Enriching Faculty for Student Success

Editor's Notes

1. University of Phoenix removed From Notice Status By HLC University of Phoenix and Western International University have both been removed from Notice status by the Board of Trustees of the Higher Learning Commission. This is a very positive outcome. I want to express my sincere gratitude to our university leaders, Tim Slottow and Tracy Lorenz, their teams and all those involved throughout Apollo who have dedicated countless hours to make this possible. The accreditation process ensures continuous improvement and educational quality, which is paramount to our future success. Your efforts throughout this journey have demonstrated our high standards and dedication to academic excellence, and to our stated goal of always putting our students first. Thank you for your continued hard work and commitment to improving lives around the world through higher education. Together, we are making a difference one student at a time and the best is yet to come Our Market Investment Strategy Consider more aggressively investing in fewer markets to establish a strong regional presence that can meet ground and online students' needs. This would mean better engagement between corporate and nonprofit organizations, our students, faculty and alumni – all while retaining our differentiating national footprint. These investments will also support the regional long-term strategies Executive Deans recommended for their respective schools and colleges. It would also allow the University the ability to offer more hybrid/blended offerings for student. Every one of our locations will receive the necessary investments to bring them to an even higher, and uniform standard – by making significant upgrades that will improve the student experience, improve faculty support in classrooms (including hybrid learning), motivate and help our dedicated staff, and create a vibrant destination for activities linking community, employers, alumni, faculty and students to enhance and enrich all aspects of our activities in each location. These will include making sure all locations have dedicated career services spaces, centers for the proctoring of third party tests and wireless technology that empowers students to share content in the classroom seamlessly, along with other facility improvements. Select locations will also have video conferencing and veterans' centers. In addition, we're piloting and exploring options about how best to optimize space function in these campuses through innovative new concepts – starting with new configurations that will launch in Orlando, Chicago and Salt Lake City. Almost immediately we will start actively engaging the campus directors and staff to help us design and execute these upgrades in the way that best enhances each of these locations. In addition, in a number of locations we will invest in innovative resources and facilities to create college specific "centers of excellence" such as high-tech IT labs, counseling centers, entrepreneurship centers and building on our existing nursing labs to explore the concept of a dedicated health care campus. All of these investments will improve academic standards and student outcomes as we allow the colleges to execute on each of their own strategies. It will be the campus leaders, staff and faculty - not just the upgraded facility - that will create this important transformation of our ground locations into truly unique, vibrant venues for teaching, exchanging ideas, bringing in industry leaders and employers and hosting career fairs, alumni events, speeches and civic meetings. Practically speaking, all this means the University has now made the challenging decision to devote more resources in a set number of places: 26 regional markets, 29 of our existing designated campuses in 17 states, including Washington D.C., for a total of 67 locations. Those are outlined below.
2. Your business is up and running.
3. Retail Fundamentals Launch In April we launched our Retail Fundamentals associate degree and certificate by working directly with the National Retail Federation (NRF) to develop content aligned with the needs of the field. After completing their certificate, students will be prepared to take three specific certifications from the NRF. Programs like this — that include engaging, employer-validated curriculum — are what will help our students thrive in relevant careers. CPA Bridge Certificate Launch In April we also introduced our CPA Bridge certificate, which allows students to take a collection of six courses that provide built-in test preparation and apply them toward the CPA requirements and use them for the Master of Science in Accountancy degree program. This certificate is designed for students who want to enhance their accounting management skills, enter the accounting profession or complete additional coursework required for the CPA exam. SHRM Affirms Our Curriculum I was thrilled to announce this quarter that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) acknowledged that our following programs fully align with its HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates: BSB with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management and MBA with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management. We did not have to adapt these programs to meet the requirements — SHRM acknowledged that our curriculum is aligned already. University of Phoenix College of Education Announces Teacher Appreciation Scholarship Availability ​With schools across the country facing significant teacher shortages, the ability to recruit and retain talent in the teaching profession is critical. To encourage aspiring educators to enter the profession and recognize the contributions of current teachers across the country, the University is offering 20 full-tuition scholarships as part of the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program. Through this unique program, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to complete a bachelor's or master's degree in education from University of Phoenix.  "The opportunities for teachers to play leadership roles in their districts and communities continue to grow, and as current teachers retire, there will likely be an increasing need for educators to take on greater leadership roles," said Pamela Roggeman, academic dean for University of Phoenix College of Education. "University of Phoenix College of Education is proud to provide educational opportunities like the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program to attract, retain and extend leadership opportunities to current and aspiring educators.“ Playing games in class? Not just allowed — encouraged ​​​It's a problem educators of kindergartners and college students alike face in the classroom: a decline in engagement. While there are a variety of ways to address this concern, one solution that schools and universities are readily embracing to help reignite interaction is game-based learning. And University of Phoenix is already implementing this learning tool because of its power to transform education. The power of playing games There are several benefits to game-based learning that can enhance a student's retention and engagement. First, games are designed to engage and motivate students by making learning enjoyable and by inspiring creativity, curiosity and excitement. Second, the psychology behind gaming inspires persistence by encouraging students to interact with academic content on an ongoing basis — it teaches students that failure is not just allowable, it's a valuable learning experience when dealing with challenging, real-world scenarios. Third, effective games also promote deeper learning through "learning by doing." Finally, and most importantly, given that education all boils down to outcomes, games provide powerful built-in assessment capabilities that measure student performance. Alignment to our retention efforts Game-based learning aligns strongly with the mission and goals of University of Phoenix. The University is dedicated to providing instruction that bridges the gap between theory and practice. Games are an ideal vehicle for delivering opportunities to practice and apply concepts in real-world settings. "One of my goals is to never hear a student ask, 'Why do I need to learn this?' or 'Will I ever use this in the real world?'" says Robert W. Ridel, Ph.D., dean of retention, College of Humanities and Sciences. "We know that when learning is framed in real-world settings, it becomes tangible, practical and meaningful for students — all of which can positively impact retention." Applying game-based learning to classes In March 2014, the University launched its first fully customized Introductory Course Sequence (ICS) course centered on game-based learning — Critical Thinking in Everyday Life. The early quantitative and qualitative results for the course have been positive, and through this effort, Ridel, who stars in the game as protagonist Dr. X, believes we have finally "cracked the code" for student success and retention.  All games are integrated seamlessly into the Classroom platform. Students launch them as an assignment each week of the course. As students play games, complete assignments and interact with virtual mentors, they are evaluated in real time. This "natural assessment" approach allows students to demonstrate command of key topics in context, just as they would in a work environment or other real-life situations. If students make mistakes, they are given extra resources or coaching from virtual mentors to help them master the course material. After completing Critical Thinking in Everyday Life, one student noted: "This game made learning more fun. I believe I will remember the information better from playing the game, than if I ​The Student Workshop Team is pleased to introduce a new were just to read it out of a book instead." Prepping faculty for game-based learning Because it's important to dedicate time and resources for faculty to properly preview new instructional tools, faculty are offered training tools such as webinar-based training sessions that introduce them to the game's content, learning objectives, platform features and assessments. Games offer an integrated instructor dashboard that provides teachers with meaningful, actionable data on student decisions and interactions. Ridel says that a consistent theme from faculty feedback is how the games have sparked better, more in-depth class discussions.  What's the end game? There are a number of classes currently available in game-based learning environments, including: University Studies (GEN/127, GEN/195 and US/101) University Writing (ENG/147) Critical Thinking (HUM/115, HUM/111 and HUM/114) Health & Wellness (SCI/162, SCI/163 and SCI/100) Environmental Science (SCI/275 and ENV/100) Nutrition (SCI/220) Media in American Culture (HUM/176 and HUM/186) And coming soon: University Writing (COM/170) University Writing (COM/172) "University of Phoenix has delivered over 540 million minutes of game-based learning to its students — making it higher education's clear leader in this emerging field," Ridel says. "This expertise strongly differentiates its programs from first-year courses at other universities, and represents another example of the University's commitment to investing in innovations designed to improve the overall educational experience of its students.“ A New Approach to Cohort Starts ​In President Tim Slottow's June 29 memo, he shared several new initiatives the University will work on over the next year. One of those initiatives relates to reduced program and course frequency. Today, the University would like to share some additional details about this initiative and how it may impact you in the weeks and months ahead. First, let's be reminded of what Tim shared about this initiative: "Consider moving away from 50 annual cohort starts and more toward 25 (or even 10), depending upon the needs of the individual school and college. This would result in more time to prepare incoming students before they begin their first class; it would also result in more-appropriate class sizes, less-cancelled classes, more-stable faculty scheduling, and vastly reduced complexity in operations." ​The Class Size Optimization workstream worked diligently during 2014-2015 to implement efficiencies aimed at improving average class size, and successfully saved more than $10M during that time. Despite some success, a more holistic approach is needed. This is the focus of the reduced program and course frequency initiative. Over the next several months, the project team will reduce both program frequency for new students and course frequency for continuing students to: Every five weeks for undergraduate programs (10 per year); with the exception of the BSB and BSP programs and select electives, which will have two starts every five weeks Every six weeks for graduate programs (8 per year) Every six to eight weeks for doctoral programs Several colleges have already taken significant steps in this direction, including the College of Education, College of Security and Criminal Justice, and College of Health Professions. Over the coming weeks and months, more colleges will begin making scheduling adjustments to align with this new frequency model, eventually impacting all colleges and schools. Throughout the transition, scheduled program start dates will be reduced to align with this model, and available program start dates will be communicated. In addition, continuing student schedules will be adjusted automatically with close collaboration between classroom operations, the impacted college or school, student services, and financial services, to minimize the impact to students. Some manual adjustments will be needed to support the needs of individual students. Specific information about the changes will be communicated through the leadership of the appropriate college or school when the time comes. We recognize that changes to the frequency of our programs and courses will have an impact on how we do many things across the University. This is why we have assembled a robust, cross-functional project team focused on not only the changes to frequency within each college, but also the broader impacts of those changes and how we can address them. We appreciate your support and flexibility as we make this important change in order to support our strategic objectives. To view the information we'll be sharing with students about the University's new approach to course frequency, please click here:Course-Frequency-Student-Comm.pdf. Should you have any questions, we encourage you to leave a comment below and we will get back to you with a response.  New Personal Skills Workshop for Students Personal skills workshop: Reading Skills. In this workshop, students will learn best practices from the "Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review" (SQ3R) and "Muscle Reading" strategies to help them gain a more comprehensive understanding of academic materials. Students will also review the elements of information literacy and how these skills are empowering in influencing their approach to research, reading and comprehension, and other academic activities. Students can register for this workshop starting on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category. Motivation Matters: This workshop introduces students to the importance of motivation and resources that can strengthen their academic abilities based on motivational influences, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Participants will learn the significance of having grit as well as resilience, adversity and perseverance. Students will identify a variety of techniques and skills for applying motivational strategies to their courses, career and everyday lives. This workshop focuses on empowering students to improve and create more meaningful motivation to meet challenging and achievable goals. Students can register for this workshop starting on Aug. 5, 2015, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category.
