Courses
Courses are available to you as:
- Local and regional courses taught by Northwest Campus faculty. NWC offers community interest courses, such as painting, ceramics, and computer applications that are taught face-to-face in a traditional classroom setting. NWC faculty also teach distance delivered courses as part of CRCD's schedule, which includes the Bering Strait region. These are listed in the College of Rural and Community Development's Fall and Spring Schedule, but they can also be viewed through UAOnline at the Class Schedule link on the front page. As additional courses become available, NWC will advertise through local media, its NWC News Group, and this website.
- Semester-based distance delivered courses offered by other UA campuses. These can also be most easily found at the University of Alaska Distance Education Gateway or UAF eCampus. This is an online schedule that is searchable by course, meeting time, delivery type, and semester.
- UAF eCampus offers online courses and fully online degrees. You can find these courses and degrees, and register online through UAF eCampus website
These various schedules of courses offer instruction through audioconferences, paper-based correspondence, web-based correspondence, and Internet-based class meetings.
Please contact Northwest Campus by phone 800-478-2202 or 907-443-2201, fax 907-443-5602,
or email nwc.info@uaf.edu for current course offerings.
The NWC Spring 2023 schedule (pdf, 9.6 MB) is available for download!
Looking for an advisor? Find assistance from the NWC Student Support Services Team!
Upcoming Courses
with Miranda Musich
Mon / 5:10pm-6:40pm / Jan 17-May 5 / REGISTER BY: Jan 17
Fifteen 1.5-hour sessions / 3 credits / ABUS F154 / CRN: 37128
Cost: $810 + book (order at www.uaf.bkstr.com or call 1-888-280-8500)
AUDIO CONFERENCE AND CANVAS DISTANCE COURSE: Improve your interpersonal and workplace relationship skills in this course. Students will examine seven major themes of human relations: communication, self-awareness,
self-acceptance, motivation, trust, self-disclosure, and conflict resolution. Through
lectures, discussions, and self-reflections we will look at the way we interact with
others and how we can create a more positive and effective work environment. This course is part of an NWC campus credential. Contact us for more information! Instructor-paced
and self-paced hybrid course.
Miranda Musich is assistant professor of applied business at Northwest Campus. She
holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership.
with Claudia Ihl
Mon & Wed / 5:10pm-6:40pm / Jan 17-May 5 / REGISTER BY: Jan 17
Thirty 1.5-hour sessions + lab (must register separately!) / 4 credits / BIOL F111X
/ CRN: 37582
Cost: $1080 + book (order at www.uaf.bkstr.com or call 1-888-280-8500) + lab fees
AUDIO CONFERENCE & BLACKBOARD DISTANCE COURSE: Integrated view of human structure and function for students in pre-professional
allied health programs, biology, physical education, psychology and art. Covers cells,
tissues and organs, skeletal and muscle systems, the nervous system, and integument.
Special fees apply. Course fulfills UAF’s natural science requirement and is a prerequisite for UAA’s Nome-based
nursing program.
Claudia Ihl is a full-time faculty member at NWC with biology as her field of expertise.
with Claudia Ihl
Mon & Wed / 5:10pm-6:40pm / Jan 17-May 5 / REGISTER BY: Jan 17
MUST REGISTER IN CONJUNCTION WITH BIOL F111X (CRN: 37582 above) / CRN: 37581
SPECIAL LAB FEE: Lab kit required. Cost: $282 (plus shipping). Course instructor provides ordering details.
AUDIO CONFERENCE AND BLACKBOARD distance LAB: If you register for BIOL F111X, you
must also register for this 0 credit lab.
Claudia Ihl is a full-time faculty member at NWC with biology as her field of expertise.
with Sheri Skelton
Mon & Wed / 5:10pm-6:40pm / Jan 17-May 5 / REGISTER BY: Jan 17
Thirty 1.5-hour sessions / 3 credits / WRTG F111X / CRN: 37188
Cost: $810 + book (order at www.uaf.bkstr.com or call 1-888-280-8500)
AUDIO CONFERENCE AND BLACKBOARD DISTANCE COURSE: Instruction and practice in written inquiry and critical reading. Introduction to
writing as a way of developing, exploring and testing ideas. Concentration on research
methods and techniques. This course was formerly numbered ENGL F111X and is the freshman-level English course for UA.
