Comments on What I Learned About Capella U

• Student Services
• Posted by Jeannette on February 2, 2011 at 7:45am EST
• Joshua,
  
  Thank you for this post, and a huge thanks to Capella U for stepping-up.
  
  I'm really interested in the support services offered to students such as academic advising, career advising, and learning support.
  
  I really enjoy your writings about for-profits. It is refreshing to see something from someone with an open mind on how all types of institutions can learn from one another.
  
  J

• evaluating outcomes
• Posted by Jeff Schwartz , education program manager at appalachian regional commission on February 2, 2011 at 8:15am EST
• It seems as though recent discussions lead to two primary outcomes for higher education:
  
  1) Do the graduates/completers get jobs? And some in Congress and the Administration would add, do they get jobs that pay well enough to pay off any loans?
  
  2) Do the students feel personally enriched by the education? Do they contribute more to their communities and society?
  
  I am not quite sure how we would measure the second, but the first is pretty straight forward. Do their graduates obtain new employment or enhance their current position? Do they earn enough to have made it worthwhile?

• Two Thoughts
• Posted by Steve , Professor of Economics at University of Mary Washington on February 2, 2011 at 8:30am EST
• All Not-for-profit universities are not the same, so we should be sensitive to the fact that that same is true of For-profits.
  
  How does Capella assess the effectiveness of its students' learning?

• Capella Student offers some insight
• Posted by Tammie McP , School of Nursing at Nipissing University on February 2, 2011 at 10:15am EST
• I am a Canadian nurse educator, who is currently pursuing a PhD in Nursing Education at Capella, starting in 2008. All of my course work has been online, and my professors have been well known in their field (for example), one of them wrote a book on the American Registered Nurse exams (Dr. JoAnn Zerweckh). I also attended 3 mandatory residencies called colloquia in the US (and these were above the amounts of quarterly tuition). I have completed my required comprehensive exams, much the same as my colleague who is pursuing a PhD in Nursing in Canada - same nerve racking experience I do not wish to experience again. I am now into my dissertation which will be the usual 5 chapters, with a teleconference defense at the end (hopefully Jan / Feb 2012).
  I have been very happy for the most part with my experience so far, I have had excellent support from the beginning, when I was exploring options to pursue the PhD to becoming enrolled in my dissertation courses. Each step of the way you have a advisor, depending on where you are in the program.
  You pay big dollars, and in Canadian vs American funds, even more so (for awhile), but the support and resources have been stellar.
  Of course, nothing is perfect, and I have had a couple of negative experiences with faculty - but I have to say - the administration listens. When we complained about a certain faculty and their lack of engagement, communication, etc - they were not there the next semester. My other beef is the lack of transferability of the monies spent in the US on education to my tax bill, as Capella does not complete the Canadian tax form. They will send a letter confirming your status, amount paid and the time you spent in the program.
  Overall, I am glad I chose Capella.
  
  Sincerely,
  Tammie McP

• Admission Standards
• Posted by June Talvitie Siple on February 2, 2011 at 10:15am EST
• I have taught online for several years and for multiple for-profits and non- profits. What I notice with non-profits is the desire to serve all students seems to outweigh high admission standards. I have taught graduate students who are highly qualified, but I have also taught students who I would question whether they have an undergraduate degree.
  
  In addition, at times there is pressure to "ensure" that every student receive no lower than a B. The not so subtle message of inflated grading is not uncommon and can be used to judge the faculty member.
  
  I think that studies need to occur that look into these issues in both for and non-profit institutions. Grade inflation is not just a for-profit issue but the for-profit admission standards, in my opinion, highly influence the level of grade inflation. It would appear at first glance that there is an obvious competitive advantage driving these practices and it would be enlightening to survey both for and non-profit faculty on their experiences.

• Perspective
• Posted by Amy on February 2, 2011 at 10:15am EST
• Working at a leading proprietary institution, I have many different views. I've always thought that our career services were one of our most remarkable strengths. The career services serve all students, not just the business students like many traditional universities. As someone with a traditional liberal arts and sciences education from a mix of public and private (but not proprietary) schools I value that education, but have experienced how little it is valued by employers and how little most traditional schools support non-business students in their job searches. I think it is an interesting combination to have a solid liberal arts and sciences curriculum in general education courses built into a specific career preparation degree. Its not for everyone, and I would still choose my path, but there are some great success stories.
  
  The debt issue is interesting because I think we need to have a national conversation about what is an acceptable amount of debt. I don't hear numbers I just hear fear. I understand that fear, but I think we'll serve our students and communities better if we have these money conversations openly. There are lots of students with traditional university educations who struggle to pay back debt it is an issue that transcends the type of school one attends.