4. Retail Fundamentals Launch In April we launched our Retail Fundamentals associate degree and certificate by working directly with the National Retail Federation (NRF) to develop content aligned with the needs of the field. After completing their certificate, students will be prepared to take three specific certifications from the NRF. Programs like this — that include engaging, employer-validated curriculum — are what will help our students thrive in relevant careers. CPA Bridge Certificate Launch In April we also introduced our CPA Bridge certificate, which allows students to take a collection of six courses that provide built-in test preparation and apply them toward the CPA requirements and use them for the Master of Science in Accountancy degree program. This certificate is designed for students who want to enhance their accounting management skills, enter the accounting profession or complete additional coursework required for the CPA exam. SHRM Affirms Our Curriculum I was thrilled to announce this quarter that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) acknowledged that our following programs fully align with its HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates: BSB with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management and MBA with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management. We did not have to adapt these programs to meet the requirements — SHRM acknowledged that our curriculum is aligned already. University of Phoenix College of Education Announces Teacher Appreciation Scholarship Availability ​With schools across the country facing significant teacher shortages, the ability to recruit and retain talent in the teaching profession is critical. To encourage aspiring educators to enter the profession and recognize the contributions of current teachers across the country, the University is offering 20 full-tuition scholarships as part of the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program. Through this unique program, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to complete a bachelor's or master's degree in education from University of Phoenix.  "The opportunities for teachers to play leadership roles in their districts and communities continue to grow, and as current teachers retire, there will likely be an increasing need for educators to take on greater leadership roles," said Pamela Roggeman, academic dean for University of Phoenix College of Education. "University of Phoenix College of Education is proud to provide educational opportunities like the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program to attract, retain and extend leadership opportunities to current and aspiring educators.“ Playing games in class? Not just allowed — encouraged ​​​It's a problem educators of kindergartners and college students alike face in the classroom: a decline in engagement. While there are a variety of ways to address this concern, one solution that schools and universities are readily embracing to help reignite interaction is game-based learning. And University of Phoenix is already implementing this learning tool because of its power to transform education. The power of playing games There are several benefits to game-based learning that can enhance a student's retention and engagement. First, games are designed to engage and motivate students by making learning enjoyable and by inspiring creativity, curiosity and excitement. Second, the psychology behind gaming inspires persistence by encouraging students to interact with academic content on an ongoing basis — it teaches students that failure is not just allowable, it's a valuable learning experience when dealing with challenging, real-world scenarios. Third, effective games also promote deeper learning through "learning by doing." Finally, and most importantly, given that education all boils down to outcomes, games provide powerful built-in assessment capabilities that measure student performance. Alignment to our retention efforts Game-based learning aligns strongly with the mission and goals of University of Phoenix. The University is dedicated to providing instruction that bridges the gap between theory and practice. Games are an ideal vehicle for delivering opportunities to practice and apply concepts in real-world settings. "One of my goals is to never hear a student ask, 'Why do I need to learn this?' or 'Will I ever use this in the real world?'" says Robert W. Ridel, Ph.D., dean of retention, College of Humanities and Sciences. "We know that when learning is framed in real-world settings, it becomes tangible, practical and meaningful for students — all of which can positively impact retention." Applying game-based learning to classes In March 2014, the University launched its first fully customized Introductory Course Sequence (ICS) course centered on game-based learning — Critical Thinking in Everyday Life. The early quantitative and qualitative results for the course have been positive, and through this effort, Ridel, who stars in the game as protagonist Dr. X, believes we have finally "cracked the code" for student success and retention.  All games are integrated seamlessly into the Classroom platform. Students launch them as an assignment each week of the course. As students play games, complete assignments and interact with virtual mentors, they are evaluated in real time. This "natural assessment" approach allows students to demonstrate command of key topics in context, just as they would in a work environment or other real-life situations. If students make mistakes, they are given extra resources or coaching from virtual mentors to help them master the course material. After completing Critical Thinking in Everyday Life, one student noted: "This game made learning more fun. I believe I will remember the information better from playing the game, than if I ​The Student Workshop Team is pleased to introduce a new were just to read it out of a book instead." Prepping faculty for game-based learning Because it's important to dedicate time and resources for faculty to properly preview new instructional tools, faculty are offered training tools such as webinar-based training sessions that introduce them to the game's content, learning objectives, platform features and assessments. Games offer an integrated instructor dashboard that provides teachers with meaningful, actionable data on student decisions and interactions. Ridel says that a consistent theme from faculty feedback is how the games have sparked better, more in-depth class discussions.  What's the end game? There are a number of classes currently available in game-based learning environments, including: University Studies (GEN/127, GEN/195 and US/101) University Writing (ENG/147) Critical Thinking (HUM/115, HUM/111 and HUM/114) Health & Wellness (SCI/162, SCI/163 and SCI/100) Environmental Science (SCI/275 and ENV/100) Nutrition (SCI/220) Media in American Culture (HUM/176 and HUM/186) And coming soon: University Writing (COM/170) University Writing (COM/172) "University of Phoenix has delivered over 540 million minutes of game-based learning to its students — making it higher education's clear leader in this emerging field," Ridel says. "This expertise strongly differentiates its programs from first-year courses at other universities, and represents another example of the University's commitment to investing in innovations designed to improve the overall educational experience of its students.“ A New Approach to Cohort Starts ​In President Tim Slottow's June 29 memo, he shared several new initiatives the University will work on over the next year. One of those initiatives relates to reduced program and course frequency. Today, the University would like to share some additional details about this initiative and how it may impact you in the weeks and months ahead. First, let's be reminded of what Tim shared about this initiative: "Consider moving away from 50 annual cohort starts and more toward 25 (or even 10), depending upon the needs of the individual school and college. This would result in more time to prepare incoming students before they begin their first class; it would also result in more-appropriate class sizes, less-cancelled classes, more-stable faculty scheduling, and vastly reduced complexity in operations." ​The Class Size Optimization workstream worked diligently during 2014-2015 to implement efficiencies aimed at improving average class size, and successfully saved more than $10M during that time. Despite some success, a more holistic approach is needed. This is the focus of the reduced program and course frequency initiative. Over the next several months, the project team will reduce both program frequency for new students and course frequency for continuing students to: Every five weeks for undergraduate programs (10 per year); with the exception of the BSB and BSP programs and select electives, which will have two starts every five weeks Every six weeks for graduate programs (8 per year) Every six to eight weeks for doctoral programs Several colleges have already taken significant steps in this direction, including the College of Education, College of Security and Criminal Justice, and College of Health Professions. Over the coming weeks and months, more colleges will begin making scheduling adjustments to align with this new frequency model, eventually impacting all colleges and schools. Throughout the transition, scheduled program start dates will be reduced to align with this model, and available program start dates will be communicated. In addition, continuing student schedules will be adjusted automatically with close collaboration between classroom operations, the impacted college or school, student services, and financial services, to minimize the impact to students. Some manual adjustments will be needed to support the needs of individual students. Specific information about the changes will be communicated through the leadership of the appropriate college or school when the time comes. We recognize that changes to the frequency of our programs and courses will have an impact on how we do many things across the University. This is why we have assembled a robust, cross-functional project team focused on not only the changes to frequency within each college, but also the broader impacts of those changes and how we can address them. We appreciate your support and flexibility as we make this important change in order to support our strategic objectives. To view the information we'll be sharing with students about the University's new approach to course frequency, please click here:Course-Frequency-Student-Comm.pdf. Should you have any questions, we encourage you to leave a comment below and we will get back to you with a response.  New Personal Skills Workshop for Students Personal skills workshop: Reading Skills. In this workshop, students will learn best practices from the "Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review" (SQ3R) and "Muscle Reading" strategies to help them gain a more comprehensive understanding of academic materials. Students will also review the elements of information literacy and how these skills are empowering in influencing their approach to research, reading and comprehension, and other academic activities. Students can register for this workshop starting on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category. Motivation Matters: This workshop introduces students to the importance of motivation and resources that can strengthen their academic abilities based on motivational influences, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Participants will learn the significance of having grit as well as resilience, adversity and perseverance. Students will identify a variety of techniques and skills for applying motivational strategies to their courses, career and everyday lives. This workshop focuses on empowering students to improve and create more meaningful motivation to meet challenging and achievable goals. Students can register for this workshop starting on Aug. 5, 2015, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category.
