Sarah Peterson

Phone: 269-749-7605

Professor Sarah Peterson serves as assistant dean of distance education at The University of Olivet. Her passion for teaching stems from the ability to work one-on-one with students to help them develop and grow into successful, clear-communicating writers. She began teaching in 2013 after working in publishing, and has fallen in love with her role as professor.

“I didn’t originally want to be a teacher but once I did it, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” Professor Peterson explained. “I’m able to be more involved in my students’ writing process, their development, and their accomplishments, than I ever was for the authors I worked with. I love that moment a student realizes writing is not about meeting their professor’s requirements, but instead about expressing and putting together their own thoughts and opinions. They learn writing is not just a task to complete, but an avenue to discover themselves.”

Professor Peterson launched her teaching career at Kirtland Community College, which is where she began to experience the power of online learning. She gained experience connecting with students digitally to share her love of literature and writing, teaching both tradition and hybrid courses. After four years in that role, Professor Peterson transitioned to Northwood University, where she continued to teach classes in traditional classrooms, as well as hybrid and online courses. Prior to joining the OC faculty full-time, she served Davenport University and The University of Olivet in adjunct roles. At OC, Professor Peterson even led the first online O2 writing course as part of the Olivet Opportunity that provides students a second chance to show they are ready to become college students.

In the variety of roles she has served, Professor Peterson gained a large selection of teaching tools and methods, as well as an understanding of how to create a personalized approach to learning for different types of students. She enjoys working with underclassmen who are still finding their fit in the world and showing them writing is a great discovery tool.

Professor Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature with a minor in WWII history from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree in English composition and rhetoric from the University of Indianapolis, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in education technology and online learning from Regent University.