Sheri Skelton lived and taught in rural Alaska for 25 years in the villages of Shishmaref
and White Mountain and has been teaching for NWC for the past nine years.
with Sheri Skelton
Mon & Wed / 6:50pm-8:20pm / Jan 17-May 5 / REGISTER BY: Jan 17
Thirty 1.5-hour sessions / 3 credits / WRTG F213X / CRN: 37190
Cost: $810 + book (order at www.uaf.bkstr.com or call 1-888-280-8500)
AUDIO CONFERENCE AND BLACKBOARD DISTANCE COURSE: Instruction in critical reading and argumentative writing by reading and responding
to essays from the social and natural sciences. Concentration on the research methods
and techniques necessary to create an extended written argument. Prerequisites: ENGL
F111X or WRTG F111X or equivalent. Recommended: Sophomore standing.
Sheri Skelton lived and taught in rural Alaska for 25 years in the villages of Shishmaref
and White Mountain and has been teaching for NWC for the past nine years.
with Miranda Musich
Tues / 6:50pm-8:20pm / Jan 17-May 5 / REGISTER BY: Jan 17
Fifteen 1.5-hour sessions / 3 credits / ABUS F232 / CRN: 37131
Cost: $810 + book (order at www.uaf.bkstr.com or call 1-888-280-8500)
AUDIO CONFERENCE AND CANVAS DISTANCE COURSE: This course will tackle important issues facing management within today's exciting times. Students
will develop a foundation of knowledge and techniques to draw upon for finding effective
solutions to issues that arise in a contemporary business environment. Topics include
management functions; including planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling,
human aspects of management, and decision making. This course is part of a Northwest Campus campus credential. Contact us for more information! Course taught in instructor-paced and self-paced hybrid format.
Miranda Musich is assistant professor of applied business at Northwest Campus. She
holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership.
with Meghan Sigvanna Tapqaq
Tues & Thurs / 6:50pm-8:20pm / Jan 17-May 5 / REGISTER BY: Jan 17
Thirty 1.5-hour sessions / 3 credits / INU F115 / CRN: 36562
Cost: Tuition support provided by Sitnasuak Native Corporation for NWC Alaska Native
language courses
AUDIO CONFERENCE AND BLACKBOARD DISTANCE COURSE: An introductory course for students who wish to acquire the ability to speak Inupiaq, the language of Norton
Sound, the Seward Peninsula, Kotzebue Sound, the North Slope, and the arctic portions
of Canada and Greenland. Focus will be on the North Slope dialect with reference to
other regional dialects. Students first learn to understand simple spoken language,
then to speak simple Inupiaq, developing a beginning level of communicative competence
in the language. This course is part of a Northwest Campus campus credential. Contact us for more information!
Meghan Sigvanna Topkok is Inupiaq with family roots in Mary’s Igloo and Nome. She
is a staff attorney at Kawerak.
with Miranda Musich
Wed / 5:10pm-6:40pm / Jan 18-May 5 / REGISTER BY: Jan 18
Fifteen 1.5-hour sessions / 3 credits / ABUS F242 / CRN: 37133
Cost: $810 + book (order at www.uaf.bkstr.com or call 1-888-280-8500)
AUDIO CONFERENCE AND CANVAS DISTANCE COURSE: Learn the array of laws passed since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that affect American
businesses. From the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA), learn the standards that must be applied to hiring, retaining and firing
employees in both Alaska and the rest of the U.S. This course is part of an NWC campus credential. Contact us for more information!
Miranda Musich is assistant professor of applied business at Northwest Campus. She
holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership.
with Sister Olson
Tues / 6:00pm-8:00pm / Jan 17-Feb 28 / REGISTER BY: Jan 17
Lab time available 12-2pm Saturdays for duration of class
Seven 2-hour sessions / 1 credit / APAR F150P / CRN: 37565
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!* (plus $35 supply fee)
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): Learn and practice the basics of ceramics in this course
that is open to beginners and those with ceramics experience. Explore techniques of
hand-building (slab, coil, pinch) and wheel-throwing, glazing, and firing.
Sister Olson is an accomplished potter and has been participating in NWC ceramics
classes and activities for many years.
with Stephen Lezak
Thurs / 6:30pm-8:30pm / Jan 19-Mar 2 / REGISTER BY: Jan 19
Seven 2-hour sessions / 1 credit / ENVI F250 / CRN: 37842
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!*
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME) & DISTANCE VIA ZOOM: Learn to sort fact from fiction! Join
this engaging intro to climate change, balancing science and policy, local and global
issues, and problems and solutions. Learn the basics of climate science, renewable
energy technology, climate adaptation, and the politics and economics of the energy
transition.
