Virtual university awaits stamp of approval
Switzerland’s first private online university says it expects student numbers to increase at least fivefold in 2004.
But after four years of existence, “Educatis” is still waiting to be accredited by the country’s university authorities.
Based in Altdorf in central Switzerland, the Educatis Graduate School of Management did receive temporary official recognition from canton Uri at the end of last year.
But this only lasts until October 31, 2007, and the Swiss University Conference (SUC), one of whose jobs is to recognise academic bodies and courses, is still some way away from following suit.
“It may take a while as the university is still in its infancy,” the organisation’s Doris Bianchi told swissinfo.
The move by the authorities in Uri has also attracted the ire of some educationalists who feel the canton has jumped the gun.
“We are a bit concerned about the quality of these universities,” said Gabriela Fuchs of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education.
“I think it’s a problem that a canton has the power to recognise a university without [it] having been accredited by the SUC first.”
Accreditation
Educatis wants to be included on the SUC list of universities within the next two years and would like to be recognised by the European Union.
But the university admits that it could be in for a long haul.
“Of course something like this will meet a lot of criticism, as there are a lot of pseudo universities,” said Klaus Blum, one of the founders of Educatis.
“We will just have to convince everybody by offering good quality.”
Mature students
Switzerland’s first private online university targets mature students who want to study management education or complete a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
According to Educatis, more than 80 professors from around 20 countries are involved in the project and around 38 students, mainly from Germany, are enrolled on courses.
The university expects around 300 students to have joined their ranks by the end of next year.
“We don’t want to compete with conventional universities or try to outdo them by offering electronic methods of studying,” said Blum.
“I think our university complements other universities,” he added.
International expansion
Blum said Educatis was keen to extend its links with universities abroad to enable students to attend seminars in other countries.
According to Doris Bianchi of the SUC, virtual studying is nothing new to Switzerland: the Open University in canton Valais also offers online courses.
The Swiss government also promotes learning over the internet at university level via a project called “Swiss Virtual Campus”.
And hundreds of Swiss students are enrolled at the Open University in the German town of Hagen, whose degrees are recognised in Switzerland – something Educatis is trying to achieve.
swissinfo
Educatis was set up in 1999. Canton Uri recognised it as a private university on October 1, 2003.
The headquarters are in Altdorf in canton Uri.
38 students are currently enrolled.
The university expects around 300 students to be enrolled in 2004.
An MBA course costs €8,250 (SFr12,900)
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