Grantee: Northern Arizona University
At a Glance:
Program Name: Personalized Learning Division
Targeted Degree Program: Bachelor’s degree (multiple disciplines)
Organization: Public, four-year university
Opening Date: Spring 2013
First Year Enrollment: 500
Anticipated Students Served in First Five Years: 8,000
Tuition Model: Flat six-month subscription rate
Geographies Served: Arizona
Targeted Students: Adult, traditional, first-generation, low-income, Native American, and Hispanic populations
Partner: Pearson
Dig Deeper:
At Northern Arizona University (NAU), two-thirds of students are traditional undergraduates. They are recent high school graduates. They live on or near the main campus. They attend lectures and engage in small-group discussions with their peers.
For an increasing number of Arizonans, however, that traditional model is simply too costly and ineffective. To reach them, the university is launching a Personalized Learning program in spring 2013 that will use more than 90 online courses and a flat-rate “subscription” model of tuition to offer bachelor’s degrees that are more accessible, flexible, and efficient for adult and nontraditional learners.
The program will start with degrees in small business administration, computer information technology, and liberal arts. Each program will provide full NAU liberal studies requirements and a language. Each degree program has a clear set of modules and learning outcomes defined by NAU faculty, but the route from start to finish is completely flexible, letting students choose which modules to tackle first. Students can also choose the best approach for their unique learning styles; one student might choose to download and watch a lecture, while another might work through an interactive simulation. Along the way, mentor faculty work with students to provide feedback, suggest specific resources, or simply provide support if a student is struggling with an academic concept or with balancing their studies with their work. Students also receive guidance from an online learning platform—customized by Pearson, with lead faculty direction—that uses a complex set of algorithms and data analytics to suggest specific resources and content based on a student’s experience or the experiences of other students on the same degree track.
The program’s emphasis on personalization doesn’t end with the learning plan. Central to NAU’s Personalized Learning model is the belief that students—particularly students with prior workplace experience—shouldn’t be forced to progress through a program in lockstep with their peers. At the program’s outset, students will receive credit for prior learning through assessments, proof of certifications or licenses, and student performance records from the military or their workplace. Most importantly, however, the entire program is based on a pre- and post-test model where students have the opportunity to “test out” of a lesson at the outset of the learning module. Pre-tests also ensure students dive immediately into the areas where they show weakness rather than reviewing areas where they already show mastery. For advanced students, this translates into cost savings as they move more quickly through courses throughout the years. (NAU’s subscription model means that students can access unlimited courses during their enrollment.)
Ultimately, the goal is to develop a program that’s not merely efficient but also empowering, helping learners take control of how, what, and when they learn best.
Intended Outcomes:
- By the fifth year, 75 percent of students will graduate within six years
- Enrollment of 8,000 students or more by year five
- Financial sustainability within five years
Grantee Resources
- Profile: This at-a-glance document summarizes the key features of this grantee’s breakthrough model through graphics and quick facts. It offers important information about the instructional and financial models, student demographics, hardware and software choices, and contact info. http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/NG1226.pdf
- Application Deck: This video offers a snapshot of this grantee’s breakthrough model in its early planning stages outlining the goals, learning environments, and business model. It was originally created as a narrated PowerPoint deck included in their application to the NGLC Breakthrough Models grant competition.
For More Information:
Institution URL: http://www.nau.edu
Contact: Fred Hurst, fred.hurst@nau.edu