Stephen Lezak is a writer, researcher, and advocate working at the intersection of
climate politics and environmental justice. He is based at two universities—Oxford
and Cambridge—and the non-profit Rocky Mountain Institute. He lives in Nome.
with Kirsten Bey
Tues & Thurs / 6:00pm-8:00pm / Jan 24-Feb 14 / REGISTER BY: Jan 17
Seven 2-hour sessions / 1 credit / APAR F150P / CRN: 37559
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!*
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): This class is open to anyone interested in learning to knit,
learning a new knitting stitch, or taking on a project that you might not want to
tackle alone. Beginners will receive close instruction, supervision, and help. Also
great for students who already know how to knit but want to learn a new technique
(e.g. lace knitting, cable knitting, double knitting, multiple color knitting) or
take on a bigger project. There will be plenty of help and encouragement available.
Kirsten Bey learned to knit from her mother and never stopped. Knitting everything
from qiviut socks to Scandinavian sweaters, she sells her work through her business,
Qiviut Fever, and owns Sew Far North.
with Brian Marvin
One Friday, Two Saturdays / Jan 27-Feb 11 / REGISTER BY: Jan 20
- Friday, Jan 27: 6pm-8pm
- Saturdays, Jan 28 & Feb 11: 9am-4:30pm
One 2-hour session, Two 6.5-hour sessions / 1 credit / AUTO F170 / CRN: 37501
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!*
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): Learn the fundamental skills needed for operation and repair
of your snow machine. This course will cover engine tune-up, lubrication, belt and
track repair, alignment, and basic problems encountered during operation, along with
safe shop procedures. Students are welcome to bring their own machines to class for
maintenance and repair.
Brian Marvin has taught vocational courses at Shishmaref and Brevig Mission, and science
and vocational courses at Nome-Beltz and NACTEC.
with Jay David
Mondays / 6:30pm-8:00pm / Jan 30-Mar 6 / REGISTER BY: Jan 23
Six 1.5-hour sessions / non-credit workshop / NONC F001 / CRN: 37881
Cost: $60 if you pay in advance!*
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $70
CLASSROOM WORKSHOP (NOME): Learn about human character and personality through astrology.
Our approach will focus on the philosophical perspectives that inspired Carl Jung.
Workshop will focus on the basic theories and principles of astrology. This is a class
that aims for self-understanding and self-awareness, not predictive astrology. It
will not include any discussion on predicting future behavior or events.
Jay David studied advanced Asian studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
with Marilyn Koezuna-Irelan
Thursdays / 6:00pm-8:30pm / Feb 2-Mar 9 / REGISTER BY: Jan 26
Six 2.5-hour sessions / 1 credit / APAR F150P / CRN: 37877
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!*
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): Learn to make a King Island-style uġałqaq, or kuspuk! Adapt
and cut a pattern to your size, cut out the pieces, and sew together a finished product.
By the end of the class you will have made your own custom-sized women’s or men’s
kuspuk. Students should have a sewing machine to bring to class; however, there is
a sewing machine available for use during class time.
Marilyn Koezuna-Irelan has sewn many King Island-style kuspuks and parkas, and has
taught these skills to Northwest Campus students since 2008.
with Ryan Ford
Mon-Fri / 2:00pm-5:00pm / Feb 13-Feb 18 / REGISTER BY: Feb 6
Five 3-hour sessions / CTT F132 / 1 credit / CRN: 37693
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!* (discount available to unsponsored students)
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
*Attention Kawerak Tribal Members: contact EESS for possible tuition support- intake@kawerak.org
/ 907-443-4371
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): Introduces students to concepts and practical applications
of floor coverings. Students will learn how to install underlayment, floor coverings
and trim. Introduction to special tools necessary for safely and correctly installing
flooring. This course is part of a Northwest Campus credential.
