Reference

Pirani, J.A. (2003, Month Day). Suporting E-Learning at the University of Phoenix. Educauce

Center for Applied Research. Retrieved from

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ers0303/cs/ecs0304.pdf

University of Phoenix. (2013). Student life at University of Phoenix. Retrieved from

http://www.phoenix.edu/students.html

University of Phoenix. (n.d.). Phoenix Connect. Retrieved from

https://portal.phoenix.edu/social/index.jspa

How does the organization address concerns such as the type and size of bandwidth and the capability of implementing Web 2.0 tools?

This is the reason why University of Phoenix to sought other tools for easy access for educators and students implementing Web 2.0 in their system.  Below is a list of the technologies used by UOPX.

·         Mobile app: mobile application that help the students using their mobile technologies (Mobile App)

·         Phoenix Connect: internal:  academic social network. The largest of its kind among all U.S. universities, Phoenix Connect features more than 800,000 University of Phoenix students, alumni, faculty members and staff. The student can create (Phoenix Connect)

o   Communities

o   Groups

o   Profile

o   People directory

·         Online University Library: student can access 24 hours to updated and expanded information of (Online University Library)

• Articles
• Audio files
• Conference proceedings
• Dissertations
• Essays
• Financial data
• Images
• Industry reports
• Video files
• White papers

·         Center for Writing Excellence: the student will be able to everything from brushing up on grammar basics to putting the finishing touches on a paper. (Center for Writing Excellence)

·         Center for Mathematics Excellence:  with this technology the student can develop his or her  skills and confidence in math (Center for Mathematics Excellence)

·         Experience and Simulation: help the student to be part of a role play o what depart in their jobs. (Experiences and Simulation)

·         Technology resources Library: 21st century resources for every student (Technology Resources)

How does the organization manage those technologies?

University of Phoenix has a web based online educational system

1.      12 persons for the university’s 50 plus servers.

2.      IT department uses Windows 2000 to operate a Web Frame on an internet backbone.

3.      Special servers handle

·         Online course material

·         Online student applications

·         Financial aid applications

·         10 to12 e-campus servers handle the student and faculty Web site

4.      IT department maintain three servers for the classroom

·         Five for undergraduate courses

·         Five for graduate courses

·         Four for general studies

5.      UOPX operates a 24x7 telephone call center with 350 persons to assist students, faculty members, staff and applicants. To communicate with the system, the information is available in the student’s portal and university website.  

What upgrades or changes are necessary to provide better technology integration for adult learning opportunities?

The University of Phoenix has a technology application that incorporates learning with the use of mobile technology. The app is available for Iphone and Android smart phone devices. The app is a wonderful tool to conduct learning any where using cellular connection. Creating an app that is similar to facebooks app for Phoenix Connect would be an excellent improvement so that students could connect via social network without having to log into the University website. For feasibility, this would allow students to us e a pin and log in to participate in community discussions. This upgrade could substantially improve the participation of Phoenix Connect. 

What technologies are currently in use?

The University of Phoenix is a technology education organization. Before their current marketing campaign of getting to work, their slogan was “Thinking Ahead.” The slog made complete sense because incorporating the use of technology is what separated the University of Phoenix from other educational settings and universities. There are several technologies that the University of Phoenix has in place for their students.

One of the most popular technology uses that the University of Phoenix has is Phoenix connect. Similar to Facebook and twitter, Phoenix Connect is an academically-focused social network that serves the University of Phoenix community that includes students and instructors (University of Phoenix, n.d.). The use of the social network with the University of Phoenix expands and incorporates the use of several social technologies to include the use of blogs, communities, and groups from other students in similar professions of learning. Some of the learning communities include Criminal Justice, Humanities, Education, Social Sciences, and more (University of Phoenix, n.d.).  Students can tell their own education story using a blog or share in the central community activity about something pertaining to education and how it affects them or others.

References

Andresen, M. A. (2009). Asynchronous discussion forums: success factors, outcomes, assessments, and limitations.  Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 12(1), 249-257.

Bitter, G. G., & Legacy, J. M. (2008). Using Technology in the Classroom (7th ed.).

Finkelstein, J. (2006). Learning in real time: Synchronous teaching and learning online. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. (p. 67).

Patton, B. (2008). Synchronous meetings: A way to put personality in an online class. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE), 9(4), 18-29.

Smith, D. (2009, November). Online Course: Asynchronous Learning or Synchronous Learning, Will You Be Where You Need to Be?. Bright Hub, ().

University of Western Australia. (2000). Alternative Modes of Teaching and Learning (Asynchronous Learning). Retrieved from University of Western Australia, Staff Development website.

Making a Blog work in a synchronous medium

In a synchronous medium:

An instructor may assign students in a live chat room to review the blog for the week and respond with their own comments 150-200 words. 

This allows for students to respond outside of the synchronous environment. Another option may be to assign reading of the blog prior to class start online. 

During the online portion, students can discuss their reading of the blog and share opinions in a live setting which would prove very valuable.  

The benefit of the second option is that students have time to prepare for discussing the blog in a live setting.