• Great experience
• Posted by Peter on February 2, 2011 at 10:15am EST
• I recently completed the Ph.D. program in Professional Studies in Education. I truly enjoyed the experience and value the input of my faculty.
  
  There was some great flexibility in the program that allowed my the opportunity to explore areas related to, but outside higher education.
  
  In my professional life I am a Director of Student Affairs and serve as the Chief Student Affairs Officer of my campus. The attainment of the Ph.D. was more about (1) being a life-long learner, (2) personal educational ambition, and (3) will help in my professional life.
  
  I feel that the Capella experience was rich and the depth of study outstanding. I would encourage everyone to at least take 1 class in an online only format.

• Response to Jeff and Steve
• Posted by Mike Buttry , VP for Corporate Communications at Capella University on February 2, 2011 at 10:15am EST
• Many thanks to Josh for advancing this dialogue and for a great (on-going) discussion. This is an important discussion and we all have a lot to learn. I'm looking forward to his next post.
  
  Jeff and Steve, thank you for your comments.
  Jeff, most of the students we serve are already in jobs and are looking to advance in their careers with a graduate degree. According to the Department of Education, our student loan default rate is 3.3%. The national average for for-profit institutions is 11.6%.
  http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2010/09/15/loan-default-rates-at-prominent-online-universities
  
  Steve, we have an answer to your question on assessment, but I’m afraid it doesn’t lend itself nicely to a blog comment. If you’d like to connect, I’d be happy to set up a time for us to discuss it. My email is mike.buttry@capella.edu.
  
  Thanks,
  
  Mike Buttry
  Vice President for Corporate Communications
  Capella University.
  
  
  
  
  

• Transcripts
• Posted by James Morgan , Associate Professor, CIS on February 2, 2011 at 10:15am EST
• Years ago I enrolled at Capella to transfer some credits and pick up some classes (to teach in another dept.). I was surprised to find that once I finihed my class and was ready to stop, Capella refused to provide me with transcrips because they were no longer making money off of me. This would NEVER happen at a "real" school.
  
  Is Capella releasing transcripts now?

• Doctoral Faculty
• Posted by Michael on February 2, 2011 at 11:15am EST
• I would be curious to know what percentage of the doctorally-prepared faculty teach at other institutions. I've always been suspicious that online programs, which provide a convenient way for faculty to teach "on the side", manage to get high quality faculty without the burden of expensive full-time appointments. This would be an abuse of conflict of commitments on the part of these faculty that I suspect are often not divulged and severely impact the productivity of faculty at non-profit institutions.

• research resources
• Posted by Phred at state land grant research university on February 2, 2011 at 12:15pm EST
• Tammie McP's comment about her Ph.D. experience makes me wonder about how Capella provides research resources (journals, monographs, computing support when needed) for students doing doctoral research. How adequate are Capella's library resources for research? How does Capella handle the situation when doctoral students need materials that are only available in print? What sort of library assistance is provided?

• Posted by Philip on February 2, 2011 at 3:45pm EST
• How much does Capella pay its faculty members?

• Capella
• Posted by Dr. D on February 2, 2011 at 3:45pm EST
• As a Capella PhD graduate I want to chime into this chat. I’m so glad to see Capella alum speak up. My experiences at Capella from start to marching across the stage were and continue to be professionally and intellectually rewarding. I have my undergrad and master’s degrees from brick and mortar schools and have been involved in higher ed as administrator and/or faculty since the late 1980’s. I did my homework before choosing Capella and this institution more than met my expectations. My husband earned his PhD at NYU. We compared the doctoral programs in both institutions and I can tell you that my experience at Capella was just as rewarding including ongoing contacts with faculty, mentors and use of services such as the alumni library and access to on-line counselors to help with resume and job interviewing skills for adult graduates. I continue with my research because my dissertation research opened another professional avenue for me. My dissertation research (2009)has led to subsequent research projects, a publication and two national presentations. Using a broad brush to taint all for-profits has been unfortunate for all of us enrolled in these schools and their alums.
  
  

• Library Question
• Posted by Mike Buttry , VP Corporate Communications at Capella University on February 2, 2011 at 6:45pm EST
• In response to the question on Capella's library capabilities....
  
  The Capella library provides substantial, high quality services and resources for all learners, including:
  • 37 databases
  • 38,400 full text ejournals
  • 79,000 ebooks
  • 1.2 million full text dissertations
  • Synchronous webinars
  • Over 100 multimedia guides and tutorials, including a suite designed specifically for doctoral level research
  • Interlibrary loan services through a highly respected academic partner
  • Access to librarians via phone and email 6 days a week
  • Face-to-face instruction and assistance at residential colloquia and the Dissertation Writer’s Retreat
  
  Library staff and an academic technical support department provide technical support.
  
