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== Preliminary remarks ==
''Scientific contents of the following module were designed and realised by Prof. Maria Amata Garito and are under copyright. ''
== Institution ==
== Institution ==
'''Nome dell’Università''': Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO


'''Abbreviazione''': U.T.I.U.
[[Image:Revica_Logo_UTIU.jpg]]
 
'''Name of the University''': Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO
 
'''Acronym''': U.T.I.U.
 
'''The University website is''': http://www.uninettunouniversity.net


'''Sito web dell’Università''': http://www.uninettunouniversity.net
The Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO (in English: International Telematic University UNINETTUNO), recognised with the Ministerial Decree of the 15 April 2005, is a non-state telematic university that issues academic titles legally acknowledged in Italy, Europe and in the Mediterranean Countries.
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is promoted by Consorzio NETTUNO which has been operating the field of distance education since 1992.
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO and Consorzio NETTUNO represent a single NETTUNO System.  


L’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO (in Inglese: International Telematic University UNINETTUNO) riconosciuta con decreto ministeriale del 15 Aprile 2005, è una Università telematica non statale che rilascia titoli accademici legalmente riconosciuti in Italia, in Europa e nei Paesi del Mediterraneo.
L’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO è promossa dal Consorzio Nettuno che opera nel settore della formazione a distanza a partire dal 1992. L’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO ed il Consorzio NETTUNO rappresentano un unico Sistema NETTUNO.


=== The present ===
=== The present ===


L’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO è nata dall’esperienza del Consorzio NETTUNO di cui beneficia del know-how acquisito in oltre 15 anni di pratica nell’ambito della formazione a distanza e dell’e-learning.
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO takes origin from the experience of Consorzio NETTUNO and benefits from its know-how that was acquired in over 15 years of practice in the field of distance education and e-Learning.


Il Consorzio NETTUNO è stato creato nel 1992 in forma di associazione senza fini di lucro, promossa dal Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca, ed ha unito 43 Università ad importanti aziende quali la Telecom Italia, l'IRI, la RAI, la CONFINDUSTRIA, per la realizzazione di Corsi Universitari a Distanza.  
Consorzio NETTUNO was established in 1992 in the form of a non-profit association, promoted by the Ministry of Education, University and Research, and it united 43 Universities to important companies such as Telecom Italia, IRI, RAI, CONFINDUSTRIA with the purpose of realising Distance University Degree Courses.


L’U.T.I.U. al momento della propria istituzione, ha beneficiato anche del successo del progetto europeo MED NET’U, Mediterranean Network of University, da cui eredita una forte caratterizzazione Euro-mediterranea. L’internazionalità dell’U.T.I.U. è una caratteristica fondante che permea tutte le attività si didattiche sia di ricerca e delle relazioni accademiche.  
When established, the UTIU took advantage also from the European Project [[Med Net’U]], the [[Mediterranean Network of Universities]], from which it derives a marked Euro-Mediterranean characterisation. UTIU internationality is fundamental characteristic that which permeates all didactic and research activities and the academic ones as well.


L’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO è basata su una collaborazione stretta con le università tradizionali non solo Italiane ma Europee, del mondo Arabo, degli Stati Uniti, dell’America Latina, ed attualmente sta creando nuovi accordi con università della Cina, della Russia e dell’Africa. L’unione di realtà universitarie di diversi paesi del mondo consente di poter offrire scelte su più ampie e diversificate sia del corpo docente, sia delle tematiche e dei contenuti della formazione.  
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is based on a close cooperation with traditional universities, Italian ones and also European, of the Arab World, of the United States, Latin America ones and at present it is concluding new agreements with universities of China, Russia and Africa. The alliance of university institutions of many countries of the world allows supplying wider and more diversified offers as it regards the teaching staff and the subjects and educational contents as well.  


Lo strumento didattico principale è l’ambiente di apprendimento su Internet www.uninettunouniversity.net, il primo portale del mondo dove si insegna e si apprende in quattro lingue: italiano, francese, inglese ed arabo.
The main didactic tool is the Internet-based learning environment http://www.uninettunouniversity.net , the first portal in the world where teaching and learning are carried out in four languages: Italian, French, English and Arabic.  


La struttura è organizzata in un Centro Internazionale, Facoltà, Corsi di laurea e Poli Tecnologici. I Poli Tecnologici, dislocati sia in Italia che all’Estero, sono strutture a disposizione degli studenti, fornite di tutte le tecnologie per seguire i corsi a distanza, partecipare ad attività didattiche in videoconferenza, e sono un punto fisico di incontro reale per ospitare lo svolgimento degli esami faccia a faccia e incontri e seminari con docenti e tutor.
The institution is structured upon an International Centre, Faculties, University Degree Courses and Technological Poles. The Technological Poles are located in Italy and also abroad; they are facilities at the students’ disposal equipped with all technologies needed to follow the distance teaching courses, participate in training activities by videoconference and they represent an actual meeting-point to host face-to-face exams sessions, meetings and seminars with professors and tutors.  
Gli organi di governo sono: il Consiglio di Amministrazione, il Presidente, il Rettore, il Senato Accademico, i Consigli di facoltà, il Nucleo di valutazione, il Collegio dei Revisori dei Conti.
L’università è autorizzata a rilasciare titoli di studio legalmente riconosciuti in Italia e all’Estero relativi a: lauree di primo livello, lauree specialistiche, dottorati di ricerca e master.


L’offerta didattica dell’Università (5 Facoltà e 7 Corsi di Laurea) è stata concepita e realizzata tenendo conto della Dichiarazione di Bologna (3+2) ed è strutturata in base al sistema di crediti ECTS.
The management bodies are: the Board of Directors, the President, the Rector, the Academic Senate, the Faculties Councils, the Board of Evaluation, the Board of Auditors. The University is authorised to issue study titles legally acknowledged in Italy and abroad for: first-level degrees (bachelor’s degrees), specialisation degrees, research doctorates and master’s course.  


La qualità dei percorsi formativi offerti da UNINETTUNO è assicurata dalla presenza di docenti e ricercatori provenienti dalle più prestigiose Università internazionali e da professionisti del mondo dell’industria in grado di trasferire conoscenze, esperienza e professionalità a tutti coloro che intendono migliorare il proprio bagaglio professionale e culturale.
The University’s educational offer (5 Faculties and 7 University Degree Courses) was designed and implemented taking into account the Bologna Declaration (3+2) and is structured according to the ECTS credit system.  


Per l’Anno Accademico 2008-2009 sono attive 5 facoltà e 8 corsi di laurea triennale:
The quality of the educational paths offered by UNINETTUNO is assured by the presence of professors and researchers coming from the most prestigious international universities and of professionals coming from the industrial world capable of transferring knowledge, experience and professionalism to all those who aim at enhancing their own professional and cultural background.  
* '''Facoltà di Ingegneria''' (Ingegneria Civile, Ingegneria informatica e Ingegneria gestionale);
* '''Facoltà di Giurisprudenza''' (Esperto legale in sviluppo e internazionalizzazione delle imprese);
* '''Facoltà di Economia''' (Economia e gestione delle imprese, Economia e gestione delle imprese turistiche);
* '''Facoltà di Psicologia''' (Discipline psicosociali);
* '''Facoltà di Lettere''' (Operatore dei beni culturali).


Oltre a questi Corsi, l’Università ha avuto il riconoscimento per ulteriori quattro Corsi di Laurea accreditati (Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 107 del 10 maggio 2006) ma non ancora attivati nell’anno 2008-2009:
For academic year 2008-2009 5 faculties and 8 three-year university degree courses are implemented:
* '''Facoltà di Scienze della Comunicazione''' (Scienze della Comunicazione);
* '''Engineering Faculty''' (Civil Engineering, Information and Communication Engineering and Management Engineering);
* '''Facoltà di Economia''' (Economia e Commercio, Economia delle imprese Cooperative e delle Organizzazioni Non Profit);
* '''Law Faculty''' (Legal Expert in Development and Internationalisation of Enterprises);
* '''Facoltà di Ingegneria''' (Ingegneria delle Telecomunicazioni)
* '''Economics Faculty''' (Economics and Business Management, Management of Tourist Enterprises);
* '''Psychology Faculty''' (Psycho-social Disciplines);
* '''Literature Faculty''' (Cultural Assets Operator).
 
Beside these courses, the University has obtained the acknowledgement of further four University Degree Courses (“Gazzetta Ufficiale” nr. 107 of the 10th May 2006), yet not already implemented for 2008-2009 academic year:
* '''Communications Sciences Faculty''' (Communication Sciences);
* '''Economics Faculty ''' (Business Administration, Economics of Cooperative Enterprises and of Non-Profit Organisations);
* '''Engineering Faculty''' (Telecommunication Engineering)


* ''What is the institution's annual budget?''
* ''What is the institution's annual budget?''
Il bilancio preventivo 2008 del Sistema NETTUNO è in totale pari a 11.133.554,00 EURO; di cui del Consorzio NETTUNO 7.090.672,00 EURO e dell’Università Telematica Internazionale Uninettuno 4.042.882,00 EURO.
The budget for 2008 of NETTUNO System is 11.133.554,00 EURO; of this amount 7.090.672,00 EURO is for Consorzio NETTUNO and 4.042.882,00 EURO is for the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO.  


* '''''How many students does the institution have (a) in total? (b) as full-time equivalents?'''''
* '''''How many students does the institution have (a) in total? (b) as full-time equivalents?'''''


Gli studenti iscritti ai corsi di laurea del Sistema NETTUNO sono circa 12.000. Tutti gli studenti (100%) sono iscritti a tempo pieno.
The students enrolled in the university degree courses of NETTUNO System are 12,000 approximately. All students (100%) of the Telematic University are full-time students.


* '''''How many staff does the institution have (a) in total? (b) as full-time equivalents?'''''
* '''''How many staff does the institution have (a) in total? (b) as full-time equivalents?'''''


