Bottega University

Bottega University, previously New Charter University from 2010 to 2020, is a for-profit, accredited distance learning university headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

Accreditation and institutional recognition

Bottega University is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Bottega University is also an institutional member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the American Council on Education (ACE), the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning (CAEL) and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers.

History

Bottega University was launched as Andrew Jackson University in 1994 by Robert McKim Norris Jr. and D. Michael Barrett, both graduates of the Cumberland School of Law and colleagues at a Birmingham, Alabama law firm. The school was designed as a university catering the needs of adult learners that was both accessible and affordable. Andrew Jackson University was founded as a not-for-profit. The first classes took place in 1994 in Birmingham, Alabama.

UniversityNow, Inc. acquired the school in December 2010 and officially changed its name to New Charter University in early 2011. As part of the transition, the university was reestablished in San Francisco, California as a for-profit institution. In June 2012, the university was awarded a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, through its Next Generation Learning Challenges organization, and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation to fund research into innovative delivery models in higher education that have the potential to generate high student outcomes at an affordable cost. UniversityNow's funding to relaunch the university came from investors including Kapor Capital, University Ventures, Novak Biddle Venture Partners, Charles River Ventures, Greylock Partners, SV Angel, Floodgate, and 500 Global, with $42 million in total capital raised over four rounds, ending in September 2013. During an October 2013 interview regarding UniversityNow’s decision to pursue venture funding and eschew federal, Title IV, funds, UniversityNow co-founder and President Emerita of Mills College, Dr. Janet Holmgren, described its approach as having “married for-profit with social justice.”

In January 2015, the university relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah when it was acquired by Global Heritage Education and its parent, Knod Global Learning Foundation. Knod's leadership and board included Graham Doxey, cofounder of Neumont College, William Hansen, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education, Dr. Henry Eyring, president of Brigham Young University, and Dr. Nicholas Donofrio, Connecticut Board of Regents Chair for Higher Education. Knod’s leadership and investors had successfully established new institutes of higher education in the United States, Malaysia, China, and Australia. The foundation’s stated mission was to help develop the global middle-class by enabling students, educators and employers to collaborate on real-world projects together, generating the hands-on experiences its graduates would need to jumpstart their careers. In May 2015, Knod announced an investment of $6.2 million and extended the university’s bachelor’s degree program to students in Africa. The program, launched in Kenya, offered sponsored, hybrid-online education, with a focus on project-based learning and corporate competencies development. In July 2015, the university signed an agreement with the European School of Economics to offer degrees in finance, management, and marketing, as well as internship programs located in London, New York, Rome, Milan, Florence, and Madrid.

In April 2018, New Charter and Bottega announced a strategic partnership to integrate their respective technologies to offer students a new software development learning management system and educational platform called Code Lab. During a keynote speech at Utah’s annual technology conference, Silicon Slopes, Bottega announced a donation of more than $5 million worth of Code Lab programs to high school students and teachers in Utah. The company further committed to donate another $5 million by the summer of 2024. According to Eric Wold, Bottega’s CEO at that time, the programs aimed to address the skills gap and the digital divide in the state, while also collecting insights to improve the companies’ learning platforms. Wold stated two main goals for the donations of coding programs to Utah. The first goal was to introduce coding to thousands of young people, especially young women, who made up more than one-third of the participants, and Wold indicated that this percentage was higher than the national average and that the participants learned advanced computer science skills. The second goal was to address the lack of instructors with computer science teaching credentials, which limited the availability of computer science classes in schools. Bottega said that it had received approval from the Utah State Board of Education to offer its training to public teachers for free. At the time of the announcement, 119 teachers had started the training, which the company expected to increase the number of computer science classes in Utah schools. Wold explained the motivation behind the donations as a belief that technology education could benefit everyone and that the private sector had a responsibility to contribute to the state’s economic and educational development; he credited Utah Governor Gary Herbert, with whom Wold announced the programs, for creating the favorable environment for novel educational programs such as these. In August 2019, following the public launch of the Code Lab, Global Heritage and the university were acquired by Bottega, LLC, and DEAC granted Bottega permission in June 2020 to change the university's name to Bottega University.

