The Proposal Outlines the Requirements of Skynet University - Coursework Example

Online Degree Program Proposal   Table of Contents 1Introduction 5 2Background 5 2.1The Need for Online Program 6 3Aims and Objectives 7 4How to Start and Run the Program 8 4.1Program design 8 4.1.1Length of the program. 8 4.1.2Curriculum development. 9 4.1.3Viability. 9 4.1.4Admissions. 9 4.2Administration 9 4.3Evaluation 10 4.4Requirements 10 4.4.1Fees 10 4.4.2Student Intake 11 5Expected Costs and Benefits 11 5.1Fees 11 5.2Personal costs 11 5.3Cost of operation 12 5.4Benefits for students 12 5.5Revenues 12 6Conclusion 12 References 14 Executive Summary \Skynet University is proposing a new online degree program in Counselling Psychology to satisfy increasing needs to handle drug and substance addiction. The program aims to add more qualified specialists to the number of existing counsellors. The program will also develop an avenue through which the College of Humanities and Social Science will generate revenue. The program will be unique in its kind when offered by Skynet University among its graduate programs. The program envisions preparation of inter-professional counsellors at all levels and in various to effect significant changes in drug and substance prevention. The proposal outlines the requirements of starting and running the program. The requirements include the systems needed, satisfying the set regulations, evaluation mechanisms and an analysis of costs and benefits. The proposal gives enough background and statistical estimation that can be used in deciding the viability of the program. 1 Introduction Skynet University is a leading academic institution in the United States. The university has several undergraduate and graduate courses that aim at producing highly skilled counseling graduates ready for the job market. Most of the university’s degree programs are done on regular mode. The situation implies that students have to attend classes physically. However, this method of learning is not applicable to people who are employed due to conflict between work and education. The university is considering adding an online program to graduate students specializing in counseling. The decision is informed by the increasing complexities of the world that drags the youth into vices such as crime and drug abuse. The university will be taking a center stage in enhancing recovery and prevention of new addictions or criminal cats by increasing the number of skilled counselors. 2 Background According to Allen & Seaman (2013), online education programs are the new trend in higher education in the United States. They assert that more than 6.7 million working students enrolled in online degree program in 2011, up from a record of 6.1 million in 2010. The increase in student enrollment for online degree courses refines the importance of online degree program. The study “Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States” considered data from 2820 institutions of higher learning in the United States. The data show that online degree programs are increasingly becoming a mode of choice for many students. Lower fees for the online programs is another issue that boost online programs. According to the University of Louisiana, students under online degree courses are exempted from certain charges that include book fees as they do not have to access the library. The scrapping of such charges enhances the lucrativeness of the online degree programs. Online degree programs accord students with a chance to progress their profession while at the same time improving their skills. Managers agree to the fact that it is advisable for employees to take on online courses instead of quitting their jobs to further their education (Edwards, 2014). Students get the best from education when they integrate what they learn with their current work environment. The overall effect is that the students produce more quality output. In the United States online programs at taking an interesting twist. According to a study done in 2012, more than 62% institutions of higher learning had adopted online degree programs and were offering full online degrees. The information implies that online programs are increasingly becoming popular, with both students and employers upholding them. 2.1 The Need for Online Program The world is increasingly becoming sophisticated with the speedy inventions of new idea and technology. To this end, most people are multi-tasking; working while studying. The need to work while at the same time studying has enabled many institutions of higher learning to devise several alternatives to physical attendance of classes. Several programs that have been devised include online based studies. According to Siegel (2009), online programs are said to be the newest trend in ensuring access to education for working class people. It is also suitable for people who cannot make to attend the classes due to distance or other circumstances. The need for online courses is advised of the fact that many employers require workers to advance their education and at the same time continue working. The situation implies that there is no time to attend to classes. Starting an online degree program in Counselling Psychology will enable students to access Skynet University degree at a lower cost and without physically attending classes. Another reason for the proposal on the establishment of online degree program in Counselling Psychology is that the university population is constantly growing with undergraduate students forming the majority. The university wishes to welcome every qualified student to access education. However, the physical facilities are not enough to allow unlimited admissions. Thus, allowing an online degree program will decongest the university and thus allow for the enrollment of more students. By so doing, the university will have succeeded in its main goal of offering higher education and also reduce the costs of offering education. 