Shai Reshef is starting a new online university, complete with courses, students, professors and deans. What it will not have, however, is tuition.
The University of the People, as it is called, relies heavily on volunteers and both retired and active professors. The university is set to open in April, and classes will start with the fall semester.
"I realized how powerful online learning can be and how far you can go with it, but how expensive it can be," Reshef said in a phone interview.
Reshef said he was not sure if any AU professors had volunteered to teach classes, but said he had a long list of professors from other universities who had.
"Since we announced, we're overwhelmed with professors and professionals," he said. "I saw a few names from quite impressive universities."
The only costs to attend the university are a registration fee ranging from $15 to $50 and exam fees, ranging from $10 to $100 for each test. The exact prices depend on the country of the student's residence.
Courses at the university, which will only offer bachelor's degrees in business administration and computer science, will be open-source online courses posted online by universities. To get credit, students will have to post at least twice a week on a class message board, complete quizzes and assignments assigned by professors, and take the final exam. With the exception of the final exam, students can complete all activities on their own time from wherever they have Internet access.
Nicole Melander, a Kogod School of Business professor and head of the AU Online Learning Advocacy Committee, said she teaches some online courses at AU, but that her classes require students to attend online sessions at specific times. She also said she liked the idea of a tuition-free online university, but was not sure that it would be able to replace interactions with real professors, especially for students in areas without easy access to other educated professionals.
"Online asynchronous learning has been highly successful," Melander said in a phone interview. "But I think the target is largely the third world. They need more than just some Web pages to read and some activities to complete."
AU students will not be able to get credit from the UoP right away, because it is not accredited, according to AU Registrar Linda Bolden-Pitcher. The UoP will have to gain full accreditation for students to transfer credits to AU, Bolden-Pitcher said.
"If it's accredited as a four-year institution with qualified degrees, then that's something that we would definitely investigate," she said. "Someone's got to be in charge to make sure the faculty are doing what they're supposed to be doing."
The UoP plans to seek accreditation as soon as possible, and estimates it will take about three years, Reshef said.
Imad Benrabah, a graduate student in Kogod, said he did not think an online school would be able to provide him with the connections a more traditional education could.
"My first concern is the interaction between me and the other people," she said. "I'm interested in networking."
The new idea has a long way to go before it gains acceptance, Melander said.
"It's so fundamentally different from what we think of as a college education that it's hard to get your mind around it," she said. "It's a very visionary thing. I'm not sure if the world is ready for it, but it's a great concept."
You can reach this staff writer at crice@theeagleonline.com.
