University of Phoenix

Phoenix – October 31, 2026 -- Sixty-two percent of employers say their employees are developing AI skills faster than their organizations can adapt, according to findings cited in a new University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies white paper on rural workforce development.

The paper, "Bridging the Rural AI Skills Gap: Overcoming Informal Adoption, Resource Constraints, and Career Pathway Traps," was written by Stella Smith, Ph.D., associate university research chair at the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR). It draws on the University of Phoenix Career Institute 2026 Career Optimism Index study and applies its national findings to rural labor markets.

Half of workers learn AI without employer training, and 48% of employers fear losing AI-fluent staff

The national figures cited in the paper:

PHOENIX – October 30, 2026 -- Kelly Hermann, vice president of Accessibility and Student Affairs at University of Phoenix, co-presented two sessions at the WCET Annual Conference, focusing on audit-ready accessibility documentation and cross-functional governance in digital learning.

WCET, the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies, covers practice, policy and advocacy for digital learning in higher education. The three-day conference ran Oct. 14-16.

Preconference workshop targets defensible accessibility records

Hermann co-presented "Making Accessibility Defensible: What to Document and Why," which examined how institutions can build programs that support governance, audit readiness and consistent decision-making across digital learning environments, course materials and support services.

PHOENIX – October 30, 2026 -- University of Phoenix, Boise State University, Johns Hopkins University and the Medical University of South Carolina will present a joint session on implementing the Digital Education Council AI Literacy Framework at the AAC&U Conference on AI and Higher Education, held Oct. 28-30 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Four institutions report on one framework applied across different missions

The session, titled "One Framework, Four Missions: Implementing the Digital Education Council's AI Literacy Framework Across Diverse Institutions," draws on the experience of four institutions that took part in AAC&U's 2025-2026 Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. University of Phoenix will be represented by Susan Hadley, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the College of General Studies.

Phoenix – October 16, 2026 -- University of Phoenix put three conference sessions on credit for prior learning (CPL), skills recognition and microcredentials in front of higher education leaders at 2026 Convergence: Credential Innovation in Higher Education, held Oct. 13-15 in Washington, D.C.

Marc Booker, PhD., vice provost of Strategy, and Cate Tolnai, director of Microcredentials & Innovation Credential Strategy, represented the university. UPCEA and AACRAO jointly presented the annual conference, which focuses on credentialing, learner mobility and workforce-aligned education.

Booker and Tolnai detail a CPL-to-skills-to-microcredential workflow

The two co-presented "Connecting Value Chains for Mobility: CPL to Skills to Microcredentials." Drawing on University of Phoenix practices and findings, the session outlined a process linking life experiences, education and career pathways through CPL-to-skills-to-microcredential workflows.

Phoenix – September 26, 2026 -- A peer-reviewed study from University of Phoenix examining AI-supported storytelling in environmental science education has been named an Editor's Choice paper by the journal Glacies.

Study links AI-generated imagery to measurable gains in student engagement

The paper, "Harnessing AI, Virtual Landscapes, and Anthropomorphic Imaginaries to Enhance Environmental Science Education at Jökulsárlón Proglacial Lagoon, Iceland," was published in February 2026. It reports that 87.1% of surveyed students enjoyed the anthropomorphic narratives used in the course, while 82.0% agreed the approach reinforced systems thinking.

PHOENIX – September 21, 2026 -- New peer-reviewed research from University of Phoenix found that non-traditional undergraduate students who used generative AI tools more frequently reported higher GPAs and greater confidence in technology skills, contradicting assumptions that GenAI is primarily a crutch for struggling or time-pressed learners.

The study, "Strategic Integration or Skill Compensation? Understanding GenAI Use in Online Higher Education," was published September 21, 2026, in Artificial Intelligence in Education, Vol. 2, No. 1, pages 205-223. It was authored by researchers affiliated with the University's Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR): Jessica Sylvester, EdD; Melinda Kulick, EdD; Leonidas Maganares, EdD; and Stella Smith, PhD.

Phoenix – September 19, 2026 -- A peer-reviewed study of 380 U.S. college graduates has identified curriculum-career alignment as the highest-rated strategy for building employability, ahead of critical thinking training and real-world application opportunities.

Researchers surveyed 380 graduates across 11 employability strategies

The mixed-methods study, published in the International Journal of Innovative Business Strategies under the title "Graduate Employability in a Changing World," was conducted by scholars affiliated with the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR) at University of Phoenix College of Doctoral Studies. Respondents ranked connecting curriculum to careers as the top employability factor, followed by teaching critical thinking and adaptability, incorporating real-world applications, and encouraging internships or employment.

Phoenix – September 19, 2026 -- University of Phoenix has signed a new articulation agreement with York Technical College, giving eligible graduates of the South Carolina community college a defined transfer pathway into the university's online bachelor's degree programs.

University accepts up to 90 transfer credits under new pact

Under the agreement, eligible York Technical College students can apply up to 87 transfer credits toward many bachelor's degree programs at University of Phoenix, with select programs allowing up to 90 credits. The deal adds to a network the university describes as more than 500 articulation agreements with community colleges nationwide, alongside transfer credit acceptance from over 5,000 accredited institutions.

Phoenix – September 18, 2026 -- Ninety-eight percent of managers who directly supervise University of Phoenix graduates report overall satisfaction with those employees, and 97% say they would likely hire another University of Phoenix graduate in the future, according to new research from The Harris Poll commissioned by the university.

Harris Poll surveys 408 U.S. managers to benchmark employer experience

The Harris Poll conducted an online survey from June 4-25, 2026, among 204 U.S. managers supervising at least one University of Phoenix graduate and 204 managers supervising graduates from other colleges and universities. Of 1,796 individuals contacted, 96% met screening requirements (n=1,728), and 24% of the qualified sample completed the survey. Results carry a Bayesian credible interval of ±8.6 percentage points for the University of Phoenix group and ±8.0 percentage points for the benchmark group at a 95% confidence level.

Phoenix – September 17, 2026 -- University of Phoenix's College of Doctoral Studies will convene its 13th annual Knowledge Without Boundaries Summit on October 22-23, 2026, a fully online research conference featuring more than 90 research and scholarship presentations across disciplines.

Summit centers on research amid uncertainty and disruption

Co-sponsored by the Research and Scholarship Enterprise (RSE) and the College of Doctoral Studies, the event is themed "Research as Sense-Making in Times of Uncertainty" and titled "Exploring Scholarship, Society and Change." The interdisciplinary program addresses research practices during crisis and transition, methodological innovation amid data ambiguity, research ethics in high-stakes environments, and digital methods including artificial intelligence and algorithmic sense-making.