3 Aims and Objectives Skynet University constantly ranks among the best academic institutions of higher learning in the region for professions falling under the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Consistent innovation and certified research play a part in helping the university achieve this feat. The college is a leader in innovation. Other aspects include excellence in research projects, the caliber of students and faculties, service programs and teaching. The college continues to prepare leaders in many fields (Vlahov, 2012). However, increased substance and drug abuse requires inter-professional leadership shifts because the vice is gradually generating into a menace. It is believed that education is the only way that the country can redeem its youths from drug abuse and other criminal activities that have been on the rise in the country. The objectives of the program will be: To offer a cheap alternative to access higher education for both youths and working people To reduce the number of youths in drugs and crime by engaging them in the online program. To decongest the university premises since the learners under online program study out of campus To increase the number of enrollments to the online Counselling Psychology degree 4 How to Start and Run the Program The most important element is the deciding on the content to be included in the online program. The proposal suggests that the units taken in the online program be similar to the units under the regular program. The measures are aimed to enhance the integrity of the degree certification under the online degree program. Also, the duration of the program should be outlined in the semester calendar. The online program will require an online portal where student can access course materials. The online portal will be secured and only accessible to authorized students and faculty. The motive is to enhance the quality of services offered on the online portal. Registered students will be given log-in detail to access the site. However, the online material will be available to students who have satisfied all financial requirements of the university.64 The next stage is to seek recognition and audience from the Commission of Higher Education. The aim is to register the program to ensure the students registering with the program that is accredited and recognized by the commission. Once the program is accredited, it can then be opened for prospective students to register. 4.1 Program design The US risks losing the entire future generation because a large proportion of youths is into drug abuse. The Counselling Psychology online program proposed develops the trajectory of Skynet University further. Elements proposed in the new online program include the following. 4.1.1 Length of the program. The program will take four quarters, an equivalent of twelve calendar months. The rationale behind reduced time is the setting of the curriculum to meet tedious shortened period. All he units required for the successful completion of the program must be attended during this time. There will be exams on every registered unit at the end of every semester. 4.1.2 Curriculum development. Curriculum masters will revise the course content to remove obsolete and redundant information making it more essential with adequate skill and knowledge components. Essentially, this is supposed to cover all the units studied by regular students. However, the online course will eliminate repetition between units. 4.1.3 Viability. The program will be viable for working students who can receive assignments online, communicate with assigned lecturers during breaks, and cater for families without disruption. This is because all the program activities will be online, and interactions with lecturers and students will also be online. The online program will thus the purpose of bringing education to the working class people. 4.1.4 Admissions. The program will move on a rolling basis in the context that interested students will enroll at the start of each quarter as opposed to yearly admissions. This is because the program will not be dependent of the academic calendars of the institution. 4.2 Administration Skynet University will take charge of implementing the program in addition to administering all aspects of academic elements through the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (Vlahov 2012). The technical department will support the university in selecting the best online platform and also source for an installer. The technical department will ensure that the system is stable at all times and is not affected by server problems. The department of Humanities and Social Science will be responsible for curriculum development and monitoring. It will monitor the process to ensure that all the requirements are followed to the latter. The department will be responsible for the allocation of tutors and lecturers to the online program. The faculty members servicing the program will be responsible for uploading relevant academic materials, assessment and also marking of assessment tests and end of semester examinations. 