A guide for faculty candidates

Is University of Phoenix right for you?

Pictured top left to right: Gemma O’Donnell, RN, MSN, CCM, Faculty, College of Nursing /Pilar Vargas, Psy.D., Faculty, College of Social Sciences/Ellis Jones, M.A., Faculty, School of Business/ William T. O’Donnell, Ph.D., Faculty, School of Business/Ben Pundit, NMD, Lead Faculty, College of Social Sciences

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Table of Contents

Welcome! 3

Our beginning 3

What makes University of Phoenix so different? 3

Course scheduling 3

The academic model 4

Practitioner faculty 4

Curriculum development and assessment of student learning 5

For-profit status 5

Mission and purposes 6

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Welcome!Welcome. As faculty candidates for University of Phoenix, you will be assessing your fit with our culture, just as we will be assessing your fit with our unique teaching and learning model. We understand that for many of you, taking the steps to teach after spending years in your profession is a big milestone. Even if you have taught at other institutions University of Phoenix requires that you participate in a specialized certification program that will prepare you for a successful teaching experience with us. You want to make sure that if you invest your time in us, you are making the right decision.

Hopefully after reading this material, you will have a better understanding of who we are and why we are different from other universities. While it is not intended to be all-inclusive, it should provide you — along with the other materials in our assessment program — with additional information to help you in your decision process.

Our beginningIn 1976 University of Phoenix reinvented the way working adults could achieve a higher education and made academic innovation, quality and accountability our hallmark. University of Phoenix pioneered an educational and service model specifically geared toward the way adults learn best and made our programs widely available to working students using common-sense scheduling and fresh new approaches to academic delivery.

University of Phoenix questioned the status quo in every aspect of our academic culture and operations because we were focused on becoming a university with teaching and learning as the center-piece and adult learners as the highest priority. This revolutionary approach extended to the University’s early decision to organize as a for-profit entity, an act that has propelled our growth, widened our outreach to students both nationally and internationally and provided the resources for continuous improvement, academic accountability and assessment, and excellence in our classrooms.

Today, University of Phoenix is the largest private university in North America. We have over 200 campuses and learning centers in the United States and Puerto Rico. We are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and are a member of the North Central Association (ncahlc.org). We have been the recipient of awards for quality, the focus of academic research on “good work” and a leader in online and adult education.

We are a non-traditional university, attracting a great deal of attention and controversy in spite of, or perhaps because of, our success. University of Phoenix emerged as an institution of higher learning for working adults at a time when there were almost no options for adults to complete a bachelor’s degree without dropping out of the workforce. Our devotion to serving working students and the strong need for our services has driven our non-traditional education model and provided the impetus for creating a different kind of university.

What makes University of Phoenix so different?University of Phoenix is so different from traditional educational institutions that we raise both questions and praise among the traditional higher education community. University of Phoenix was founded on the basic principle that teaching non-traditional learners requires a fundamentally different approach. The principle is not a new one — it has been validated over and again by academic research and literature on learning theory.

It is well-known that once young adults enter the workforce, they are no longer “empty vessels” waiting to be filled. They arrive to class already having formed opinions, concepts, and values and they want to share them. They have conflicting priorities ranging from family to professional to civic responsibilities and little time to accomplish them all. They have a need to learn concepts that they can immediately apply to their jobs or lives. They are also not tolerant of bureaucracies that take up more of their precious time and make them feel powerless or diminished. The following observations explain how University of Phoenix responded to these learner concerns, with particular emphasis on where we parted from tradition and why.

Course schedulingHow does the shorter, more focused course schedule employed by University of Phoenix better meet adult students’ needs?

It is impossible to discuss the University of Phoenix teaching/ learning system without mentioning its departure from the traditional semester schedule. The University’s unique course schedule is essential to providing working adults access to education. In essence, University of Phoenix departed from the agrarian-based academic calendar with long semesters and frequent holiday breaks and in its place, developed a course calendar in keeping with an adult pace and lifestyle. Students take one course at a time, each course lasting five to six weeks. Additionally, because courses begin and end so frequently at University of Phoenix, students can begin a program of study almost any month of the year.

