University of the People

University of the People
Established 2009
Type Private non-profit
President Shai Reshef
Location Pasadena, CA, U.S.
Campus Virtual
Website http://www.uopeople.org/

University of the People (UoPeople) is a non-profit, tuition-free,[1] unaccredited online academic institution headquartered in Pasadena, California and founded by entrepreneur Shai Reshef in January 2009.[2]

All lecture and study sessions are delivered entirely from a secure website on the Internet. The non-profit organization provides access to online, post-secondary education to qualified students in a tuition-free model in order for students to overcome geographic or financial limitations and acquire higher learning.

The non-profit institution places a special focus on assisting students from developing countries and uses technologies that can be accessed globally. This includes an exclusion of audio and video in its learning modules to ensure broadband is not a requirement for the University’s students to access materials.

UoPeople’s pedagogical model draws on the principles of e-learning, social networking, and collaborative learning, coupled with open-source technology and open educational resources. Combined, these make up the elements which provide the ability for the non-profit organization to scale and operate at low-cost; thus keeping the cost of programs affordable for the University’s large percentage of disadvantaged students comprising its student body.

The University operates on a not-for-profit basis and is further distinguished from its contemporaries in that it does not charge for course registration, instruction, books, teachers or annual enrollment. Instead, the University utilizes a fee-for-processing model in which applications and end-of-course examinations are charged nominal and variable fees set by place of residence, with residents of places deemed to be lower-income economies charged less than their more-affluent counterparts. The difference in funding is made up by University grants.

Contents

Aims

UoPeople exists to provide online post-secondary education on a global scale to qualified students wishing to pursue their studies on a part-time distance learning basis, with a special emphasis on people who are economically challenged and/or come from developing countries. The University education provided is done so within the framework of a tuition-free structure.

Accreditation

University of the People is not an accredited institution.[3] Intentions exist to pursue accreditation in the future as circumstances permit.

History and Growth

Educational entrepreneur Shai Reshef launched University of the People in January 2009. The non-profit University structures the operations and delivery of its higher education programs using a low-cost model. The means of operation and delivery draw on a number of recent trends in e-learning and e-commerce, including open-source technology and open educational resources that provide access to educational material from U.S. institutions; global dissemination of information under an e-learning model; and peer-to-peer learning that leverages the knowledge of students and applies it social networking.[4] The University also emphasizes an asynchronous-learning model in which students are free to study according to their own schedules, making it easier to accommodate students from different time zones and whose access to resources such as broadband Internet access or even electricty may be limited.

UoPeople accepted in September 2009 180 students from 49 countries under its first semester of enrollment.[5] By July 2010, the University’s enrollment included approximately 500 students from nearly 100 countries.[6] As of October 2011, the University has accepted more than 1000 students from over 115 countries.

Organization and Administration

University of the People utilizes instructor support combined with learning by teaching and peer-to-peer learning. The University uses online discussion forums and online communities in order for students to cover readings, share resources, exchange ideas and discuss assigned questions. Scholars, professors, librarians, master level students and other professionals--many of them volunteers--oversee and participate in both the assessment process and the development of curricula.[2]

Key Leaders

Academic Programs

University of the People offers the following four undergraduate degrees:

Business Administration

The University designed the business programs to provide students with comprehensive knowledge regarding the foundations of business with real-world applications. The programs offer broad-based education in the fundamentals of business policy and procedures.[11]

The Business Administration Department Leadership includes:

The Business Administration Advisory Committee includes:

Computer Science

The University designed the Computer Science programs to give students a competency in current and updated computer technology.[12]

The Computer Science Department Leadership includes:

The Computer Science Advisory Committee includes:

Library Services

Students have access to the UoPeople Library & Resource Center (ULRC), a virtual environment delivered through the University course site. Among the features of ULRC are Open Education Resources (OER) such as the Toolbox, which serves to organize open-access e-books and journals; proprietary databases from the Library and Information Resources Network (LIRN); and online access to assistance from librarians.[13]

The Library Services Leadership includes:

The Library Services Advisory Committee includes:

Library and Information Resources Network

The University subscribes to databases from the Library and Information Resources Network (LIRN). These databases provide indexing and online full text availability to articles from journals, magazines, newspapers from vendors Gale (publisher) Cengage Learning and ProQuest. The InfoTrac databases include the Business and Company Resource Center, Business Index ASAP, Computer Database, General Business File ASAP as well as databases that support additional disciplines. These databases provide access to articles and reference materials that support the programs offered by University of the People, as well as articles and reference materials that do not necessarily support the programs of the University directly.

