College degrees can be expensive and time consuming. For working adults who didn’t finish a degree earlier in life — or who want to begin a degree for the first time — a return to academia can feel daunting.
Well, this paradigm is being shifted thanks to University of Phoenix.
Understanding the worth of its students’ time and money, the University of Phoenix redesigned its curriculum approach to add value during the learning process.
The University of Phoenix’s newly implemented skills-aligned learning approach gives students the ability to share skills with employers, earn “badges” (micro credentials) and leverage learning for career pursuit. This skills-aligned curriculum approach also acts as a framework for the University’s new competency-based education (CBE) programs.
Marc Booker, PhD, and vice provost of strategy for University of Phoenix, says with this skills-aligned approach, the school has built specific competency-based education degree programs that change how students can approach courses and content with faculty.
“With CBE programs, we can take the skills-aligned curricular approach and build our courses where the skills become specific competencies tied to learning outcomes. We then have students assessed on their competencies with the help of faculty in a more individualized manner.
“These programs are more flexible for students in how they manage their schedules to consume course content; they also require students to have foundational knowledge in their degree area,” says Dr. Booker.
Through University of Phoenix’s different program competency-based education models students can complete credit-based CBE programs in less than a year and for less than $11,000. Current credit-based CBE programs offered are Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Health Administration (MHA), Master of Information Systems (MIS) and Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN). Studies are online, and students can enroll at any time. Students learn at a flexible pace, which is ideal for adults on the go, trying to juggle a healthy work-life balance.
Dr. Booker adds, “We are using this skills-aligned curricular model to support students in their careers with skills these students earn as currency to share with employers using some of our Career Services for Life® career tools.
“For example, our students can take a look at the skills they will earn in their degree program and see where these skills match job postings existing in today’s market.
“Student value is realized early on in the classwork while learning instead of waiting for degree completion, which provides them with a common language and currency to trade in real-time with the job and industry market, so that the gap between education and employment is closed.”
Earn the degree you’ve always wanted at a flexible pace, guided by practitioner faculty, and at a price you can afford:
Visit University of Phoenix today at phoenix.edu or call (844) 937-8679 and find out how.
University of Phoenix