Personale totale: 66; di cui a tempo pieno il 95%.
Total staff members: 66; among which 95% are full-time staff.


* '''''What is the institution's "business model"? (a) public (b) private (c) consortium (d) national programme. If (c) or (d) above, list the other partners (or the members) and for each briefly describe its role.'''''
* '''''What is the institution's "business model"? (a) public (b) private (c) consortium (d) national programme. If (c) or (d) above, list the other partners (or the members) and for each briefly describe its role.'''''


Il business model del Sistema NETTUNO è basto sulla duplice modalità dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO, composta da un unico grande ateneo “non statale” e senza scopo di lucro; e su quella del Consorzio NETTUNO che come modello organizzativo e strutturale è un consorzio tra università tradizionali ed aziende.  
The “business model” of NETTUNO System is based on the double mode of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, including a single great “non-state” and non-profit university; and on that of Consorzio NETTUNO which, in terms of organisational and structural model, is consortium of traditional universities and companies.  


L’U.T.I.U. è caratterizzata da una forte e decisa vocazione e proiezione internazionale, che le ha consentito di inserirsi rapidamente nel contesto delle istituzioni di istruzione superiore europee, sviluppando in particolare una significativa strategica alleanza con i paesi dell’area euro-mediterranea.  
The UTIU is characterised by a strong and decided international vocation and orientation that allowed it to rapidly become part of the context of the European higher education institutions, developing a significant strategic alliance with the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area.


Data l’importanza centrale che l’obiettivo dell’internazionalizzazione riveste nelle strategie di sviluppo di UNINETTUNO, appare utile sintetizzarne le fasi salienti, rinviando a quanto più diffusamente riferito nelle premesse.
Given the great importance that the objective of internationalisation has in UNINETTUNO’s development strategies, it is useful to summarise its main phases and make reference to what is more diffusely reported in the introduction.


L’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO nasce dal modello NETTUNO Network per l’Università Ovunque (attivo in Italia dal 1992), e dal successo del progetto europeo MED NET’U, Mediterranean Network of Universities (2002-2006), finanziato dalla Commissione Europea nell’ambito del Programma EUMEDIS e coordinato da NETTUNO, cui hanno partecipato 31 tra università e Centri di formazione professionale di 11 Paesi del Mediterraneo (Egitto, Algeria, Libano, Tunisia, Giordania, Turchia, Grecia, Francia, Italia, Marocco, Siria).  
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO takes origin form NETTUNO - Network per l’Università Ovunque model (operating in Italy since 1992) and from the success of the European Project Med Net’U - Mediterranean Network of University (2002-2006), funded by the European Commission in the framework of the EUMEDIS Programme and coordinated by NETTUNO - Network per l’Università Ovunque and which saw the participation of 11 Mediterranean Countries (Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Jordan, Greece, France, Italy, Morocco and Syria).


Risultato più significativo del progetto Med Net’U è la realizzazione di una rete tecnologica bi-direzionale, basata sulle tecnologie satellitari per la trasmissione e la ricezione, che connette gli 11 Centri di Produzione e i 31 Poli Tecnologici presso le sedi dei partner del Mediterraneo. Grazie a questa rete, l’unica di questo tipo esistente nell’area Euromediterranea per l’insegnamento a distanza, tutti i partners oggi possono produrre, trasmettere e ricevere contenuti formativi, sia per internet via satellite sia per televisione su RAI NETTUNO SAT 1, che già da anni trasmette lezioni accademiche del corso di laurea in ingegneria in lingua araba, inglese, francese ed italiano.  
The main result of the Med Net’U Project is the realisation of networked structure based on transmitting and receiving bi-directional satellite technologies, connecting 11 Production Centres and 31 Technological Poles, at the Mediterranean Partner Universities’ sites. Thanks to this network, the only of this kind existing n the Euro-Mediterranean Area for distance education, today all partners can produce, broadcast and receive educational contents, through Internet via satellite and on television, on RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 as well, that, since many years has been broadcasting academic lessons of the Engineering degree course in Arabic, English, French and Italian.  


Il Consorzio è nato nel 1992 ed era costituito da 3 università e 5 aziende. In solo tre anni si è passati da 3 a 24 università Italiane e Straniere, ed oggi sono 43: Politecnico di Bari, il Politecnico di Milano, il Politecnico di Torino e le Università di l'Aquila, Bologna, Camerino, Cassino, Firenze, Genova, Lecce, Milano, Modena, Napoli "Federico II", la Seconda Università di Napoli, Padova, Parma, Pisa, Roma Tor Vergata, Salerno, Siena, Torino, Trento, Trieste, Viterbo "La Tuscia" e ben 11 Poli Tecnologici.
The Consortium was established in 1992 and included 3 universities and 5 companies. In only three years it passed from 3 to 24 Italian and foreign universities and today there 43 of them: Politecnico di Bari, Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino and the Universities of L'Aquila, Bologna, Camerino, Cassino, Florence, Genua, Lecce, Milan, Modena, Naples "Federico II", Second University of Naples, Padua, Parma, Pisa, Rome Tor Vergata, Salerno, Siena, Turin, Trento, Trieste, Viterbo "La Tuscia" and 11 Technological Poles.  


Inoltre, vanno evidenziate le priorità che il Sistema NETTUNO si è dato quali business model:  
In addition, we should highlight the priorities that the NETTUNO System gave to itself as business models:
* qualità dei docenti video, scelti tra i migliori docenti delle Università italiane e straniere;  
* Quality of the video professors, selected among the best ones of the Italian and foreign universities;  
* qualità delle strutture didattiche attraverso docenti titolari, ordinari e associati, reclutati a seguito di procedure selettive. Tali docenti sono stati reclutati a contratto, sulla base di convenzioni con le Università di appartenenza,  come consentito dalle vigenti disposizioni ministeriali. In tal modo si è realizzato un corpo docente stabile, destinato a costituire anche in futuro il perno che assicura la qualità dei percorsi formativi e quella del reclutamento dei ricercatori e dei tutor;
* Quality of the educational structures achieved thanks to full professors, regular and associated ones, recruited through selection procedures. These professors are hired by contract in accordance to agreements established with the universities they belong to, as envisaged by the ministerial regulations now in force. So doing, we have formed a stable teaching staff, bound to represent, also in the future, the focal element which assures the quality of the educational paths and that of the recruitment of researchers and tutors;
* qualità della piattaforma informatica, realizzata sulla base del già sviluppato modello didattico e psicopedagogico e continuamente implementata;
* Quality of the computer-based platform, realised on basis of the already developed and continuously checked didactic and psychopedagogic model;
* accurata scelta, formazione mirata e continuo coordinamento e monitoraggio dei tutor;
* Accurate selection, targeted training and continuous coordination and monitoring of the tutors;
* realizzazione di Poli tecnologici e di strutture didattiche in collaborazione con Università tradizionali italiane e straniere e con enti pubblici e privati;
* Realisation of Technological Poles and didactic facilities in cooperation with Italian and foreign traditional universities and with public and private bodies;  
* sviluppo di collaborazioni con Università straniere per la realizzazione di corsi a distanza e il  rilascio di doppio titolo, in particolare focalizzate sulla realizzazione di una rete euro mediterranea che lega stabilmente UNINETTUNO e le migliori Università dei paesi del Mediterraneo;
* Development of cooperation relationships with foreign universities for the realisation of distance training courses and the issuing of joint degrees, more specifically focused on the realisation of a Euro-Mediterranean network stably linking UNINETTUNO to the best universities of the Mediterranean countries;
* investimento consistente in ricerche a livello internazionale ed iniziative finalizzate al miglioramento della qualità e dell’efficacia delle metodologie di insegnamento a distanza.
* Considerable investments in international-level research work and in initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the distance teaching methodologies.


* '''''What percentage of the institution's students are based outside the home country?'''''
* '''''What percentage of the institution's students are based outside the home country?'''''


Gli studenti che hanno la residenza all’estero rappresentano circa il 20% sul totale e provengono da: Belgio, Brasile, Bulgaria, Repubblica Ceca, Egitto, Francia, Germania, Grecia, Marocco, Nigeria, Paesi Bassi, Russia, Stati Uniti d’America, Svizzera.  
The students who reside abroad represent 20% of the total and come from: Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Morocco, Nigeria, Netherlands, Russia, United States of America, Switzerland.  


In particolare, alla Facoltà di Ingegneria circa l’85% degli studenti iscritti è di nazionalità straniera.  
In particular, in the Engineering Faculty 85% of the students enrolled are of foreign nationality.  


* '''''Describe the institution's approach to virtual mobility.'''''
* '''''Describe the institution's approach to virtual mobility.'''''


Il Sistema NETTUNO ha una lunga esperienza nel settore della Virtual Mobility e della cooperazione nei programmi di ricerca nazionali e internazionali avviati a partire dal 1994.
The NETTUNO System has a long experience in the field of virtual mobility and of cooperation in the framework of national and international programmes starter up since 1994.
La Virtual Mobility rappresenta, infatti, un’opportunità importante per l’Università a distanza di offrire ai propri studenti un’esperienza internazionale e contribuire al processo di Bologna.
 
Nell’ambito delle attività di Virtual Mobility, l’Università ha ricevuto l’accreditamento per la Carta Universitaria Erasmus (Erasmus University Charter – EUC) che stabilisce la struttura generale per lo svolgimento di tutte le attività di mobilità europea che gli Istituti d’Istruzione superiore possono realizzare all’interno del Programma Erasmus e che rappresenta per l’Università la volontà di impegnarsi in programmi di mobilità.
Virtual Mobility actually represents a significant opportunity for distance university for offering its own students an international experience and contributing to the Bologna process.  
La priorità in questo campo è una migliore integrazione della dimensione virtuale nella mobilità  fisica, attraverso la garanzia della qualità e i sistemi di riconoscimento reciproco del processo di Bologna. L'obiettivo è quello di incoraggiare lo sviluppo di programmi europei di scambio e collaborazione, facendo tesoro delle strutture europee di cooperazione già esistenti (programma Erasmus, processo di Bologna) e dando ai loro strumenti operativi (ECTS, European Community Course Credit Transfer System) una dimensione virtuale.
 
