University of Phoenix and CIW Certification

From Business Wire:

University of Phoenix to Offer Certified Internet Webmaster Program
Business Wire, Nov 1, 2000 E-mail Print Link Business Editors

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 1, 2000

Apollo Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:APOL) announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, the University of Phoenix, will begin offering Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) certification courses from ProsoftTraining.com (Nasdaq:POSO). The courses will be available at select campuses beginning in January 2001.

"Today's announcement means that a large share of our students will now have access to CIW, the de facto standard in Internet certification," commented Dr. John G. Sperling, chairman and CEO of Apollo Group. "The principles upon which CIW is based, namely certification defined by industry-accepted job roles and vendor-neutrality, are well-matched with the principles of the University of Phoenix."

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Five Ways To Successfully Negotiate A Salary The University of Phoenix will carry the CIW curriculum as a subset of its larger IT degree programs, enabling its students to graduate with at least two industry-accepted credentials.

"We are obviously excited to have the University of Phoenix adopt our CIW program," remarked Jerry Baird, CEO of ProsoftTraining.com. "The Apollo Group subsidiaries comprise the largest private institution of higher education in the United States. They have been accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since 1978 and are innovative in meeting their students' needs. Their successful expansion into online learning and new campuses proves they have a winning formula."

Through the agreement, University of Phoenix students will have the ability to work toward certifications in website administration, programming or design, while achieving their bachelor's degree.

"The CIW program addresses real problems that our working students face every day," said Sperling. "The better prepared they are, the better they become to their employers."

Apollo Group, Inc. has been providing higher education programs to working adults for over 25 years. Apollo Group, Inc., operates through its subsidiaries the University of Phoenix, Inc., the Institute for Professional Development, the College for Financial Planning Institutes Corporation, Western International University, Inc. and Apollo Learning Group, Inc. The consolidated enrollment in its educational programs makes it the largest private institution of higher education in the United States. It offers educational programs and services at 54 campuses and 96 learning centers in 35 states, Puerto Rico and Vancouver, British Columbia. Combined degree enrollment was 100,900 students as of August 31, 2000. For more information about Apollo Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, call 800/990-APOL or visit Apollo on the World Wide Web at http://www.apollogrp.edu.

About CIW

CIW is the industry-leading certification program for Internet professionals. CIW defines the critical job roles and associated skills required to deploy today's e-business solutions. The industry-validated job role designations provide a "road map" that helps individuals and companies prepare Internet professionals to develop and deploy e-business technologies. The vendor-neutral program gives participants exposure to the leading technologies in numerous subject areas. After mastering the basic concepts in the CIW Foundations series, students are prepared to pursue CIW Professional certification in job role areas such as Site Designer, e-Commerce, Application Developer, Enterprise Developer, Server Administrator, Internetworking Professional or Security Professional. Students can focus on specific job roles, or pursue the new master-level certification tracks--Master CIW Administrator, Master CIW Enterprise Developer and Master CIW Designer. Over 10,000 professionals have certified their credentials through the CIW program.

About ProsoftTraining.com

ProsoftTraining.com is a supplier of computer training content solutions for end-user and technical training. The company's ComputerPrep brand includes content for areas such as Internet, Linux, CompTIA, Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle and telecom professionals. Prosoft offers Internet certification through its industry-leading CIW certification program, creating and certifying the skills that today's e-business workforce needs to support the growth of B2B and B2C applications. The industry-validated job role designations defined in the CIW program provide a "road map" that helps individuals and companies prepare Internet professionals to develop and deploy e-business technologies. The vendor-neutral program gives participants exposure to the leading technologies in numerous subject areas. ProsoftTraining.com's Internet certification programs have the endorsement of the Association of Internet Professionals and the International Webmasters Association. Certification testing is available through the Prometric and VUE testing networks. Learn more about CIW at www.CIWcertified.com and about Prosoft and its other programs at www.ProsoftTraining.com and www.computerPREP.com.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

University of Phoenix and Technology

From University Reviews Online:

Review of the University of Phoenix Online

When you think online university or distance learning, the first name that typically comes to mind is the University of Phoenix Online. Established in 1989, it was the first accredited online university and today maintains a student body of over 57,000, making it one of the largest schools in the country. While not everything about the University of Phoenix is ideal, there is much to like.

What makes the University of Phoenix Online different

As the first accredited University, Phoenix has a name recognition that other online universities simply cannot match. Because most students attend the university to improve their job prospects, this is an important characteristic, as this recognition translates into more job opportunities. In fact, graduates report a better experience in the job market, as there does not seem to be a discounting of the Phoenix degree by employers, a common occurrence with many of the University's competitors. But beyond job opportunities, Phoenix also excels above most of its competitors with respect to teaching. Students by and large report contentment with the quality of teaching and counseling services, a relative rarity in the online education world.

But not every aspect of the school is impressive. Although the educators are by and large better than those of competitors, Phoenix is still plagued by inconsistency, meaning that some classes are instructed and managed with excellence, but far too many are lacking. One area where the school falls behind some of its competitors is in the area of technology. With an online university, usability of the interface is key, and it is here that Phoenix comes up short. Despite the school's claims to the contrary, the computer system is not sophisticated in all areas, relying on programs like Outlook Express to conduct emails.

The University of Phoenix Online in a nutshell

Pros: Was the first accredited online university, established in 1989. Best reputation in the job market. Has superior, albeit spotty teaching. Offers the flexibility to take up to 27 credits in a semester. Low 1:11 student to teacher ratio.

Cons: Spotty teaching means students have to be careful about which courses they select. A lacking technology department means you will be relying on not fully integrated technology, potentially a big problem as emails are a necessity in online education.

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

The bottom line: If you are looking for an education that will definitely translate into job opportunities or if want a lot of personalized teaching and don't mind an occasional technical hassle, then this university is for you.