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"Next Monday, I have a staff meeting with the Governor bright and early at 8 a.m. At 9 a.m., I meet with my own staff in the department, and am then busy until 5 p.m. attending other meetings and working in my office. After leaving work, I need to get on the highway so I can make it to campus to teach my criminal justice class from 6-10 p.m. Mondays are pretty full days for me."
The exhausting day just described is a normal one for Donna Burns, the Chief of Staff for Georgia's Department of Homeland Security who also teaches three criminal justice and criminology classes at University of Phoenix "I've always enjoyed being in an academic environment, and I think my next career will probably center around teaching. I served in the criminal justice field for 25 years, and think students could benefit from that experience."
Burns is a member of the faculty at University of Phoenix an institution highly regarded for providing quality education to working adults. Instructors like Burns have graduate degrees in the fields they teach, but also work as full-time professionals. This part-time "practitioner faculty" is lead by a team of full-time instructors that teach at over 130 campuses across the country, and provide guidance to their counterparts in the field.
"I've just finished training to teach a class for the University of Phoenix's FlexNet® program," said Burns. FlexNet® is a degree format that mixes traditional classroom instruction with online discussion and coursework. "The course I'll be teaching will extend over a five-week period. The class will meet on campus for the first and last weeks, and online for the other weeks."
Apart from this FlexNet® program, University of Phoenix also offers courses completely online or in a traditional classroom setting in the evening and weekends so working adults can earn a degree without negatively affecting their careers. University of Phoenix was accredited in 1978, and because those involved created a working model for non-traditional education, the institution has grown at a feverish pace. They currently have approximately 125,000 students enrolled in bachelor's, master's, or PhD programs either online or on-campus.
Educational flexibility is one of the factors that lead to growth within University of Phoenix but a reputation of academic excellence formed from quality instruction has also drawn waves of students. All instructors complete an extensive training program before being allowed to teach a course, and are assigned mentors to observe and guide them along the way. "I'm training to teach this FlexNet® course and just finished the first phase, which was an intensive four-week simulation of the course from the student's perspective. I will next be assigned a mentor, who I'll work with to improve my teaching skills and understanding of the FlexNet® online system," explained Burns.
University of Phoenix encourages those already working in a particular field to become faculty, because they know the educational benefits derived from cutting-edge industry knowledge. "When I was in college, my classes were taught by professors whose experiences were limited to the classroom. Because of my position at the Department of Homeland Security, I have access to many experts living and breathing the subject material in our textbooks. For example, I will often bring in forensic scientists from our Georgia Crime DNA Center to enhance the course. When a student wants to delve deeper into a subject where I know an expert, I'll put the two together. I have helped students find professional mentors, and have given career advice when I could," said Burns.
This dedication to students beyond the classroom is shared by many of the nearly 8,000 accomplished managers, technology leaders, professional educators, corporate executives, financial officers, healthcare and human service professionals, and leaders in other professional arenas that fill the ranks of the University of Phoenix's instructor pool.
When asked how her students compared to the typical college student, Burns responded, "They are serious about getting the most out of their courses, because they see a direct benefit to themselves post-graduation. Balancing these classes, a job, and often family responsibilities takes a lot of focus." Those students worried about being able to find the energy needed for this balancing act would be encouraged by walking in Donna Burns's shoes for a day.
By Kirk Bangstad
About the author
A freelance writer, Kirk Bangstad is an artist manager and singer working in Chicago, IL. His previous experience includes consulting for technology companies in the Silicon Valley and serving as a field director and publicist for a statewide political campaign. Kirk holds a B.A. in government from Harvard University.
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