In October 2019, Paul Ahlstrom of Alta Global Ventures announced an investment of $10 million in Bottega to train 6,000 students in Jamaica annually. The program, Coding Foundations, was designed to train 1,000 students in full stack engineering and 5,000 students in computer science. The first year of training was supported through the Bottega Perpetual Endowment Fund, partly funded by Ahlstrom and other investors at Alta Global Ventures.

In April 2020, the VASS Group, a global solutions consultancy headquartered in Madrid, announced that its foundation led an investment with Bottega to launch bilingual versions of its courses in Spain. The round was led by the VASS Foundation in partnership with the Adecco Foundation, the Mapfre Foundation, the Bankinter Foundation, the Universia Foundation, la Caixa Foundation, and the Endesa Foundation. The launch and partnership were crafted in response to the European Union's deployment of the economic recovery programme Next Generation EU, which made boosting employable, digital skills among Spain's population a top priority for the government. Starting in 2021, Spain's Autonomous Communities and City Councils embarked on several actions. Madrid's City Council and the VASS Foundation funded a selective and immersive training pilot in basic programming skills. For the pilot, 120 people were trained and introduced to the world of programming using Bottega's devCamp LMS. In the second half of 2022, the Basque Employment Service, LANBIDE, with the support of the VASS Foundation, announced the Developers From Euskadi project, as a public-private partnership. The challenge was to train 400 unemployed citizens in the basics of programming in six weeks. Bottega's Coding Foundations provided the platform to acquire basic knowledge of various programming languages through 60 hours of interactive lessons. All participants were to be graded on the outcomes of a web programming capstone project, and 100 of those students would graduate to a second, fully-funded, 600-hour full-stack specialisation provided by Bottega, together with local mentors and counselors to integrate the students into employment opportunities. The challenge was not a trivial one for the Basque region, which ranks near the top in Spain for per capita income, and the pilot experienced some challenges during rollout. Although the English-Spanish methodology allowed access to the original material with subtitles, and contact with specialist mentors was available in either language, the bilingual format was a deterrent for some students. Additionally, while accessing coursework was easier than attending in-person by removing the need to travel, this methodology required additional programme overhead, and online training was not common in Spain's public programmes. Despite these challenges, the pilot was well received by the local government and program sponsors. Of the almost 600 applicants, 404 people were finally admitted and only 6.2% of the students dropped out of the experience. Of those who successfully completed, 46% were women. In the programme's mandated completion surveys, students gave the experience an average score of 9.3 points out of 10, and the average mark achieved by the second-phase students was 9.1 out of 10. The success was such that the Basque Employment Service and the VASS Foundation increased funding to ensure that 200 people, not just the 100 originally planned, would take part in the second phase of training. As a result of these pilots' outcomes, in June 2023 the VASS Group extended the partnership with Bottega to launch a bilingual, global technology training campus. Coursework includes certifications in full stack development, agile project management, communication, and management.

Academics

Bottega University offers associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degree programs in business, communication, computer science, and technology. Specializations include entrepreneurship, finance, health care management, human resource management, marketing, and technology management. Certificates in business and full-stack development are offered as well.

Distance learning

From the time of its founding in 1994, the university has delivered all of its programs through distance learning, allowing students to learn remotely, without being physically present in a classroom. Its founders and subsequent leadership cited social justice factors including affordability, class mobility, and accessibility as being their primary motivators for this approach.