The LIRN Core Collection provides for more than 130,000,000 documents in the Gale databases alone -and many of the articles are online full text. In addition Credo Reference includes over five hundred standard reference sources including biographical sources, dictionaries and encyclopedias covering geography, history, literature, medicine and more. The LIRN Core Collection includes access to ProQuest databases covering newspapers and psychology journals.[14]

Students

Classes commenced at UoPeople on September 10, 2009. Currently, over 1000 students from 115 different countries, including Cambodia, The Gambia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Colombia, Nigeria, Vietnam, United States, Afghanistan, Thailand, Sudan and Zambia, have been accepted to UoPeople. The student body is diverse, and in a typical classroom, 20 students are likely to be with students from around 20 different countries in the same virtual classroom[15]

Partners and Allies

Yale Law School Information Society Project

University of the People and Yale Law School ISP (Information Society Project) announced a digital education research partnership in 2009.[16][17] Jack Balkin, Yale ISP Director and Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment at Yale Law School, serves on the Advisory Committee of University of the People.

New York University

In June 2011, New York University (NYU)[18] announced a collaborative agreement with University of the People to identify those UoPeople students eligible for admission to New York University's Abu Dhabi campus. Recognizing that many of UoPeople's students are economically disadvantaged youth, eligible students who qualify for admittance to NYU Abu Dhabi, as well as qualify for financial aid, may receive generous financial aid to enable them to afford attendance at NYU Abu Dhabi.

Hewlett Packard (HP)

University of the People and Hewlett Packard (HP)[19] announced a partnership in June 2011 to open up virtual research internships for UoPeople students as part of HP's Catalyst Initiative - a global network of consortia that brings together educational institutions and nongovernmental organizations. As part of the collaboration, interning students work with the consortia on various projects within education, technology and health.

United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development

Working under the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, GAID was approved by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2006 in recognition that ICT must be effectively integrated into development activities if internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, are to be achieved within the agreed time frame. Now in its fourth year, GAID continues to address core issues related to the role of ICT in economic development and eradication of poverty, employment and enterprise in pro-poor growth scenarios, with particular focus on health, education, gender, youth, disabled and disadvantaged segments of society. On May 19, 2009, UN-GAID announced the launch of University of the People at a press conference in New York to reporters.[20]

Clinton Global Initiative

Clinton Global Initiative Advances University of the People Pledge to Democratize Higher Education in Haiti. In August 2010, UoPeople was invited to become a member of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI).[21]

OpenCourseWare Consortium

OpenCourseWare is a free and open digital publication of high quality educational materials, organized as courses. The OpenCourseWare Consortium (OCWC) is a collaboration of more than 200 higher education institutions and associated organizations from around the world creating a broad and deep body of open educational content using a shared model. As a member of OCWC, UoPeople strengthens its commitment to advancing the current education system via the Internet.[22]

World Computer Exchange

Working to improve educational opportunities in developing countries, UoPeople and the World Computer Exchange (WCE) have partnered[23] , strengthening their shared missions of democratized access to education.[24]

Tapping WCE’s global network of partner organizations with their more than 2,650 computer labs, the collaboration will offer more prospective and current UoPeople students increased access to computers with Internet connections for their studies. This will enable qualified individuals without computers to reap the educational benefits of UoPeople. Additionally, WCE will help promote UoPeople through its marketing channels, enabling the institution to target prospective students in new regions.

Haitian Connection Network

The Haitian Connection Network has strived to educate poor Haitians for over 11 years. Current programs include full tuition scholarships in a local trade/vocational school to learn a career followed by assistance with job placement within their own country. HCN also assists in facilitating food and shelter when needed. HCN provide a unique role by offering on the ground assistance and recruitment in Haiti. Working with HCN, UoPeople commits to provide access to higher education in Haiti, making tuition-free higher education accessible to qualified, low-income Haitian students who would not otherwise have the means to pursue post-secondary education.[25][26]

Partners for a New Beginning

University of the People joined Partners for a New Beginning (PNB) as a member; announced by the Aspen Institute March 31, 2011. Chaired by Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company Muhtar Kent and Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson, PNB is a collection of public-private partnerships committed to broadening and deepening engagement between the United States and Muslim communities abroad. In collaboration with PNB, University of the People will work with partners towards accepting 100 students per year from two of PNB’s targeted countries – Turkey, Indonesia, Gaza/West Bank, Egypt and Pakistan.[27]

General Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee aids in the development of curriculum, academic policies and alliances for the university.[28] The advisors are:

