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2016 Education Guide
DePaul brings its student experience to the Academy
Nearly 100 Chicago Lodge 7 members felt the “Back to School” excitement in a personal way this fall when they, too, went back to the classroom in one of DePaul University’s new degree programs being offered at the Chicago Police Academy. DePaul debuted its presence at the Academy with three degree programs, each tai- lored specifically for Chicago Police Officers and Lodge 7 members.
“We could not be more thrilled to welcome so many officers to the DePaul community this fall,” said Suzanne Depeder, Associate Vice-President of Graduate and Adult Enrollment at DePaul. “It has been very rewarding to see just how much interest there is in DePaul and in our de- gree programs.”
Depeder noted how the university worked with the Lodge 7 leaders and members to identify which pro- grams and degrees would best serve the personal and professional goals of members of the Chicago Police De- partment.
“We have always appreciated having Chicago’s police officers in our classrooms, but this partnership added a new level of engagement and an opportunity for us to provide a service to the city of Chicago through our edu- cational mission,” said Depeder.
The three degree programs which began this fall quar- ter include: an undergraduate degree completion pro- gram in the university’s college for adults, a master of jurisprudence through the School of Law and a doctoral program in the College of Education.
Although each program is unique in its curricular fo- cus, one common element between all three programs is the design of the classroom and student experience. While officers appreciate the ease of taking classes at the Chicago Police Academy, these DePaul students are ben- efitting from being part of a DePaul cohort, or academic team of classmates. The value of the cohort experience is that students are part of a learning community that will support them as they go through the program. Students begin and finish the program together with a shared set of experiences that enriches their learning and connec- tion to one another.
“Knowing you have a partner or set of classmates to turn to on a regular basis can be an enormous factor in student success,” said Depeder.
Learning in a cohort model is a particularly positive approach when classes are being taught outside of a uni- versity’s traditional campus and when collaboration and teamwork are integral to the curriculum as they also are to police work.
DePaul student experience over to the Chicago Police Academy,” said Depeder. “DePaul has served adult and graduate students for decades, so our faculty feel very comfortable teaching this population, yet we also want the officers to feel connected to the larger university and its resources to enhance the overall experience.”
To help in that regard, each of the three current pro- grams has designated coordinators to serve as liaisons between students and the faculty or their colleges. These coordinators will assist in such areas as communicat- ing programming information, facilitating advising and serving as a go-to contact for students.
DePaul plans to add two additional degree programs at the Chicago Police Academy beginning in January 2017: a second Bachelor of Arts degree completion program through the university’s college for adults, the School for New Learning, as well as a Master of Public Administra- tion through the School for Public Service.
To learn more about DePaul’s programs, visit go.de- paul.edu/fop.
“Our goal was to make sure we could bring a quality
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