MINNEAPOLIS, November 9, 2010 – Capella University, an accredited online university* that has built its reputation by providing high quality online degree programs for working adults, announced today that the Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS) has selected Capella's online academic planning system for a CENTSS Innovation Award. More than 38,000 students are pursuing an online degree at Capella University (http://www.capella.edu), with 30 percent enrolled in Capella's doctoral degree programs, and 48 percent enrolled in Capella's master's degree programs.
CENTSS, an organization that helps higher education institutions use technology to improve student services, selected 20 award winners in five categories of student services. The winners were also classified according to the sophistication of the technology used, with Generation 5 being the most interactive and personalized use of technology. Capella's academic planning system received first place in the Academic Services Suite category, Generation 5, and was the only Generation 5 project to win a first place award. CENTSS also selected Capella's academic planning system as one of the award winners to be featured in a CENTSS presentation at the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET) conference November 10-13, 2010.
Capella's academic planning system serves as a central location to access information related to degree planning and transfer credit. "This has proven to be a very useful system for both our learners and our staff," said Tom Goudreault, director of initiative management, the Capella department that developed the new academic planning system. "The system's degree planner provides our learners and their advisors with a common tool to quickly identify whether a learner is on track with the degree plan, and to easily schedule and preregister for courses that will facilitate their progress toward graduation. The centralized data warehouse also reduces the time involved to evaluate transfer credits, substitutions, and equivalencies, while improving the consistency of these decisions. Our learners have told us the new system makes them feel more organized and motivated to continue making progress toward their educational goals."
About CENTSS The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and Seward Incorporated worked with the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications to develop the Center for Transforming Student Services (CENTSS) in 2005. The site, selected by StudentAffairs.com as a "Web Site of the Month," is a virtual resource for higher education institutions interested in assessing the quality of their student services offered via the Web. The CENTSS Innovation Awards recognize educational institutions that use creative strategies, innovative technology, and fresh thinking to design, develop, implement, and maintain online student services that produce measureable results. For more information, please visit www.centss.org.
About Capella University Capella University (www.capella.edu) is an accredited*, fully online university that has built its reputation by providing quality education for working adults. Nearly 80 percent of Capella students are currently enrolled in master's, specialist, or doctoral degree programs in business, information technology, education, human services, nursing, psychology, public administration, public health, and public safety. Capella also offers bachelor's degree programs in business, information technology, public administration, and public safety. Within those areas, Capella currently offers 136 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 17 certificate programs. More than 38,000 learners were enrolled as of September 30, 2010, from all 50 states and 52 other countries. Capella is committed to providing high-caliber academic excellence and pursuing balanced business growth. Founded in 1993, Capella University is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capella Education Company, headquartered in Minneapolis. For more information, please visit http://www.capella.edu or call 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552).
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* Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), www.ncahlc.org. Capella University, Capella Tower, 225 South Sixth Street, Ninth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402, 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552), www.capella.edu.
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