Virtual Learning Environment

For its relaunch in 2012 and through multiple funding rounds, the university developed a proprietary, online, virtual learning environment (VLE) to conduct courses, facilitate proctored examinations, and manage all student information, including applications and admissions. Historically, VLEs have been used in distance learning to facilitate the management of educational courses by teachers for their students. VLEs are digital spaces that include learning management systems, student information systems and other educational technology. Following the university’s rollout in Africa, faculty subsequently published research on the difficulties that virtual learning faced in developing countries, with Kenya as the basis for the study. The findings cited socio-economic factors, internet connectivity limitations from low public sector investment, and inadequate teacher training as critical factors that hindered broader virtual learning expansion for the region at the time.

For invigliation, Bottega utilizes virtual proctoring technology developed by then-president of Andrew Jackson University, Donald Kassner. With the acquisition by UniversityNow, Kasser spun-off the technology platform as a standalone company, Meazure Learning, which licenses its solution to education institutions including Athabasca University, the Law School Admissions Council, McGraw-Hill Education, University of Iowa, University of Mississippi, University of Texas - Austin, and Western Governor’s University.

With the funding it received from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Hewlett Foundation, UniversityNow undertook the development of its own competency-based learning management and student information systems. The LMS was featured in studies by Educause and awarded a grant by its Next Generation Learning Challenges program. After agreeing to the acquisition of New Charter by Global Heritage and the Knod Foundation, UniversityNow sold the LMS to National University for an undisclosed sum.

Bottega acquired coding learning management system, devCamp, in January 2017. The LMS delivers project-driven learning for software developers though the use of generative artificial intelligence and machine learning to produce learning content and assess student progress. In February 2017, Bottega announced at the Silicon Slopes technology conference that devCamp had trained more than twenty thousand students, and in August 2019, the university announced, at the same conference, that number had risen to forty thousand students.

Competency-based learning

With its relaunch in June 2012, the university redesigned its educational framework to utilize competency-based learning.

Competency-based learning (CBL) is a framework for teaching and assessment of learning that focuses on outcomes and real-world performance. In a CBL framework, students demonstrate their learned knowledge and skills in order to achieve specific competencies. The set of competencies for a specific course or at a specific educational institution is sometimes referred to as competency architecture.

CBL is an evolution from traditional educational models because it is learner-directed. In a CBL framework, students have more control over their learning and can therefore pace themselves. Additionally, CBL allows different students to move at varying paces within a course, which can help ensure that each student has the opportunity to master the material. CBL also focuses on the demonstration of competence when considering students' progress and measures it by formative assessments. This approach is different from traditional learning methods that use summative testing. Finally, CBL provides individualized support for students, which can help ensure that each student has the resources they need.

One of the biggest challenges with CBL is ensuring that the competencies being assessed are relevant and meaningful. Additionally, CBL requires a significant amount of time and effort to develop and implement. Despite these challenges, CBL has the potential to improve educational outcomes by ensuring that students are prepared for success in the workforce.

Project-based learning

With the rollout in Africa through the Knod Foundation, the university integrated a project-based learning model into its curricula. Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching and learning approach that emphasizes real-world problem-solving and collaboration over traditional delivery models. In a higher education context, PBL is a pedagogical approach that involves students working on projects that are designed to be complex and open-ended. These projects are often interdisciplinary and require students to apply knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines in order to solve real-world problems.

In a PBL framework, students work in teams to identify a problem or challenge, conduct research, develop a solution, and present their findings to an audience. The process of working on a project helps students develop a range of skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and collaboration. Additionally, PBL can help students develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter and its relevance in real-world contexts. Knod’s method utilized sponsors from corporate environments who were mentors and coaches to the students in the program.

PBL can be an improvement over traditional educational models because it is learner-centered and emphasizes learner engagement over traditional delivery models. By working on projects that are relevant to their interests and goals, students have shown increased motivation to learn and are more likely to retain what they have learned. Additionally, PBL can help students develop a range of skills that are valued by employers, including teamwork, communication, and problem-solving.