Negl’ultimi anni, l’Università ha partecipato a diversi progetti specifici nel settore della Virtual Mobility nell’ambito dei programmi E-learning della Commissione Europea. Questi progetti sono: ''HEAL - Higher Education E-Learning courses Assessment and Label; REVE - REal Virtaul Erasmus Project; E-MOVE, An Operational Conception of Virtual Mobility; VENUS - Virtual and e-mobility for Networking Universities in Society''.
In the framework of the activities of Virtual Mobility, the University received the accreditation for the Erasmus University Charter – EUC – which supplies that general framework within which to carry on all European mobility activities which the higher education institutions can carry on within the Erasmus Programme and it represents for the University the will to engage in mobility programmes.
 
The priority in this field is a better integration of the virtual dimension within physical mobility by assuring the quality and the systems of reciprocal acknowledgement of the Bologna process. The objective is that of encouraging the development of European programmes of exchange and cooperation building on the existing European cooperation structures and giving the operational tools (ECTS, European Community Course Credit Transfer System) a new virtual dimension.
 
In recent years, the University has taken part in several specific projects in the field of virtual mobility in the framework of the e-Learning Programmes of the European Commission. These projects are: ''HEAL - Higher Education E-Learning courses Assessment and Label; REVE - REal Virtaul Erasmus Project; E-MOVE, An Operational Conception of Virtual Mobility; VENUS - Virtual and e-mobility for Networking Universities in Society''.


* '''''Describe how the institution manages its "brand" (a) in general and (b) in respect of any e-learning aspects.'''''
* '''''Describe how the institution manages its "brand" (a) in general and (b) in respect of any e-learning aspects.'''''


Gran parte del brand dell’Università viene gestito attraverso il sito web, campagne di pubblicitaria e attraverso la stipula di convenzioni e partnership.
Most of the University’s brand is managed through the website, advertising campaigns and by establishing agreements and partnerships.


Per le campagne pubblicitarie il Sistema NETTUNO ed in particolare l’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO, si avvale dei principali mezzi di comunicazione web impiegando i sistemi 2.0 ed attraverso la presenza su siti tematici e forum. Inoltre, vengono pubblicati articoli e paper sui principali quotidiani stampa e sulle riviste specializzate. Dopo un attento studio del target e una profilazione dell’utente idealtipico, l’Università ha scelto questi mezzi poichè sono i più idonei e rispondenti per il raggiungimento (copertura e pressione) del target medesimo. Gli obiettivi delle campagne pubblicitarie sono:
For its advertising campaigns, the UNINETTUNO System and the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO in particular utilise the main tools of web-based communication exploiting the 2.0 system and through its presence on thematic sites and forums. In addition, many articles and papers are published on the most important newspapers and specialised magazines. After a careful study of the target audience and a profiling of the ideal/typical user, the University has opted for these two tools since they are the most appropriate and suitable to get to the target (coverage and pressure). The goals of the advertising campaign are:  
* Disseminazione (aumentare e rafforzare) in seno al target la conoscenza e la visibilità dell’immagine istituzionale dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO e del suo modello didattico
* Dissemination (increase and enhancement) of the knowledge and visibility of the institutional look of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO and of its model by the target audience
* Aumentare la conoscenza dell’offerta didattica (corsi di laurea, corsi di formazione professionale, lingua, master)
* Strengthening the knowledge of the educational offer (degree courses, vocational training courses, language, master’s courses)
* Enfatizzazione dei vantaggi offerti dal modello di formazione a distanza e delle peculiarità specifiche del modello UTIU (i canali satellitari, lezioni in quattro lingue, i bookmark).
* Highlighting the advantages offered by the distance teaching mode and of the specific characters of the UTIU model (satellite channels, lessons in four languages, bookmarks).


Dal punto di vista strategico la campagna pubblicitaria si svolge nel periodo in cui cresce e si definisce la scelta del percorso universitario (fine Giugno Novembre); il budget per l’acquisto degli spazi non è prefissato, ma viene utilizzato di volta in volta a seconda della vendita promozionale di spazi e delle necessità.
Due to strategic reasons, the advertising camping is carried out in the period where the choice of the university path is decided (end June November); the budget to purchase spaces is not set in advance, but it is used each time according to the sale of promotional spaces and to the actual needs.


=== The past ===
=== The past ===
Line 104: Line 116:
* '''''Give a narrative description of the institution's history since its foundation, concentrating on key dates, recent years and any e-learning issues.'''''
* '''''Give a narrative description of the institution's history since its foundation, concentrating on key dates, recent years and any e-learning issues.'''''


L’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO nasce nel 2005 dal modello NETTUNO Network per l’università ovunque (attivo in Italia dal 1992) e dal successo del progetto europeo MED NET’U, Mediterranean Network of University. Con il progetto Med Net’U (Mediterranean Network of Universities), finanziato dalla Commissione Europea nell’ambito del Programma EUMEDIS e coordinato da NETTUNO - Network per l’Università Ovunque e cui hanno partecipato 31 fra università e centri di formazione professionale di 11 Paesi del Mediterraneo (Egitto, Algeria, Libano, Tunisia, Giordania, Turchia, Grecia, Francia, Italia, Marocco, Siria) sono stati ottenuti i seguenti risultati:
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO was born in 2005 from NETTUNO - Network per l’Università Ovunque  model (operating in Italy since 1992) and from the success of the European Project Med Net’U - Mediterranean Network of University. With the Med Net’U - Mediterranean Network of Universities), funded by the European Commission in the framework of the EUMEDIS Programme and coordinated by NETTUNO - Network per l’Università Ovunque and which saw the participation of 11 Mediterranean Countries (Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Jordan, Greece, France, Italy, Morocco and Syria) the following results were obtained:  
# La progettazione di due curricula comuni nell’area dell’Ingegneria secondo le linee indicate dal Processo di Bologna e della Sorbona (3 anni di studi di base più 2 di specializzazione);
# The design of two common curricula in the Engineering area according to the lines indicated in the Bologna and Sorbonne processes (three years of basic studies plus two specialisation years);
# La produzione in quattro lingue (arabo, inglese, francese e italiano) di tutti moduli del corso di laurea a distanza in Ingegneria dell’Informazione e della Comunicazione e in Ingegneria Meccanica;  
# the production, in four languages (Arabic, English, French and Italian) of all the modules of the degree course in Information and Communication Engineering and in Mechanical Engineering;  
# La formazione dei docenti, dei tutor e del personale tecnico collegata agli skill di competenza necessari all’insegnamento a distanza;  
# the training of  teachers, tutors and technical staff strictly related to the competences and skills needed in distance education;  
# La realizzazione di una struttura di rete basata sulle tecnologie satellitari bi-direzionali per la trasmissione e la ricezione, installate presso gli 11 Centri di Produzione e i 31 Poli Tecnologici presso le sedi dei partner del Mediterraneo: si tratta dell’unica rete tecnologica bi-direzionale di insegnamento a distanza esistente nell’area Euromediterranea;  
# the realisation of networked structure based on transmitting and receiving bi-directional satellite technologies, set up at the 11 Production Centres and 31 Technological Poles, at the Mediterranean Partner Universities’ sites: it is the only bi-directional distance teaching network existing n the Euro-Mediterranean Area;  
# Lo sviluppo su Internet via satellite di una piattaforma didattica comune in quattro lingue l’unica al mondo in arabo, italiano, inglese e francese - e la disponibilità sulla rete televisiva satellitare RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 di uno spazio interamente dedicato alla trasmissione nelle quattro lingue delle videolezioni realizzate dai docenti delle università del mondo arabo e dell’Europa.
# e) the development of an didactic platform based on Internet via satellite, in four languages the only one worldwide Arabic, French, English and Italian – and the availability on the satellite channel, RAI NETTUNO SAT 1, of an area entirely devoted to the broadcasting in four languages of the videolessons realised by the professors of the universities of the Arab World and of Europe.
Il 14 marzo 2006, è stato inaugurata l’attivazione del Polo Tecnologico di UNINETTUNO presso la sede del Segretariato di Stato per la formazioni professionale di Rabat in Marocco. In questa struttura il governo del Marocco utilizza i corsi a distanza per l’alfabetizzazione Informatica realizzati con il progetto Med Net’U e sta già formando i Funzionari dei diversi ministeri all’uso delle nuove tecnologie.
 
Il 15 giugno 2006 è stato inaugurato il Polo tecnologico di UNINETTUNO presso la Helwan University in Egitto per iniziare, e circa 40 studenti si sono iscritti al Corso di Laurea in Ingegneria Informatica dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO ed hanno già brillantemente superato gli esami del primo anno. I professori egiziani sono stati formati dai nostri docenti a seguire gli studenti come tutor ed insieme ai nostri docenti svolgono gli esami faccia a faccia ed in videoconferenza.
On the 14th March 2006, it was inaugurated a Technological Pole of UNINETTUNO, at the site of the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training in Rabat, in Morocco. In this structure the Government of Morocco uses the distance computer-literacy courses, realised with the Med Net’U Project and aimed at training the executives of the ministries in the use of the new technologies.
Il 26 ottobre 2008, alla presenza del Presidente della Repubblica Italiana e delle più alte cariche Egiziane, è stato siglato uno storico accordo accademico tra la prima Università a distanza per l’e-learning Egiziana, l’EELU - Egyptian E-Learning University, e l'Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO. Il governo Egiziano ha consentito con apposito provvedimento che gli studenti egiziani che si iscrivono ai corsi di UNINETTUNO possono ottenere il riconoscimento del doppio titolo Accademico Italiano ed Egiziano.  


