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« on: March 31, 2006, 12:01:06 PM » |
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Do any of you know anything about National University in California and Nevada? Have you worked for them? Gone to school there? Lived in the community around one of their campuses? If so, what are your impressions?
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National Anon
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« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2006, 12:35:48 PM » |
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I have taught at NU as an adjunct and have worked in other capacities for the school. They are, in some ways, a pay-for-a-degree university: Lots of K-12 teachers coming back for an M.A. to beef up their pay and international students who often don't have the language skills to do other programs.
However, there are some really good things about NU:
Pay can be generous
I know many smart people who teach there and do enforce high standards in their classrooms
Most of the facilities are really, really, really, really, really nice!
Classrooms are high-tech and wired for just about any media work one could imagine
The U offers a lot of support for online and other teaching with technology efforts
Classes are chock full o' mature, eager, nervous, older students -- I have rarely had to dealt with any of the behavior issues that can occur with young students
Feel free to ask other questions you might have . . .
[%sig%]
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National Anon
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« Reply #2 on: March 31, 2006, 02:22:18 PM » |
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If you're not in the game for institutional prestige and glamorous students, NU is a really great place -- but you have to be okay with a somewhat corporate model of education.
Even though I've moved to a TT on the East Coast, I would consider taking a TT job with them in Cali if it were offered.
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« Reply #3 on: March 31, 2006, 03:28:52 PM » |
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Can you explain what you mean by "a somewhat corporate model of education"? Is it a "for profit" school?
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National Anon
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« Reply #4 on: March 31, 2006, 04:03:32 PM » |
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Yes, incredibly tuition-driven and leans toward the "student as customer" model. Not that so-called public institutions don't do some of this, it is just more apparent at NU. I still enjoyed teaching there, though.
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Thundering Marshmallow
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« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2006, 10:49:12 PM » |
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I had a similar experience as described by National Anon, not at National but at a similarly transparent business-model school, i.e., no sports teams or dorms or pretense of liberal arts; primarily professional schools such as business or professional development for educators. The quality of the graduates was quite good, with a strong local reputation; the quality of the instructors was strong in clinical terms, not in academic terms. That said, the leadership was very strong academically and it showed throughout.
They were far more flexible and responsive to changes in certification laws, unlike the R1s or established SLACs that require endless levels of review to change programs. My current institution can barely update its programs before having to turn around and do the same again because the process is labyrinthine. I can't imagine more traditional schools having such free rein to adjust start and stop times for quarters to accommodate K-12 school years.
Finally, the support services were similarly customer-oriented, so students had far less hassle with registration and bursar-related issues.
Oh, and for courses that do not really require interacdtion to master the content, their online efforts were state of the art.
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