4.3 Evaluation Program evaluation will take place annually. The Coordinating Council of the program together with the Director in charge of the program will handle all aspects of evaluation. The university aims at having evaluation to guide, refine, and improve the overall program. Evaluation will be broken into two categories; formative and summative. Formative evaluation is based on the processes. It focuses on the set up of the program and how the institution and faculty handle the program. The evaluation gathers information regarding the program and decides on the feasibility of the program and the necessity of any actions. Formative evaluation is critical as it outlines the strengths and the weaknesses of the program and outlines suggestions to achieve better results. Summative evaluation is based on outcomes. It evaluates the quality of education offered by the program and determines whether it fits the standards. The evaluation is done using the desired outcomes as a benchmark. 4.4 Requirements Anybody with a bachelor’s degree, as well as those with graduate Diplomas, will qualify for admission. The applicants must have a background in counseling. 4.4.1 Fees The program will use a subsidized payment system. The course will take a maximum of two semesters. The university will charge $600 for every unit and $ 1200 for the entire course. The fees will cover tuition and administrative expenses of the program. Students will be required to clear all arrears before they can be allowed to register a new unit. Consequently, no student will graduate from the program with any fee balances. 4.4.2 Student Intake The program will start with a few students. In the first year, the program will aim to enroll 126 students. Of the 126 students, 30 of will start for four quarters directly, another 30 pay for three quarters and 25 for 2 units. Mathematically, the course will have eighty students paying full fees for the course. The trajectory is that within the next two to five academic years all registered students in the first year will pay full fees. The intake will be scheduled as such so that the university can gauge the viability of the system in terms of access and cost. Since the university cannot afford to incur any loses due to the program, the trajectory will ensure that the university gauges the financial details of the program and thus determine its feasibility. 5 Expected Costs and Benefits 5.1 Fees Online degree programs are relatively cheaper as compared to on campus programs. The reasoning is that online students do not need campus services such as library, and parking and thus, they are expected from such charges. Skynet University program is expected to cut degree costs by 20%. 5.2 Personal costs It is expected that personal costs will increase by 5% each year for the next 5 years of the program. The cost will include purchase of study materials, equipment like computers and tablets and also internet access. 5.3 Cost of operation The cost of operating the online program is expected to increase by 3% annually. The cost will increase due to an increase in the number of students, faculty and also in securing new systems, as well as maintenance of the existing system. Moreover, advancements in technology will demand constant replacement of systems that support the online programs. 5.4 Benefits for students The benefits received by students will increase by 4% annually. The benefits will be in terms of increased welfare. Students will continually receive new materials and easy access to the system due to regular upgrades that will be done by the University. 5.5 Revenues The office of the program coordinator will record an increase in revenues to a scale of 1.5% each year. The increase will be as a result of increased student enrollment and also increased efficiency. 6 Conclusion In today’s world, people are increasingly becoming engaged in economic activities and thus have less time to attend school. However, education is indispensable in the lives of professionals. Thus, there is a need to integrate education and work. Online degree programs offer this chance by ensuring that people do not leave their busy work schedules to attend classes. If the proposal to incorporate online degree program in Counselling Psychology is approved by the university and Commission for Higher Education, then it will be a boost towards ensuring that working students get a chance to advance their education. The inclusion of online degree program by Skynet University will boost its credibility as an institution of higher learning that minds the working students. As noted above, having an online program is beneficial to both the institution and the students. The said benefits include ease of access to education by allowing the integration of academics and work, decongestion of the university premises and also increasing the student’s portfolio. References Allen, E., & Seaman, J. (2013). Changing Course: Ten Years of Tracking Online Education in the United States. Babson Survey Research Group, 15-20. Retrieved from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/changingcourse.pdf Edwards, H. (2014). Online Education Explained. Bookpubber. Knapp, J. C., & Siegel, D. J. (2009). The business of higher education. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger/ABC-CLIO. University of Louisiana at Lafayette. (n.d.). Costs | Online Programs. Retrieved from http://online.louisiana.edu/tuition-costs Vlahov, D., (2012). Launching online Programs in the University. San Francisco: University of California Press. Read More