University of Phoenix was one of five organizations to be honored in 2005 for innovative and effective uses of technologies in education and serving students. WCET (Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications) selected the University from dozens of nominations to receive a WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) award. University received the award for its rEsource electronic portal.
An Incubator for Digital Education Innovation
The rEsource electronic portal was created by University of Phoenix to organize and distribute a rich variety of academic content and learning tools in a digital format. Through the rEsource electronic portal, University of Phoenix students and faculty can access the materials needed to complete their courses.
The rEsource electronic portal has served as an incubator for new ways to use digital content and technology to improve student learning. Since its introduction several years ago, teams of faculty members, instructional designers and learning technologists continue to develop innovative learning tools and assets to make the portal an increasingly valuable and effective means of facilitating student learning. Included in the rEsource electronic portal are:
- The eBook Collection—This consists of hundreds of electronic textbooks that can be accessed at any time. In many courses, selected readings are compiled from a variety of textbooks, providing the best of the best.
- Topic-based online simulations—These custom simulations place students into real-world environments as key decision makers. The sophisticated electronic demonstrations enable students to explore and manipulate information in order to test hypotheses and assess results in a controlled environment. Students apply critical-thinking skills to decision-making situations.
- Virtual Organizations—These are realistic electronic environments for businesses, schools, health care, and government organizations. The Internet and intranet sites for these fictitious organizations enable students to access the minute details of a real-world work setting, including fictitious confidential or proprietary data that would otherwise be unavailable.