On the 15th June 2006, it was inaugurated a  Technological Pole of UNINETTUNO at the Helwan University’ site in Egypt, just as a starting-point, and nearly 40 students are enrolled in the Computer Engineering Degree Course of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO and they have already successfully passed the exams of the first year. The Egyptian professors were trained by our professors to be able to follow the student as tutors and jointly with our professors the carry on the exams face-to-face and by videoconferencing.
On the 26 October 2008, in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic and of the highest officials of Egypt, was undersigned a historic academic agreement between the first Egyptian e-Learning Distance University, the EELU Egyptian E-Learning University, and the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO. By a special provision the Egyptian Government allowed the Egyptian students enrolling to UNINETTUNO courses to get the acknowledgement of the Egyptian – Italian joint academic title.


== External environment ==
== External environment ==
Line 119: Line 133:
* '''''What is the institution's funding from government as a percentage of annual income?'''''
* '''''What is the institution's funding from government as a percentage of annual income?'''''


L’Università Telematica Internazionale Uninettuno non fruisce di finanziamenti erogati dal governo ma le entrate si basano principalmente sulle tasse pagate dagli studenti. La percentuale di finanziamento che deriva dal governo è pari a 0%.  
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO does not benefit from funding supplied by the Government, but its revenues are mainly based on the fees paid by the students. The rate of funding coming from the Government is equal to 0%.  


* '''''Describe the way that funding is provided for institutions in the institution's country, or state that it is the same as for other institutions in the country.'''''
* '''''Describe the way that funding is provided for institutions in the institution's country, or state that it is the same as for other institutions in the country.'''''


Il governo finanzia solamente le università pubbliche attraverso l’erogazione di risorse dal Fondo di Finanziamento Ordinario (FFO). Le quote vengono definite in base ad un complesso meccanismo di calcolo che prende in considerazione una molteplicità di variabili, di cui le principali sono: numero iscritti, numero laureati per anno accademico, numero medio di CFU acquisiti dagli studenti.
The Government funds only public universities through by supplying resources coming from the Fondo di Finanziamento Ordinario - FFO - Fund of Ordinary Funding). The shares are defined according to a complex mechanism of calculation which takes into account many variables among which the most important ones are: the number of enrolled students, the number of graduates per academic year, the average ECTS credits acquired by the students.
 
Le università private possono ricevere alcuni finanziamenti diretti da parte del governo definiti annualmente nella legge di programmazione finanziaria.  
Private universities can receive some direct funding from the Government established annually by the financial planning bill.  


* '''''Describe the legal status of the institution.'''''  
* '''''Describe the legal status of the institution.'''''  


L’Università Telematica Internazionale Uninettuno è una Università non statale, legalmente riconosciuta e autorizzata a rilasciare titoli accademici aventi valore legale in Italia, in Europa e nei paesi del Mediterraneo.
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is a non-state university, legally recognised and authorised to issue academic titles having legal value in Italy, in Europe and in the Mediterranean countries.


* '''''List the language(s) that the institution uses for instruction with the percentage of students studying in each. (Bilingual study can also be included.)'''''
* '''''List the language(s) that the institution uses for instruction with the percentage of students studying in each. (Bilingual study can also be included.)'''''


I corsi dell’Università sono erogati tramite lo spazio di apprendimento su Internet (http://www.uninettunouniversity.net), progettato e sviluppato dall’Università in formato multilinguistico: sia i contenuti sia l’interfaccia sono disponibili in arabo, francese, inglese, italiano.  
The University courses are delivered by means of the Internet-based learning environment (http://www.uninettunouniversity.net), designed and developed by the University in a multilingual format: both contents and interface are available in Arabic, French, English and Italian.  


Gli studenti stranieri rappresentano il 7,3% della totalità degli iscritti. Di questi, il circa l’85% segue i corsi in lingua inglese e in arabo; il restante 15% segue i corsi in francese.  
The foreign students represent 7.3% of the total enrolled students. Among these ones, nearly 85% attend courses in English and Arabic; the reminder 5% follow courses in French.
''Questa collaborazione tra le Università rappresenta un’operazione culturale che consente la democratizzazione del sapere e che apre le porte del lavoro globale e del dialogo tra le nuove generazioni europee del mondo arabo''(M.A.Garito, 2002)
 
''“This cooperation among the Universities represents a cultural initiative allowing to democratise knowledge and that opens the way of global labour and of the dialogue among the new European generations and of the Arab World”'' (M.A.Garito, 2002)


* '''''Describe any specific cultural issues that affect the institution's students or state that that it is the same as for other institutions in the country. Mention any features relevant to e-learning.'''''
* '''''Describe any specific cultural issues that affect the institution's students or state that that it is the same as for other institutions in the country. Mention any features relevant to e-learning.'''''


Nella storia recente dell’Italia il sistema universitario è stato al centro di importanti riforme iniziate già con l’avvento della Repubblica nel primo dopoguerra, quando venne riformato il rigido ordinamento imposto dal fascismo e sancito il diritto all'autonomia universitaria garantito dall'art. 33 della Costituzione (pubblicata il 27 dicembre 1947), nel quale è riconosciuto alle istituzioni di alta cultura, università e accademie, il diritto di darsi ordinamenti autonomi.  
In Italy’s recent history the university system has been affected by significant reforms started already with the appearance of the Republic during the first after-war period, when the rigid system imposed by Fascism was reformed and was sanctioned the right to university autonomy granted by art. 33 of the Constitution, published on the 27th December 1947 and recognising to higher cultural institutions, universities and academic the right to give themselves autonomous rules.
 
A second important phase of reforms of the organisation of the Italian universities took place at the beginning of the Sixties with Maranini-Miglio project of reform, implemented in 1969 and whose organisational format was left mostly unchanged up to the new cycle of reforms starting at the beginning of the Nineties and going on between the two millennia.


Una seconda importante fase di riforme per l’organizzazione delle università italiane si è svolta agli inizi degli anni ’60 con il progetto di riforma Maranini-Miglio, attuata nel 1969 ed il cui assetto organizzativo è rimasto per lo più invariato fino al nuovo ciclo di riforme avviatosi agli inizi degli anni ’90 e proseguito a cavallo del nuovo millennio.  
The phase of renewal of beginning Nineties represent a veritable divide among the university system know up to that time and the developments produced with the opening to the new multimedia systems for higher education. By the Law n° 341 of the 19th November 1990, was realised the “Reform of the University Educational Rules”, by means of which were launched significant innovations as it regarded the universities educational autonomies, the teaching and research personnel, tutoring and scientific-disciplinary sectors.  


La fase di rinnovamento dei primi anni ’90 rappresenta un vero e proprio spartiacque tra il sistema universitario conosciuto fino a quel momento e gli sviluppi prodotti con l’apertura ai nuovi sistemi multimediali per l’alta formazione universitaria. Con la Legge n.341 del 19 novembre 1990, è stata realizzata la "Riforma degli ordinamenti didattici universitari”, attraverso la quale sono state avviate importanti innovazioni per quanto riguarda le autonomie didattiche degli ateneo, il corpo docente e di ricerca, il tutoraggio ed i Settori scientifico-disciplinari.  
By the end of the Nineties, a strong drive for transforming university toward a “European model” was given by the reform introducing the Universities’ autonomy. It is the Law nr. 127 of the 15th May 1997, enforced by the Decree of the Minister of the University and Scientific and Technological Research n° 509 of the 3rd November 1999, by which the study courses were redesigned introducing the so-called “3+2” structure, based on the Anglo-American model. The aim was that of harmonising all the European educational systems by inter-governmental treaties concerning the homogenisation of university cycles according the “3+2” structure, an aim established by the Sorbonne agreement undersigned in 1998 among Italy, France, Germany and United Kingdom and with the Bologna agreement of 1999 with the other countries members and satellite countries.  


Verso la fine degli anni '90, un forte impulso alla trasformazione dell'università in "senso europeo" viene dato dalla riforma che introduce l'autonomia degli atenei. Si tratta della Legge n. 127 15 maggio 1997, attuata con decreto del Ministro dell'università e della ricerca scientifica e tecnologica n. 509 del 3 novembre 1999, attraverso la quale sono stati rimodellati i corsi di studio con l’introduzione della cosiddetta formula del “3+2”, basata sul modello angloamericano. L'obiettivo era di armonizzare tra loro i sistemi formativi europei attraverso trattati intergovernativi riguardanti l'equiparazione dei cicli universitari nel “3+2”, obiettivo siglato con l'accordo di Sorbona del 1998 tra Italia, Francia, Germania e Gran Bretagna, e con l’accordo di Bologna del 1999 con gli altri stati membri e paesi satelliti.  
1999 Bologna Process represents an important phase of the harmonisation path of the higher education systems at European level. In short, the objectives of the Bologna Declaration are:
* Creation of a European Higher Education Area;
* Worldwide promotion of the European Education System;
* Harmonisation of the European University Systems.


Nel 1999 il processo di Bologna rappresenta una fase importante del percorso di armonizzazione dei sistemi di istruzione superiore a livello europeo. Gli obiettivi della Dichiarazione di Bologna sono, in breve:
In Italy, as anticipated in the previous paragraphs, further to the approval of the law n° 341/1990 on the restructuring of the university didactic rule (university autonomy), public-private consortia were established for distance teaching universities.  
* la creazione di un'Area Europea dell'Istruzione Superiore;
* la promozione nel mondo del sistema di istruzione superiore europeo;
* l'armonizzazione dei sistemi universitari europei.