5. Retail Fundamentals Launch In April we launched our Retail Fundamentals associate degree and certificate by working directly with the National Retail Federation (NRF) to develop content aligned with the needs of the field. After completing their certificate, students will be prepared to take three specific certifications from the NRF. Programs like this — that include engaging, employer-validated curriculum — are what will help our students thrive in relevant careers. CPA Bridge Certificate Launch In April we also introduced our CPA Bridge certificate, which allows students to take a collection of six courses that provide built-in test preparation and apply them toward the CPA requirements and use them for the Master of Science in Accountancy degree program. This certificate is designed for students who want to enhance their accounting management skills, enter the accounting profession or complete additional coursework required for the CPA exam. SHRM Affirms Our Curriculum I was thrilled to announce this quarter that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) acknowledged that our following programs fully align with its HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates: BSB with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management and MBA with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management. We did not have to adapt these programs to meet the requirements — SHRM acknowledged that our curriculum is aligned already. University of Phoenix College of Education Announces Teacher Appreciation Scholarship Availability ​With schools across the country facing significant teacher shortages, the ability to recruit and retain talent in the teaching profession is critical. To encourage aspiring educators to enter the profession and recognize the contributions of current teachers across the country, the University is offering 20 full-tuition scholarships as part of the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program. Through this unique program, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to complete a bachelor's or master's degree in education from University of Phoenix.  "The opportunities for teachers to play leadership roles in their districts and communities continue to grow, and as current teachers retire, there will likely be an increasing need for educators to take on greater leadership roles," said Pamela Roggeman, academic dean for University of Phoenix College of Education. "University of Phoenix College of Education is proud to provide educational opportunities like the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program to attract, retain and extend leadership opportunities to current and aspiring educators.“ Playing games in class? Not just allowed — encouraged ​​​It's a problem educators of kindergartners and college students alike face in the classroom: a decline in engagement. While there are a variety of ways to address this concern, one solution that schools and universities are readily embracing to help reignite interaction is game-based learning. And University of Phoenix is already implementing this learning tool because of its power to transform education. The power of playing games There are several benefits to game-based learning that can enhance a student's retention and engagement. First, games are designed to engage and motivate students by making learning enjoyable and by inspiring creativity, curiosity and excitement. Second, the psychology behind gaming inspires persistence by encouraging students to interact with academic content on an ongoing basis — it teaches students that failure is not just allowable, it's a valuable learning experience when dealing with challenging, real-world scenarios. Third, effective games also promote deeper learning through "learning by doing." Finally, and most importantly, given that education all boils down to outcomes, games provide powerful built-in assessment capabilities that measure student performance. Alignment to our retention efforts Game-based learning aligns strongly with the mission and goals of University of Phoenix. The University is dedicated to providing instruction that bridges the gap between theory and practice. Games are an ideal vehicle for delivering opportunities to practice and apply concepts in real-world settings. "One of my goals is to never hear a student ask, 'Why do I need to learn this?' or 'Will I ever use this in the real world?'" says Robert W. Ridel, Ph.D., dean of retention, College of Humanities and Sciences. "We know that when learning is framed in real-world settings, it becomes tangible, practical and meaningful for students — all of which can positively impact retention." Applying game-based learning to classes In March 2014, the University launched its first fully customized Introductory Course Sequence (ICS) course centered on game-based learning — Critical Thinking in Everyday Life. The early quantitative and qualitative results for the course have been positive, and through this effort, Ridel, who stars in the game as protagonist Dr. X, believes we have finally "cracked the code" for student success and retention.  All games are integrated seamlessly into the Classroom platform. Students launch them as an assignment each week of the course. As students play games, complete assignments and interact with virtual mentors, they are evaluated in real time. This "natural assessment" approach allows students to demonstrate command of key topics in context, just as they would in a work environment or other real-life situations. If students make mistakes, they are given extra resources or coaching from virtual mentors to help them master the course material. After completing Critical Thinking in Everyday Life, one student noted: "This game made learning more fun. I believe I will remember the information better from playing the game, than if I ​The Student Workshop Team is pleased to introduce a new were just to read it out of a book instead." Prepping faculty for game-based learning Because it's important to dedicate time and resources for faculty to properly preview new instructional tools, faculty are offered training tools such as webinar-based training sessions that introduce them to the game's content, learning objectives, platform features and assessments. Games offer an integrated instructor dashboard that provides teachers with meaningful, actionable data on student decisions and interactions. Ridel says that a consistent theme from faculty feedback is how the games have sparked better, more in-depth class discussions.  What's the end game? There are a number of classes currently available in game-based learning environments, including: University Studies (GEN/127, GEN/195 and US/101) University Writing (ENG/147) Critical Thinking (HUM/115, HUM/111 and HUM/114) Health & Wellness (SCI/162, SCI/163 and SCI/100) Environmental Science (SCI/275 and ENV/100) Nutrition (SCI/220) Media in American Culture (HUM/176 and HUM/186) And coming soon: University Writing (COM/170) University Writing (COM/172) "University of Phoenix has delivered over 540 million minutes of game-based learning to its students — making it higher education's clear leader in this emerging field," Ridel says. "This expertise strongly differentiates its programs from first-year courses at other universities, and represents another example of the University's commitment to investing in innovations designed to improve the overall educational experience of its students.“ A New Approach to Cohort Starts ​In President Tim Slottow's June 29 memo, he shared several new initiatives the University will work on over the next year. One of those initiatives relates to reduced program and course frequency. Today, the University would like to share some additional details about this initiative and how it may impact you in the weeks and months ahead. First, let's be reminded of what Tim shared about this initiative: "Consider moving away from 50 annual cohort starts and more toward 25 (or even 10), depending upon the needs of the individual school and college. This would result in more time to prepare incoming students before they begin their first class; it would also result in more-appropriate class sizes, less-cancelled classes, more-stable faculty scheduling, and vastly reduced complexity in operations." ​The Class Size Optimization workstream worked diligently during 2014-2015 to implement efficiencies aimed at improving average class size, and successfully saved more than $10M during that time. Despite some success, a more holistic approach is needed. This is the focus of the reduced program and course frequency initiative. Over the next several months, the project team will reduce both program frequency for new students and course frequency for continuing students to: Every five weeks for undergraduate programs (10 per year); with the exception of the BSB and BSP programs and select electives, which will have two starts every five weeks Every six weeks for graduate programs (8 per year) Every six to eight weeks for doctoral programs Several colleges have already taken significant steps in this direction, including the College of Education, College of Security and Criminal Justice, and College of Health Professions. Over the coming weeks and months, more colleges will begin making scheduling adjustments to align with this new frequency model, eventually impacting all colleges and schools. Throughout the transition, scheduled program start dates will be reduced to align with this model, and available program start dates will be communicated. In addition, continuing student schedules will be adjusted automatically with close collaboration between classroom operations, the impacted college or school, student services, and financial services, to minimize the impact to students. Some manual adjustments will be needed to support the needs of individual students. Specific information about the changes will be communicated through the leadership of the appropriate college or school when the time comes. We recognize that changes to the frequency of our programs and courses will have an impact on how we do many things across the University. This is why we have assembled a robust, cross-functional project team focused on not only the changes to frequency within each college, but also the broader impacts of those changes and how we can address them. We appreciate your support and flexibility as we make this important change in order to support our strategic objectives. To view the information we'll be sharing with students about the University's new approach to course frequency, please click here:Course-Frequency-Student-Comm.pdf. Should you have any questions, we encourage you to leave a comment below and we will get back to you with a response.  New Personal Skills Workshop for Students Personal skills workshop: Reading Skills. In this workshop, students will learn best practices from the "Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review" (SQ3R) and "Muscle Reading" strategies to help them gain a more comprehensive understanding of academic materials. Students will also review the elements of information literacy and how these skills are empowering in influencing their approach to research, reading and comprehension, and other academic activities. Students can register for this workshop starting on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category. Motivation Matters: This workshop introduces students to the importance of motivation and resources that can strengthen their academic abilities based on motivational influences, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Participants will learn the significance of having grit as well as resilience, adversity and perseverance. Students will identify a variety of techniques and skills for applying motivational strategies to their courses, career and everyday lives. This workshop focuses on empowering students to improve and create more meaningful motivation to meet challenging and achievable goals. Students can register for this workshop starting on Aug. 5, 2015, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category.
6. Retail Fundamentals Launch In April we launched our Retail Fundamentals associate degree and certificate by working directly with the National Retail Federation (NRF) to develop content aligned with the needs of the field. After completing their certificate, students will be prepared to take three specific certifications from the NRF. Programs like this — that include engaging, employer-validated curriculum — are what will help our students thrive in relevant careers. CPA Bridge Certificate Launch In April we also introduced our CPA Bridge certificate, which allows students to take a collection of six courses that provide built-in test preparation and apply them toward the CPA requirements and use them for the Master of Science in Accountancy degree program. This certificate is designed for students who want to enhance their accounting management skills, enter the accounting profession or complete additional coursework required for the CPA exam. SHRM Affirms Our Curriculum I was thrilled to announce this quarter that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) acknowledged that our following programs fully align with its HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates: BSB with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management and MBA with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management. We did not have to adapt these programs to meet the requirements — SHRM acknowledged that our curriculum is aligned already. University of Phoenix College of Education Announces Teacher Appreciation Scholarship Availability ​With schools across the country facing significant teacher shortages, the ability to recruit and retain talent in the teaching profession is critical. To encourage aspiring educators to enter the profession and recognize the contributions of current teachers across the country, the University is offering 20 full-tuition scholarships as part of the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program. Through this unique program, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to complete a bachelor's or master's degree in education from University of Phoenix.  "The opportunities for teachers to play leadership roles in their districts and communities continue to grow, and as current teachers retire, there will likely be an increasing need for educators to take on greater leadership roles," said Pamela Roggeman, academic dean for University of Phoenix College of Education. "University of Phoenix College of Education is proud to provide educational opportunities like the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program to attract, retain and extend leadership opportunities to current and aspiring educators.“ Playing games in class? Not just allowed — encouraged ​​​It's a problem educators of kindergartners and college students alike face in the classroom: a decline in engagement. While there are a variety of ways to address this concern, one solution that schools and universities are readily embracing to help reignite interaction is game-based learning. And University of Phoenix is already implementing this learning tool because of its power to transform education. The power of playing games There are several benefits to game-based learning that can enhance a student's retention and engagement. First, games are designed to engage and motivate students by making learning enjoyable and by inspiring creativity, curiosity and excitement. Second, the psychology behind gaming inspires persistence by encouraging students to interact with academic content on an ongoing basis — it teaches students that failure is not just allowable, it's a valuable learning experience when dealing with challenging, real-world scenarios. Third, effective games also promote deeper learning through "learning by doing." Finally, and most importantly, given that education all boils down to outcomes, games provide powerful built-in assessment capabilities that measure student performance. Alignment to our retention efforts Game-based learning aligns strongly with the mission and goals of University of Phoenix. The University is dedicated to providing instruction that bridges the gap between theory and practice. Games are an ideal vehicle for delivering opportunities to practice and apply concepts in real-world settings. "One of my goals is to never hear a student ask, 'Why do I need to learn this?' or 'Will I ever use this in the real world?'" says Robert W. Ridel, Ph.D., dean of retention, College of Humanities and Sciences. "We know that when learning is framed in real-world settings, it becomes tangible, practical and meaningful for students — all of which can positively impact retention." Applying game-based learning to classes In March 2014, the University launched its first fully customized Introductory Course Sequence (ICS) course centered on game-based learning — Critical Thinking in Everyday Life. The early quantitative and qualitative results for the course have been positive, and through this effort, Ridel, who stars in the game as protagonist Dr. X, believes we have finally "cracked the code" for student success and retention.  All games are integrated seamlessly into the Classroom platform. Students launch them as an assignment each week of the course. As students play games, complete assignments and interact with virtual mentors, they are evaluated in real time. This "natural assessment" approach allows students to demonstrate command of key topics in context, just as they would in a work environment or other real-life situations. If students make mistakes, they are given extra resources or coaching from virtual mentors to help them master the course material. After completing Critical Thinking in Everyday Life, one student noted: "This game made learning more fun. I believe I will remember the information better from playing the game, than if I ​The Student Workshop Team is pleased to introduce a new were just to read it out of a book instead." Prepping faculty for game-based learning Because it's important to dedicate time and resources for faculty to properly preview new instructional tools, faculty are offered training tools such as webinar-based training sessions that introduce them to the game's content, learning objectives, platform features and assessments. Games offer an integrated instructor dashboard that provides teachers with meaningful, actionable data on student decisions and interactions. Ridel says that a consistent theme from faculty feedback is how the games have sparked better, more in-depth class discussions.  