New Summits College catalogue, 1982-83 (5.8mb PDF). Note: typing error in 2003 Explanatory page, 3rd paragraph - "one being" should say "one now being".

[Historic web page]

Vancouver University Colleges' administration is effectively located in the "telesphere" (1971 term, more recently jargonized as "cyberspace"). A call to either 604-689-0905 or 206-738-0336 will reach the same personnel, and likewise email to either wunicols@vcn.bc.ca or wunicols@henson.cc.wwu.edu.

University Colleges programs combine distance/challenge-exam learning and experience-based (experiential) learning undertaken in collaboration with such institutes as the Whistler-, Jasper-, American Alpine-, and North Cascades Institute(s).

UC degree and diploma programs in various disciplines are fully detailed in the National Guide to College and University Programs, published by Canada Human Resources Development (CEIC). The National Guide will be on-line in late 1994 or early 1995, and meanwhile is in libraries etc.

University Colleges is a charter member of Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education and other similar bodies, and is listed in the American Council on Education PONSI directory, etc. Whetham College (1893) from time to time offers the Canadian Institute of Management course sequences within its business administration degree programs.

Raymond Rodgers PhD
President

Pioneering *wunicols.edu* etc
Although later granted the succession of Whetham College (BC Statutes c.67 1893), Vancouver University (then collaterally the Vancouver Institute for Postsecondary Studies and Point Roberts WA Institute) was initiated in 1970, a few months after establishment of Britain's Open University. Both such were influenced by the long-standing University of London External Degrees Program. A worldwide university colleges (wunicols) domain name [then 9 characters maximum limit] (and InterNIC RR97) was registered early in the formation of the worldwide "web" - as first so-named in 1971. [And with wunicols succeeded today by VancouverUniversity.ca and edu, WorldwideUniversity.edu and ca, and Montessori.ca].

Vancouver University Worldwide early initiated pioneering (but poorly self-funded) ventures, including:

a VIPS 1970 effort to conduct "telephone classes" - and now see decades later!

early giving all adult students the option of 300/1200 baud modem access to a BBS and other on-line data

VanUC. The "van you see" was in the Seventies a blue VW bus stacked with books and other learning materials which - parked at Point Roberts WA and other places - serviced Summer Institute and other year-round "circuit courses". The contemporary van is a blue Extended Aerostar doing the same job, servicing (a) courses which combine distance learning with tutorials/workshops at distributed locations, and (b) internship/practicum evaluations in ECE and other disciplines. In these above and below contexts, Vancouver University has long reflected the British tutorial model - as described in an interesting Chronicle article : "That model works by having local groups meet with a tutor...And the students get their learning material, whether it's print, video, audio -- I mean it's usually a mixture, it's not just one medium. They work through the material, they write assignments, they meet with their personal tutor in a group of about 20 or less at regular intervals and interact with other students. And they do that either face to face in local groups, or, for low-population courses, they would telephone or e-mail."

MITEK-3 (Montessori International Teacher Education K-3) late-Eightees drop-in centre introducing children to age-appropriate electronic (including LOGO turtle) and other learning materials. [In May 1996 BC Premier Glen Clark - with a public Montessori school program in his own constituency - flatly promised that VUW's BC Montessori Teachers College would be modestly funded, but a few months later permitted then-Minister of Education Sihota to indefinitely postpone the commitment].

the development of Second-Language multimedia language-instruction software (marketed by now-defunct Chariot Software, San Diego CA). Twice written up in the Vancouver Sun, this pioneering venture strengthened our reputation for excellence in educational multimedia.    And our early Eightees senior secondary Advanced Placement program was probably the first in the Americas to grant Gd 11/12 credit for Japanese and Chinese. By a formal agreement with the VSB, administered through its Continuing Education division, the option was extended to VSB students.

first in Canada - and possibly anywhere - to grant college credit for software certifications, as announced on page 716 of the 1994 Canadian Government National Guide to College and University Programmes. [Regents College and Microsoft announced in October 1999 they would do likewise].

Unfortunately, VUW was ignored when major corporate and government funding started for educational-IT development. And the *wunicols.edu* pioneering Virtual College could not afford its own server. Instead "wunicols" became the above "page" in the Vancouver Freenet (now VCN) community directory.

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Media archives
(summary for 'Nineties and thereafter, only)
VBT Sounding Board, July-August 90 [College returns...]
Moira Farrow, Vancouver Sun, 15 Sep 90, pH12 ["mainly" should read "many"].
Vancouver Sun, 31 Jan 90, High Tech pD1 [New computers speak (all languages)...]
Vancouver Sun, 9 May 90, High Tech p1 [College plans to market language programs...]
Province, 6 Dec 90. p47 [Let's be fair...]
Vancouver Sun, 15 Oct 91, pA5 [It's time...]
Vancouver Sun, 18 Oct 91 pA18 [Geo Vancouver University...]
West Ender, Dec 93 [Arena grabs headlines while we wait...]
Vancouver Courier, 12 Dec 93 p13 [(high-quality) Montessori program flounders without funding...]
National Montessori Reporter, Spring 94 [Montessori for adult learners...]
Pacific Northwest (Seattle), Aug 94 [Hallowed halls are not the only place to complete a degree..]
Vancouver Courier, 16 Nov 94, p6 [Educators target drop-outs...]
Vancouver Sun, 21 May 96 pB6 [Montessori Teachers College..]
Vancouver Sun, 20 Oct 97, pB3 [Celebrating persons, programs, concepts...]
Province, 20 Oct 97, pA19 [BC ECE and Montessori...]
Vancouver Sun, 17 May 1999, pA11 [First among equals]

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