In Italia, come anticipato nei precedenti paragrafi, a seguito dell'approvazione della legge 341/1990 sul riordino degli ordinamenti didattici universitari (autonomia universitaria), sono stati costituiti consorzi pubblico-privati per l'istruzione universitaria a distanza.
In April 2005 the “Moratti-Stanca” Decree about “the criteria and procedures for accrediting distance education courses of the state and non state universities and of higher education institutions enables to issue academic titles, was enacted”. This act concretely implements the institution of the telematic universities, authorised to issue academic titles.  
Nell’aprile del 2003, è stato emanato il decreto “Moratti Stanca” concernente "i criteri e le procedure di accreditamento dei corsi di studio a distanza delle università statali e non statali e delle istituzioni universitarie abilitate a rilasciare titoli accademici''. Questo provvedimento, dà concreta attuazione all’istituzione di università telematiche autorizzate a rilasciare titoli accademici.  


In Italia i corsi di studio a distanza sono istituiti e attivati dalle università statali e non statali ed utilizzano le tecnologie informatiche e telematiche in conformità alle prescrizioni tecniche indicate nello stesso decreto Moratti-Stanca. Queste università devono essere organizzate “con le più moderne tecnologie informatiche e telematiche, e sono finalizzati al rilascio di titoli accademici previsti dalla normativa vigente''.  
In Italy distance education courses are established and implemented by state and non state universities and make use of computer-based and telematic technologies in accordance with the technical requirements indicated by the “Moratti-Stanca” Decree. These universities have to be organised “according to the most advanced computer-based and telematic technologies and are aimed at issuing academic titles envisage by laws currently in force”.  


* '''''Describe the external quality assurance and/or accreditation regime affecting the institution, or state that it is the same as for other institutions in the country. Mention any features relevant to e-learning.'''''
* '''''Describe the external quality assurance and/or accreditation regime affecting the institution, or state that it is the same as for other institutions in the country. Mention any features relevant to e-learning.'''''


Al fine di valutare ed assicurare un’alta qualità del sistema universitario italiano, è stato istituito ai sensi della Legge n. 370/1999, il Comitato Nazionale per la Valutazione del Sistema Universitario. Tale Comitato è un organo istituzionale del Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca scientifica e tecnologica con il compito di: fissare i criteri generali per la valutazione delle attività delle università; predisporre una relazione annuale sulla valutazione del sistema universitario; promuovere la sperimentazione, l'applicazione e la diffusione di metodologie e pratiche di valutazione; determinare la natura delle informazioni e dei dati che i nuclei di valutazione degli atenei sono tenuti a comunicare; attuare un programma annuale di valutazioni esterne delle università o di singole strutture didattiche; effettuare valutazioni tecniche su proposte di nuove istituzioni universitarie statali e non statali in vista dell'autorizzazione al rilascio di titoli aventi valore legale; predisporre rapporti sullo stato di attuazione e sui risultati della programmazione; predisporre studi e documentazione sullo stato dell'istruzione universitaria, sull'attuazione del diritto allo studio e sugli accessi ai corsi di studio universitari; predisporre studi e documentazione per la definizione dei criteri di riparto della quota di riequilibrio del fondo per il finanziamento ordinario delle università; svolgere per il Ministro attività consultive, istruttorie, di valutazione, di definizione di standard, di parametri e di normativa tecnica, anche in relazione alle distinte attività delle università, nonché ai progetti e alle proposte presentate dalle medesime.  
In order to evaluate and assure the high quality standards to the Italian university system, in compliance with the Law n° 370/1999 it was established a National Committee for the Evaluation of the University System. This Committee is an institutional body of the Ministry of the University and Scientific and Technological Research having the tasks of: establish the general criteria to evaluate university activities; prepare an annual report on the evaluation of the university system; promote experimentation, the application and spreading of evaluation methodologies and practices; identify the nature of the information and data that the boards of evaluation of the universities are required to transmit; implement an annual plan of external evaluations of the universities’ or of the individual training structures; carry on technical evaluations based on the proposals of new state and non state university institutions in view of the authorisation to issuing titles having legal value; prepare reports on the implementation status and on the planning results; prepare studies and documents on the situation of higher education, on the implementation of the right to study and on access to university study courses; prepare studies and documentations for establishing the criteria of allocation of the share of readjustment of the fund for university ordinary funding; carry on consulting, preliminary, evaluation activities; identify standards, parameters and technical rules, also as it regards the universities’ specific activities and projects and proposal presented by these ones to be transmitted to the Minister.  


In base alla normativa citata, l’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO ha nominato il proprio Nucleo di Valutazione, composto da esperti della valutazione provenienti sia dall’ambito accademico che non accademico. Il Nucleo è impegnato nella valutazione delle attività didattiche e amministrative, e conduce la periodica rilevazione sulle opinioni degli studenti.
According to the above-mentioned regulations, the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO appointed its own Board of Evaluation, composed of experts in evaluation procedures coming from the academic environment and from the non-academic one as well. The Board is engaged in evaluating the training and administrative activities and carries on regular surveys on the students’ opinions.  


Il Sistema UNINETTUNO è attento, inoltre, anche ai percorsi di qualità e alle linee guida in materia di QA definite in contesto europeo. L’U.T.I.U. in particolare ha aderito infatti al progetto Excellence e successivamente al progetto E-xcellence+ (entrambe coordinati da EADTU), che promuovono la cooperazione nella garanzia di qualità nel settore dell'educazione superiore, in particolare rispetto all'uso dell'e-learning. In tale ambito ha utilizzato lo strumento di valutazione messo a punto dal progetto, per valutare alcuni insegnamenti erogati nei corsi di laurea al fine di evidenziare possibili integrazioni dello strumento e di diffonderne l’uso come valido supporto di autovalutazione della didattica.
The UNINETTUNO System is deeply committed in assuring the quality of its educational paths and to the guidelines referring to QA established at European level. In particular UNINETTUNO joined E-xcellence Project and later on the E-xcellence+ Project (that are both coordinated by the EADTU) that promote cooperation in quality assurance in the field of higher education, in particular as it regards the use of e-Learning. In this framework it used the tool devised for these projects to assess some of the courses delivered within the degree courses in order to identify the possible integrations of this tool and spread its use as a valid support for auto-evaluation of the didactics.  


* '''''Describe the approach to credit transfer with other similar institutions.'''''
* '''''Describe the approach to credit transfer with other similar institutions.'''''


Gli studenti che si iscrivono all’U.T.I.U. possono richiedere il riconoscimento di Crediti Formativi Universitari derivanti da attività professionali e da precedenti percorsi di studio certificati anche se non completati.
The students who enrol to the UTIU can apply for the acknowledgment of ECTS credits resulting from professional activities and for certified past study paths, even if they have not been completed.
The Faculty Council assesses the certification submitted by the student and checks the consistency of the study path selected and establishes the final acknowledgement of the credits.  


Il Consiglio di Facoltà valuta la certificazione presentata dallo studente e verifica la congruenza con il percorso di studi scelto e stabilisce il definitivo riconoscimento dei crediti.
In addition, the Board of Directors, can deliberate as it regards the acknowledgement of the ECTS credits for specific professional categories.  


Il Consiglio di Amministrazione, inoltre, può deliberare in merito al riconoscimento di Crediti Formativi Universitari per alcune categorie professionali.
The Acknowledgement of the ECTS Credits has to be requested by submitting a specific application to the Rector.  
 
Il Riconoscimento Crediti Formativi Universitari deve essere sempre richiesto attraverso opportuna istanza al Magnifico Rettore.


* '''''List the main associations that the institution is a member of, with a note as to the relevance of each to e-learning (if any).'''''
* '''''List the main associations that the institution is a member of, with a note as to the relevance of each to e-learning (if any).'''''
Line 180: Line 196:
* '''Politecnico di Torino'''
* '''Politecnico di Torino'''


Oggetto: l’accordo sancisce la reciproca collaborazione scientifica e la disponibilità ad usufruire dei propri laboratori per attività di ricerca su programmi condivisi, la possibilità di rilasciare titoli accademici congiunti per quanto concerne la Facoltà di Ingegneria.
Subject: the agreement establishes a mutual scientific cooperation relation and the willingness to use their laboratories to carry on research activities on shared programmes, the possibility to deliver joint academic titles as it regards the Engineering Faculty.  
Stipulata il 16 maggio 2006.
 
Concluded on the 16th May 2006.
 
* '''University of “Roma Tre”'''


* '''Università degli studi “Roma Tre”'''
Subject: in this agreement it is mentioned the possibility of jointly designing and realising university courses, master’s courses, high-specialising courses and distance retraining courses in specific scientific-disciplinary sectors, of using the “Piazza Telematica” of Roma Tre, and also to deliver joint academic titles for research and training purposes.


Oggetto: nella convenzione viene indicata la possibilità di progettare e realizzare insieme corsi universitari, master, corsi ad alto livello di specializzazione e riqualificazione professionale a distanza nei settori scientifico-disciplinari, di utilizzare a scopi di ricerca e didattici la “Piazza Telematica” di Roma Tre, nonché di rilasciare titoli accademici congiunti.
Concluded on the 25th October 2007
Stipulata il 25 ottobre 2007


* '''Università degli studi di Palermo'''
* '''University of Palermo'''


Oggetto: nella convenzione viene indicata la possibilità di progettare e realizzare insieme corsi universitari, master, corsi ad alto livello di specializzazione e riqualificazione professionale a distanza nei settori scientifico-disciplinari, di utilizzare a scopi di ricerca e didattici i laboratori di ricerca dell’Università di Palermo come Polo Tecnologico, nonché di rilasciare titoli accademici congiunti.  
Subject: in this agreement it is mentioned the possibility of jointly designing and realising university courses, master’s courses, high-specialising courses and distance retraining courses in specific scientific-disciplinary sectors, of using the laboratory research of the University of Palermo and also the Technological Pole for research purposes and to deliver jointly academic titles.
Stipulata il 7 ottobre 2008.
 
Concluded on the 7th October 2008.