What's the end game? There are a number of classes currently available in game-based learning environments, including: University Studies (GEN/127, GEN/195 and US/101) University Writing (ENG/147) Critical Thinking (HUM/115, HUM/111 and HUM/114) Health & Wellness (SCI/162, SCI/163 and SCI/100) Environmental Science (SCI/275 and ENV/100) Nutrition (SCI/220) Media in American Culture (HUM/176 and HUM/186) And coming soon: University Writing (COM/170) University Writing (COM/172) "University of Phoenix has delivered over 540 million minutes of game-based learning to its students — making it higher education's clear leader in this emerging field," Ridel says. "This expertise strongly differentiates its programs from first-year courses at other universities, and represents another example of the University's commitment to investing in innovations designed to improve the overall educational experience of its students.“ A New Approach to Cohort Starts ​In President Tim Slottow's June 29 memo, he shared several new initiatives the University will work on over the next year. One of those initiatives relates to reduced program and course frequency. Today, the University would like to share some additional details about this initiative and how it may impact you in the weeks and months ahead. First, let's be reminded of what Tim shared about this initiative: "Consider moving away from 50 annual cohort starts and more toward 25 (or even 10), depending upon the needs of the individual school and college. This would result in more time to prepare incoming students before they begin their first class; it would also result in more-appropriate class sizes, less-cancelled classes, more-stable faculty scheduling, and vastly reduced complexity in operations." ​The Class Size Optimization workstream worked diligently during 2014-2015 to implement efficiencies aimed at improving average class size, and successfully saved more than $10M during that time. Despite some success, a more holistic approach is needed. This is the focus of the reduced program and course frequency initiative. Over the next several months, the project team will reduce both program frequency for new students and course frequency for continuing students to: Every five weeks for undergraduate programs (10 per year); with the exception of the BSB and BSP programs and select electives, which will have two starts every five weeks Every six weeks for graduate programs (8 per year) Every six to eight weeks for doctoral programs Several colleges have already taken significant steps in this direction, including the College of Education, College of Security and Criminal Justice, and College of Health Professions. Over the coming weeks and months, more colleges will begin making scheduling adjustments to align with this new frequency model, eventually impacting all colleges and schools. Throughout the transition, scheduled program start dates will be reduced to align with this model, and available program start dates will be communicated. In addition, continuing student schedules will be adjusted automatically with close collaboration between classroom operations, the impacted college or school, student services, and financial services, to minimize the impact to students. Some manual adjustments will be needed to support the needs of individual students. Specific information about the changes will be communicated through the leadership of the appropriate college or school when the time comes. We recognize that changes to the frequency of our programs and courses will have an impact on how we do many things across the University. This is why we have assembled a robust, cross-functional project team focused on not only the changes to frequency within each college, but also the broader impacts of those changes and how we can address them. We appreciate your support and flexibility as we make this important change in order to support our strategic objectives. To view the information we'll be sharing with students about the University's new approach to course frequency, please click here:Course-Frequency-Student-Comm.pdf. Should you have any questions, we encourage you to leave a comment below and we will get back to you with a response.  New Personal Skills Workshop for Students Personal skills workshop: Reading Skills. In this workshop, students will learn best practices from the "Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review" (SQ3R) and "Muscle Reading" strategies to help them gain a more comprehensive understanding of academic materials. Students will also review the elements of information literacy and how these skills are empowering in influencing their approach to research, reading and comprehension, and other academic activities. Students can register for this workshop starting on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category. Motivation Matters: This workshop introduces students to the importance of motivation and resources that can strengthen their academic abilities based on motivational influences, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Participants will learn the significance of having grit as well as resilience, adversity and perseverance. Students will identify a variety of techniques and skills for applying motivational strategies to their courses, career and everyday lives. This workshop focuses on empowering students to improve and create more meaningful motivation to meet challenging and achievable goals. Students can register for this workshop starting on Aug. 5, 2015, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category.
7. Retail Fundamentals Launch In April we launched our Retail Fundamentals associate degree and certificate by working directly with the National Retail Federation (NRF) to develop content aligned with the needs of the field. After completing their certificate, students will be prepared to take three specific certifications from the NRF. Programs like this — that include engaging, employer-validated curriculum — are what will help our students thrive in relevant careers. CPA Bridge Certificate Launch In April we also introduced our CPA Bridge certificate, which allows students to take a collection of six courses that provide built-in test preparation and apply them toward the CPA requirements and use them for the Master of Science in Accountancy degree program. This certificate is designed for students who want to enhance their accounting management skills, enter the accounting profession or complete additional coursework required for the CPA exam. SHRM Affirms Our Curriculum I was thrilled to announce this quarter that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) acknowledged that our following programs fully align with its HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates: BSB with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management and MBA with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management. We did not have to adapt these programs to meet the requirements — SHRM acknowledged that our curriculum is aligned already. University of Phoenix College of Education Announces Teacher Appreciation Scholarship Availability ​With schools across the country facing significant teacher shortages, the ability to recruit and retain talent in the teaching profession is critical. To encourage aspiring educators to enter the profession and recognize the contributions of current teachers across the country, the University is offering 20 full-tuition scholarships as part of the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program. Through this unique program, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to complete a bachelor's or master's degree in education from University of Phoenix.  "The opportunities for teachers to play leadership roles in their districts and communities continue to grow, and as current teachers retire, there will likely be an increasing need for educators to take on greater leadership roles," said Pamela Roggeman, academic dean for University of Phoenix College of Education. "University of Phoenix College of Education is proud to provide educational opportunities like the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program to attract, retain and extend leadership opportunities to current and aspiring educators.“ Playing games in class? Not just allowed — encouraged ​​​It's a problem educators of kindergartners and college students alike face in the classroom: a decline in engagement. While there are a variety of ways to address this concern, one solution that schools and universities are readily embracing to help reignite interaction is game-based learning. And University of Phoenix is already implementing this learning tool because of its power to transform education. The power of playing games There are several benefits to game-based learning that can enhance a student's retention and engagement. First, games are designed to engage and motivate students by making learning enjoyable and by inspiring creativity, curiosity and excitement. Second, the psychology behind gaming inspires persistence by encouraging students to interact with academic content on an ongoing basis — it teaches students that failure is not just allowable, it's a valuable learning experience when dealing with challenging, real-world scenarios. Third, effective games also promote deeper learning through "learning by doing." Finally, and most importantly, given that education all boils down to outcomes, games provide powerful built-in assessment capabilities that measure student performance. Alignment to our retention efforts Game-based learning aligns strongly with the mission and goals of University of Phoenix. The University is dedicated to providing instruction that bridges the gap between theory and practice. Games are an ideal vehicle for delivering opportunities to practice and apply concepts in real-world settings. "One of my goals is to never hear a student ask, 'Why do I need to learn this?' or 'Will I ever use this in the real world?'" says Robert W. Ridel, Ph.D., dean of retention, College of Humanities and Sciences. "We know that when learning is framed in real-world settings, it becomes tangible, practical and meaningful for students — all of which can positively impact retention." Applying game-based learning to classes In March 2014, the University launched its first fully customized Introductory Course Sequence (ICS) course centered on game-based learning — Critical Thinking in Everyday Life. The early quantitative and qualitative results for the course have been positive, and through this effort, Ridel, who stars in the game as protagonist Dr. X, believes we have finally "cracked the code" for student success and retention.  All games are integrated seamlessly into the Classroom platform. Students launch them as an assignment each week of the course. As students play games, complete assignments and interact with virtual mentors, they are evaluated in real time. This "natural assessment" approach allows students to demonstrate command of key topics in context, just as they would in a work environment or other real-life situations. If students make mistakes, they are given extra resources or coaching from virtual mentors to help them master the course material. After completing Critical Thinking in Everyday Life, one student noted: "This game made learning more fun. I believe I will remember the information better from playing the game, than if I ​The Student Workshop Team is pleased to introduce a new were just to read it out of a book instead." Prepping faculty for game-based learning Because it's important to dedicate time and resources for faculty to properly preview new instructional tools, faculty are offered training tools such as webinar-based training sessions that introduce them to the game's content, learning objectives, platform features and assessments. Games offer an integrated instructor dashboard that provides teachers with meaningful, actionable data on student decisions and interactions. Ridel says that a consistent theme from faculty feedback is how the games have sparked better, more in-depth class discussions.  What's the end game? There are a number of classes currently available in game-based learning environments, including: University Studies (GEN/127, GEN/195 and US/101) University Writing (ENG/147) Critical Thinking (HUM/115, HUM/111 and HUM/114) Health & Wellness (SCI/162, SCI/163 and SCI/100) Environmental Science (SCI/275 and ENV/100) Nutrition (SCI/220) Media in American Culture (HUM/176 and HUM/186) And coming soon: University Writing (COM/170) University Writing (COM/172) "University of Phoenix has delivered over 540 million minutes of game-based learning to its students — making it higher education's clear leader in this emerging field," Ridel says. "This expertise strongly differentiates its programs from first-year courses at other universities, and represents another example of the University's commitment to investing in innovations designed to improve the overall educational experience of its students.“ A New Approach to Cohort Starts ​In President Tim Slottow's June 29 memo, he shared several new initiatives the University will work on over the next year. One of those initiatives relates to reduced program and course frequency. Today, the University would like to share some additional details about this initiative and how it may impact you in the weeks and months ahead. First, let's be reminded of what Tim shared about this initiative: "Consider moving away from 50 annual cohort starts and more toward 25 (or even 10), depending upon the needs of the individual school and college. This would result in more time to prepare incoming students before they begin their first class; it would also result in more-appropriate class sizes, less-cancelled classes, more-stable faculty scheduling, and vastly reduced complexity in operations." ​The Class Size Optimization workstream worked diligently during 2014-2015 to implement efficiencies aimed at improving average class size, and successfully saved more than $10M during that time. Despite some success, a more holistic approach is needed. This is the focus of the reduced program and course frequency initiative. Over the next several months, the project team will reduce both program frequency for new students and course frequency for continuing students to: Every five weeks for undergraduate programs (10 per year); with the exception of the BSB and BSP programs and select electives, which will have two starts every five weeks Every six weeks for graduate programs (8 per year) Every six to eight weeks for doctoral programs Several colleges have already taken significant steps in this direction, including the College of Education, College of Security and Criminal Justice, and College of Health Professions. Over the coming weeks and months, more colleges will begin making scheduling adjustments to align with this new frequency model, eventually impacting all colleges and schools. Throughout the transition, scheduled program start dates will be reduced to align with this model, and available program start dates will be communicated. In addition, continuing student schedules will be adjusted automatically with close collaboration between classroom operations, the impacted college or school, student services, and financial services, to minimize the impact to students. Some manual adjustments will be needed to support the needs of individual students. Specific information about the changes will be communicated through the leadership of the appropriate college or school when the time comes. We recognize that changes to the frequency of our programs and courses will have an impact on how we do many things across the University. This is why we have assembled a robust, cross-functional project team focused on not only the changes to frequency within each college, but also the broader impacts of those changes and how we can address them. We appreciate your support and flexibility as we make this important change in order to support our strategic objectives. To view the information we'll be sharing with students about the University's new approach to course frequency, please click here:Course-Frequency-Student-Comm.pdf. Should you have any questions, we encourage you to leave a comment below and we will get back to you with a response.  New Personal Skills Workshop for Students Personal skills workshop: Reading Skills. In this workshop, students will learn best practices from the "Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review" (SQ3R) and "Muscle Reading" strategies to help them gain a more comprehensive understanding of academic materials. Students will also review the elements of information literacy and how these skills are empowering in influencing their approach to research, reading and comprehension, and other academic activities. Students can register for this workshop starting on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category. Motivation Matters: This workshop introduces students to the importance of motivation and resources that can strengthen their academic abilities based on motivational influences, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Participants will learn the significance of having grit as well as resilience, adversity and perseverance. Students will identify a variety of techniques and skills for applying motivational strategies to their courses, career and everyday lives. This workshop focuses on empowering students to improve and create more meaningful motivation to meet challenging and achievable goals. Students can register for this workshop starting on Aug. 5, 2015, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category.
