Swedish Net University

The Swedish Net University (Swedish Virtual University, Swedish: Nätuniversitetet) is a collection of IT supported higher education distance courses, offered by 35 institutions of higher education in Sweden.

It is overseen by the Swedish Agency for Networks and Cooperation in Higher Education. This is due to close in 2009 - the Swedish government states that the "closure does not concern the Swedish Net University, however an inquiry will recommend how the Net University will be organised in the future". The Agency (not the Net University) is a member of EADTU.

Its web site is http://english.netuniversity.se

Further details

(sourced from pages linked to http://english.netuniversity.se/page/4880/whatistheswedishnetuniversity.htm)

How does it work?

Distance courses within the Swedish Net University can be organized in different ways. The universities or colleges themselves choose how they design and deliver their distance courses. Certain courses are totally net-based; that is, you do not need to come to the college for compulsory meetings with the teacher and the other students.

Many distance courses are IT-supported, however a number of compulsory meetings may be included, often at the beginning of the course to give the students an opportunity to get to know each other. A compulsory meeting may well occur at the end of the course, for example as a written examination.

What can I study?

Flexible learning requires that you have the ability to create good study habits and that you have a little more self-discipline than is required when you study in a traditional way. Full-time distance studies take just as much time as full-time traditional studies, but distance studies mean greater freedom to choose when, where, and how you want to study.

Different courses are organised in different ways and it is important that you yourself find out how the course you are interested in or have been accepted to works.

All in all the Swedish Net University has about 2700 courses in the course database. However the educational language for the vast majority of these is Swedish. In the course database, with courses using English as the educational language, there are some 300 courses. Swedish universities wish to increase the number of courses available in English in the future.

Are distance studies just as good?

It is important to note that distance education is more flexible than other types of studies. You decide when, where and how you want to perform your studies. Flexibility is a key word.

However distance education is just as demanding as if you were inside the university. Even more so - as you yourself must run the show.

Distance education is not a new idea. Today the idea may be better accomplished due to modern technology.