University of Phoenix

UOP was one of the first accredited universities to offer degree programs online. With more than a decade of experience in Web-based delivery, our online format has been perfected and proven effective for thousands of successful graduates.

University of Phoenix (UOP) is a for-profit educational institution specializing in adult education, with campuses located throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. UOP was founded in 1976 by Dr. John Sperling and is now owned by Apollo Group, Inc.. The University of Phoenix is the nation's largest private, accredited university with accessible programs both on campus, online and through flexnet programs.

History

In the early 1970s, at San Jose State University in California, John Sperling and several associates conducted field-based research in adult education. The focus of the research was to explore teaching/learning systems for the delivery of educational programs and services to working adult students who wished to complete or further their education in ways that complemented both their experience and current professional responsibilities.

At that time colleges and universities were organized primarily around serving the needs of the 18-22 year old undergraduate student. That is not at all surprising, given that the large majority of those enrolled were residential students of traditional college age, just out of high school. According to Sperling, working adult students were often "invisible" on traditional campuses and treated as second-class citizens. It should be noted, however, that many public urban universities with universally accredited degree programs specifically address the needs of non-traditional students.

Since 1976, University of Phoenix has grown considerably, producing more than 171,000 alumni. In 1989, University of Phoenix was recognized as the first U.S. university to offer course work online. As of October 2006 University of Phoenix has an estimated 300,000 students enrolled on campuses and online. The University of Phoenix originally was based out of California; later its main campuses were moved to Phoenix, Arizona.

In April 2006 UOP began offering classes through a sister organization, Axia College of University of Phoenix, which is an online-only school focusing on Associate Degree programs and entry level college courses.

Modalities

Ground classes are similar to the traditional college experience. Students attend a class with a professor-facilitator who mediates a class discussion. These classes normally are 5 to 10 weeks long depending on the program of study. If a student were to schedule their classes to be year round with no more than a week break in between their classes they would accrue credits at the same rate as that of a full time "traditional" college student. These students typically attend one day a week for about 4 hours; they also are expected to spend time outside of the scheduled class, organized into "learning teams." Each "learning team" usually consists of 3 to 5 students who are expected to complete assignments for class credit. Professors tend to require at least one class presentation from each team.

Online students attend an online classroom via the Internet and either a web-based user interface, known internally as OLS3, or else Microsoft Outlook Express. In lieu of a classroom discussion, the facilitator will ask the class "discussion questions" in the classroom newsgroups. Each student responds to the questions and each other's responses, thus creating online interaction on a variety of topics. These classes follow a similar format to the ground classes.

Students attending online can connect to the online classroom wherever there is a proper internet connection, and are expected to participate online at least 4 days a week, for 5-6 weeks. To be considered in attendance a student must post a message on two days of the week. A student not in attendance is automatically dropped from his or her course after one or two weeks of absence. A typical student should expect to spend at least 15 study hours per week, but the time can be distributed over the week to fit the student's schedule. Typically classes are 'condensed' into 5-week sessions and can be taken back-to-back. Thus, completing 24-units or eight 3-unit classes could be accomplished in 40 weeks of school time, roughly the same as a traditional 4-year college or university.

FlexNet modality is a hybrid of the Ground modality and the Online modality. The typical FlexNet class is five weeks in length. The FlexNet students meet during the first week of the course in a classroom, and the next three weeks in the online environment, and finally the last week is held once again at a ground campus. During this first meeting the instructor will distribute the course syllabus. Over the next three weeks, the students complete their assignments in an online format using classroom newsgroups.

Accreditation

UOP is regionally accredited by the The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In British Columbia, the University of Phoenix was accredited by the Private Post-Secondary Education Commission (PPSEC) in 2002. That agency is now called the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA).

University of Phoenix's business degree programs are accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs ACBSP.. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Master of Science in Nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Master of Counseling program in Community Counseling (in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona) and the Master of Counseling program in Mental Health Counseling (in Utah) are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

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This article contains information from the wikipedia.