  Mike Buttry
  Capella University

• KeepTheBallRolling
• Posted by Disenchanted on February 2, 2011 at 9:45pm EST
• It's nice to hear that at least one school was willing to step up but I venture that all graduate, for-profit schools are not created equal. I would like to see other graduate, for-profit school coverage.
  
  There appears to be an assumption that once students reach the doctoral level they do not warrant protection from predators. Believe me though, predators on this level are out there too.
  
  I would like to hear from other graduate for-profit students, particularly those who have had less than stellar experiences. Take a look at http://tampastudents.net/. Look at the Imagine link. Let us know if you had similar experiences and how you handled them.

• Getting a job after graduate school
• Posted by Patrece Washington on February 3, 2011 at 4:30am EST
• I would like to respond to the question posed regarding how many graduates of for profits actually get jobs post-graduation. First of all, I think that if you posed this question to ALL universities the answers would be shocking. Many nonprofit, landbased universities produce graduates who cannot secure employment in their field or who chose to pursue a PhD simply to satisfy their intellectual curiousities or to fulfill a goal/dream of being "Dr.". I completed my masters degree in a popular human services field which was ranked no. 28 of all masters programs in that field among all other public university programs at a top 50 landbased research university in 2009. . .and I have not found a job in that field yet. Many other graduates of my program have not found employment either while several others are underemployed and underpaid AND defaulting on their student loans! I think the federal government ought to make better use of their time and resources by finding a way to improve job creation instead of leading a modern day witch hunt targeting online universities. An individual's inability to pay their student loans back and decision to allow them to go into default status rather than seeking forbearance due to economic hardship speaks more about their decision making skills than the university they graduated from.
  
  So, let's dispel some myths about the cost of online education/forprofits. Please provide information comparing tuition at forprofits vs. private schools and public universities. I know many people who began pursuing PhDs at nonprofit, private universities only to realize that it did not make financial sense. For instance, some forprofits offer a PhD around $50,000 or so. . .well The University of Pennslyvania (Penn) offers a DSW (Doctor of Social Work)that is well into six figures!!! Their students are not eligible for any financial aid outside of loans. Ironically, the cost of the degree nears or exceeds the lifetime limit of financial aid, $138,000. Most social workers make an average salary of $40,000 to $50,000. Social work professors tend to make less than some practitioners.
  Just my two cents. I look forward to reading more.

• faculty moonlighting at Capella
• Posted by MIS Prof , better not say at public teaching university on February 3, 2011 at 8:45am EST
• I do applaud Capella's willingness to share data and to list their faculty. That's a far better commitment to transparency than is apparent at many for-profit institutions.
  
  My previous institution (over 9 years ago) was a private college which paid faculty really well and provided generous health insurance and retirement benefits. A colleague let us know that he was moonlighting at Capella. I liked this guy personally and enjoyed discussing issues with him around the lunch table and socializing after work. Unfortunately, he was hands-down the worst teacher in the school, both in terms of student evaluations and colleague frustration. He mostly taught foundation courses (both undergrad and grad as well as face-to-face and online). Faculty who taught the more advanced courses usually had to re-cover a lot of the basics that should have been mastered in this colleague's courses. While he had had tenure for more than a decade at that time, he will likely never make full because of a low production of publications. He carried a significant overload at his day job in addition to a couple of courses at Capella.
  
  Last year I noticed he was still listed as faculty at both my previous institution and at Capella. Maybe he has improved his teaching skills, but my colleagues back there haven't seen any improvement. And with such a heavy course load and number of preps, I have difficulty seeing how he could do justice to the course content and the students.
  
  I know I shouldn't generalize from one case. I figure Capella has a significant number of full-timers who aren't moonlighting elsewhere and part-timers who aren't moonlighting from their day jobs. But I can't help but wonder how much moonlighting interferes with faculty focus and ability to fulfill responsibilities in terms of student care and mentoring, service, and research.
  

• Another perspective from a Capella graduate
• Posted by Angela Velez , Coordinator of Learning Technologies at Northeastern Illinois University on February 3, 2011 at 8:45am EST
• Thanks for posting this and for all of the comments thus far. Unfortunately, I wrote a novella yesterday and due to the blizzard we were having, it must have gotten lost in cyberspace.
  
