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.