Saint Leo University Offering Free Online Enrichment Courses

Saint Leo University is offering free enrichment courses to help the community during the coronavirus pandemic. Faculty members representing a variety of degree programs will teach 10 self-paced courses on an array of topics ranging from budget baking and backyard birding to quarantine spirituality for the family.

The university's Center for Alternative Pathway Programs is offering these complimentary online courses to help individuals find respite and relaxation from the stress of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I've been amazed at how quickly faculty have come together to offer these courses to the community," said Cindy Lee, director of the Center for Alternative Pathway Programs. "These courses are a wonderful way that we can lend our expertise and help others during this trying time."

Courses being offered include:

• Backyard Birding: No matter where you live or what the season, birds are everywhere. Learn how best to observe the birds in your neighborhood, discover what species they are, and report their location through such applications as iNaturalist.
• Boost Your Immunity: Staying Healthy 'n' Fit in Isolation: In a sequence of mini-courses, you will receive a foundation on the various modes of exercise, the minimum recommendations, and the health benefits.
• Budget Baking: Who doesn't love to eat? The goal of this four-part series is to provide easy recipes for you and your children/grandchildren/family to enjoy. All recipes are made from scratch and designed to provide a dessert for less than $5.
• Effective Strategies for Working Remotely: This course will present practical solutions and mindful techniques to address the challenges that often accompany remote work. This self-paced course also provides participants with worksheets and printable guides designed to support planning, time management, and reflection.
• From Pantry to Garden: Planting Dried Beans: Looking for a fun activity that the whole family can do without leaving the house? Explore how to grow and harvest your own beans from a bag of regular store-bought, dried beans.
• Happy Little Art Activities: Learn art therapy activities that can help center your thoughts and mood as well as help communicate things with which you might be struggling.
• Keeping a Naturalist Diary: People have been observing nature and writing down what they saw for as long as human beings have been literate. The exercise, which often involves sketching, is a valuable tool to learn about the world around us.
• Quarantine Spirituality for the Family: This short course will focus on three areas: one's own personal spirituality amid social isolation; how to care for the spiritual needs of one's spouse and avoid pitfalls that come in times of stress; and how to care for the spiritual needs of children.
• Stress Management for Health Care Professionals: Designed to help our medical profession heroes, this course offers information on easy techniques that any health care provider can use within minutes, either at work or at home.
• Stress Management for Youth: This mini-course will provide parents and guardians stress management information to help youths manage their stress.

Complete course descriptions can be found at  https://info.online.saintleo.edu/capps-community-courses.

"In these challenging times, we at Saint Leo University wanted to do something to give back to the community," said President Jeffrey D. Senese. "'Community' is one of Saint Leo's core values, and we thoroughly embrace the idea of serving others. Our hope is that these free courses will enrich people's lives and help them during this trying time."

To find out more, email micro@saintleo.edu or call (877) 815-4996.