8. Retail Fundamentals Launch In April we launched our Retail Fundamentals associate degree and certificate by working directly with the National Retail Federation (NRF) to develop content aligned with the needs of the field. After completing their certificate, students will be prepared to take three specific certifications from the NRF. Programs like this — that include engaging, employer-validated curriculum — are what will help our students thrive in relevant careers. CPA Bridge Certificate Launch In April we also introduced our CPA Bridge certificate, which allows students to take a collection of six courses that provide built-in test preparation and apply them toward the CPA requirements and use them for the Master of Science in Accountancy degree program. This certificate is designed for students who want to enhance their accounting management skills, enter the accounting profession or complete additional coursework required for the CPA exam. SHRM Affirms Our Curriculum I was thrilled to announce this quarter that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) acknowledged that our following programs fully align with its HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates: BSB with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management and MBA with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management. We did not have to adapt these programs to meet the requirements — SHRM acknowledged that our curriculum is aligned already. University of Phoenix College of Education Announces Teacher Appreciation Scholarship Availability ​With schools across the country facing significant teacher shortages, the ability to recruit and retain talent in the teaching profession is critical. To encourage aspiring educators to enter the profession and recognize the contributions of current teachers across the country, the University is offering 20 full-tuition scholarships as part of the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program. Through this unique program, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to complete a bachelor's or master's degree in education from University of Phoenix.  "The opportunities for teachers to play leadership roles in their districts and communities continue to grow, and as current teachers retire, there will likely be an increasing need for educators to take on greater leadership roles," said Pamela Roggeman, academic dean for University of Phoenix College of Education. "University of Phoenix College of Education is proud to provide educational opportunities like the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program to attract, retain and extend leadership opportunities to current and aspiring educators.“ Playing games in class? Not just allowed — encouraged ​​​It's a problem educators of kindergartners and college students alike face in the classroom: a decline in engagement. While there are a variety of ways to address this concern, one solution that schools and universities are readily embracing to help reignite interaction is game-based learning. And University of Phoenix is already implementing this learning tool because of its power to transform education. The power of playing games There are several benefits to game-based learning that can enhance a student's retention and engagement. First, games are designed to engage and motivate students by making learning enjoyable and by inspiring creativity, curiosity and excitement. Second, the psychology behind gaming inspires persistence by encouraging students to interact with academic content on an ongoing basis — it teaches students that failure is not just allowable, it's a valuable learning experience when dealing with challenging, real-world scenarios. Third, effective games also promote deeper learning through "learning by doing." Finally, and most importantly, given that education all boils down to outcomes, games provide powerful built-in assessment capabilities that measure student performance. Alignment to our retention efforts Game-based learning aligns strongly with the mission and goals of University of Phoenix. The University is dedicated to providing instruction that bridges the gap between theory and practice. Games are an ideal vehicle for delivering opportunities to practice and apply concepts in real-world settings. "One of my goals is to never hear a student ask, 'Why do I need to learn this?' or 'Will I ever use this in the real world?'" says Robert W. Ridel, Ph.D., dean of retention, College of Humanities and Sciences. "We know that when learning is framed in real-world settings, it becomes tangible, practical and meaningful for students — all of which can positively impact retention." Applying game-based learning to classes In March 2014, the University launched its first fully customized Introductory Course Sequence (ICS) course centered on game-based learning — Critical Thinking in Everyday Life. The early quantitative and qualitative results for the course have been positive, and through this effort, Ridel, who stars in the game as protagonist Dr. X, believes we have finally "cracked the code" for student success and retention.  All games are integrated seamlessly into the Classroom platform. Students launch them as an assignment each week of the course. As students play games, complete assignments and interact with virtual mentors, they are evaluated in real time. This "natural assessment" approach allows students to demonstrate command of key topics in context, just as they would in a work environment or other real-life situations. If students make mistakes, they are given extra resources or coaching from virtual mentors to help them master the course material. After completing Critical Thinking in Everyday Life, one student noted: "This game made learning more fun. I believe I will remember the information better from playing the game, than if I ​The Student Workshop Team is pleased to introduce a new were just to read it out of a book instead." Prepping faculty for game-based learning Because it's important to dedicate time and resources for faculty to properly preview new instructional tools, faculty are offered training tools such as webinar-based training sessions that introduce them to the game's content, learning objectives, platform features and assessments. Games offer an integrated instructor dashboard that provides teachers with meaningful, actionable data on student decisions and interactions. Ridel says that a consistent theme from faculty feedback is how the games have sparked better, more in-depth class discussions.  What's the end game? There are a number of classes currently available in game-based learning environments, including: University Studies (GEN/127, GEN/195 and US/101) University Writing (ENG/147) Critical Thinking (HUM/115, HUM/111 and HUM/114) Health & Wellness (SCI/162, SCI/163 and SCI/100) Environmental Science (SCI/275 and ENV/100) Nutrition (SCI/220) Media in American Culture (HUM/176 and HUM/186) And coming soon: University Writing (COM/170) University Writing (COM/172) "University of Phoenix has delivered over 540 million minutes of game-based learning to its students — making it higher education's clear leader in this emerging field," Ridel says. "This expertise strongly differentiates its programs from first-year courses at other universities, and represents another example of the University's commitment to investing in innovations designed to improve the overall educational experience of its students.“ A New Approach to Cohort Starts ​In President Tim Slottow's June 29 memo, he shared several new initiatives the University will work on over the next year. One of those initiatives relates to reduced program and course frequency. Today, the University would like to share some additional details about this initiative and how it may impact you in the weeks and months ahead. First, let's be reminded of what Tim shared about this initiative: "Consider moving away from 50 annual cohort starts and more toward 25 (or even 10), depending upon the needs of the individual school and college. This would result in more time to prepare incoming students before they begin their first class; it would also result in more-appropriate class sizes, less-cancelled classes, more-stable faculty scheduling, and vastly reduced complexity in operations." ​The Class Size Optimization workstream worked diligently during 2014-2015 to implement efficiencies aimed at improving average class size, and successfully saved more than $10M during that time. Despite some success, a more holistic approach is needed. This is the focus of the reduced program and course frequency initiative. Over the next several months, the project team will reduce both program frequency for new students and course frequency for continuing students to: Every five weeks for undergraduate programs (10 per year); with the exception of the BSB and BSP programs and select electives, which will have two starts every five weeks Every six weeks for graduate programs (8 per year) Every six to eight weeks for doctoral programs Several colleges have already taken significant steps in this direction, including the College of Education, College of Security and Criminal Justice, and College of Health Professions. Over the coming weeks and months, more colleges will begin making scheduling adjustments to align with this new frequency model, eventually impacting all colleges and schools. Throughout the transition, scheduled program start dates will be reduced to align with this model, and available program start dates will be communicated. In addition, continuing student schedules will be adjusted automatically with close collaboration between classroom operations, the impacted college or school, student services, and financial services, to minimize the impact to students. Some manual adjustments will be needed to support the needs of individual students. Specific information about the changes will be communicated through the leadership of the appropriate college or school when the time comes. We recognize that changes to the frequency of our programs and courses will have an impact on how we do many things across the University. This is why we have assembled a robust, cross-functional project team focused on not only the changes to frequency within each college, but also the broader impacts of those changes and how we can address them. We appreciate your support and flexibility as we make this important change in order to support our strategic objectives. To view the information we'll be sharing with students about the University's new approach to course frequency, please click here:Course-Frequency-Student-Comm.pdf. Should you have any questions, we encourage you to leave a comment below and we will get back to you with a response.  New Personal Skills Workshop for Students Personal skills workshop: Reading Skills. In this workshop, students will learn best practices from the "Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review" (SQ3R) and "Muscle Reading" strategies to help them gain a more comprehensive understanding of academic materials. Students will also review the elements of information literacy and how these skills are empowering in influencing their approach to research, reading and comprehension, and other academic activities. Students can register for this workshop starting on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category. Motivation Matters: This workshop introduces students to the importance of motivation and resources that can strengthen their academic abilities based on motivational influences, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Participants will learn the significance of having grit as well as resilience, adversity and perseverance. Students will identify a variety of techniques and skills for applying motivational strategies to their courses, career and everyday lives. This workshop focuses on empowering students to improve and create more meaningful motivation to meet challenging and achievable goals. Students can register for this workshop starting on Aug. 5, 2015, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category.