* '''Scuola Superiore della Pubblica Amministrazione Locale (SSPAL)'''
* '''Scuola Superiore della Pubblica Amministrazione Locale (SSPAL)'''


Oggetto:erogazione di assegni di studio a giovani ricercatori.
Subject: delivery of study grants to young researchers.  
Delibera della SSPAL del 18 dicembre 2006
 
Deliberation of the SSPAL of the 18th December 2006


* '''Istituto di scienze della Tecnologia e della Cognizione (ISTC) del CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche)'''
* '''Istituto di scienze della Tecnologia e della Cognizione (ISTC) del CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche)'''


Oggetto: l’accordo sancisce la reciproca collaborazione scientifica allo scopo di rafforzare le comuni attività di ricerca negli ambiti del linguaggio e della comunicazione, della globalizzazione e della diversità culturale, dell’informazione scientifica e tecnica, delle Scienze tecniche e della società, delle tecnologie applicate ai processi di insegnamento e apprendimento faccia a faccia e a distanza, delle biblioteche virtuali.
Subject: this agreement establishes a mutual scientific cooperation aimed at enhancing the common research activities as it regards language and communication, globalisation and cultural diversity, scientific and technical information, sciences, techniques and society, technologies applied to face-to-face and distance teaching and learning processes, of virtual libraries.
Stipulata il 20 ottobre 2008.
 
Concluded on the 20th October 2008.


* '''''List the main international partners of the institution, in the order of strategic importance, with priority given to collaborations involving e-learning.'''''
* '''''List the main international partners of the institution, in the order of strategic importance, with priority given to collaborations involving e-learning.'''''


* '''Accordo di Partenariato con la EELU – Egyptian E-learning University'''
* '''Partnership Agreement with the EELU – Egyptian E-learning University'''


Oggetto: l’accordo sancisce la reciproca collaborazione scientifica allo scopo di realizzare insieme corsi di laurea universitari, master e corsi di alto livello di specializzazione e riqualificazione professionale, condividendo curricula, piani di studi, metodi d’insegnamento.
Subject: this agreement established a mutual scientific cooperation relationship aimed at jointly designing university degree courses, master’s courses and highly specialising courses and vocational re-training courses, sharing curricula, study programme, and teaching methods.  
Stipulato il 26 ottobre 2008.  


* '''Convenzione con Helwan University, Il Cairo (Egitto)'''
Concluded on the 26th October 2008.


Oggetto dell’accordo è la collaborazione scientifica e didattica con l’Università pubblica di Helwan, dotata di 18 facoltà e 50 centri di ricerca e particolarmente prestigiosa per le facoltà di ingegneria. La convenzione inoltre prevede la possibilità per gli studenti della Helwan University di iscriversi ai corsi di laurea prodotti in lingua dall’UNINETTUNO nonché la possibilità di co-produrre ulteriori corsi di laurea e master di interesse comune. Attraveso l’accordo è stato istituito un Polo Teconologico presso la Helwan University ed è prevista la possibilità di rilascio del doppio titolo accademico.
* '''Agreement with Helwan University, Cairo (Egypt)'''
Stipulata il 15 giugno 2006.
This agreement is about the scientific and educational cooperation with the state University of Helwan that can rely on 18 faculties and 50 research centres and that has reached high prestige thanks to its engineering faculties. In addition, this agreement envisages the possibilty for Helwan University students to enrol to the degree courses produced by UNINETTUNO and also the possibility to co-produce further degree courses and master’s courses they are both interested in. Thanks to this agreement it was established a Technological Pole at Helwan University and it is envisaged the delivery of joint academic titles with a double title.


* '''Convenzione con Université publique de Tunis El Manar (Tunisia)'''
Concluded on the 15th June 2006.


Oggetto dell’accordo è la reciproca cooperazione finalizzata allo studio e all’utilizzo dei modelli d’insegnamento a distanza dell’Uninettuno e l’istituzione di un Polo Teconologico. L’Université de Tunis El Manar è un’università pubblica avente, tra i suoi scopi principali quello della formazione e dell’innovazione. Ha più di 45.000 studenti ed è fra le più importanti università del suo Paese.
* '''Agreement with the Université Publique de Tunis El Manar (Tunisia)'''
Stipulata il 10 maggio 2007


* '''Convenzione con l’Università di Malta'''
This agreement is aimed at mutual cooperation targeted to the analysis and use of UNINETTUNO distance teaching models and the implementation of a Technological Pole. The Université de Tunis El Manar is a state university whose main aims are education and training. It has over 45000 students and it is one of the most important of the country.


Oggetto dell’accordo stipulato con la rappresentanza in Italia dall’Università di Malta, la fondazione Link Campus, riguarda lo studio e la ricerca per la diffusione e l’implementazione dei corsi di laurea a distanza, master e corsi di qualificazione e riqualificazione professionale con particolare attenzione alle materie inerenti specifici studi per ragionieri commercialisti e consulenti del lavoro. L’Università di Malta è la prima università straniera autorizzata a operare in Italia. L’accordo ha anche ad oggetto la collaborazione tra le Parti per l’istituzione, presso la sede di Link Campus, di un Polo Tecnologico.
Concluded on the 10th May 2007
Stipulata il 18 maggio 2007


* '''Convenzione con l’Université Virtuelle de Tunis'''
* '''Agreement with the University of Malta'''  


Oggetto della convenzione è la reciproca cooperazione finalizzata allo studio e all’utilizzo dei modelli d’insegnamento a distanza dell’Uninettuno e l’istituzione di un Polo Teconologico. L’Université Virtuelle de Tunis è una università istituita nel 2002 operante nel campo della formazione e dell’insegnamento a distanza.
This agreement concluded with the representation of Malta University in Italy, the Link Campus Foundation, is about the study and research work aimed at the dissemination and implementation of distance university degree courses, master’s courses and training and re-training courses paying specific attention to the subjects related to the specific studies targeted to accountants and labour consultants. The University of Malta is the first foreign university authorised to operate in Italy. The agreement aims also at cooperation between the Parties for the establishment of Technological Pole at Link Campus’ site.  
Stipulato il 24 agosto 2007


* '''Partenariato Scientifico con Institut des Sciences de la Communication du CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique – Francia)'''
Concluded on the 18th May 2007.


Oggetto del protocollo è la cooperazione scientifica nel campo del linguaggio e della comunicazione, comunicazione politica, globalizzazione e diversità culturale, informazione scientifica, scienze, tecnologie applicate ai processi di apprendimento e di insegnamento, etc..
* '''Agreement with the Université Virtuelle de Tunis'''
Stipulata l’8 luglio 2008.
This agreement is aimed at mutual cooperation targeted to the analysis and use of UNINETTUNO distance teaching models and the implementation of a Technological Pole. The Université Virtuelle de Tunis was established in 2002 operating in the field of distance education and training.  


* '''Partenariato Scientifico con EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities)'''
Concluded on the 24th August 2007


Oggetto: EADTU è un’organizzazione internazionale per la rappresentanza sia delle più importanti università di formazione a distanza in Europa, sia dei consorzi nazionali degl’istituti attivi nella formazione a distanza ed e-learning. L'Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO è socio di EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities) e sviluppa attività di ricerca in partnership con EADTU.
* '''Partnership protocol with the Institut des Sciences de la Communication du CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique – France)'''
Stipulata il 27 ottobre 2006


* '''Partenariato Scientifico con il Centro EMUNI - University Center for Euro-Mediterranean Studies'''
This Protocol is aimed at scientific cooperation in the field of language and communication, political communication, globalisation and cultural diversity, scientific information, sciences, technologies applied to teaching and learning processes etc.


Oggetto: EMUNI è un centro universitario con sede a Porto Rose in Slovenia, i cui obiettivi statutari sono di promuovere lo scambio interculturale tra i paesi Euro-Mediterranei attraverso la condivisione della conoscenza, dell’alta formazione e della ricerca; di sviluppare il networking tra le nazioni dei paesi Euro-Mediterranei; di giocare un ruolo significativo per lo sviluppo sostenibile socio-economico ed ambientale. L'Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO ha firmato lettera di intenti e la Carta della Fondazione, inoltre, siede nel Senato Accademico dell’EMUNI Universty.
Concluded on the 8th July 2008.
Attualemente, è in corso una importante Master erogato dall’UTIU con un contributo anche dell’EMUNI: Master in politiche e culture Euro-Mediterranee.
Stipulata il 25 maggio 2008


* '''Partenariato Scientifico con ICDE - International Council for Open and Distance Education'''


L’International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) fornisce una rete globale per le istituzioni di tutti i paesi del mondo che sono coinvolte nel campo della formazione a distanza. Il principale obiettivo di ICDE è di promuovere la cooperazione interculturale e la comprensione tra diverse culture migliorando le linee per l'apprendimento e la flessibilità dei modelli educativi per diffonderli nel mondo intero. ICDE è riconosciuto alle Nazioni Unite (Unesco) ed essendo Global Umbrella Membership Organization in Online, Flexible and Blended Learning, si pone quale referente a livello mondiale per la formazione di distanza e di formazione on-line.
* '''Scientific Partnership with the EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities)'''


* '''Partenariato Scientifico con Anna Lindh Foundation'''
Subject: the EADTU is an international organisation which represents the most important distance teaching universities of Europe and also national networks of the organisations operating in the field of distance education and e-learning. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is a member of the EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities) and develops research activities with them.


La Fondazione Anna Lindh è un'organizzazione internazionale che opera a favore del network tra le organizzazioni della società civile che agiscono per il miglioramento del dialogo tra i paesi dell’area mediterranea. A tale scopo, la Fondazione mantiene attivi canali di comunicazione con i governi dell'associazione euromediterranea. Il mandato della Fonadazione Anna Lindh è di riunire la gente e le organizzazioni da entrambi le sponde del mare Mediterraneo contribuendo a rafforzare il dialogo pacifico e la comprenzione reciproca. L’Università Telemantica Internazionale UNINETTUNO sostiene ed è associata alla Fondazione condividendone e contribuendo alla realizzazione degli scopi statutari.  
Concluded on the 27th October 2006.