This adult-centered schedule enables learners to complete their undergraduate degree requirements in about three to four years (depending on credits needed on entry) and their master’s degree in about two years, even while they continue to hold down jobs and raise families. The schedule benefits our faculty members too, as they can schedule their teaching assignments in shorter increments around their personal and professional obligations.

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The academic modelWhat are the academic fundamentals at University of Phoenix?

While the “features and benefits” required meeting the needs of our learners — small class size, rapidly paced courses and convenient class schedules — it is not our academic model. Delivering education that inspires and motivates adult students is much more complex.

Our academic model was conceptualized several years prior to the development of the University of Phoenix. After a decade of research on teaching and learning, University of Phoenix founder, Dr. John Sperling and his collaborators at San Jose State and U.C. Berkeley, made a fundamental academic decision that shaped all else; divide the learning objectives equally between the affective and cognitive domains. This was essential in designing a learning environment that was both compelling and engaging for adult learners.

While cognitive learning is generally understood as the domain of knowledge, facts and information, the affective domain is less understood because it encompasses the realm of values, attitudes and interpersonal skills. The cognitive skills and knowledge required for a field of study are clearly identified by the University of Phoenix in degree program handbooks and curriculum. However, it is the less tangible affective domain that is central to the motivation of adult students, and key to overall success.

How are learning objectives addressed in the affective domain?

From the world of work, the skills normally classified as affective — cooperation, motivation, responsibility, teamwork, loyalty, commitment, leadership, and self-confidence are often more highly linked to a person’s success than their cognitive skills or technical knowledge. Within the affective domain, students’ passions are aroused and their cognitive knowledge becomes more fully integrated. The affective domain is addressed in the University’s academic model using a variety of learning strategies, just as multiple methods are employed in order to impart cognitive learning. However, the following University of Phoenix methods are central to addressing the affective domain:

Small Group Facilitation The preferred instructional choice at University of Phoenix is facilitative versus didactic. While brief lecturing is appropriate to certain subjects or topics, long lectures are generally not conducive to engaging the learner in the learning process. Keeping classes small and using discussion/facilitation instructional techniques across an entire degree program provides students with a place to practice, to try out new ideas, to validate their assumptions and to test their communication and leadership skills. In turn, this active involvement contributes to the building of self-confidence.

Collaborative Learning University of Phoenix students are required to take responsibility not only for their own learning but for that of their classmates as well. In most courses, students work in learning teams of three to five students. The small classes and even smaller learning teams provide assistance, encouragement and motivation. The teams accommodate various learning styles, as members contribute their strengths and receive assistance with their weaknesses, whether academic or interpersonal. Collaborative learning creates the push-pull of both peer pressure and peer support.

The Use of Practitioner Faculty in Professional Degree Programs Adult students have a particularly strong need to make connec-tions between the theoretical and the practical. The integration of knowledge is both empirically and conceptually linked with its use and aids in an understanding of its value. In turn, knowledge that is valued is more likely to be remembered, extended, refined and transmitted. Based on these principles, the decision was made for the professional degree programs to appoint faculty members who are professionals actively working in their field. Our faculty members are masters at making the connection between the theoretical concepts presented in the literature and their context in the world of work.

Practitioner faculty What are the advantages of academically prepared faculty who also hold industry jobs?

University of Phoenix employs a number of core (full-time) faculty members who oversee curriculum and instruction and participate in scholarly research. Some content areas, primarily in the liberal arts, are taught by faculty who are educators in those areas, and not necessarily employed in them. However, the majority of our faculty members are associate (part-time) faculty who are experienced practitioners — usually working full-time in their professions and teaching part-time for the University. Being currently employed in their fields and/or staying current through participating in scholarship, and maintaining licensures and/or certifications allows faculty to stay current in industry knowledge, practical application and other trends among their fields. In addition to teaching, University of Phoenix faculty members participate in academic governance, make professional presentations and/or hold offices in their communities.

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Curriculum development and assessment of student learning Is it possible for faculty who are not tenured to have academic freedom — especially when each instructor does not develop his or her own curriculum?

