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Vancouver University -
Worldwide University
North America's oldest
aggregate-learning ('external') degrees process
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| Vancouver Sun / Vancouver
Province |
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Vancouver
University Worldwide is usually better understood in
England than in North America. It is the world’s first
global consortium university, consisting of equal member
colleges rather than the usual North American large
exclusive-use campus - with maybe some branches or
franchise operations elsewhere.
- The Vancouver University Worldwide model is more
like that seen at Cambridge, London, or Oxford -
except that its member colleges are dispersed around
the world rather than dotted around a particular city.
Also like the University of London, Vancouver conducts
a collateral ‘external’ or aggregate-learning degree
process in which candidates may secure a degree on the
basis of prior learning, special examinations,
research, and some credit for professional experience,
without necessarily attending a particular member
college.
- The subject matters (disciplines) of Vancouver
University Worldwide degrees generally reflect the
programs of the member colleges. For example, Canadian
Tourism College (CTC) offers - along with its other
programs - an Adventure Tourism diploma. The
university grants holders of those diplomas full
academic credit standing in the BREL (backcountry
recreation and environmental leadership) context,
described further below. The actual level of degree
secured by a CTC Adventure Tourism or other graduate
depends upon what other prior learning he or she has
completed. CTC’s Adventure Tourism diploma can thus
aggregate towards an associate, bachelor, or even a
master degree.
- While transfer credit is also granted to credible
programs completed at non-member institutions, the
credit transfer process is simpler, speedier, and more
transparent for member college students and graduates.
And with equal representation on Vancouver University
Worldwide’s Board of Governors, the member colleges
have direct input into the scope and quality assurance
of its programs - just like staff and faculty and
alumni at older Cambridge, London, and Oxford.
- In British Columbia the Vancouver University
Worldwide member colleges include four SGVE schools
(see next paragraph), the Canada Institute of Business
and Technology, Canadian Tourism College,
orldwide/BCMontessori Teachers College, and the
Whistler Institute - which is also legally Whistler
College, but not yet sufficiently endowed to
comfortably use its intended context name. Some member
colleges are non-profit, as likewise is registered
charity Vancouver University Colleges Society (Canada
and US) - while others are proprietary. Donations are
actively sought for non-profit operations.
- Overseas the member colleges include CPPD/IFPAS
(servicing the life underwriters profession of
Singapore and SE Asia), Innotech (the training college
of the world and Singapore Association of Small and
Medium Enterprises), IMT (an embryonic engineering and
management college in Nepal), and other colleges on
five continents - including the Saxoncourt and Shane
Global Village English Schools (adult), which receive
academic credit standing for their language and
language-teacher training programs.
- The geographical diversity and practical
orientations of the member colleges fit well with
Vancouver University Worldwide’s degrees spectrum,
including its various MBA options. The MBAs all
include standard core courses along with modules
addressing the needs of a particular economic sector
or region, as illustrated by the differing MBA
emphases of CPPD/IFPAS and Innotech. The core courses
tend to use common texts and materials like the Wiley
Portable MBA series and Harvard Business Review Series
- all available in paperback. It also happens that
Boston MIT’s course offerings have fairly considerable
curriculum influence within Vancouver University
Worldwide - as the first other university to
collaborate with the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in its Open-Courseware outreach, described
and linked from the Learning Resources section of
Vancouver University Worldwide’s homepage.
Adventure Tourism and Environmental Concern
- The BREL option mentioned above and now further
detailed is another interesting example of how
Vancouver University Worldwide promotes particular
disciplines.
- In 1997, after just a few years of operation, the
Backcountry Recreation and Environmental Leadership
(BREL) program option within Vancouver University’s
aggregate-learning (‘external’) degree process was
declared runner-up in a prestigious global award
competition. BREL was lauded by the American
Association of University Administrators in its
Khaladjan International Competition for across-borders
innovation in higher education. (Disclosure note: at
that time Vancouver University’s president Dr Raymond
Spencer Rodgers was NOT a board member of the AAUA
organization - though he is now!).
- Five years later, happy learners who have
completed field programs in backcountry recreation
leadership and related environmental studies, continue
to receive full credit transfer for their field-work
and formal courses into the appropriate-level
associate, bachelor or master degree awarded by
Vancouver University Worldwide.
- The beneficiaries of this option over the years
have secured transfer standing for learning at various
globally-located programs - Australia to Zambia -
including regionally the American Alpine Institute
(WA); Canadian Tourism College - which is a full
equal-member college of Vancouver University
Worldwide; the North Cascades Institute (WA); the
Whistler Institute; and various BC and other Pacific
Coast community college and university programs in
adventure tourism and related disciplines.
- Vancouver University Worldwide’s general
aggregate-learning degree option process is detailed
in aggregate-learning.
BREL is formally designated and summarized at
http://www.vancouveruniversity.edu/m98.htm#BREL
© Copyright 2003 Vancouver
Sun / Vancouver Province |
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