Ryan Ford has been teaching construction trades courses for UAF and Northwest Campus
since 2012.
with Ryan Ford
Mon-Sat / 8:00am-1:00pm / Feb 13-Feb 18 / REGISTER BY: Feb 6
Five 3-hour sessions / CTT F153 / 2 credits / CRN: 37694
Cost: $382—or $327 if you pay in advance!* (discount available to unsponsored students)
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $540
*Attention Kawerak Tribal Members: contact EESS for possible tuition support- intake@kawerak.org
/ 907-443-4371
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): Introduction to basic hand and power tools and various types
of piping used in the plumbing industry. Methods of joining various types of pipe
and fittings commonly found in commercial and residential dwellings. Basics of reading
plumbing blueprints and drawings, including specific drawings such as isometrics and
oblique pictorial. This course is part of a Northwest Campus credential.
Ryan Ford has been teaching construction trades courses for UAF and Northwest Campus
since 2012.
with Keane Richards
Mon, Wed, Thurs, & One Sat / Feb 22 (starts Wed)-Mar 4 / REGISTER BY: Feb 15
- Mon, Wed, & Thurs / Feb 22 (starts Wed)-Mar 2 / 6:00pm-8:30pm
- Sat / Mar 4 / 1:00pm-5:00pm
Five 2.5-hour sessions and one afternoon outdoor field experience / ARSK F147A / CRN:
37634
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!*
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): This course focuses on preparation and development of knowledge
and skills to cope effectively with the difficulties and dangers frequently confronting
people who travel, work, or recreate in the Arctic. Topics include appropriate survival
kits, clothing options, nutrition and hydration needs, shelter construction, signal
development, cold weather injuries, and safety issues related to modes of transportation.
There is a one-day field practicum to practice skills learned.
Keane Richards was raised on a remote homestead in eastern Alaska. He has enjoyed
adventuring across Alaska with skis, dogsled, canoe, and on foot. He lives in Nome
with his wife, two children, and twelve sled dogs.
with Kristine McRae
Mon, Wed, Fri / 6:30pm-9:00pm / Feb 27-Mar 10 / REGISTER BY: Feb 22
Six 2.5-hour sessions / WRTG F193P / CRN: 37968
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!*
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): This short class will explore fiction and nonfiction readings
and writing exercises that will enhance your skills, spark ideas, and get at the heart
of your piece. With attention to detail, we will look to existing texts for craft
and experiment with prompts that just might surprise you. Students will practice recognizing
areas in their writing (and that of their classmates) that could enrich the piece
through further attention. No previous experience required.
Kristine McRae is a graduate of the low-residency master of fine arts program at the
University of Alaska Anchorage. She owns Bering Tea & Coffee.
with Megan Gannon
Tues / 6:00pm-8:00pm / Mar 21-May 2 / REGISTER BY: Mar 17
Lab time available 12-2pm Saturdays for duration of class
Seven 2-hour sessions / 1 credit / APAR F150P / CRN: 37553
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!* (plus $35 supply fee)
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): Learn and practice the basics of ceramics in this course
that is open to beginners and those with ceramics experience. Explore techniques of
hand-building (slab, coil, pinch) and wheel-throwing, glazing, and firing.
Megan Gannon first took ceramics in college and co-founded Ceramic Kingdom, a pottery
collective in Berlin where she taught classes from 2017-2019.
with Vickie Erickson
Sat / 10:00am-12noon / Apr 1-May 6 / REGISTER BY: Mar 24
Six 2-hour sessions / non-credit workshop / ages 9-14 / CRN: TBA
Cost: $99* (fee includes supplies)
*NSEDC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $110
CLASSROOM WORKSHOP (NOME): Kids ages 9-14 will learn and develop basic pottery skills
during this 6-week course. Students will hand-build and sculpt fun projects with clay.
Techniques explored will include pinching, coiling, slab construction, surface decoration,
and glazing.
Vickie Erickson has taken pottery classes for over 10 years. She currently practices
from her own home studio.
with Molly Naaktgeboren
Tues & Sat / Apr 4-Apr 22 / REGISTER BY: Mar 28
- Tues / 6:00pm-8:00pm
- Sat / 10:30am-2:30pm
Three 2-hour sessions & three 4-hour sessions / APAR F150P / CRN: 37558
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!* (plus $120 supply fee)
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): Explore the stained glass technique of foil and solder, also
known as cold working. Learn the flow of creating stained glass from start to finish.
Students will learn about pattern design, how to cut glass, manipulate it, shape it,
foil, and then solder the pieces together. Create 2-3 complete projects of your own
design!
