Aspen's new look

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by Randell1234, May 10, 2010.

Loading...
  1. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Aspens website has a new look and they are offering EdD's. It that new? Have they always offered them?
     
  2. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I don't like the site... it looks fake, which doesn't do the school justice. In fact, the DegreeInfo favorite, MUST University, has a much, much, much better site that would attract more people who are unaware of the little old accreditation thingy. Plus, it seems Aspen is the only school in the world that is offering doctorial (sic) degrees.
     
  3. emmzee

    emmzee New Member

    I don't like the new design either. The logo (the first thing most people will notice about the site) looks unprofessional. There is way too much text on the front page; hardly anyone will read it.

    Also, it may just be me, but it's personally a turn off to see one of those "Talk to a live representative!" graphics on a school's site ...
     
  4. jackrussell

    jackrussell Member

    Well they have been offering EdD at least since last year when I started. Already going to the 20% mark.

     
  5. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    I find the coat of arms especially intriguing. (Is it new? Wasn't on the site 6 months ago.)

    The only example I can find is the tiny one at the top of the home page, but it looks remarkably complex. Wonder where it came from. Surely not the Royal Herald of Colorado. I've sent it off to my buddy who is a world-class expert in armorial matters, for comment.
     
  6. telefax

    telefax Member

    It's certainly ornate. I'm reminded for some reason of the dialogue between the stuffy butler and the irate chef regarding decorating a wedding cake with the incomprehensible Sidwich coat of arms in The Lady Eve.

     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 10, 2010
  7. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    Recommendation

    Website looks cheezy and displays a lack of credibility! They need to lose the coat of arms and replace it with a picture of the institution with the rocky mountains in the background. Perhaps some aspen trees? In addition, they need a link to faculty bios so prospective students can see what caliber of faculty are teaching at this place. Just my 2 cents.

    Just noticed the link to the catalog which is a great idea. By the way, the faculty and their credentials are listed in the school catalog.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 10, 2010
  8. dlady

    dlady Active Member

    Well, the big push was to get the site re-hosted at an excellent off-site data center and get the new CMS technology in place. It is funny that the emblem has come up, as it has been a raging source of internal debate between the creative team, faculty, some of our department heads, and me. The logo was a unique commission for the alumni association a couple years ago. I personally really like it, I think it gives the school the proper sense of history (which Aspen does have, maybe more so than many other 100% on-line school). However, we took a Board vote late last week and the new emblem lost 5/4, so it is back to the old logo, which I think is okay but I really liked the new one. With the new technology we can easily move stuff around and manage web content, and of course start adding back in the more personalized parts like pictures of students, graduates, and so on, which we have already started doing and will continue to do as the content evolves.

    Things have moved slower than I would have liked (of course), but that is the nature of these things. I have completed my ten-month mark and we have been able to do a couple good things on my list: get a new LMS (Learning Management System) in place and move all the students over to it, upgrade to new internal technology infrastructure (email, backups, servers, collaboration tech), and get the new website infrastructure in place. In addition, we have updated about 75% of the curriculum to a more rigorous and interactive model including alignment and integration into a few of the major well respected textbook publishers. We have strengthen the core Faculty with some great new very dedicated and well credentialed people, and have increased the requirements on their interactions with the students.

    We’ve created and gotten DETC approval for seven or eight new programs, and have five more in the works (some with really exciting programmatic accreditation/approvals that have been secured). There will be an academic journal we start publishing annually with contributions from faculty, and more importantly students, as the top capstone projects will make an appearance. We now have in place several institutional and academic review boards, and are starting to have some doctorial students enter the final stages of the program so should have some good dissertation research starting up in the next year. We have Program Advisory Committees (PACs) in place and are scheduling those meetings for the rest of this year to include some reasonably well known outside professionals from different industries.

    Of course, we have the graduation ceremony scheduled for June 26 of this year and have about 300 to 400 people attending.

    There are probably many other things I have forgotten, but thought an update would be appropriate in this thread (instead of the lovely ‘fake’ comments above).

    DEL
     
  9. Ruble

    Ruble New Member

    You would think that a school that offers an MBA would have a little more marketing savvy.
     
  10. dlady

    dlady Active Member

    That is just mean spirited.
     
  11. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    It was just my "2 cents" with a spirit of concern, not cruelty. Heck, Aspen University is a fully accredited school, why not look the part! I'll probably get banned another month for expressing my opinions on this forum but the website is uninviting.
     
  12. dlady

    dlady Active Member

    I see you went to a different DETC school, good for you!
     
  13. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    The site looks fine to me - although I agree that the "Click here to talk to an admissions representative" does look a millish - i would get rid of the accompanying picture.
     
  14. Ruble

    Ruble New Member

    That was my thought exactly, you were simply much more tactful in your delivery than I.
     
  15. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I know it doesn't mean much but...

    Hi

    The site looked fine to me, too. What I DIDN'T see was the coat-of-arms under discussion - and thanks, Telefax! The Burrows-and-Emile quote was absolutely "a hoot hootlet!" All I saw was a plain, clean "AU" crest.

    Having the best -or worst- website design often has no reflection on the school. Some mills have state-of-the-art web presence, while some outstanding schools have bland - or even crankety and awkward - websites. (Maybe more mills can afford the best in web-architecture! :) )

    I think Aspen's site will do nicely - and it's a great school. Looking back, I believe a man who has long been one of my personal heroes, Michael Milken, had a lot to do with the emergence of ISIM, Aspen's predecessor.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 10, 2010
  16. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    If I offended you, I apologize, but that is my honest opinion.

    Here's another opinion: your reactions to my comment and Delta's comment were inapropriate for someone who has an interest in the sucess of the school. If I were looking for a school, I would be INSTANTLY turned off by that website, which means that you would lose one potential student.

    If Pepsi market researchers found that a large ammount of the public would be turned off by a new can design, would they get defensive (ie "that's just mean spirited!") and do it anyway?

    I'm not saying that Delta and I represent the majority of potential students in our opinions, however, how do you know that we don't? I honestly mean this with all due respect (of which both you and Aspen deserve much), if the Aspen web design team ignores the opinion of the public it would be a VERY bad career move...

    *PS*

    1) The coat of arms is fine.

    2) I love the name Aspen.

    3) One of the links on the front page is for "Doctorial" degrees. :p
     
  17. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    You're right!

    The bottom line is that Aspen University is accredited and appears to have a solid faculty.
    I was simply judging the "book cover".
     
  18. dlady

    dlady Active Member

    This keeps coming up, I don't see it. Where on the front page is it?
     
  19. Tireman 44444

    Tireman 44444 Well-Known Member

    Dave,

    I like it. PM me if you can Dave....or email me at my personal email
     
  20. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Good news, it has been fixed, you now offer "Doctorate" :D
     

Share This Page