Capella University and Technology

From University Reviews Online:Capella University Review
Capella University is regarded as the best technologically integrated online university in the world. The following is a review of Capella University, including its pros and cons, and what sets it apart from other online universities.

Capella University was formed in 1993 and became fully accredited in 1997. With over 650 faculty and 13,000 students the University is one of the largest in the online world. Based in Minneapolis Minnesota, the University is divided into five different schools: Education, Business, Technology, Human Sciences, and Psychology. While Capella offers a wide array of advantages, it also is plagued by some rather serious deficiencies.

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What makes Capella University different

Capella University is widely regarded as the most technologically advanced of all online universities. Its iGuide system, has replaced the online chatrooms and perennially malfunctioning webcams of its competitors with a fully integrated system. With an online university it is important not to underestimate usability, and here Capella has excelled beyond all others. Another advantage of Capella is the formation of an alumni network. Students of brick and mortar universities have long taken advantage of the benefits of intra-university networking, but it has largely been limited to Capella in the online world. This is a real benefit to the thousands of annual graduates who many of which, through the alumni network, find older graduates ready to offer a leg-up in the employment world.


But not every aspect of Capella is ideal. Though the school does well in finding students jobs after graduation, it offers very few opportunities to do so while in school. While some of Capella's competitors will help students find work while enrolled, or even offer work through the university, only those Capella students based around Minneapolis are able to take advantage of Capella's employment. Another major deficiency of Capella is the failure of its Psychology to school to get approval by the American Psychological Association. Plagued by management problems, the school has consistently come up short of students expectations even though it has a relatively long history.

Capella University in a nutshell

Pros: Strong recognized name. Unparalleled classroom experience and teaching quality. Great alumni network. Tons of options when it comes to class choices. Competitive Pricing. Excellent special needs accomodation.

Cons: No real in-school employment program. Lackluster Psychology school. Many part-time professors who lack experience with online teaching.

Our rating: * * * * (out of 5)

The bottom line: If you are looking for good post-graduate job opportunities or don't want to suffer spotty classroom facilities, then this university is for you.

Distance Education Program

Capella Tower, Headquarters, Minneapolis


Introduction
A faculty member was standing at a graduation in a bright blue academic gown. “Where did you go?” The blue-gowned one said, “Capella.” The response was curt, “Never heard of it.” He offered, “It’s in Florida.” Capella University is one of the better known new schools in America, with headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, rather than Florida. The founder, Steven Shank, ran Tonka Toys, and then decided to found a university (Wikipedia, 2005).

Capella University
Founded in 1993, Capella has about 12,000 students. Capella commissioned a study of online education this year in conjunction with the American Society for Training and Education. The survey results became the focus of the article on the school (Tampone, 2005). The study emphasizes the reasons for adults studying at an online university, specifically Capella, which has undergraduate and graduate programs, including a Ph.D. and a doctorate in psychology.

The primary reason for online education is convenience, according to the article, but other reasons are offered as well. One interesting reason is that no single student dominates in an online school. Everyone gets to participate and even to participate freely. Those who teach online and onground realize that no face-to-face classroom can have 20 students speaking at once. The verbally aggressive students tend to shine. Online, everyone can communicate as much as he or she wants. This difference can be quite satisfying for the student who is more reticent onground.

Capella University

Capella student - from his blog

Although Distance Education is the trend of the moment, tuition reimbursement programs still rely 85% on land-based training, as the survey showed (Tampone, 2005). The trend is moving toward online education because technology can delivery the programs anywhere, unlike the traditional classroom. Corporations are looking at online education for professional development, but they also want their employees to have face-to-face training. The article suggests that blended educational methods of delivery will be the most popular in the future. However, the author does not mention that the University of Phoenix has online, onground, and a hybrid, FlexNet.

Capella and the Disabled
Capella markets its program for the disabled, but a spate of letters to the Chronicles of Higher Education raised some questions about the marvel of online education for the disabled (Chronicles of Higher Education, 2005). Both WebCT and Blackboard are roundly criticized for being difficult to handle, difficult to view, and expensive. Those with no disabilities see the advantages of online education, but there is so much variety in physical problems that another generation may have to generate simpler and more effective technologies for all users, but especially for the handicapped.

Capella has shown that an online university can grow and reach a respectable number of students within a few years. In contrast, Bethany Junior College bragged after WWII that they finally had 100 students enrolled, after decades of work. The technology demands and global recruiting for online students will probably produce some consolidation in the coming years. More likely the online schools will continue to be strong while the small colleges of the past will run into the costs of an aging physical plant, salaries and benefits for tenured professors, and smaller numbers of young students who can afford a more leisurely degree.

References

References
Chronicles of Higher Education (2005, September 30, 2005). Letters. Chronicles of Higher Education, , . Retrieved November 21, 2005, from ProQuest

Tampone, K. (2005, October 7, 2005). Online education growing in prominence. The Business Journal, 19, 16. Retrieved November 20, 2005, from ProQuest

Wikipedia (2005). Capella University. Retrieved November 21, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capella_University