9. Retail Fundamentals Launch In April we launched our Retail Fundamentals associate degree and certificate by working directly with the National Retail Federation (NRF) to develop content aligned with the needs of the field. After completing their certificate, students will be prepared to take three specific certifications from the NRF. Programs like this — that include engaging, employer-validated curriculum — are what will help our students thrive in relevant careers. CPA Bridge Certificate Launch In April we also introduced our CPA Bridge certificate, which allows students to take a collection of six courses that provide built-in test preparation and apply them toward the CPA requirements and use them for the Master of Science in Accountancy degree program. This certificate is designed for students who want to enhance their accounting management skills, enter the accounting profession or complete additional coursework required for the CPA exam. SHRM Affirms Our Curriculum I was thrilled to announce this quarter that the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) acknowledged that our following programs fully align with its HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates: BSB with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management and MBA with a concentration or certificate in Human Resource Management. We did not have to adapt these programs to meet the requirements — SHRM acknowledged that our curriculum is aligned already. University of Phoenix College of Education Announces Teacher Appreciation Scholarship Availability ​With schools across the country facing significant teacher shortages, the ability to recruit and retain talent in the teaching profession is critical. To encourage aspiring educators to enter the profession and recognize the contributions of current teachers across the country, the University is offering 20 full-tuition scholarships as part of the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program. Through this unique program, scholarship recipients will have the opportunity to complete a bachelor's or master's degree in education from University of Phoenix.  "The opportunities for teachers to play leadership roles in their districts and communities continue to grow, and as current teachers retire, there will likely be an increasing need for educators to take on greater leadership roles," said Pamela Roggeman, academic dean for University of Phoenix College of Education. "University of Phoenix College of Education is proud to provide educational opportunities like the Teacher Appreciation Scholarship program to attract, retain and extend leadership opportunities to current and aspiring educators.“ Playing games in class? Not just allowed — encouraged ​​​It's a problem educators of kindergartners and college students alike face in the classroom: a decline in engagement. While there are a variety of ways to address this concern, one solution that schools and universities are readily embracing to help reignite interaction is game-based learning. And University of Phoenix is already implementing this learning tool because of its power to transform education. The power of playing games There are several benefits to game-based learning that can enhance a student's retention and engagement. First, games are designed to engage and motivate students by making learning enjoyable and by inspiring creativity, curiosity and excitement. Second, the psychology behind gaming inspires persistence by encouraging students to interact with academic content on an ongoing basis — it teaches students that failure is not just allowable, it's a valuable learning experience when dealing with challenging, real-world scenarios. Third, effective games also promote deeper learning through "learning by doing." Finally, and most importantly, given that education all boils down to outcomes, games provide powerful built-in assessment capabilities that measure student performance. Alignment to our retention efforts Game-based learning aligns strongly with the mission and goals of University of Phoenix. The University is dedicated to providing instruction that bridges the gap between theory and practice. Games are an ideal vehicle for delivering opportunities to practice and apply concepts in real-world settings. "One of my goals is to never hear a student ask, 'Why do I need to learn this?' or 'Will I ever use this in the real world?'" says Robert W. Ridel, Ph.D., dean of retention, College of Humanities and Sciences. "We know that when learning is framed in real-world settings, it becomes tangible, practical and meaningful for students — all of which can positively impact retention." Applying game-based learning to classes In March 2014, the University launched its first fully customized Introductory Course Sequence (ICS) course centered on game-based learning — Critical Thinking in Everyday Life. The early quantitative and qualitative results for the course have been positive, and through this effort, Ridel, who stars in the game as protagonist Dr. X, believes we have finally "cracked the code" for student success and retention.  All games are integrated seamlessly into the Classroom platform. Students launch them as an assignment each week of the course. As students play games, complete assignments and interact with virtual mentors, they are evaluated in real time. This "natural assessment" approach allows students to demonstrate command of key topics in context, just as they would in a work environment or other real-life situations. If students make mistakes, they are given extra resources or coaching from virtual mentors to help them master the course material. After completing Critical Thinking in Everyday Life, one student noted: "This game made learning more fun. I believe I will remember the information better from playing the game, than if I ​The Student Workshop Team is pleased to introduce a new were just to read it out of a book instead." Prepping faculty for game-based learning Because it's important to dedicate time and resources for faculty to properly preview new instructional tools, faculty are offered training tools such as webinar-based training sessions that introduce them to the game's content, learning objectives, platform features and assessments. Games offer an integrated instructor dashboard that provides teachers with meaningful, actionable data on student decisions and interactions. Ridel says that a consistent theme from faculty feedback is how the games have sparked better, more in-depth class discussions.  What's the end game? There are a number of classes currently available in game-based learning environments, including: University Studies (GEN/127, GEN/195 and US/101) University Writing (ENG/147) Critical Thinking (HUM/115, HUM/111 and HUM/114) Health & Wellness (SCI/162, SCI/163 and SCI/100) Environmental Science (SCI/275 and ENV/100) Nutrition (SCI/220) Media in American Culture (HUM/176 and HUM/186) And coming soon: University Writing (COM/170) University Writing (COM/172) "University of Phoenix has delivered over 540 million minutes of game-based learning to its students — making it higher education's clear leader in this emerging field," Ridel says. "This expertise strongly differentiates its programs from first-year courses at other universities, and represents another example of the University's commitment to investing in innovations designed to improve the overall educational experience of its students.“ A New Approach to Cohort Starts ​In President Tim Slottow's June 29 memo, he shared several new initiatives the University will work on over the next year. One of those initiatives relates to reduced program and course frequency. Today, the University would like to share some additional details about this initiative and how it may impact you in the weeks and months ahead. First, let's be reminded of what Tim shared about this initiative: "Consider moving away from 50 annual cohort starts and more toward 25 (or even 10), depending upon the needs of the individual school and college. This would result in more time to prepare incoming students before they begin their first class; it would also result in more-appropriate class sizes, less-cancelled classes, more-stable faculty scheduling, and vastly reduced complexity in operations." ​The Class Size Optimization workstream worked diligently during 2014-2015 to implement efficiencies aimed at improving average class size, and successfully saved more than $10M during that time. Despite some success, a more holistic approach is needed. This is the focus of the reduced program and course frequency initiative. Over the next several months, the project team will reduce both program frequency for new students and course frequency for continuing students to: Every five weeks for undergraduate programs (10 per year); with the exception of the BSB and BSP programs and select electives, which will have two starts every five weeks Every six weeks for graduate programs (8 per year) Every six to eight weeks for doctoral programs Several colleges have already taken significant steps in this direction, including the College of Education, College of Security and Criminal Justice, and College of Health Professions. Over the coming weeks and months, more colleges will begin making scheduling adjustments to align with this new frequency model, eventually impacting all colleges and schools. Throughout the transition, scheduled program start dates will be reduced to align with this model, and available program start dates will be communicated. In addition, continuing student schedules will be adjusted automatically with close collaboration between classroom operations, the impacted college or school, student services, and financial services, to minimize the impact to students. Some manual adjustments will be needed to support the needs of individual students. Specific information about the changes will be communicated through the leadership of the appropriate college or school when the time comes. We recognize that changes to the frequency of our programs and courses will have an impact on how we do many things across the University. This is why we have assembled a robust, cross-functional project team focused on not only the changes to frequency within each college, but also the broader impacts of those changes and how we can address them. We appreciate your support and flexibility as we make this important change in order to support our strategic objectives. To view the information we'll be sharing with students about the University's new approach to course frequency, please click here:Course-Frequency-Student-Comm.pdf. Should you have any questions, we encourage you to leave a comment below and we will get back to you with a response.  New Personal Skills Workshop for Students Personal skills workshop: Reading Skills. In this workshop, students will learn best practices from the "Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review" (SQ3R) and "Muscle Reading" strategies to help them gain a more comprehensive understanding of academic materials. Students will also review the elements of information literacy and how these skills are empowering in influencing their approach to research, reading and comprehension, and other academic activities. Students can register for this workshop starting on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category. Motivation Matters: This workshop introduces students to the importance of motivation and resources that can strengthen their academic abilities based on motivational influences, including intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Participants will learn the significance of having grit as well as resilience, adversity and perseverance. Students will identify a variety of techniques and skills for applying motivational strategies to their courses, career and everyday lives. This workshop focuses on empowering students to improve and create more meaningful motivation to meet challenging and achievable goals. Students can register for this workshop starting on Aug. 5, 2015, as they do for all other student workshops, via eCampus through the Program tab, Services section and Student Workshops area within the Personal Skills category.