* '''Partenariato Scientifico con E.P.U.F. - Euromed Permanent University Forum'''
* '''Scientific Partnership with the EMUNI Centre - University Centre for Euro-Mediterranean Studies'''


E.P.U.F. - Euromed Permanent University Forum, è una rete che rappresenta i 37 paesi euromediterranei che lavorano in favore dell'internazionalizzazione nella sua accezione più generale. Lo scopo principale delle attività del Forum è di contribuire a stabilire una rete euromediterranea per l’istruzione superiore e la ricerca, seguendo le linee promosse con il processo di Bologna. L’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO è tra le firmatarie dell’accordo di costituzione del Forum e ne promuove le attività scientifiche.  
Subject: EMUNI is a university centre, based in Portorož, Slovenia, whose statutory objectives are to promote cultural exchange among the Euro-Mediterranean countries by sharing knowledge, higher education and research; to promote networking among the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area; play a significant role in favour of socio-economic and environmental sustainable development. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO signed the Letter of Intent and the Foundation Charter and, in addition, it is member of the Academic Senate of the EMUNI University. At present, an important Master’s course delivered by the UTIU is being held also with the contribution of EMUNI: it is the Master’s course in Euro-Mediterranean Cultures and Policies.
Stipulata l’11 ottobre 2006


* '''Partenariato Scientifico con ELIG - European Learning Industry Group'''
Concluded on the 25th May 2008


European Learning Industry Group (ELIG) è un gruppo industriale aperto i cui appartenenti condividono la ricerca di soluzioni ai problemi legati all'ecosistema applicando strumenti innovativi in linea con l’evoluzione del ventunesimo secolo. ELIG cerca di promuovere l'innovazione nell'apprendimento, nella creazione di conoscenza e nella diffusione del Sapere in tutta Europa. La missione di ELIG è in particolare orientata alle seguenti tematiche: offrire inputs innovativi ai policy makers ai vari livelli europeo, nazionali e regionale. ELIG inoltre si propone come un canale di comunicazione tra la ricerca ed il mercato, evidenziando gli sviluppi e le traiettorie più innovative per il progresso sostenibile sia nell’ottica del rispetto dell’ecosistema sia degli stakeholders e del mercato. L’Università Telematica Internazione UNINETTUNO contribuisce al dialogo di confronto interno tra i referenti del Gruppo e alla ricerca di innovativi canali e strumenti per la condivisione delle conoscenze attraverso il proprio know-how ed il proprio network.
* '''Scientific Partnership with the ICDE - International Council for Open and Distance Education'''
Stipulata il 27 febbraio 2008


* '''Partenariato scientifico con EuroPACE'''
The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) supplies a global network for the organisation of the whole world that operate in the field of distance education. The main objective of the ICDE is to promote intercultural cooperation and mutual understanding among different cultures enhancing learning strategies and flexibility of the educational models to spread them in global basis. The ICDE is recognised by the United Nations (UNESCO) and since it is a Global Umbrella Membership Organization in Online, Flexible and Blended Learning, is one of the most reference structure at global level as it regards distance education and online training


EuroPACE è un’associazione europea no-profit di università, di organizzazioni educative e dei loro network. L’obiettivo principale è incentivare l’e-learning in rete per la mobilità virtuale, per l’internazionalizzazione dell’istruzione superiore, per la creazione e la condivisione della conoscenza e per l’apprendimento permanente. A tal fine, EuroPACE sviluppa, prepara e gestisce progetti in rete di e-learning nell’ambito di programmi internazionali, nazionali e regionali, in stretta collaborazione con i suoi membri; partecipa ai progetti e-learning gestiti dai suoi membri fornendo supporto amministrativo, tecnico e logistico.
* '''Scientific Partnership with the Anna Lindh Foundation'''
 
The Anna Lindh Foundation is an international organisation for the promotion of a network among the organisations of civil society that work for enhancing dialogue among the Mediterranean Countries. To this end, the Foundation keeps open communication channels with the governments of the Euro-Mediterranean Association. The Anna Lindh Foundation mission is to unite people and organisation of both shores of the Mediterranean Sea contributing to enhance a peaceful dialogue and mutual understanding. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO supports and is member of the Foundation playing a role and giving a contribution to realisation of the statutory aims.
 
* '''Scientific Partnership with E.P.U.F. - Euromed Permanent University Forum'''
 
The E.P.U.F. - Euromed Permanent University Forum is a network representing 37 Euro-Mediterranean Countries working in favour of internationalisation in its widest meaning. The main objective of the Forum’s activities is to contribute to the establishment of Euro-Mediterranean Area for Higher Education and Research, following the lines promoted by the Bologna Process. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is among the signatories of the agreement for the establishment of the Forum and it promotes its scientific activities.
 
Concluded on the 11th October 2006.
 
* '''Scientific Partnership with ELIG - European Learning Industry Group'''
 
European Learning Industry Group (ELIG) an open industrial group whose members share search for solution to problems dealing with eco-systems applying innovative tools in line with the 21st century evolution. ELIG tries to promote innovation in learning, in knowledge creation and in spreading it all over Europe. More specifically ELIG’s mission is aimed at the following issues: give innovative inputs to the policy makers at European, national and regional level. In addition, ELIG presents itself as a communication tool between research and market, highlighting the most innovative developments and trends in view of sustainable progress in favour of the respect of eco-systems and of the stakeholders and of the market as well. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO contributes to the dialogue and internal exchange among the members of the Group and to the research of innovative channels and tools to share knowledge thanks to their know-how and through its network (2008).
 
Concluded on the 27th February 2008
 
* '''Scientific Partnership with EuroPACE'''
 
EuroPACE is a European non-profit association of universities, educational institutions and of their respective networks. It main objective is to promote web-based e-Learning for the purpose of virtual mobility, to internationalise higher education, to create and share knowledge and lifelong education. To this end, EuroPACE develops, prepares and manages web-based e-Learning projects in the framework of international, national and regional programmes in close cooperation with its members; it participates in e-Learning projects managed by its partners supplying administrative, technical and logistical support.  


* '''Centro Ecoeducation Celestin Freinet di Quito (Ecuador)'''
* '''Centro Ecoeducation Celestin Freinet di Quito (Ecuador)'''


Oggetto dell’accordo è la reciproca cooperazione finalizzata allo studio e all’utilizzo dei modelli d’insegnamento a distanza dell’Uninettuno e l’istituzione di un Centro d’Ascolto in Equador. Il Centro Ecoeducation Celestin Freinet di Quito rappresenta una delle più prestigiose strutture per la formazione dell’Equador ed è stato realizzato grazie al supporto della cooperazione di operatori umanitari italiani. Stipulata il 10 ottobre 2008.
This agreement is aimed at mutual cooperation for the study and use of UNINETTUNO distance teaching models and at the establishment of Study Centre in Ecuador. The Centro Ecoeducation Celestin Freinet of Quito is one of the most prestigious bodies in the field of education in Ecuador and was realised thanks to the cooperation of Italian humanitarian activists.
 
Concluded on the 10th October 2008.


== Strategy ==
== Strategy ==
''I contenuti scientifici del seguente modulo sono stati ideati e realizzati dalla prof. Maria Amata Garito e sono coperti da brevetto.''
The guidelines that led and are still leading the UTIU development and which represent the strong points of the International Telematic University are:


Le linee direttive che hanno guidato e guidano lo sviluppo dell’UTIU e che costituiscono i punti di forza dell’Università Telematica Internazionale sono:
'''I. Internationalisation'''


'''I. L’Internazionalizzazione;'''
'''II. Innovation (research and development)'''


'''II. L’Innovazione (ricerca e sviluppo);'''
'''III. Relations with traditional universities'''


'''III. I Rapporti con le università tradizionali.'''
===I. Internationalisation===


===I. Internazionalizzazione===
The strong point of the UTIU development is surely represented by the fact of having succeeded in rapidly getting and developing to an international level concluding significant agreements with Mediterranean countries and agreements with the universities of the United States, Ecuador, Europe, Slovenia and Moscow.
The agreements with the Mediterranean countries follow the success of Med Net’U.
The Med Net’U Project most important result is the realisation of a technological network, based on a bi-directional satellite Euro-Mediterranean network connecting 11 Production Centres and 31 Technological Poles at the Mediterranean partners’ sites. Thanks to this network, the only of this kind existing n the Euro-Mediterranean Area for distance education, today all partners can produce, broadcast and receive educational contents, through Internet via satellite and on television, on RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 as well, that, since many years has been broadcasting academic lessons of the Engineering degree course in Arabic, English, French and Italian.  


Il punto di forza e di sviluppo dell’U.T.I.U. è sicuramente costituito dal fatto di essere riuscita ad inserirsi e svilupparsi rapidamente a livello internazionale stipulando accordi molto importanti con i paesi del Mediterraneo, ma anche accordi con Università degli Stati Uniti, dell’Ecuador, dell’Europa, della Slovenia e di Mosca.
In addition, here are the further important results:
* The development of an didactic platform based on Internet via satellite, in four languages – the only one worldwide Arabic, French, English and Italian – and the availability on the satellite channel, RAI NETTUNO SAT 1, of an area entirely devoted to the broadcasting in four languages of the videolessons realised by the professors of the universities of the Arab World and of Europe.
* The design of two common curricula in the Engineering area according to the lines indicated in the Bologna and Sorbonne processes (three years of basic studies plus two specialisation years).
* The production, in four languages (Arabic, English, French and Italian) of all the modules of the degree course in Information and Communication Engineering and in Mechanical Engineering
* The training of  teachers, tutors and technical staff strictly related to the competences and skills needed in distance education.


