What do U of Phoenix professors actually research?

Question

As I suffer through another grueling semester in a science curriculum at a national research university, I came accross a University of Phoenix student, doing homework at work, who was getting his master's degree online because it is 'quicker'. I was a little annoyed at his comment that online university is "the better way to go". Now, I don't have to mention that I'm a science student, and the MBA and undergrad business degrees are a whole different ball game - but I am certain that University of Phoenix students don't have to give presentations, study in laboratories, join proffessional societies and network, intern with companies to gain experience, and suffer the excruciating pain of dealing with proffessors who want to push you to absolute limit of your ability.

If online university is legit, then what do the proffessors research? Where does it get grants from? What papers do they publish? What projects do they work on?

What are the entrance requirements?

I don't mean to hate on online degrees. I do understand that many of our state colleges have issues about turning their MBA programs into a degree factory. In fact, most business colleges are degree factories at heart - no research goes on, no grants are given, they run by pumping as many students through as efficiently as possible without losing accreditation; while science/law/medicine programs represent education's oldest programs, and host proffessional interest as well as research within universities.

How can an online college like U of P offer an advanced medical degree like neurosurgery. Any medical degree, even a pre-med BS requires massive ammounts of hands on experience, as well as networking, presentations, and field studies. Not to mention the 'experience' that moulds an immature student into a hardened proffessional.

Answer 1

Don't let the ignorant response get you down. You've struck on one of the limitations of places like the University of Phoenix. No one will earn a degree in the sciences at UoP that any employer will respect. Distance based microbiology (for example) just won't work.

You're also correct when you infer that people working on degrees (particularly graduate degrees) from UoP will not likely realize the careers that folks doing similar degrees at brick and mortar universities (even through their distance programs) will one day realize. Much of education, particularly at the graduate level has little to do with textbooks.

Finally, as to the issue of research and grants... No, UoP faculty aren't evaluated by their scholarship. As a result, you might conclude that much of them don't participate in research, though my understanding is that some actually are studying on-line learning which seems logical (though I've never seen a paper from a UoP faculty member). To the extent that this lack of scholarship affects teaching, then you can conclude that UoP students are similarly affected. -Note that I didn't restrict this to positive or negative effects...- Certainly this is critical at the graduate level since graduate degrees are inherently *research* degrees (MBAs are an exception of course).

Finally, the anti-research response above comes from ignorance. Universities are, of course, educational institutions, but this has *always* meant that research is an integral part of the mission of universities. In the sciences, this traditionally meant basic science, not patent hunting as it does to some schools these days. But in response to the person above, research grants are used to decrease the cost of tuition in part, though obviously much of the funds are used for the research itself (gasp!). The research that goes on at most universities provides national and international *service,* not patent development. It is the type of research that private industry would never do as it's too far from possible commercial exploitation and business is nearly always only concerned with short-term profit.

Answer 2

As the largest educational institution in the country, the University of Phoenix hires gazillions of professors. Most of them appear to be part-timers who work full-time elsewhere.

You're right. UoP students don't have to give oral presentations, but they have to give written ones. They don't have to study in laboratories, but they have to study. They don't have to join professional societies and network, but you don't *have* to do that in person, and many online students, being already a part of their industry, are already networked better than most on-campus students. They don't intern with companies, because they are already doing *paid* work for the companies. And if you think the excruciating pain of dealing with professors is exclusive to on-campus study, you have no idea.

If oncampus university is legit, then who does the teaching while the professors are busy researching? If it gets grants, what in the bleep do they need to charge tuition for? If the school exists to publish papers, why don't they give copies of all these papers to everybody who is paying tuition?

By definition, a university is an *educational* institution. It is created to educate for life and for a profession and to grant degrees. If you think it exists to invent military ordnance, operate cafeterias offering inedible gelatin desserts, and to sell tickets to sporting events, you're missing the point.

Are you *learning* anything for your tuition dollars?

Answer 3

I've always questioned the validity of online colleges that are not part of a actual university's distance learning program. Just because they are accredited does not mean they are going to get a good education. Education is far more than doing an assignment correctly and turning it in on time.

I have a cousin in UofP programs. She isn't learning anything.

I think the entrance requirements are "Do you have money to give us?"