University of Phoenix Good Business Plan

University of Phoenix Founded by Dr. John Sperling Corporation Corporate name is Apollo Group Founded in 1976 John Sperling is worth about $1.4 billion Peter Sperling is worth about $1.5 billion Brother also works for University of Phoenix Wealth through stock ownership of Apollo

University of Phoenix Some people do not value the degrees Originally classes were taught through mail i.e. students were buying the degree i.e. students were not learning i.e. low quality

University of Phoenix Why are studying this education model? University management is smart Good model to incorporate in a growing educational facility Created two billionaires in education I think the only billionaires in education

University of Phoenix Campuses Located in large cities throughout the United States Expanded into Mexico and Canada

University of Phoenix Caters to working adults Most adults work 9 A.M. – 5 P.M. Classes are Monday through Friday 6 – 10 P.M. Saturday 9 A.M. – 1 P.M. Tutoring Sessions Friday evenings Saturday mornings and afternoons

University of Phoenix A campus is small Houston, Texas has about 5 campuses Spread throughout the city Students prefer to go to school near home Campus is close to home After class, students are home within minutes

University of Phoenix Do not have “physical” libraries UOP has electronic libraries Search engines Google is a search engine Econlit is a search engine for economics Subscribes to many electronic journals Students can download articles at home via the internet

University of Phoenix Textbooks will be electronic Usually protected pdfs Some courses have computer tutorials Computer keeps track Student progress Identifies a student’s problem area Informs instructor of progress ALEX is the algebra tutorial program About ½ the students like ALEX and the other half did not

University of Phoenix Students’ records are computerized Student can take a course at any campus Example Student has to leave Houston, Texas and work at a project in Chicago, Illinois for a month Student can take a course in Chicago Student can finish degree on time

University of Phoenix The university rents office space If the market is saturated A campus can no longer attract students nearby University shuts down campus Students who did not graduate can still finish at another campus

University of Phoenix Courses are standardized All instructors have to follow course syllabus No matter where student takes course, they learn the same material

University of Phoenix A team of professionals creates a course at corporate headquarters Faculty can download materials through internet A detailed syllabus Contains topics Contains exercises and homework Selects textbook Faculty notes and suggestions

Methods of Education Ground Courses Students attend class at campus Online Courses Students attend course via through the internet FlexNet Students can take both ground or online courses to fulfill degree requirements

Ground Course University of Phoenix uses active learning Students get involved in Discussions Debates Reflections Applications

Ground Course Undergraduate class Duration is 5 weeks Students attend a class once per week Class is 4 hours long 10 minute break each hour Total contact hours is 20 hours Standard University Class 3 hours per week for 15 weeks Total contact hours is 45 hours

Ground Course University claims Students make up the remaining time as homework Homework Team assignments Team has to meet once a week Because corporate workers work in teams Individual assignments

Ground Course From experience Some teams work on the problems together Other teams One or two people do all the work while other team members do little Other teams assign homework problems to team members Team assignment is a “collection” of different styles and handwriting Some students copy homework from other team members

Ground Course Graduate courses Duration is 6 weeks Students attend a class once per week Class is 4 hours long 10 minute break each hour Total hours is 24 hours Still less hours compared to a regular university

Ground Course Students attend classes throughout year Students can graduate within 3 years for bachelor’s degree

Expanding into Corporate Training Caters to corporations Some corporations contracted with UOP for training programs Many students are staff employees at corporations Some corporations reimburse for their employee’s tuition

Criticism Not against a university earning profit However, Textbooks cost over $100 Even electronic textbooks A class cost about $1,000 ALEX costs over $50 ALEX is algebra tutorial software Software is non-transferable Students cannot re-sell software

Criticism Courses are viewed as too easy Remember, course is only 5 weeks for undergraduates 6 weeks for graduates

Criticism Corporate headquarters designs course Instructor may want to incorporate new material Course should be updated with newer information Need approval to modify course

Criticism University accepts anyone who is willing to pay Does not have name recognition Employers want college graduates from top universities Top universities are selective The lower the acceptance rate, the higher the reputation

Criticisms Relies on part-time faculty 95% of faculty are part time Retention problems??? – Not sure I enjoyed working at this place In theory, part-time faculty work full-time professional jobs and teach part-time during evenings and weekends