Schools and affiliations

Bottega operates two schools, the College of Business and a Career Training Division. The curricula of the College of Business focus on professional competency development for adult learners; Institutional Learning Outcomes are used to assess analytical abilities, business knowledge, collaboration and adaptability, critical thinking skills, communication aptitude, social responsibility, personal ethics, and quantitative acumen. The curricula in the Career Training Division focus on technical competency in full-stack software development by emphasizing a project-based learning approach, including the delivery of capstones and the development of project portfolios. The university maintains academic and corporate university partnerships, including articulation agreements and opportunities to transfer credits among affiliate institutions through its partnership with Sophia Learning:

* Alabama State University
* Colorado State University Global
* European School of Economics
* Istituto Marangoni
* Liberty University
* Purdue Global
* University of Arizona Global Campus
* University of Maryland Global Campus
* University of Massachusetts Global
* Upper Iowa University
* The Workshop School
* Waldorf University
* VASS University

Bottega University is recognized by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) associate, the International Association of Universities (IAU). The IAU maintains UNESCO's World Higher Education Database (WHED), an authoritative record of accredited higher education institutions, higher education systems, and credentials in 196 countries and territories. Each institution in the WHED has a unique identifier, the Global WHED ID, which i
IAU-029669
for Bottega University. Bottega University's presence in the WHED validates its accreditation and recognition with the global higher education community.

The United Nations and the IAU lead two higher education sustainability programs, Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development (HESD) and the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI), which focus on the critical role that higher education institutions play in achieving global sustainable development. HESD monitors trends, develops expertise, and shares knowledge related to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals via peer-to-peer learning among higher education leaders globally, and it fosters whole-institution approaches at the leadership level to integrate sustainable development priorities. The IAU collaborates with international and national entities, including being a key partner of the UNESCO Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development. HESI is an open partnership between several United Nations entities and the higher education community, which includes hundreds of university networks, student organizations, and higher education institutions. The UN's stated mission for HESI is to enhance the role of higher education institutions in advancing sustainable development.

Bottega University was advanced as a recognized member of HESI because of its direct contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The university's admissions, tuition, and academic models were designed for inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, which support Sustainable Development Goal 4. Because Bottega University is operated entirely online, requiring neither printed materials such as textbooks, nor in-person participation, which would induce travel, shipments, construction, residency, and physical campus maintenance, the university follows sustainable consumption and production patterns, addressing Sustainable Development Goal 12. Bottega also advances United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, which focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, through its medical and scientific leadership series, the Congresses.

Lecture series

The university hosts an annual lecture series, The Congresses, offered to honors students pursuing careers in medicine, science, or technology. The series is chaired by Scientific Director, Dr. Mario Capecchi, winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Medicine. Speakers include Nobel Laureates, university deans, and leaders in scientific research and technology.

Notable alumni

* Afaf Abdrabou Aly, MBE, Chair, Egyptian Society of Northern Ireland
* Dustin Burleson, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor at Children's Mercy Hospital and Fellow at McLean Hospital
* J. Shane Hatcher, Chief of International Affairs, Security Cooperation & Foreign Disclosure Officer, United States Military Academy at West Point
* Jason Knapp, Chief of Staff, United States Army Joint Munitions Command
* Conrad Leigh, Chief Executive Officer, Networks, Rain Telecommunications South Africa
* Nicholas Mwendwa, President, Football Kenya Federation
* Sara Beysolow Nyanti, Foreign Minister of Liberia and Former United Nations Assistant Secretary General
* Jochen Schmidt, Deputy Chief of Party, World Vision and Chief Executive Officer, World Relief Deutschland
* Michael Whittaker, Chief Executive Officer, California Correctional Health Care Services
* Christopher Withrow, Chief Technology Officer, Warren County Schools and Board Director, Stride Inc.

References

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Private universities and colleges in Alabama
Private universities and colleges in Utah
Universities and colleges in Salt Lake County, Utah
Distance education institutions based in the United States
Distance Education Accrediting Commission
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Education in Salt Lake City
Education in Birmingham, Alabama
Educational institutions established in 1994
For-profit universities and colleges in the United States
1994 establishments in Alabama