Sources

See also

References

  1. ^ Damast, Alison (January 21, 2010) "Tuition-Free University Gains a Following" Bloomberg BusinessWeek http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jan2010/bs20100121_194827.htm. Retrieved June 5, 2011 
  2. ^ a b Lewin, Tamar (January 25, 2009) "Israeli Entrepreneur Plans a Free Global University That Will Be Online Only" New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/education/26university.html?_r=1. Retrieved May 30, 2009 
  3. ^ "Accreditation" University of the People http://www.uopeople.org/ACADEMICS/Accreditation/tabid/200/Default.aspx. Retrieved May 31, 2009 
  4. ^ Reshef, Shai (2010) "Educating the Many" Educause Quarterly http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Quarterly/EDUCAUSEQuarterlyMagazineVolum/EducatingtheMany/199369. Retrieved June 1, 2011 
  5. ^ "Ashoka Profile" Ashoka 2010 http://www.ashoka.org/fellows/shai_reshef. Retrieved June 1, 2011 
  6. ^ Truong, Kelly (July 22, 2010) "Online University Aims to Build sites in 6 Developing Countries" Ashoka http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/online-university-aims-to-build-sites-in-6-developing-countries/25728. Retrieved June 1, 2011 
  7. ^ Katz, Ray (February 26, 2010) "Online university provides new options" USA today http://www.columbiaspectator.com/2010/02/26/online-university-provides-new-options. Retrieved October 18, 2010 
  8. ^ [|Quach, Natalie] (May. 3, 2010) "New School Tuition: $0.00" http://www.newuniversity.org/2010/05/features/new-school-tuition-0-00/. Retrieved October 18, 2010 
  9. ^ "UNIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE – Tuition Free Online University." (in spanish) good note September 27, 2010 http://mantillamonica.blogspot.com/2010/09/university-of-people-tuition-free.html. Retrieved October 18, 2010 
  10. ^ "Welcome Dr. Preetha Ram – New Dean of General Studies!" (in spanish) July 27, 2011 http://universityofthepeople.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/welcome-dr-preetha-ram-new-dean-of-general-studies/. Retrieved July 28, 2011 
  11. ^ "University Catalog" University of the People http://www.uopeople.org/files/Pdf/university_catalog.pdf. Retrieved Mar 31, 2011 
  12. ^ a b "University Catalog" University of the People http://www.uopeople.org/groups/leadership. Retrieved April 1, 2011 
  13. ^ "Library Services" University of the People http://www.uopeople.org/groups/library_services. Retrieved July 28, 2011 
  14. ^ "Library and Information Resources Network" Library and Information Resources Network http://www.lirn.net/files/files/lirnqref.pdf. Retrieved July 28, 2011 
  15. ^ "[Learning Alongside the World: A Profile of Diversity in UoPeople’s Classrooms]" Wordpress March, 16 2011 http://universityofthepeople.wordpress.com 
  16. ^ "Yale ISP and University of the People Partner for Digital Education Research" Yale Law School September 22, 2009 http://www.law.yale.edu/news/10191.htm. Retrieved October 21, 2009 
  17. ^ "Yale ISP and UoPeople Partner" University of the People's Blog September 22, 2009 http://universityofthepeople.wordpress.com. Retrieved October 21, 2009 
  18. ^ Lewin, Tamar (June 9, 2011) "Partnership to Further Global Quest by N.Y.U." New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/education/09nyu.html?_r=2. Retrieved June 12, 2011 
  19. ^ Kessler, Sarah (June 29, 2011) "Traditional Higher Ed Opens Doors for Tuition-Free Online University" Mashable http://mashable.com/2011/06/29/university-of-the-people-hp-nyu/. Retrieved July 3, 2011 
  20. ^ "UN announces launch of world’s first tuition-free, online university" UN News Centre May 19, 2009 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30848&Cr=ict&Cr1 
  21. ^ "Clinton Global Initiative Advances University of the People Pledge to Democratize Higher Education in Haiti" USA: Yahoo!news September 20, 2010 http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20100920/pl_usnw/DC67535. Retrieved October 18, 2010 
  22. ^ http://www.ocwconsortium.org/members/members/master
  23. ^ "Wired Campus; Online University Aims to Build Sites in 6 Developing Countries" July 22, 2010 http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/online-university-aims-to-build-sites-in-6-developing-countries/25728. Retrieved October 18, 2010 
  24. ^ "Online university provides new options" eCAMPUS news July 26, 2010 http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/free-online-university-boosting-students-computer-access/. Retrieved October 18, 2010 
  25. ^ "Free Online school coming to some in Haiti" eCampus News USA September 21, 2010 http://www.ecampusnews.com/technologies/free-online-school-coming-to-some-in-haiti/. Retrieved October 18, 2010 
  26. ^ "UoPeople will provide higher Education in Haiti" Business Review USA September 20, 2010 http://www.businessreviewusa.com/industry-focus/people-skills/uopeople-will-provide-higher-education-haiti. Retrieved October 18, 2010 
  27. ^ "PNB Steering Committee, Local Chapters, and Members at Large Announce Commitments at Washington Summit" Aspen Institute USA May 31, 2011 http://www.aspeninstitute.org/news/2011/05/31/pnb-summit-announcements. Retrieved June 1, 2011 
  28. ^ "General Advisory Committee" http://www.uopeople.org/groups/advisory_committees/general_advisory_committee. Retrieved October 18, 2010 

External links