  Nonetheless, here I go again. When I realized I needed to get my Ph.D., I was going through a rough divorce, had 4 young children (one still in diapers), and had been teaching adjunct at night for about 7 years. With my life situation, going to school on campus was not an option. I too did my homework and settled on Capella.
  
  What I enjoyed most was the fact that the woman who helped me choose my specialization was still there when I graduated! She even remembered me. I made a life-long friendship with a woman from Canada who was in my first course with me, and was in other courses later in the program. We stayed in touch via email and phone, and actually met for the first time at graduation. I can't tell you how amazing that was.
  
  I had a few faculty members who really shouldn't be teaching, and my dissertation mentor really struggled with her time constraints, but all in all I was very satisfied. I enjoyed my experience so much more than my traditional undergraduate degrees.
  
  In terms of a job, after a job loss in 2008, I was in the market quickly. In a relatively short period of time, I had interviews at 2 universities, one where I work now, and another at a big 10 school in Illinois. I had 3 interviews at both places, and had offers from both places. It wasn't about where I earned my degree. That didn't seem to matter. What mattered is I know my field well, can present that knowledge well, and have participated in scholarly activity. I know that might hurt to those who have been able to attend prestigious universities because they might feel "better than" me and others, but, that's not the way the world's turning any longer.
  
  In terms of measuring student success, they do keep track of us graduates, what we've done, what we keep doing, etc.
  
  The student support services were wonderful as well. The required colloquia (1 week residencies 3 times during your program) were priceless. I loved them.
  
  I don't regret my decision and do not feel less of a Dr. than anyone else in my field.

• Capella Experience
• Posted by Shawn Ambrose , Chair - Business and Technology Division at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College on February 4, 2011 at 4:45pm EST
• I'm glad to see that Capella has reached out to the Higher Education community, as not all for profits are painted with the same brush.
  
  I believe that my Capella doctoral degree has served me very well. I am active in the scholarly community (I have presented papers at five academic conferences, with a sixth paper proposed. In addition, I have, at the urging of my dissertation committee, especially my outside reader who is an associate editor for Armed Forces and Society, submitted a paper for publication.) All of my work has been well received.
  
  Generally, I received constructive feedback on my coursework, comp exams, and of course, the dissertation.
  
  The library services were top notch. I had access to virtually any resource I needed. In fact, I completed two courses towards my degree while I was deployed in Iraq, and Capella's Interlibary Loan service did mail books to me via my APO address.
  
  Yes, a degree from Capella is expensive; however, I received a good deal of financial assistance through the American Indian College Fund; and I plan to take advantage of the Public Service Option of the Student Loan Forgiveness Program.
  
  Between juggling a family of seven children, my full-time teaching position, and until August 2009, service in the Army National Guard, a traditional Ph.D. program was simply impossible for me. I'm glad that Capella University was a viable option for me.
  

• Capella exceeded my expectations!
• Posted by Recent Capella PhD Graduate , Director of Ergonomics on February 10, 2011 at 12:30pm EST
• I graduated from Capella with a PhD in Training & Performance Improvement in Dec. 2010. I have only great things to say about Capella. I especially enjoyed the model upon which the courses are built. This is the scholar-practitioner model.
  
  Many of my friends who attended traditional non-profit schools and obtained their PhDs there were so grounded in theory that they did not know how to apply what was learned in the corporate and educational settings. Capella utilizes the scholar-practitioner model to keep this from happening. Theory is important and explored, but during my time at Capella, the theory was actually implemented in my work setting.
  
  Also, I have many life-long friends that I met at the Capella colloquia (residencies) and we have challenged each other to develop new ideas and to implement these ideas in work settings such as higher ed. and the corporate settings.
  
  As an alum of Capella, I am very happy to have access to the extensive library at Capella, which has been a tremendous help since the company that I work for is an evidence-based practice.
  
  I can tell you that my pay has increased and have been offered numerous high-paying jobs ($100k+). I would definitely recommend Capella to anyone that is interested in working on their doctorate. Many of my professors are leaders in their respective industries and serve or served in leadership roles in national and international professional organizations related to their respective fields.
  
  Great job Capella! I am proud to be a Capella grad!

• Capella
• Posted by Jeff on February 14, 2011 at 2:15pm EST
• I've gone to 4 different online schools now and Capella is the last stop. They provide great resources and a great learning experience. They aren't as cheap as some nor as expensive; there sort of in the middle. They have high integrity in my book and have done a great job. Online school isn't easy... It's for people with discipline and the desire to learn and educate themselves. I think that people give online a bad review because they think it gets them there with no effort! Capella is great and I'm actually finishing my Bachelors and moving to my Masters with them.