-minute review of the class on a given day: What was a learning highlight from the day? What do you wish you had learned?

I have been amazed by the number of students who shared deeply personal insights through their responses. Some reflected upon significant personal challenges they were going through and those really touched me. In one case, the student was experiencing challenges with housing; I was able to direct her to resources to help her through it.   

I have had many students come back and share that helping them along the path of earning their degree changed their lives. When you can connect on a personal level with students, they are more engaged in the class and motivated for higher learning outcomes.

A: I have taught across the nursing degree spectrum, from pre-licensure to master’s degree curriculum. [University of Phoenix does not currently offer pre-licensure nursing programs.] Having practiced in the community setting as an RN, I also bring those experiences to my faculty role. I am able to use my experiences, successes and failures to provide real-world experiences for students earning their master’s degrees.

A: It isn’t easy! The classes are just as rigorous, and you will be amazed at how much you learn that you can apply to your practice.

That said, I try to reach out to students and let them know that I have been in their shoes. I understand their anxiety and try to help them figure out strategies to manage and, if needed, get back on track.

To be successful, I recommend keeping a detailed calendar, right down to including reminders to write and post your discussion questions. Also, include every element of your workload and personal life: drive the kids to school, grocery shopping, make dinner, etc. If you set aside time to do this at the beginning of the week, you will not waste time wondering what you are missing. And you won’t forget to pick the kids up!

I also hired a housekeeper to clean the house when I was in graduate school. Teenagers are not the best (at least mine were not!) at doing chores without frequent reminders. Having someone else come in and clean relieved me from nagging my children, and I could go to their games and events and would often study while I was there instead of worrying about cleaning the house.

Be a Supreme Court justice.

Beverly L. Jensen is a University of Phoenix faculty member and a registered nurse with more than 40 years of experience. She spent two decades working with young patients, including newborns, young adults who have specialized needs in public schools and youth in foster care. As an educator, Jensen was a member of the curriculum committee with the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education, where she worked to implement a statewide curriculum that would better enable rural students to pursue bachelor’s degrees in nursing.

At University of Phoenix, Jensen evaluates course rigor, serves as a subject matter expert and is a lead faculty area chair. Additionally, she served on the faculty council, where, among other things, she was a liaison with leadership. She has been with University of Phoenix since 2001.

Read more University of Phoenix faculty profiles and learn about UOPX real-world faculty.