Molly Naaktgeboren has been doing copper foil stained glass for 12 years. Recently,
Molly has branched out into learning other techniques like fusing, beadworking, and
torch work.
with Cheryl Thompson
Mon / 6:00pm-8:00pm / Apr 3-Apr 24 / REGISTER BY: Mar 27
Mon & Thurs / 6:00-8:00pm / May 1-Sept 11 / SCIA F150P & NONC F001 / CRN: 37570 [must
register for both spring & summer]
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!* (plus $50 fee for seeds and soil)
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): Soils, plant propagation, disease and insect control, variety
selection, fertilization, greenhouse construction and care and gardening techniques.
Emphasis on development and care of green houses and gardens in the Nome area. This
is a hands-on class. Students will raise a wide variety of plants in several greenhouses
over the course of the spring and summer months. Posted course costs cover both spring
and summer course registration.
Cheryl Thompson is a certified master gardener who has successfully gardened in Nome
for over 20 years and operates a greenhouse business.
with Brian Marvin
One Friday, Two Saturdays / Apr 14-Apr 29 / REGISTER BY: Apr 7
- Friday, Apr 14: 6:00pm-8:00pm
- Saturdays, Apr 15 & Apr 29: 9:00am-4:30p
One 2-hour session, Two 6.5-hour sessions / 1 credit / AUTO F100 / CRN: 39058
Cost: $191—or $136 if you pay in advance!*
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $270
CLASSROOM COURSE (NOME): Learn the basic functions of small engines. From outboard
motors to generators, ice augers to motorcycles, learn the parts and functions of
a small engine and its electrical system. Course covers dismantling procedures, cleaning
and reassembly techniques, gasket-making, lubrication, troubleshooting, and minor
repairs. Students are welcome to bring their own machines to class.
Brian Marvin has taught vocational courses at Shishmaref and Brevig Mission, and science
and vocational courses at Nome-Beltz and NACTEC.
with Carol Gales
Sat / 7:00am - 7:00pm / May 27 / REGISTER BY: May 19
Sat / 7:00am - 7:00pm / June 3 / REGISTER BY: May 26
Sat / 7:00am - 7:00pm / June 10 / REGISTER BY: June 2
One 12-hour day workshop / non-credit workshop / CRN: TBA
Cost: $60 per trip
FIELD TRIPS (NOME): Travel the roads of Nome to view the spring bird migration. Each
trip will take participants along a different route (Council, Kougarok, and Teller
roads) depending on road conditions and migration progress. These are day-long trips
with no facilities or amenities along the way, so be prepared for all manner of weather
and bring plenty of food and water.
Carol Gales started birding after taking a Birds of Alaska course at Northwest Campus
15 years ago. She has been guiding visiting birders through her business, Roam Nome.
with Brian Marvin
Tues & Wed / 7:30pm-9:30pm / May 30-Jun 1 / REGISTER BY: May 27
Two 2-hour sessions / non-credit / NONC 001 / CRN: TBA
Cost:$40*
*NSEDC/NWC spring 2023 price rollback! Regular price $40
CLASSROOM WORKSHOP (NOME): Get ready for fishing season by learning to mend nets in
this workshop! Bring a net in need of repair or work on a net provided in class. Supplies
are provided for use during class.
Brian Marvin has taught vocational courses at Shishmaref and Brevig Mission, and science
at Nome-Beltz High School. He currently teaches at NACTEC.
Dual credit courses
As a result of the direct partnership between Northwest Campus and the Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center (NACTEC), BSSD and NPS students participating with NACTEC programs can earn dual (high school and college) credit through certain offerings. Currently, dual credit will be awarded to students who successfully complete the following NACTEC classes:
|
Course |
Credits |
|
Survival Swimming |
1 cr. |
|
Driver's Education |
2 cr. |
|
Art |
1-3 cr. |
|
NCCER Core Curriculum |
5 cr. |
|
NCCER Carpentry I |
6.5 cr. |
|
Personal Care Attendant |
4 cr. |
|
Certified Nurse Assistant |
6 cr. |
|
Emergency Trauma Technician |
3 cr. |
|
Small Engine Repair |
1 cr. |
|
Early Childhood Education |
1 cr. |
|
Introduction to the Health Field |
3 cr. |
*NACTEC classes are for high school students only. Speak to your principal or guidance counselor, or contact NACTEC directly for a complete schedule, more information or to register at 907-443-3507.