University of Phoenix Issues White Paper on Optimized Academic Degree Program Lifecycle Management
19 Julio 2024 - 1:43PM
Business Wire
White paper describes how the University
program lifecycle was established and supports a skills-aligned
curriculum as part of a career-focused ecosystem for adult
learners
University of Phoenix has released a new white paper,
“Optimizing Academic Degree Program Management: A Systematic
Approach and Impact,” by authors Hillary Halpern, MBA, Senior
Director Program Deployment, and Chelse Thomas, MA.Ed., Senior
Manager of Provost Initiatives and Academic Program Lifecycle. The
white paper discusses how the University’s program lifecycle
management provides the structure to maintain the University’s
focus on rigorous and meaningful, market-benchmarked academic
offerings for working adult students that align to real-world
opportunities.
“Over the past decade, our team that manages the university
program lifecycle has coordinated with stakeholders across multiple
functional areas including academic program leadership, advising,
financial planning, accreditation, and more to ensure that a
consistent and cross-functional process exists to implement and
evaluate our academic programs,” states Marc Booker, Ph.D., vice
provost of Strategy at University of Phoenix. “This process
provides a standardized structure that helps to improve the
conversation around what programs we offer and how our institution
can support or resource programs as they move through their
lifecycle in a consistent and transparent way.”
The white paper describes how the University Program Lifecycle
process ensures responsible management and internal and external
compliance of the University’s portfolio of academic programs,
including support of skills-aligned curriculum development as well
as digital badging of specific courses and programs.
“It is possible to provide greater transparency for the higher
education return on investment by developing a sustainable and
systematic approach to academic degree program portfolio
development and management,” states Halpern. “We’ve done this
through a centralized internal structure and by meeting and
maintaining external standards and requirements through consistent
processes and documentation.” Halpern and Thomas recently led a
session at the AACRAO Tech & Transfer Summit on the
University’s innovative approach to streamlining program lifecycles
and institutional initiatives.
The white paper is part of a planned series detailing the
University’s development and deployment of a skills-aligned
curriculum. In turn, this now informs the development of tools and
products, which is growing a system of lifelong career support for
students and alumni.
In 2023, the University’s innovative skills-aligned curriculum
culminated in 100 percent of associate, bachelor’s and master’s
degree programs open for new enrollment being fully
skills-mapped.
Halpern has been with University of Phoenix for 17 years and
currently serves as the Senior Director Program Deployment, where
she has leveraged her in-depth insights from her student support
and process improvement background to develop, improve, and
maintain the University Program Lifecycle (UPL) process. Halpern
received “Rookie of the Year” examiner award in 2017 from Southwest
Alliance of Excellence (SWAE) and earned the 2017 President’s Award
from University of Phoenix for her contributions to the UPL
process. She has served as a lead examiner for the SWAE and as a
speaker on process improvement at regional and national
conferences. Halpern has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from
Arizona State University, and a Master of Business Administration
and Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management from
University of Phoenix.
Thomas has served at University of Phoenix in Student Services,
Registrar’s Office, Curriculum Learning and Technology, since 2009,
and as Senior Manager of Provost Initiatives and Academic Program
Lifecycle, she leads the definition, implementation, and management
of the university's academic program lifecycle process. Thomas is a
director with the University’s Phoenix Women Rising Employee
Resource Group, where she actively promotes leadership
opportunities and fosters professional growth among colleagues. She
holds a Bachelor of Science in Apparel and Textile Studies from
North Dakota State University, and a Master of Arts in Education,
Adult Education and Training, and Project Management Certificate
from University of Phoenix.
The full white paper is available at University of Phoenix
Thought Leadership hub and as a direct link here.
About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix innovates to help working adults enhance
their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world.
Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning,
skills-mapped curriculum for our bachelor’s and master’s degree
programs and a Career Services for Life® commitment help students
more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while
balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit
phoenix.edu.
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Sharla Hooper University of Phoenix
sharla.hooper@phoenix.edu