10. Message for All University of Phoenix Staff Dear Colleagues: Over the past two months, I have joined President Slottow in answering questions from managers and directors at town hall events throughout the University. I have heard many questions about the future direction of the marketing of our University, its differentiated Schools and Colleges, and our career-relevant academic programs. I want to use this opportunity to elaborate more broadly on the direction of our efforts. My top priorities are aligned with our University Objectives. I have partnered with our Executive Deans to execute long-range plans for all nine differentiated Schools and Colleges. We have spent time developing discipline-specific campaigns that align with the long-term plans of each School and College, taking into account investment locations, new career-relevant programs, and employers’ perceptions of their workforce needs. In doing so, there are key principles that guide our marketing, including: #1 – We will help students better understand the best fit for them within our program offerings. #2 – We have begun producing more balanced University- and College-specific content and messaging that both promotes the quality of our education while demonstrating our deep understanding of students’ and employers’ needs by college, industry and region. In several recent messages from University leaders, you have learned of the “challenging decision to devote more resources in a set number of places: 26 regional markets, 29 of our existing designated campuses in 17 states, including Washington D.C., for a total of 67 locations.” This strategy will allow us to significantly improve our presence in a smaller number of key regions, make use of more efficient marketing channels, including social media, digital and traditional display, television, radio, direct mail and others.  The University’s long-term strategic principles can help improve engagement for our entire community of students, faculty, alumni, staff, and employer partners. Our enhanced facilities can also improve localized student support services with renewed focus on career development, support for military students and their families, academic and financial advisement. Our marketing in these locations will robustly reflect the University’s mission, vision and the important role we play in higher education for working adults. #3 – We must engage with existing students while also working directly with employers so they better understand our capabilities and the uniqueness of our well-prepared, diverse graduates. #4 – Our approach to marketing should reach prospective students, existing students, employers, and alumni throughout the country, which means we need to use all channels to integrate our approach. #5 – A redesigned phoenix.edu will serve as a platform to inform, engage and better serve our prospective students, existing students, alumni and employer partners. Our website will include content that helps all working adults as they research options for the major-life decision of commencing or returning to higher education. The site will also help them better understand the cost of our degree programs and the amount of time and rigor required to succeed in our academic programs. Prospective students have always found and connected with the University through various channels. As a result, they learn of our programs and reach out to our employees in the Qualification Center and our Enrollment Representatives. Since I joined the University, I’ve learned that we can make those channels more efficient while also better showcasing our nine distinct Schools and Colleges and explaining to prospective students how our career-relevant programs can help them advance in the disciplines and occupations in which they are interested. In evaluating those channels, the decision has been made that the University will no longer partner with third-party affiliate companies to market to prospective students. This direction is fully supported by leaders of the University, including our Board of Trustees, and at Apollo Education Group. It speaks to a renewed commitment to engage with prospective students more directly. By redirecting investment from affiliate to more diverse campaigns and channels that help differentiate our schools and colleges, we can better support the University we are becoming—one that is more focused, more trusted, higher retaining and less complex. It also allows the University to invest in students throughout their life-cycle at our institution, from pre-enrollment to post-graduation when they join our Alumni Association. Leaders from University Operations this week will provide details of how this strategic investment will change our Enrollment and Qualification Center workforce that supports the long-term plans of our nine schools and colleges. I am confident our new approach to marketing will help employers better understand the University and its graduates. I am convinced that this new approach will enhance the reputation of the University and help us return to a position where we can continue to lead and grow by both enrolling new students, as well as increasing retention of our current student body. Our marketing efforts will help transform the University and help change the lives of our students, their families and future generations through higher education. I am eager to share with you the new campaigns that are being planned, and I hope to offer a preview of those creative efforts (including TV advertisements) toward the end of the calendar year. I look forward to your feedback and always encourage further questions. Sincerely, Joan BlackwoodChief Marketing OfficerUniversity of Phoenix
11. Message for All University of Phoenix Staff Dear Colleagues: Over the past two months, I have joined President Slottow in answering questions from managers and directors at town hall events throughout the University. I have heard many questions about the future direction of the marketing of our University, its differentiated Schools and Colleges, and our career-relevant academic programs. I want to use this opportunity to elaborate more broadly on the direction of our efforts. My top priorities are aligned with our University Objectives. I have partnered with our Executive Deans to execute long-range plans for all nine differentiated Schools and Colleges. We have spent time developing discipline-specific campaigns that align with the long-term plans of each School and College, taking into account investment locations, new career-relevant programs, and employers’ perceptions of their workforce needs. In doing so, there are key principles that guide our marketing, including: #1 – We will help students better understand the best fit for them within our program offerings. #2 – We have begun producing more balanced University- and College-specific content and messaging that both promotes the quality of our education while demonstrating our deep understanding of students’ and employers’ needs by college, industry and region. In several recent messages from University leaders, you have learned of the “challenging decision to devote more resources in a set number of places: 26 regional markets, 29 of our existing designated campuses in 17 states, including Washington D.C., for a total of 67 locations.” This strategy will allow us to significantly improve our presence in a smaller number of key regions, make use of more efficient marketing channels, including social media, digital and traditional display, television, radio, direct mail and others.  The University’s long-term strategic principles can help improve engagement for our entire community of students, faculty, alumni, staff, and employer partners. Our enhanced facilities can also improve localized student support services with renewed focus on career development, support for military students and their families, academic and financial advisement. Our marketing in these locations will robustly reflect the University’s mission, vision and the important role we play in higher education for working adults. #3 – We must engage with existing students while also working directly with employers so they better understand our capabilities and the uniqueness of our well-prepared, diverse graduates. #4 – Our approach to marketing should reach prospective students, existing students, employers, and alumni throughout the country, which means we need to use all channels to integrate our approach. #5 – A redesigned phoenix.edu will serve as a platform to inform, engage and better serve our prospective students, existing students, alumni and employer partners. Our website will include content that helps all working adults as they research options for the major-life decision of commencing or returning to higher education. The site will also help them better understand the cost of our degree programs and the amount of time and rigor required to succeed in our academic programs. Prospective students have always found and connected with the University through various channels. As a result, they learn of our programs and reach out to our employees in the Qualification Center and our Enrollment Representatives. Since I joined the University, I’ve learned that we can make those channels more efficient while also better showcasing our nine distinct Schools and Colleges and explaining to prospective students how our career-relevant programs can help them advance in the disciplines and occupations in which they are interested. In evaluating those channels, the decision has been made that the University will no longer partner with third-party affiliate companies to market to prospective students. This direction is fully supported by leaders of the University, including our Board of Trustees, and at Apollo Education Group. It speaks to a renewed commitment to engage with prospective students more directly. By redirecting investment from affiliate to more diverse campaigns and channels that help differentiate our schools and colleges, we can better support the University we are becoming—one that is more focused, more trusted, higher retaining and less complex. It also allows the University to invest in students throughout their life-cycle at our institution, from pre-enrollment to post-graduation when they join our Alumni Association. Leaders from University Operations this week will provide details of how this strategic investment will change our Enrollment and Qualification Center workforce that supports the long-term plans of our nine schools and colleges. I am confident our new approach to marketing will help employers better understand the University and its graduates. I am convinced that this new approach will enhance the reputation of the University and help us return to a position where we can continue to lead and grow by both enrolling new students, as well as increasing retention of our current student body. Our marketing efforts will help transform the University and help change the lives of our students, their families and future generations through higher education. I am eager to share with you the new campaigns that are being planned, and I hope to offer a preview of those creative efforts (including TV advertisements) toward the end of the calendar year. I look forward to your feedback and always encourage further questions. Sincerely, Joan BlackwoodChief Marketing OfficerUniversity of Phoenix
12. Message for All University of Phoenix Staff Dear Colleagues: Over the past two months, I have joined President Slottow in answering questions from managers and directors at town hall events throughout the University. I have heard many questions about the future direction of the marketing of our University, its differentiated Schools and Colleges, and our career-relevant academic programs. I want to use this opportunity to elaborate more broadly on the direction of our efforts. My top priorities are aligned with our University Objectives. I have partnered with our Executive Deans to execute long-range plans for all nine differentiated Schools and Colleges. We have spent time developing discipline-specific campaigns that align with the long-term plans of each School and College, taking into account investment locations, new career-relevant programs, and employers’ perceptions of their workforce needs. In doing so, there are key principles that guide our marketing, including: #1 – We will help students better understand the best fit for them within our program offerings. #2 – We have begun producing more balanced University- and College-specific content and messaging that both promotes the quality of our education while demonstrating our deep understanding of students’ and employers’ needs by college, industry and region. In several recent messages from University leaders, you have learned of the “challenging decision to devote more resources in a set number of places: 26 regional markets, 29 of our existing designated campuses in 17 states, including Washington D.C., for a total of 67 locations.” This strategy will allow us to significantly improve our presence in a smaller number of key regions, make use of more efficient marketing channels, including social media, digital and traditional display, television, radio, direct mail and others.  The University’s long-term strategic principles can help improve engagement for our entire community of students, faculty, alumni, staff, and employer partners. Our enhanced facilities can also improve localized student support services with renewed focus on career development, support for military students and their families, academic and financial advisement. Our marketing in these locations will robustly reflect the University’s mission, vision and the important role we play in higher education for working adults. #3 – We must engage with existing students while also working directly with employers so they better understand our capabilities and the uniqueness of our well-prepared, diverse graduates. #4 – Our approach to marketing should reach prospective students, existing students, employers, and alumni throughout the country, which means we need to use all channels to integrate our approach. #5 – A redesigned phoenix.edu will serve as a platform to inform, engage and better serve our prospective students, existing students, alumni and employer partners. Our website will include content that helps all working adults as they research options for the major-life decision of commencing or returning to higher education. The site will also help them better understand the cost of our degree programs and the amount of time and rigor required to succeed in our academic programs. Prospective students have always found and connected with the University through various channels. As a result, they learn of our programs and reach out to our employees in the Qualification Center and our Enrollment Representatives. Since I joined the University, I’ve learned that we can make those channels more efficient while also better showcasing our nine distinct Schools and Colleges and explaining to prospective students how our career-relevant programs can help them advance in the disciplines and occupations in which they are interested. In evaluating those channels, the decision has been made that the University will no longer partner with third-party affiliate companies to market to prospective students. This direction is fully supported by leaders of the University, including our Board of Trustees, and at Apollo Education Group. It speaks to a renewed commitment to engage with prospective students more directly. By redirecting investment from affiliate to more diverse campaigns and channels that help differentiate our schools and colleges, we can better support the University we are becoming—one that is more focused, more trusted, higher retaining and less complex. It also allows the University to invest in students throughout their life-cycle at our institution, from pre-enrollment to post-graduation when they join our Alumni Association. Leaders from University Operations this week will provide details of how this strategic investment will change our Enrollment and Qualification Center workforce that supports the long-term plans of our nine schools and colleges. I am confident our new approach to marketing will help employers better understand the University and its graduates. I am convinced that this new approach will enhance the reputation of the University and help us return to a position where we can continue to lead and grow by both enrolling new students, as well as increasing retention of our current student body. Our marketing efforts will help transform the University and help change the lives of our students, their families and future generations through higher education. I am eager to share with you the new campaigns that are being planned, and I hope to offer a preview of those creative efforts (including TV advertisements) toward the end of the calendar year. I look forward to your feedback and always encourage further questions. Sincerely, Joan BlackwoodChief Marketing OfficerUniversity of Phoenix
