DEPAUL WILL EXTEND ITS HISTORICAL COMMITMENT TO PROVIDING
ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION BY DEVELOPING NEW CURRICULAR STRUCTURES THAT SERVE
THE LIFELONG LEARNING NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTS. These include alternative, more affordable curricular
pathways for high-need students, continuing education and certificate programs
for adult learners and alumni, expanded online offerings, and flexible
curricula. DePaul also will significantly expand graduate and undergraduate
programs for students interested in health-related careers through external
partnerships and expanded support for existing programs.
4.1 Deliver
academic programs with alternative access points, including those that address
the lifelong learning needs of students and alumni
A. Create baccalaureate degree-completion programs, with
flexible delivery methods, such as short courses and online or weekend classes,
responsive to the needs of adult learners.
B. Develop and deliver high-quality online programs in
selected areas that have potential for significant new enrollments.
C. Improve accessibility and flexibility of curricula for
transfer students.D. Study moving from a quarter-based to a semester-based
academic calendar.
4.2 Secure
DePaul’s position as a leading provider of graduate and continuing professional
education
A. Create new, innovative, and sustainable graduate
programs in select areas that capitalize on DePaul’s distinctive expertise.
B. Strengthen existing graduate and professional programs
to ensure offerings prepare our students for emerging career opportunities and
respond to societal needs.
C. Develop post-baccalaureate programs, such as
unbundling selected curricula into course sequences for skill-focused
certificates and credentials, that respond to the lifelong learning and career
advancement needs of working professionals, including DePaul alumni.
4.3 Expand
academic programs for students interested in health-related careers
A. Develop new health-related undergraduate and graduate
programs through external partnerships or other strategies.
B. Expand support for existing health-related programs.
C. Expand pre-professional advising and support for
students interested in health careers.
4.4 Improve
affordability and increase the transparency and predictability of students’
educational cost
A. Create an affordable curricular pathway for Chicago
Public Schools students with highest financial need through a partnership with
City Colleges.
B. Explore alternative pricing options, including
cohort-guaranteed tuition or a guaranteed net price model.
C. Develop clearer, more personalized approaches to
providing cost and financial aid information in the recruitment process,
including better methods for early estimates of long-term costs and financial aid.
D. Expand financial literacy, financial planning, and
financial counseling services for prospective and current students and parents
and develop a tool that allows students to track aid eligibility and debt.
E. Explore options to improve timely degree completion,
including extending aid to summer quarter courses and expanding summer online
and hybrid course offerings.
F. Provide support for faculty to explore and experiment
with ways to access more affordable course materials.
4.5 Develop and
realize a comprehensive and unified academic information technology vision to
support a state-of-the-art learning community
A. Develop an academic IT strategic plan for technology
support of teaching, learning, and scholarship that is shared and encourages
collaboration across colleges.
B. Design a university-level structure to support the
implementation of the academic IT strategic plan.
C. Build technology-enriched classroom and lab spaces to
support pedagogical and curricular innovation, the production and delivery of
high-quality online programs, and faculty and student research.