The University of Wisconsin-Platteville's reputation as a destination for online learning has been bolstered again. The school has been recognized as one of the top five Technology Savvy Online Schools in 2021 by Online Schools Center.
The ratings are based on a variety of factors, including online program criteria, student services, innovative technology practices, technical support, and breadth of online offerings. In choosing UW-Platteville, Online School Center noted the university's use of technology such as Canvas, Pioneer Administrative Software System (PASS), and Handshake.
Academic Technology and Services Manager Regina Nelson credits the UW-Platteville faculty for putting an onus on utilizing innovative technology in their courses.
"Technology, when used by faculty who understand how to use it effectively, can provide an engaging online course experience," Nelson said. "There is a lot of innovation that flows from the disciplines into how the faculty teach. Having a lot of faculty in STEM fields has created a faculty-centered comfort level with how technology is used in classes."
Michael Sullivan is a UW-Platteville online alum and an instructor in the Organizational Change Leadership master's program. He said UW-Platteville has a rich history of leveraging learning technologies to help students receive a robust distance education.
"UW-Platteville is constantly assessing, developing, and implementing new technologies to make the learning experience a win-win for the students," Sullivan said. "What we succeed at is how the technology blends into each learning module in a way that is enables learning, especially for non-traditional and working students."
UW-Platteville also earned high marks for its student services and support. The Office of Professional Program Support is an entire department dedicated to serving the online student population. The department's mission is to empower, guide, and advocate for each of the university's distance students throughout their entire academic journey at UW-Platteville. That includes things like advising, student services, support services, tutoring and much more.
"Supporting, guiding and advocating for our students is at the forefront of what we do," said Office of Professional Program Support Director Michelle Zasada. "Technology helps us do that by expanding student access to information and resources."
UW-Platteville offers 11 undergraduate degrees, including Associate of Arts and Sciences; Associate of Science in Business Administration; Associate of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management; Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences; Bachelor of Science in Applied Computing; and Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice; plus Bachelor's of Business Administration in Finance, Human Resource Management, Integrated Marketing, Integrated Supply Chain Management, and Management. The nine master's degree programs are Applied Biotechnology, Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity, Engineering, Healthcare Administration, Integrated Supply Chain Management, Organizational Change Leadership, Project Management and Strategic Management.
To learn more about the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's online programs, visit Go.UWPlatt.Edu/Online.