13. Message for All University of Phoenix Staff Dear Colleagues: Over the past two months, I have joined President Slottow in answering questions from managers and directors at town hall events throughout the University. I have heard many questions about the future direction of the marketing of our University, its differentiated Schools and Colleges, and our career-relevant academic programs. I want to use this opportunity to elaborate more broadly on the direction of our efforts. My top priorities are aligned with our University Objectives. I have partnered with our Executive Deans to execute long-range plans for all nine differentiated Schools and Colleges. We have spent time developing discipline-specific campaigns that align with the long-term plans of each School and College, taking into account investment locations, new career-relevant programs, and employers’ perceptions of their workforce needs. In doing so, there are key principles that guide our marketing, including: #1 – We will help students better understand the best fit for them within our program offerings. #2 – We have begun producing more balanced University- and College-specific content and messaging that both promotes the quality of our education while demonstrating our deep understanding of students’ and employers’ needs by college, industry and region. In several recent messages from University leaders, you have learned of the “challenging decision to devote more resources in a set number of places: 26 regional markets, 29 of our existing designated campuses in 17 states, including Washington D.C., for a total of 67 locations.” This strategy will allow us to significantly improve our presence in a smaller number of key regions, make use of more efficient marketing channels, including social media, digital and traditional display, television, radio, direct mail and others.  The University’s long-term strategic principles can help improve engagement for our entire community of students, faculty, alumni, staff, and employer partners. Our enhanced facilities can also improve localized student support services with renewed focus on career development, support for military students and their families, academic and financial advisement. Our marketing in these locations will robustly reflect the University’s mission, vision and the important role we play in higher education for working adults. #3 – We must engage with existing students while also working directly with employers so they better understand our capabilities and the uniqueness of our well-prepared, diverse graduates. #4 – Our approach to marketing should reach prospective students, existing students, employers, and alumni throughout the country, which means we need to use all channels to integrate our approach. #5 – A redesigned phoenix.edu will serve as a platform to inform, engage and better serve our prospective students, existing students, alumni and employer partners. Our website will include content that helps all working adults as they research options for the major-life decision of commencing or returning to higher education. The site will also help them better understand the cost of our degree programs and the amount of time and rigor required to succeed in our academic programs. Prospective students have always found and connected with the University through various channels. As a result, they learn of our programs and reach out to our employees in the Qualification Center and our Enrollment Representatives. Since I joined the University, I’ve learned that we can make those channels more efficient while also better showcasing our nine distinct Schools and Colleges and explaining to prospective students how our career-relevant programs can help them advance in the disciplines and occupations in which they are interested. In evaluating those channels, the decision has been made that the University will no longer partner with third-party affiliate companies to market to prospective students. This direction is fully supported by leaders of the University, including our Board of Trustees, and at Apollo Education Group. It speaks to a renewed commitment to engage with prospective students more directly. By redirecting investment from affiliate to more diverse campaigns and channels that help differentiate our schools and colleges, we can better support the University we are becoming—one that is more focused, more trusted, higher retaining and less complex. It also allows the University to invest in students throughout their life-cycle at our institution, from pre-enrollment to post-graduation when they join our Alumni Association. Leaders from University Operations this week will provide details of how this strategic investment will change our Enrollment and Qualification Center workforce that supports the long-term plans of our nine schools and colleges. I am confident our new approach to marketing will help employers better understand the University and its graduates. I am convinced that this new approach will enhance the reputation of the University and help us return to a position where we can continue to lead and grow by both enrolling new students, as well as increasing retention of our current student body. Our marketing efforts will help transform the University and help change the lives of our students, their families and future generations through higher education. I am eager to share with you the new campaigns that are being planned, and I hope to offer a preview of those creative efforts (including TV advertisements) toward the end of the calendar year. I look forward to your feedback and always encourage further questions. Sincerely, Joan BlackwoodChief Marketing OfficerUniversity of Phoenix
14. Message for All University of Phoenix Staff Dear Colleagues: Over the past two months, I have joined President Slottow in answering questions from managers and directors at town hall events throughout the University. I have heard many questions about the future direction of the marketing of our University, its differentiated Schools and Colleges, and our career-relevant academic programs. I want to use this opportunity to elaborate more broadly on the direction of our efforts. My top priorities are aligned with our University Objectives. I have partnered with our Executive Deans to execute long-range plans for all nine differentiated Schools and Colleges. We have spent time developing discipline-specific campaigns that align with the long-term plans of each School and College, taking into account investment locations, new career-relevant programs, and employers’ perceptions of their workforce needs. In doing so, there are key principles that guide our marketing, including: #1 – We will help students better understand the best fit for them within our program offerings. #2 – We have begun producing more balanced University- and College-specific content and messaging that both promotes the quality of our education while demonstrating our deep understanding of students’ and employers’ needs by college, industry and region. In several recent messages from University leaders, you have learned of the “challenging decision to devote more resources in a set number of places: 26 regional markets, 29 of our existing designated campuses in 17 states, including Washington D.C., for a total of 67 locations.” This strategy will allow us to significantly improve our presence in a smaller number of key regions, make use of more efficient marketing channels, including social media, digital and traditional display, television, radio, direct mail and others.  The University’s long-term strategic principles can help improve engagement for our entire community of students, faculty, alumni, staff, and employer partners. Our enhanced facilities can also improve localized student support services with renewed focus on career development, support for military students and their families, academic and financial advisement. Our marketing in these locations will robustly reflect the University’s mission, vision and the important role we play in higher education for working adults. #3 – We must engage with existing students while also working directly with employers so they better understand our capabilities and the uniqueness of our well-prepared, diverse graduates. #4 – Our approach to marketing should reach prospective students, existing students, employers, and alumni throughout the country, which means we need to use all channels to integrate our approach. #5 – A redesigned phoenix.edu will serve as a platform to inform, engage and better serve our prospective students, existing students, alumni and employer partners. Our website will include content that helps all working adults as they research options for the major-life decision of commencing or returning to higher education. The site will also help them better understand the cost of our degree programs and the amount of time and rigor required to succeed in our academic programs. Prospective students have always found and connected with the University through various channels. As a result, they learn of our programs and reach out to our employees in the Qualification Center and our Enrollment Representatives. Since I joined the University, I’ve learned that we can make those channels more efficient while also better showcasing our nine distinct Schools and Colleges and explaining to prospective students how our career-relevant programs can help them advance in the disciplines and occupations in which they are interested. In evaluating those channels, the decision has been made that the University will no longer partner with third-party affiliate companies to market to prospective students. This direction is fully supported by leaders of the University, including our Board of Trustees, and at Apollo Education Group. It speaks to a renewed commitment to engage with prospective students more directly. By redirecting investment from affiliate to more diverse campaigns and channels that help differentiate our schools and colleges, we can better support the University we are becoming—one that is more focused, more trusted, higher retaining and less complex. It also allows the University to invest in students throughout their life-cycle at our institution, from pre-enrollment to post-graduation when they join our Alumni Association. Leaders from University Operations this week will provide details of how this strategic investment will change our Enrollment and Qualification Center workforce that supports the long-term plans of our nine schools and colleges. I am confident our new approach to marketing will help employers better understand the University and its graduates. I am convinced that this new approach will enhance the reputation of the University and help us return to a position where we can continue to lead and grow by both enrolling new students, as well as increasing retention of our current student body. Our marketing efforts will help transform the University and help change the lives of our students, their families and future generations through higher education. I am eager to share with you the new campaigns that are being planned, and I hope to offer a preview of those creative efforts (including TV advertisements) toward the end of the calendar year. I look forward to your feedback and always encourage further questions. Sincerely, Joan BlackwoodChief Marketing OfficerUniversity of Phoenix
15. Message for All University of Phoenix Staff Dear Colleagues: Over the past two months, I have joined President Slottow in answering questions from managers and directors at town hall events throughout the University. I have heard many questions about the future direction of the marketing of our University, its differentiated Schools and Colleges, and our career-relevant academic programs. I want to use this opportunity to elaborate more broadly on the direction of our efforts. My top priorities are aligned with our University Objectives. I have partnered with our Executive Deans to execute long-range plans for all nine differentiated Schools and Colleges. We have spent time developing discipline-specific campaigns that align with the long-term plans of each School and College, taking into account investment locations, new career-relevant programs, and employers’ perceptions of their workforce needs. In doing so, there are key principles that guide our marketing, including: #1 – We will help students better understand the best fit for them within our program offerings. #2 – We have begun producing more balanced University- and College-specific content and messaging that both promotes the quality of our education while demonstrating our deep understanding of students’ and employers’ needs by college, industry and region. In several recent messages from University leaders, you have learned of the “challenging decision to devote more resources in a set number of places: 26 regional markets, 29 of our existing designated campuses in 17 states, including Washington D.C., for a total of 67 locations.” This strategy will allow us to significantly improve our presence in a smaller number of key regions, make use of more efficient marketing channels, including social media, digital and traditional display, television, radio, direct mail and others.  The University’s long-term strategic principles can help improve engagement for our entire community of students, faculty, alumni, staff, and employer partners. Our enhanced facilities can also improve localized student support services with renewed focus on career development, support for military students and their families, academic and financial advisement. Our marketing in these locations will robustly reflect the University’s mission, vision and the important role we play in higher education for working adults. #3 – We must engage with existing students while also working directly with employers so they better understand our capabilities and the uniqueness of our well-prepared, diverse graduates. #4 – Our approach to marketing should reach prospective students, existing students, employers, and alumni throughout the country, which means we need to use all channels to integrate our approach. #5 – A redesigned phoenix.edu will serve as a platform to inform, engage and better serve our prospective students, existing students, alumni and employer partners. Our website will include content that helps all working adults as they research options for the major-life decision of commencing or returning to higher education. The site will also help them better understand the cost of our degree programs and the amount of time and rigor required to succeed in our academic programs. Prospective students have always found and connected with the University through various channels. As a result, they learn of our programs and reach out to our employees in the Qualification Center and our Enrollment Representatives. Since I joined the University, I’ve learned that we can make those channels more efficient while also better showcasing our nine distinct Schools and Colleges and explaining to prospective students how our career-relevant programs can help them advance in the disciplines and occupations in which they are interested. In evaluating those channels, the decision has been made that the University will no longer partner with third-party affiliate companies to market to prospective students. This direction is fully supported by leaders of the University, including our Board of Trustees, and at Apollo Education Group. It speaks to a renewed commitment to engage with prospective students more directly. By redirecting investment from affiliate to more diverse campaigns and channels that help differentiate our schools and colleges, we can better support the University we are becoming—one that is more focused, more trusted, higher retaining and less complex. It also allows the University to invest in students throughout their life-cycle at our institution, from pre-enrollment to post-graduation when they join our Alumni Association. Leaders from University Operations this week will provide details of how this strategic investment will change our Enrollment and Qualification Center workforce that supports the long-term plans of our nine schools and colleges. I am confident our new approach to marketing will help employers better understand the University and its graduates. I am convinced that this new approach will enhance the reputation of the University and help us return to a position where we can continue to lead and grow by both enrolling new students, as well as increasing retention of our current student body. Our marketing efforts will help transform the University and help change the lives of our students, their families and future generations through higher education. I am eager to share with you the new campaigns that are being planned, and I hope to offer a preview of those creative efforts (including TV advertisements) toward the end of the calendar year. I look forward to your feedback and always encourage further questions. Sincerely, Joan BlackwoodChief Marketing OfficerUniversity of Phoenix
16. The teaching and learning model focuses on 4 main areas of instructor development
17. No one person is exceptional at all four of these areas. So it’s time to be honest with ourselves and do a bit of introspection. Take 5 minutes and reflect upon your knowledge in these areas: engagement with students, effective feedback, assessment of learning, and polices and procedures. Write down which area or areas you think you can use some improvement. Do not share with your neighbor. We will return to the exercise later on in the morning.
18. The mission of the college program is to prepare students and professionals to be highly successful and effective practitioners in a rapidly changing, technological, and innovative environment. This will be accomplished by providing high-quality learning experiences based on business and management knowledge, skills, and best practices to address workplace challenges and opportunities. The program will allow students to create, develop, and support innovative and ethical approaches to optimizing student learning through the use of technology, research, and practical applications of learned core competencies in business.
19. The print ad is the basic unit of advertising. An ad doesn‘t have to do a hard sell as long as it is an all-out attempt to attract, communicate with and motivate the reader. That starts with the headline!
20. Hopefully, you have learned something new in each of the four areas: active engagement with students, provision of effective feedback, assessment of student learning, and knowledge of policies and procedures. Now, I want you to return to what you wrote down earlier regarding which area or areas you would like to improve upon. Take 10 minutes and write your personal action plan. Next, ask for volunteers to share their plan – total of 15 mins.