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UW Flexible Option Team

UW Colleges & UW-Extension leader responds to Gov. Walker’s interest in UW Flexible Option as a path to complete his degree

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MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin Colleges and UW-Extension’s top leader noted Gov. Scott Walker’s recently announced personal interest in the new UW Flexible Option.

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Aaron Brower, interim chancellor of UW Colleges and UW-Extension.

“From day one, Gov. Walker has been among the strongest supporters of this innovative approach to educate our workforce,” said Aaron Brower, interim chancellor of UW Colleges and UW-Extension. “UW Flex is a way for Wisconsin residents like him to complete a degree.” [Read more…] about UW Colleges & UW-Extension leader responds to Gov. Walker’s interest in UW Flexible Option as a path to complete his degree

Working Adults Can Finally Earn That Degree – and Why They Should

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If you are a working adult who has dreamed of a college degree, you will be thrilled to know that colleges are tailoring programs just for you. But you should also understand the trends that are driving these changes, and why it is so important to take advantage of them.

Today, a small number of forward-thinking colleges and universities are creating online courses and grading systems designed for the working adult student. They’re moving in response to statistics that indicate the growing need for advanced degrees in the workforce.

“Research shows that by the year 2018, 63 percent of jobs will require some sort of post-secondary education,” says Aaron Brower, Interim Chancellor for the University of Wisconsin Colleges and Wisconsin-Extension. [Read more…] about Working Adults Can Finally Earn That Degree – and Why They Should

Competency-Based Education Offers an Important Alternative to Higher Education’s Problems of Access and Cost

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David Schejbal, dean of UW- Extension, Division of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning, recently wrote for Inside Higher Ed about the ways in which competency-based education addresses the needs for quality, affordability, efficiency, and individualized learning at the college level. At the heart of the piece, he asserts that competency-based education is not intended to be a cure-all for the challenges facing higher education today, but rather, a viable and compelling alternative that “expands students’ options for learning and most importantly, expands their access while focusing on what they know and are able to do.” With expert faculty leading the design of curriculum and setting the standards for success, competency-based education gives students who otherwise might not pursue a degree one more option for obtaining a quality education, on their own terms and potentially at lower cost.

Read the full article here.

UW Flexible Option: Creating Personalized Support for Academic Success

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Convenience and flexibility – two outcomes we’ve come to expect in our daily lives, thanks to our reliance on technology. The same ingredients loom large for many working adults considering how to complete their college degrees. While technology provides avenues like online classes, this approach has the potential to leave students without a support system necessary to succeed. The UW Flexible Option is working to improve the academic experience with a support system designed for personalization, success, and satisfaction.

“Our approach provides students with support from our first contact with them,” says Jan Ford, UW Flexible Option Director of Student Success. “From that moment, we begin to focus on the individual needs of our students.” [Read more…] about UW Flexible Option: Creating Personalized Support for Academic Success

Got IT Experience but No Degree? The UW Flex Online Bachelor of Information Science and Technology Degree May Be Your Answer

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You’ve got the knowledge and work experience – but maybe you’re not able to advance your career because you’re missing one piece of the puzzle: your bachelor’s degree. Going back to school to complete your degree can be expensive and time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. The new UW Flexible Option could be your answer. The UW Flexible Option was created especially for working adults who need a flexible education experience, and want to earn a respected degree at their own pace, at a lower cost than traditional online or classroom settings. [Read more…] about Got IT Experience but No Degree? The UW Flex Online Bachelor of Information Science and Technology Degree May Be Your Answer

The UW Flexible Option Serves Up a Fulfilling Opportunity for Success

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More flexibility. More access. More options. The table of higher education is evolving into a buffet of intricately created course and learning approaches as demand for more innovative opportunities to participate in higher education sweeps the country.fast company logo

Fast Company Co.Exist’s Jessica Leber recently wrote about the impact of disruptive innovation in education in her article, “An ‘All You Can Eat’ College Degree Could Be The Future of Higher Education.”

The UW Flexible Option is weeks away from welcoming students to its table, and its educational meal offerings have caught the eye of potential students, lawmakers, and educational institutions alike.

[Read more…] about The UW Flexible Option Serves Up a Fulfilling Opportunity for Success

The UW Flexible Option Puts You In Control [Video]

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A respected degree, personalized education plans, on your schedule…is that possible? As the world of competency-based education grows, the opportunities to advance your education are plentiful, but not all equal. Earning a degree from a trusted university, at a lower cost, through a program designed to provide a tailored learning experience, while working at your own pace, is the reality created through the University of Wisconsin Flexible Option.

[Read more…] about The UW Flexible Option Puts You In Control [Video]

Turning Dreams into Reality – Chancellor Ray Cross Discusses the UW Flexible Option

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Ray_Cross (2) copy 2Ray Cross believes in taking the opportunity to turn dreams into reality. So when he started working on the University of Wisconsin Flexible Option program, Cross helped build a team of UW faculty and staff who would be leaders in helping turn the dream of earning a high-quality college degree into a reality for working adults.

“It’s like seeing a dream come true and translating that dream into reality, seeing other people getting excited about it,” Cross says. “It’s very gratifying.

[Read more…] about Turning Dreams into Reality – Chancellor Ray Cross Discusses the UW Flexible Option

In UW Flexible Option, UW-Madison employee finds quality, convenience—and endless possibility

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Aaron Apel has been a fixture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus for nearly a decade. As an employee in the Office of the Registrar, he has a deep understanding of the process of helping college students enroll, select courses, and complete their college careers. Now Apel says it’s time for him to do the same, and he’s looking to the new UW Flexible Option degree programs as his path to success.

Apel began his career in the late 1990s. After receiving his associate degree in computer science, he went to work for the State of Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development. Now, after nearly ten years at UW-Madison, Apel says he needs a bachelor’s degree to advance. He’s preparing to earn that degree in Information Science and Technology. [Read more…] about In UW Flexible Option, UW-Madison employee finds quality, convenience—and endless possibility

Are You the UW Flexible Option Student?

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Maybe she’s a 37-year-old mother, living in a smaller community in Wisconsin, miles away from a campus, working at least part time with a variety of responsibilities – and some college credit stashed in her pocket, possibly an associate degree. Or maybe she didn’t have the opportunity to finish her degree.

That’s just one image of who the UW Flexible Option programs are geared at helping, says David Schejbal, dean at the University of Wisconsin-Extension’s Division of Continuing Education, Outreach and E-Learning. It’s the nontraditional adult student with a lot of life experience and knowledge, and the desire to put that knowledge toward completing his or her degree.

“Those students usually have a lot of life stuff to deal with that 18-year-olds don’t,” Schejbal said. “One of the wonderful things about your traditional college experience is that kids can transition from being kids at home to full-blow, adults. But once we get to be adults, as we all know, we have a variety of responsibilities: children, jobs, eldercare, community responsibilities, and all kinds of things. So for many of our students, they have to juggle all of that in addition to work, and most of them can’t go to school in the typical time frame.” [Read more…] about Are You the UW Flexible Option Student?