About

Staying Competitive in the Knowledge Economy
The old saying that knowledge is power has become reality in today's competitive economy. The effective use of a KM program, with its interdisciplinary approach to a host of organizational challenges, can greatly enhance employee performance across the board, foster innovation in such areas as operations, product design, marketing and sales, and facilitate the exchange of an organization's most important commodity - the knowledge base of the people who make the difference between an organization's success and failure.

What is Knowledge Management?
KM can best be described as the strategic process through which an organization maximizes value from its intellectual and knowledge-based assets. KM involves far more than the use of technology. It involves creating effective methods for building relationships and trust among employees so knowledge will be recognized, captured, organized, evaluated, shared, applied and reused in the most productive manner possible to fulfill the organization's goals. In brief, KM allows organizations to create, implement, maintain and effectively use, and reuse a complete knowledge base to address important issues and significantly improves their ability to achieve a sustained competitive advantage.

Distinctive Program Features
The CSUN program is unique in that it utilizes a cohort (group) model in which a group of students moves through the program together in a predetermined sequence from the start of the program through fulfillment of the degree requirements.The cohort approach is extremely valuable because each succeeding course builds on what was covered in earlier courses. Coursework is integrated and connected so students are able to see the larger view of the KM field rather than simply a set of separate courses.

The CSUN Difference in Distance Learning: It's All About You
Through The Tseng College of Extended Learning, California State University, Northridge (CSUN) has become a nationally recognized leader in distance education by the application of a simple philosophy: distance students deserve nothing less than the most comprehensive distance learning programs tailored to the needs of mid-career professionals. Instead of simply designing courses for online delivery, we create total systems that support every aspect of the distance learning experience, including streamlined admissions, individualized advisement, financial aid assistance, 24/7 access to library resources, simplified textbook acquisition, and ease of communication with program administrators, faculty and colleagues. Our user-centered approach may be easy to describe, but it takes a significant amount of skill, resources and dedication to implement well. While other programs promise these features, CSUN has established prominence by delivering distance learning programs that possess all the essential qualities necessary for a first-class education.

Technical Innovation that is User-Friendly
The Tseng College of Extended Learning understands that students want the educational power of advanced learning technologies without having to worry about struggling with complex software or becoming a technological wiz. With this in mind, we create online programs that are remarkable for their ease of use as well as their sophistication and educational effectiveness. We are able to achieve this goal because of our instructional design team’s expertise in human factors – the discipline of psychology that focuses on the interaction between people and technology. The resulting ease of online access, navigation and response allows program participants to concentrate fully on their course material, not on the operational aspects of the software.

Engaged Learning
The Tseng College’s online learning programs are highly interactive. Online workshops allow participants to apply learning immediately, Web-based discussion groups facilitate dialogue with colleagues 24/7, and collaborative team projects give participants an exceptional opportunity to learn from the insights and professional experience of fellow participants, who are often in another state or nation. Participants in our online programs regularly express delight and satisfaction with the many kinds of interactions they experience and the way these exchanges foster learning at multiple levels.

Academic Excellence
To ensure optimum learning for distance students, our online courses have been re-developed from the University’s highly recognized traditional programs. Working with faculty, our designers adapt the programs to meet the needs of the adult learner and make them accessable to working professionals. To ensure our online curriculum maintains the same academic rigor and relevance offered by the residential programs, each course is evaluated for delivery technique, content and student comprehension.

Outstanding Faculty and Instructional Strategies
Online degree programs offered by The Tseng College are taught by the same faculty who teach the degree programs on the CSUN campus. Our approach to the development and teaching of online programs engages faculty and accomplished practitioners in crafting each offering from concept to delivery to provide strong links between current scholarship and the best professional practices in each field. Online learning enables participants to pose questions to faculty as they arise, not just during class meeting times. Faculty can provide feedback more often, hold online office hours and “drop in” on informal group discussions in addition to leading scheduled discussions and presentations. Distance learning students frequently provide positive feedback on the close and meaningful interactions they experience with faculty in their online courses.

Exceptional Support Services
We make it as easy as possible for our distance students to access University services without ever having to visit the campus. Students are able to complete the registration process, apply for financial aid and purchase their texts, all entirely online. From the moment you elect to apply for one of our programs to the day you are awarded your degree, you are considered a valued client and provided an exceptional level of support. Every program has a dedicated managerwho is available to answer questions, provide tips and advice, and whenever possible, streamline your journey through the higher education process.

A True University Educational Experience
While the Tseng College’s online degree programs have special design and delivery features, they remain – first and foremost – California State University, Northridge programs that have met all relevant departmental and University standards. They share the same faculty oversight and departmental ownership as their counterparts on the University’s main campus and hold the same regional and special accreditations as well. The on-time graduation rates of our students, their performance on national professional exams, and their high professional placement rates after graduation provide clear testimony to the effectiveness of this focus on learning and the instructional design skills behind our programs. Perhaps most importantly for participants – and their employers – the University record and transcript for graduates is the same, regardless of whether the course of study was completed online or on campus in a classroom.

Accreditation
CSU Northridge is accredited by the Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities for the Western Association of Schools (WASC), an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council on Higher Education and Accreditation. Program faculty and industry experts are active participants in KM related national professional organizations and at national KM conferences.