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Norwood to offer two courses in Introduction to Business

I am pleased to announce I will be offering two online courses at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California. Hey, I’m no longer physically in the state of California (hence the online modality) and you don’t have to be, either. No matter where you reside, so long as you have internet connectivity, you can be a part of either class.

The difference between the two classes: one is a full 16-weeks in duration, while the other is an accelerated class lasting 8 weeks (with double the work in those eight weeks). Both courses launch on February 10th.

What do my students have to say about me as a professor? Here is what 15 of them had to say as recently as December 2024 when our most recent semester concluded:

“First off, I just want to thank you, Professor Norwood, for the amazing semester and course. I have taken 19 classes at COC and, without a doubt, your class has been my absolute favorite. Your passion for your students and your dedication to teaching shines through so evidently, and it has been an absolute pleasure to experience your guidance. Again, thank you so much for everything. Your class has been an invaluable experience, and your kindness, wisdom, guidance, and (can’t forget) your weekly jokes, has been the highlight of this semester. I hope that you stay healthy and well, so that other students who take your courses can experience the wonderfullness [SIC] that is you!”
Faith Choi

“Your classes gave me faith as a student that there are more teachers that are passionate about their job. Thank you so much for inspiring me this semester. Thank you professor Norwood, you are the best professor ever.”
Cierra Coia

“Not every professor would take time to make thorough comments on the weekly assignments the students turn in. That demonstrates the importance you give to teaching and how caring you are regarding the quality of the students’ work. Overall, I enjoyed the class and the structure. It was different than all the other classes I have taken because you actually gave real life lessons and had us learn the textbook material on our own. It was a pleasure taking your class, and I am sure I would not have gotten the same utility if I had taken this class with a different professor.”
Jose Sanabria

“You did a phenomenal job constructing this class. I definitely got my money’s worth from this class. Not only did I grow in my knowledge of business from this class, but I feel I have grown as a person and I know myself a little more than I did before taking this class, which I absolutely love! I feel I always learn so much from you, and I value your advice and observations on discussed topics. I’m very fortunate to have a professor that goes above and beyond for students’ individual needs and prioritizes their success.”
Odessa Copney

“Thank you so much professor. I appreciate and take to heart everything I learned in this course and I hope everyone else did. You have truly encouraged me to keep going and to not give up. I am a lot more confident about what I am going to do with my life and a lot more ambitious and a better person because of this course. I have a better and more positive mindset and I give it all to you. I feel like I can conquer anything and have a lot more courage to. I am so blessed to have landed in your class. Thank you!”
Sophia Doyle

“I liked that lecture about political forces because it’s nice to see the differences and which makes more sense. This class has inspired me to set goals for the new year. My top 3 take-aways from the course are Self-Leadership, the Hero’s journey, and everything I learned from the PragerU videos. Thank you for being a great professor.”
Tanya Monroy

“I enjoyed taking this course and I was able to learn so much about myself and business. It was interesting to learn how business has evolved. BUS 100 has been an amazing learning opportunity for me and the wisdom that was taught throughout the lectures is something that I will try to incorporate into my everyday life. I truly was taught very valuable lessons in this course and that’s thanks to Professor Ara Norwood. Thank you for being an amazing professor and teacher, I truly learned valuable information not only for business but also for everyday life.”
Andre Gyanjian

“Throughout this course, I’ve learned a lot of things that I had not known previously. You have also made me more aware of certain theories and topics that I had thought of before but without the deeper discussion and dialog that you had given in the videos.”
Max Hollero

“I would say I am very sad to see this course end. I have learned a multitude of valuable things, but with so much information I am bound to have definitely forgotten a thing or two. So I am greatly looking forward to revisiting all the important lessons I have learned.”
Josh Labra

“These 16 weeks flew by so fast. I learned so much throughout the 16-week course. I am definitely going to implement a lot that I learned in this course to my day-to-day life.”
Alejandro Mederos

“I found this class very profound and very interesting. Overall, I feel like I have grown and learned a lot. I can easily say I learned a lot more in this class than I did in other classes. I especially enjoyed the goal setting module where we explained the laser focused nature of completing goals, stepping stones, keeping score, and keeping accountability. I would say I am a different person than I was before this class.”
Ian Ritter

“We learned a lot this semester, but it was always fun and intriguing. I learned so many fundamentals and aspects of business, which have given me an insight into what to
possibly expect in the future. Along with all the business terms and knowledge, I’ve learned a lot about self-development. The multiple exercises and processes really gave me a chance to sit down and think about what I want to do in the future and how I should approach certain situations. One key takeaway that I took from the multiple lessons is how to balance out my goals and tasks.”
Kimberly Ortiz

“Professor Ara was truly amazing, always positive, incredibly informative, and deeply inspiring. His passion for teaching and ability to make complex concepts clear made learning enjoyable and impactful. He not only shared knowledge but also motivated us to strive for our best, leaving a lasting impression that I’ll carry with me in my future endeavors. Thank you for being such an incredible teacher this semester. Your positivity, wealth of knowledge, and inspiring approach to teaching made a huge impact on me. I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into helping us succeed, and I’m grateful for the lessons, both academic and life, that I’ve learned in your class. Thank you for everything!”
Joselyn Loera

“Watching the semester summary was extremely eye-opening. It made me realize how much ground we really covered. If I were to go back in a time machine and visit myself from the first week and tell myself about everything I’ve learned about business and the backbone of business would leave me shocked. Not just learning about business, but learning about how to think about life. From my personal mission statement to my time management. This semester was truly beneficial to me currently, and I can see myself doing things I learned in your class many, many years down the road. I will forever be grateful for this class and you as a professor. I enjoyed the energy you brought forth. Thank you for a great semester”
Anthony Testa

“I do appreciate everything I learned as well as changing the way I think. You were the only class that allowed people to express their ideas and ideology which allowed for critical thinking. You made people become thinkers rather than workers who just follow rules. Not only did I learn more about business and having the right mindset you showed us how to apply those things in our daily lives.”
Adriel Velazquez

If you’d like to take a dazzling and informative class in Business, go to the college website: canyons.edu and get enrolled. You won’t regret it. (I believe both classes are already full, but if you get on the Wait-List I will add you on February 10th).

Ara Norwood is a multi-faceted and results-oriented professional. Spanning a multiplicity of disciplines including leadership, management, innovation, strategy, service, sales, business ethics, and entrepreneurship. Ara is also a historian, having special expertise on the era of the founding of our republic.
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