A novel university is open its door this April , and guess what ? It ’s going to be 100 % tuition - innocent !
University of the People , the brainchild of an Israeli enterpriser discover Shai Reshef , will be a virtual schooling , the world ’s first tuition - free , Internet - based academic institution . The musical theme is jolly remarkable in its chasteness : supply worldwide admittance to college — even in the inadequate parts of the world .
" Education , just like democracy , should be a right , not a privilege,“ says Reshef .
UoP will be opened to any student with access to a computer and an net connection . And with the500 rupee laptops now hit India(that ’s about $ 10 , believe it or not ) , seems college is about to get much , much more affordable . Check out the whole interview with Reshef below and find out how you could help out by volunteering .
DI : University of the People " “ sounds like Lincoln meets Stalin . Kidding . It ’s an astonishing concept , and one that really equip the present zeitgeist . How ’d you woolgather it up ?
SR : I have always thought there is one issue that unites the great unwashed around the orb " “ a need for improved education . As the founder of KIT , the eLearning married person of the University of Liverpool , in the Netherlands , I realized that the tool for leave accessible high education were out there , but the terms was too high . Then I began working at Cramster.com and discover the military posture of on-line study community . I understand by coupling open - germ technology and open courseware with online academic networks , we could create a global blackboard and provide affordable collegiate horizontal surface education to people worldwide .
DI : How many students will you be accept straight away ?
SR:[We ] prognosticate ten of grand of pupil to enroll within the first five years of operation , although registration will be capped at 300 students in the first semester .
DI : What kind of degrees do you plan on offering ?
SR : In the initial stages , UoP will volunteer two undergraduate degrees : a BA in Business Administration and a BSc in Computer Science . The University design to offer other degrees in the futurity .
DI : Who will " teach" the classes ?
SR : The student eubstance will memorise through compeer - to - equal teaching with the counseling of well-thought-of scholars . Within the on-line study communities , students will apportion resourcefulness , commutation approximation , discuss weekly topics , state assignment and take exams . A larger residential area of educators , make up of dynamic and retired professors , master level pupil and other professionals , will be available to answer educatee ' questions , discuss topics and provide financial support .
DI : Is it free to enforce ?
SR : The University is tutorship - costless . However , we plan to charge nominal app and interrogation fee ( $ 15-$50 and $ 10-$100 respectively ) , which will be adjusted on a sliding scale of measurement based on the economic situation in the educatee ’s country of origin .
DI : Clearly the requirement will far outweigh your ability to accept students . How many scholarly person do you anticipate turning away each year?SR : Our Leslie Townes Hope is to be able to accommodate any student that apply and play the enrollment requirements .
DI : What voice communication will the class be learn in ?
SR : For now , class will be taught in English . If there is a bully demand for additional language , we will add them in the future .
DI : What countries do you remember you ’ll get the most applicant from ?
SR : The bookman body at UoP will be comprise of scholarly person from all over the world . The demand and pauperism for access to higher education , however , is particularly unattackable in under - developed and developing countries so we expect to see an inflow of students from those areas .
DI : Who are your major funders ?
SR : We are making an initial investment of $ 5 million , $ 1 million of which I am contributing . The rest of the money will be nurture through contribution by individual , companies and other governing body .
DI : It ’s all quite exciting , but what are the probability an endeavour like this can realistically succeed?SR : It depends on how many people offer their service . We encourage all of your readers to visitour entanglement siteand volunteer .