The University’s practice of using centrally-developed curriculum that can be customized and tailored, rather than having individual instructors create their own curriculum for each course, is another departure from tradition. Course goals, learning outcomes, materials and readings are selected by the University of Phoenix central curriculum development department. University of Phoenix faculty members have the academic freedom to express their own ideas about the material, its importance (or unimportance), how it fits within the field, or any other issue they deem significant. They are always required to teach to the learning outcomes which are specified in the developed curriculum, but they are not expected to reach those learning outcomes in the exact same way. Every faculty member brings his or her own experience, opinions, and expertise to the material. Each class is different and may require different approaches.

How does curriculum consistency benefit students and their employers?

The curriculum of University of Phoenix has its roots in both practicality and academic accountability. Associate faculty members who work at their professions during the day and teach at night generally appreciate the efficiency and quality of a collective process where both content experts and curriculum design experts contribute. They recognize that for an institution with multiple campuses and delivery systems across the nation, utilizing common course goals and outcomes in a given course is crucial to maintaining academic integrity and accountability. It is important for students and employers to know, for example, that a course taken online is the same course offered at a local campus; that a course completed in one state is of similar quality as a course completed in another; and, that a course taught by one faculty member will include the same learning outcomes if the course is taught by another.

Most importantly, the central reason behind the University’s use of common course goals and outcomes is to be able to measure student learning. Because learning outcomes are specified, they can be measured, enabling the University to be more accountable to both our internal and external constituents. Widespread mea-surement (by program, by course, by campus, etc.) has enabled University of Phoenix to norm itself against others (in the disci-plines that have been normed) as well as against itself. These mea-sures tell the University how well our students are performing, how well the institution is performing, and where improvement efforts and financial resources should be placed. Moreover, the measure-

ment of learning outcomes provides assurance that students have learned what they should learn and know what they should know at the completion of any class or degree program.

For-profit status How does a for-profit university balance its profit goals with its academic goals?

For-profit institutions are relatively new on the scene in higher education, and negative myths about mixing education and profits die hard. Critics had academic concerns about public land grant institutions in the mid 19th century and about community colleges in the 1950s and 60s, but these were soon replaced with recognition of their place in the landscape of higher education and for-profit universities are now finding their place as well. Research has shown, for example, that for-profit universities are as con-cerned with academic accountability as their non-profit peers.

University of Phoenix balances fiscal and academic goals by making both fundamental to our culture and organizational structure. So while strategic management controls focus on fiscal responsi-bility, strategic academic controls focus on academic integrity and accountability. This is accomplished by providing faculty with a governance process that ensures and requires their input, provid-ing students with appropriate services and materials for learning, and institutionalizing learning outcomes assessment and other mechanisms for both external and self-examination.

Being organized as a for-profit institution compels University of Phoenix toward growth. Growth is part of what feeds our culture of innovation, providing development opportunities for our faculty and staff, and ensures that physical and human resources are avail-able for academic programs and improvements. It is critical to our identity. However, profit-making is not the University’s sole mission or even its key institutional driver. Like many traditional colleges and universities, our mission is socially informed and encompasses making positive change and growth in our students and society as a whole. This is what gives meaning to our employees and what motivates our faculty to teach.

Mission and purposes

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The Mission of University of Phoenix is to provide access to higher education opportunities that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve their professional goals, improve the productivity of their organization and provide leader-ship and service to their communities.

Our purpose is to

– Facilitate cognitive and affective student learning, knowledge, skills and values, and to promote use of that knowledge in the student’s workplace.

– Develop competence in communication, critical thinking, collaboration and information utilization, together with the commitment to lifelong learning for enhancement of students’ opportunities for career success.

– Provide instruction that bridges the gap between theory and prac-tice through faculty members who bring to their classroom not only advanced academic preparation, but also the skills that come from the current practice of their professions.

– Provide General Education and foundational instruction and services that prepares students to engage in a variety of university curricula.

– Use technology to create effective modes and means of instruction that expand access to learning resources and that enhance collaboration and communication for improved student learning.

– Assess student learning and use assessment data to improve the teaching/learning system, curriculum, instruction, learning resources, counseling and student services.

– Be organized as a for-profit institution in order to foster a spirit of innovation that focuses on providing academic quality, service, excellence and convenience to the working student.

– Generate the financial resources necessary to support the University’s mission.

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