First Ever Tuition-Free Global Online University
Growing Access to Internet Used for Higher Education
May 21, 2009
The first non-profit, tuition-free global online university could provide unprecedented access to education for aspiring students in developing countries, Shai Reshef, founder of the University of the People, stated at a United Nations Headquarters on 20 May 2009. “We in the University of the People are opening the gate for them to go into higher education to continue their education and open a better future for themselves,” Reshef said of the initiative, which aims to use growing access to the Internet to counter the worldwide effects of rising tuition fees.
Mr. Reshef, a long-time educational innovator, is a member of the panel of advisers to the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), established by the Secretary-General in 2006 as a platform for policy dialogue on the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in development.
Peer-to-Peer Teaching to Bring a High Level of Learning
Mr. Reshef said the University would use open-source technology and course material, alongside peer-to-peer teaching to bring a high level of learning to its students, of whom there were already more than 200 from over 50 countries after the first few weeks of registration for business administration and computer science, the first two majors. Requirements for admission were 12 years of study, a high school diploma and proficiency in English. Students must also pass an orientation course in English and computer skills in order to continue on to the major, which would require 40 courses, similar to most undergraduate degrees.
Each virtual classroom would hold 20 students from around the world. They would read the same “lecture” at the beginning of each week, hold discussions in a kind of chat room and help each other understand the material. If students still had problems after discussing the material with their peers, they could go to a virtual course forum where they could consult with academics.
People Restricted to Dial-up Connections Able to Follow Courses
Mr. Reshef said that, in order to open access to as many people as possible, no material requiring broadband connections, such as video, would be used, which would enable people restricted to dial-up connections to follow courses. It was to be hoped that there would be associated projects to supply computers to those without them, but at present there was a burgeoning of poor people who could gain access, either through a centralized public computer, an Internet café or private machines.
To fund the University, there would be a sliding scale of fees for admissions and exams -– depending on the World Bank’s wealth-ranking of each student’s home country -– from $15 to $50 for admission and from $10 to $100 for the testing. Most staff would be volunteers and the administration would be “very lean”. The University would need $6 million for its initial phase, which envisaged an enrolment of 15,000 students. Shai Reshef himself donated the first $1 million and other donors had shown interest.
Students from the US Already Admitted to Tuition-free University
Responding to a query about the make-up of the first 200 students, Reshef said they were from all over the world, aged mainly between 25 and 35 years of age so far, and 55 per cent male compared to 45 per cent female. Fifty-five per cent of them had chosen the business major and 45 per cent had opted for computer studies. A number of students from the United States had already been admitted. It was important that students from the industrialized world participate alongside those from every economic situation and from all cultures, as that would enrich their educational experience, with the added benefit of boosting intercultural understanding.
