UWM has an increasing national reputation for innovations in online and blended program delivery. Some of the most notable initiatives are outlined below.

TechEd Frontiers

UWM has developed a new line of business to serve employers called TechEd Frontiers. It is an online talent development product that enables individuals in the workplace to learn new skills and advance in their career. Online upskilling pathways consist of a series of learning modules. After earning the badges in a pathway, the individual earns a credential that can be converted into credit toward a degree. UWM’s online learning modules are unique in that they are customizable to meet employers’ business needs. They follow our proprietary U-Pace model, which embraces proven mastery-based learning techniques and includes personalized assistance, coaching and evaluation. The modules are also founded in a research-based curriculum that has earned the University recognition as one of the top-rated research schools in the United States.


The Flexible Option

UWM is a leading participant in the UW Flexible Option Program (Flex), a portfolio of online degrees and certificates that are offered in a self-paced, competency-based format. Administered through a collaboration with UW-Extension, Flex is designed for adult non-traditional learners. UWM’s Flex offerings (B.S. degrees in Nursing, Information Science & Technology, Biomedical Science-Diagnostic Imaging submajor, Biomedical Science-Health Sciences submajor, an Associates of Arts and Sciences, and an undergraduate certificate in Business and Technical Communications) first enrolled students in January 2014. To date, 200+ students have graduated from UWM’s Flex Option programs.

Overviews


U-Pace

UWM’s U-Pace online instructional approach, co-developed by Psychology Professors Diane Reddy and Raymond Fleming, has garnered four national awards since 2011 and grants from the Gates Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education for a large-scale randomized controlled trial involving 1,900+ students across three disciplines at UWM. Instructors at more than 35 universities nationwide have adopted U-Pace.


The DETA Research Center

Academic Affairs has received a $1.48M grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish a national Center for the Study of Distance Education and Technological Advancement (DETA). The DETA Center will 1) develop and disseminate a national research model for online education and 2) identify and evaluate effective course and institutional practices in online learning and competency-based education for all students, including those who are economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, and adult learners. Diane Reddy, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and Psychology, and Tanya Joosten, Academic Affairs and Communication, are co-directors of the DETA Center. Grant partners include UW System, UW-Extension, MATC, and EDUCAUSE.