Covering the business of education and training

Thanks for posting this story. I heard rumors of it and did not find any additional information. In reading the AZ Central piece it clearly indicates an internal success problem at Intel. Intel admits that findings internally showed employees leaving or planning to leave post-graduation because there is a lack of opportunity to capitalize on a new degree. Intel, like many employers seeks an external reason for internal problems, this as evidence. Many companies struggle with keeping recent graduates, instead of limiting the benefit they build a program that either uses the new grad or let's them grow with a good taste in their mouth from working at the company. As far as I can see, Intel has some serious morale and culture issues and is looking for a scapegoat - schools. Intel needs to re-examine their own house before casting stones at someone else's house.

You state that University of Phoenix only has regional accreditation; however, the College Source Online shows that they have Regional, National, as well as Specialized accreditation. See it here: http://www.collegesource.org/displayinfo/profile.asp?institutionid=24253.

Also, I believe that in taking away accessible education from their employees they run a lower risk of having graduates who demand an equivalent salary. Intel is probably not in an good enough economic situation to match external salaries; therefore, they are seeing employees leave for greener pastures. Anyway, that's just my thought.

University of Phoenix is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Regional accreditation is actually the highest level of accreditation, not National as some would suspect.

Some UOP programs in Nursing, Education, etc. have additional specialized accreditation similar to most traditional universities.

Below is the link to UOP's accreditation information.

http://www.phoenix.edu/about_us/accreditation/

I've taken classes at the University of Phoenix and I transferred to the University of Maryland University College (UMUC), and I am far more pleased with the level of education that I am receiving. U of P classes run 5 weeks in duration - UMUC runs full 12-week and 15-week semesters. U of P does not require end of class exams - every UMUC class requires a proctored exam as part of the final grade. U of P is just one of many universities offering online education to adults - Intel obviously made this decision because they feel that investing in their employee's education should bring both Intel and the employee value for money. If you had a choice, would you prefer to study at U of P or at UMUC?

The choice that an individual makes regarding which college to attend is a very personal one. I am currently a University of Phoenix student with one class remaining until I complete my degree requirements. My decision to go to University of Phoenix was based primarily on my inability to fit commuting to an on-ground campus into my busy schedule. Regarding the five week format, I personally learn more from studying one topic over a five week period versus three or four topics over a 12 week period. Again, this is a personal preference.

Anyone who says that the online method of education is not as effective as the on-ground method has not done the proper research to arrive at such a conclusion. All of the coursework that I have completed at the University of Phoenix has been very challenging, and has increased my performance at work. Actually, some of the courses DO require an end of course exam (but they are not proctored). In my opinion, the "quality" of an education cannot be measured by whether or not exams are proctored.

While I agree that there are some online colleges that may not set high enough standards for their students, the University of Phoenix is not one of them. The college continues to raise the bar for educational excellence, and I would feel very confident about hiring anyone who had a degree from the University of Phoenix, as well as provide encouragement to any employee who wanted to further their education by attending the University of Phoenix.

I am currently a student at UoP Online and have taken 13 classes. While UoP has some redeeming qualities such as offering online degree programs for working adults with families they could do a better job presenting themselves to both students and the public.

Two issues as a student come to mind. First, the student login portal could stand a technology overhaul. Considering UoP considers themselves a "Pioneer" in the online environment one would expect the use of multimedia to be more prevalent, it is not (A hyperlinked Web portal and use of MS Outlook Express for Newsgroup postings). Secondly, although UoP does not owe its students prior warning with regard to its business dealings, I for one felt slighted to find out the three tuition increases this past year were most likely used to raise capital funds to put their name on the Arizona Cardinals stadium. I might not mind so much if I saw an increase in the level of "customer" service or student portal Web site enhancements, neither of which have occurred.

That much aside, the demands for the classes are very real and except for the rare exception most instructors have been tough on course requirements e.g. 12 chapters in two weeks, 1050 word paper on text reading assignments along with finance formula problems demonstrated in an electronic document using tools such as Microsoft Equation Editor. Try being a visual learner and being forced to become a text-based learner. It is a skill much needed in today's business environment.

Anyone who has not attended UoP online should judge carefully the difficulty of their programs before commenting. I am currently carrying a 3.72 GPA and the only way I could consistently improve this would be to sacrifice more time with my wife and five children to concentrate on my studies neither of which is an option given the level of sacrifice they have already undergone.

My hope is UoP will find better ways to improve the technology used in the online environment along with listening more carefully to student requests and Intel will make great strides to do something about the paranoid environment I hear about from employees who work for them. It seems unless you are a genius at Intel your job could be on the line.

To the person who could not find information on this topic try typing "University of Phoenix Intel" into Google.

UOP is not professionally accredited. There is a whole world of difference between regional and professional accreditation. Their business program isn't AACSB and their education program isn't NCATE. There nursing program was dropped from Tennessee for this and that is why Intel dropped them. They only reimburse for profesionally accredited programs. UOP IT isn't either so go figure.

Read the above posts regarding UoP's accreditation. And check your spelling before posting about education. In a world of like and dislike, choose what works best for your education. I find that UoP's program is lacking in some areas, but I find that it suits my time and education agenda just fine.

Kyle,

Joe is right. Big deal about the spelling, he is not writing a novel here. Just making a quick post to make correct comments.

To understand more about the mess the UOP is in, read the Feb 11 2007 New York Times piece entitled "Troubles Grow for a University Built on Profit."

I have joined Phoenix University 4 years ago and I am about to complete my degree. UOP have people who are willing to go the extra mile to help to make the learning experience a successful one. Joining the program has transferred my personality and life. I view issues with multi lenses. I am out of the regional box and into the international world. The program is great. The courses are well selected and designed. The students who joined the program are distinguished and left great impact on my thoughts and behavior. One last word from one who has been working for over 20 years as a leader in education, in the job market, attention is focused on the degree and experience.

I am posting again to fix the message that was typed in haste. I apologize.
I joined Phoenix University 4 years ago and I am about to earn the degree. UOP has people who are willing to go the extra mile to help make the learning experience a successful one. Joining the program has transformed my personality and professional career. I view issues with multi lenses. I am out of the regional box and into the international world. The program is great. The courses are well selected and designed. The students who joined the program were distinguished and left great impact on my thoughts and behavior. One last word from one who has been working for over 20 years as a leader in education, in the job market, attention is focused on the degree and experience.

Will they ? For this amount of money I doubt it..