Regardless of a chosen degree program, there are an array of certifications that can enhance your career search. For example, a student seeking a degree in networking may find the Comptia A+ certification to be quite a useful resume bullet. And we could nearly all benefit from becoming Microsoft Office certified, given the suite's wide utilization. UoP offers an online library that features books covering a broad range of subjects. I often find the "For Dummies" books particularly helpful, and I've been able to locate one in the online library for every subject I've searched so far. They also include an array of other useful books, including "The Missing Manual" series and many others. Access is also provided to all textbooks utilized in the classes, even if one it is not a part of a selected career path.
But the University of Phoenix library doesn't stop there. Students also have access to a variety of interactive tutorials to help enhance their educational experience. Personally, I decided to use one of these to brush up on my HTML skills. The tutorial uses real examples to walk students through each segment of code, then allows them to complete certain sections along the way. Using this tutorial, students slowly build their coding skills until they are comfortable enough to draft a full HTML document.
However, some care needs to be taken with the expectations of the University of Phoenix online tutorials. Apparently, the University maintains each tutorial's existence once it is live. I originally began using an HTML tutorial that taught a number of tags now considered deprecated (in fact, many of them have been deprecated for quite some time). Students should always check the publishing dates for each tutorial, as there are few other ways to tell if a tutorial for a subject that you are brand new to is outdated (fortunately, I had already studied the basics of HTML before).
I was also intrigued by the "virtual organizations" offered from the online classroom. While I have not yet tried these for myself, they promise to provide real-world experience to prepare students for real-world workforce issues. Customer satisfaction, employee relations, and problem solving are just a few of the new skills that students can practice. Again, I haven't actually tried this yet, but will provide more information once I've had a chance to do so. If these virtual organizations fulfill the promises, they could go quite the distance in enhancing the University of Phoenix experience.
Student workshops are another useful tool offered online. These workshops cover a specific subject or area, such as a Microsoft Office program. The setup is very similar to an online course. All materials are provided through the New Classroom, just as all other University of Phoenix classes. Over the course of three days, an instructor will provide instruction for students to follow while offering a forum for students to address the teach and each other with questions or comments. No credits are offered, but they do provide an excellent opportunity to learn a new skill.
This just lists a few of the enhancements of the University of Phoenix experience. I wanted to show that there is more to the school's online programs than a potential student may have otherwise considered. Or, perhaps I am just attempting to make myself feel better, given the state of the school's current reputation. Either way, the online tools do offer a unique opportunity and may even help students find a new source of income while pursuing their degree. While UoP does seem to be working hard to repair their reputation, the future remains uncertain. Hopefully, these tools will offer a "plan B" should things take a turn for the worse. And if they instead improve, my resume becomes even more impressive upon graduation.
But the University of Phoenix library doesn't stop there. Students also have access to a variety of interactive tutorials to help enhance their educational experience. Personally, I decided to use one of these to brush up on my HTML skills. The tutorial uses real examples to walk students through each segment of code, then allows them to complete certain sections along the way. Using this tutorial, students slowly build their coding skills until they are comfortable enough to draft a full HTML document.
However, some care needs to be taken with the expectations of the University of Phoenix online tutorials. Apparently, the University maintains each tutorial's existence once it is live. I originally began using an HTML tutorial that taught a number of tags now considered deprecated (in fact, many of them have been deprecated for quite some time). Students should always check the publishing dates for each tutorial, as there are few other ways to tell if a tutorial for a subject that you are brand new to is outdated (fortunately, I had already studied the basics of HTML before).
I was also intrigued by the "virtual organizations" offered from the online classroom. While I have not yet tried these for myself, they promise to provide real-world experience to prepare students for real-world workforce issues. Customer satisfaction, employee relations, and problem solving are just a few of the new skills that students can practice. Again, I haven't actually tried this yet, but will provide more information once I've had a chance to do so. If these virtual organizations fulfill the promises, they could go quite the distance in enhancing the University of Phoenix experience.
Student workshops are another useful tool offered online. These workshops cover a specific subject or area, such as a Microsoft Office program. The setup is very similar to an online course. All materials are provided through the New Classroom, just as all other University of Phoenix classes. Over the course of three days, an instructor will provide instruction for students to follow while offering a forum for students to address the teach and each other with questions or comments. No credits are offered, but they do provide an excellent opportunity to learn a new skill.
This just lists a few of the enhancements of the University of Phoenix experience. I wanted to show that there is more to the school's online programs than a potential student may have otherwise considered. Or, perhaps I am just attempting to make myself feel better, given the state of the school's current reputation. Either way, the online tools do offer a unique opportunity and may even help students find a new source of income while pursuing their degree. While UoP does seem to be working hard to repair their reputation, the future remains uncertain. Hopefully, these tools will offer a "plan B" should things take a turn for the worse. And if they instead improve, my resume becomes even more impressive upon graduation.
