Craig Swenson, Provost and Senior VP for Academic Affairs
Donna Myer, Director, Academic Projects
University of Phoenix

The mission of the University of Phoenix is to educate working adults. To do that, University of Phoenix provides educational opportunities at times, in places, and via modalities that people with full time jobs can access. Delivery modes include traditional classroom instruction through our large network of campuses throughout North America; the Online Campus which serves more than 140,000 students; and FlexNet®, a blend of classroom and online instruction, which is attracting a growing number of students.

Educating in the virtual classroom has long been an intrinsic part of the culture at University of Phoenix, a pioneer in online education. One result is that systems and processes designed to serve distributed student populations are second nature.

The University’s faculty has created an Academic Vision to which we hold ourselves accountable in every course, program, and campus by answering these questions:

1. Do our students know what they should know?
2. Can they do what they should be able to do?
3. Are they developing values appropriate to their professions?
4. Are they better able to achieve their life and career goals?
5. How do we know they know?

We are able to monitor the Academic Vision closely in the virtual classroom. The very nature of the venue provides a verbatim archive of course assessments, class discussions, student questions, and faculty feedback. Class visits can and do occur at any time—even in retrospect if need be—and the reviewer gets a complete picture. Student learning is also measured through the Comprehensive Outcomes Cognitive Assessment program. Program Maps outline domains and competencies required for successful completion of each program.