Gli accordi con i paesi del Mediterraneo seguono il successo di Med Net’U.
In order to build on and extend the results obtained and the political-institutional consent generated by the Med Net’U Project the partners, the Ministers and the universities of the Euro-Mediterranean Countries, decided its development into multilingual distance teaching system. This was achieved during the Informal Meeting of the Ministries of Education on “Creating a Euro-Mediterranean Area for Higher Education”, that took place in Catania on the 6-8 November 2003 and in the Catania 2 Conference “Euro-Mediterranea Area for Higher Education and Research” that took place on the 18-19 January 2005, where it was decided to realise the system of the Euro-Mediterranean Distance University with the purpose of establishing a Euro-Mediterranean Area of Higher Education:
Risultato più significativo del progetto Med Net’U è la realizzazione di una rete tecnologica bi-direzionale, basata sulle tecnologie satellitari per la trasmissione e la ricezione, che connette gli 11 Centri di Produzione e i 31 Poli Tecnologici presso le sedi dei partner del Mediterraneo. Grazie a questa rete, l’unica di questo tipo esistente nell’area Euromediterranea per l’insegnamento a distanza, tutti i partners oggi possono produrre, trasmettere e ricevere contenuti formativi, sia per internet via satellite sia per televisione su RAI NETTUNO SAT 1, che già da anni trasmette lezioni accademiche del corso di laurea in ingegneria in lingua araba, inglese, francese ed italiano.


Questi, inoltre, gli ulteriori importanti risultati:
More specifically, in the Informal Meeting of the Ministries of Education on “Creating a Euro-Mediterranean Area for Higher Education”, that took place in Catania on the 6-8 November 2003 and in the Catania 2 Conference “Euro-Mediterranean Area for Higher Education and Research” that took place on the 18-19 January 2005, it was decided to realise the system of the Euro-Mediterranean Distance University with the purpose of:
* Lo sviluppo su Internet via satellite di una piattaforma didattica comune in quattro lingue – l’unica al mondo in arabo, italiano, inglese e francese -  e la disponibilità sulla rete televisiva satellitare RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 di uno spazio interamente dedicato alla trasmissione, nelle quattro lingue, delle videolezioni realizzate dai docenti delle università del mondo arabo e dell’Europa;
* Accepting the students’ enrolments to the distance university degree course in Computer Engineering realised with Med Net’U at the partners’ universities;
* La progettazione di curricula comuni nell’area dell’Ingegneria secondo le linee indicate dal Processo di Bologna e della Sorbona (3 anni di studi di base più 2 di specializzazione);
* Realise new university degree courses in the fields of: economy of tourism, management, international comparative law, archaeology, Arabic and Italian languages and cultures, management of healthcare services and territory management;  
* La produzione in quattro lingue (arabo, inglese, francese e italiano) di tutti  i moduli del corso di laurea a distanza in Ingegneria dell’Informazione e della Comunicazione e in Ingegneria Meccanica;  
* Implement master’s courses in the fields that are most demanded in the labour market;  
* La formazione dei docenti, dei tutor e del personale tecnico finalizzata alla acquisizione degli skill di competenza necessari all’insegnamento a distanza.
* Implement short vocational training and retraining courses both as it regards trainers and teachers training a various levels and to prepare for the competences that are required by the global market of labour and linked to the educational needs of the countries involved.  


Per capitalizzare ed estendere i risultati ottenuti ed il consenso politico-istituzionale generato dal Progetto Med Net’U, i partner, Ministri e università dei Paesi euromediterranei, hanno deliberato il suo sviluppo in un  sistema di insegnamento a distanza multilingue. Ciò è avvenuto  nella Riunione Informale dei Ministri dell’Istruzione “Creazione di uno Spazio Euromediterraneo di Istruzione Superiore” svoltasi a Catania il 6-7-8 Novembre 2003 e nella Conferenza di Catania 2 “Spazio Euromediterraneo dell’Alta Formazione e della Ricerca” svoltasi il 18-19 Gennaio 2005, ove è stata decisa la realizzazione  del sistema della Università internazionale Euromediterranea a distanza, con l’obiettivo della  creazione dell’Area Euromediterranea per l’Educazione Superiore.  
In implementing the political will, expressed by the Mediterranean Governments and referred to above, the Italian Ministry of the University and Scientific Research, Ms Letizia Moratti, with the decree of the 15th April 2005 established the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, transforming Med Net’U from project to system.  


Più precisamente, nella Riunione Informale dei Ministri dell’Istruzione “Creazione di uno Spazio Euromediterraneo di Istruzione Superiore” svoltasi a Catania il 6-7-8 Novembre 2003 e nella Conferenza di Catania 2 “Spazio Euromediterraneo dell’Alta Formazione e della Ricerca” svoltasi il 18-19 Gennaio 2005, è stata decisa la realizzazione  del sistema della Università internazionale Euromediterranea a distanza, per:
With the Declaration of the Catania 3 Conference “Euro-Mediterranean Area of Education and Research” undersigned on the 29th January 2006, the 14 Ministers of the Euro-Mediterranean participating countries agreed on the need of “strengthening a distance learning system, by expanding the results attained through the “Med Net’U” project, in order to encourage the widest possible access to education and training in a perspective of lifelong learning” having recourse to this end to the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO. During the Catania 3 Conference itself, the Italian Minster of Education and Research, Ms Moratti, jointly with the 14 Ministers of the Mediterranean countries inaugurated the first academic year of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO.  
* accettare le iscrizioni degli studenti al corso di laurea a distanza di Ingegneria dell’Informazione realizzato con Med Net’U presso tutte le università partner;
* realizzare nuovi corsi di laurea nei settori: economia del turismo, del management, del diritto comparato internazionale, dell’archeologia, delle lingue e cultura araba ed italiana, del management dei servizi sanitari e della gestione del territorio;
* attivare master nei settori richiesti dal mercato del lavoro;
* istituire corsi brevi di formazione e riqualificazione professionale, sia per la formazione dei formatori e degli insegnanti dei vari livelli, sia per preparare le competenze richieste dal mercato globale del lavoro e collegate anche ai bisogni formativi dei paesi coinvolti.


In attuazione della volontà politica come sopra espressa dai governi del Mediterraneo, il Ministro Italiano dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca Scientifica, Letizia Moratti, con decreto del 15 aprile 2005 ha istituito l’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO, trasformando Med Net’U da progetto a sistema.
Below are summarised the activities carried on by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO in execution of the decisions made in the 1,2 and 3 Catania Conferences:
* Conclusion of academic agreements with the University of Helwan and Cairo University in Egypt, with Yarmouk University and the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Jordan, the Université Virtuelle de Tunis and the Ministery of Education and Training of Morocco SEFT - Secrétariat d’Etat chargé de la Formation Professionnelle du Maroc); agreements ratified by the Ministries of Education, University and Research of the countries concerned, to make the academic title issued by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO valid also in the Mediterranean countries that signed the agreement;
* Inauguration, on the 14th March, of a Technological Pole of UNINETTUNO, at the site of the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training in Rabat, in Morocco, using the distance computer-literacy courses, realised with the Med Net’U Project and aimed at training the executives of the ministries in the use of the new technologies; 
* Inauguration, on the 15th June 2006, of a Technological Pole of UNINETTUNO at the Helwan University campus, in Egypt, for the realisation of a Computer Engineering degree course of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO with nearly 40 enrolled students who have brilliantly passed the exams of the first year. The Egyptian professors were trained by UNINETTUNO professors to carry on the tutoring functions. The final exams are carried in the presence of Egyptian professors jointly with the UNINETTUNO ones, both face-to-face and by videoconferencing; as said before, the Egyptian Government, by a specific provision, allowed that that upon completion of UNINETTUNO courses is issued to the Egyptian students a joint, Italian and Egyptian academic title;
*  Collaboration with these two Egyptian universities to jointly design and produce the contents of the distance courses related to the fields of Economics, Management, International Law, Tourism, Cultural Assets, beside the vocational training courses, meeting the employment needs of the new labour markets aimed at supplying the skills for immigrants to the European countries, both the professional ones and the linguistic and general cultural ones;
* A significant agreement, that was very recently signed with the Egyptian E-Learning University (EELU), on the 26th October 2008 in Cairo, in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, Mr. Giorgio Napolitano and the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research of Egypt, Mr. Hany Helal, thanks to which Egypt establishes the first Internet-based distance university of the country, designed and realised according to the model of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO. The two telematic universities will jointly realise university degree courses, master’s courses, highly specialising courses and vocational training courses. They will share curricula, study programmes, teaching methods. The best professors of the Italian, Egyptian, European and Arab World universities will be involved into the project. In order to start the activities they will use UTIU portal http://www.uninettunouniversity.net, the first portal of the world where teaching and learning are carried on in four languages: Italian, French, English and Arabic.


Con la Dichiarazione di Catania 3 “Spazio Euromediterraneo dell’Istruzione, Alta Formazione e Ricerca” sottoscritta il 29 gennaio 2006, i 14 Ministri dei paesi Euromediterranei partecipanti convenivano di “potenziare il sistema di apprendimento a distanza sviluppando i risultati già ottenuti dal Progetto Med Net’U, per favorire il più ampio accesso all’istruzione e alla formazione in una prospettiva di lifelong learning”, avvalendosi a tal fine dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO. Nel corso della stessa Conferenza di Catania 3, il Ministro italiano dell’Istruzione dell’ Università e della Ricerca, Letizia Moratti, insieme ai 14 Ministri dei paesi del Mediterraneo, inaugurava il primo anno accademico dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO.
Other relationships linked to the internationalisation process have been developed with other countries. In particular, here we can mention the agreement with the EMUNI Centre that established the Euro-Mediterranean University in Portorož, Slovenia. With this new Euro-Mediterranean University they developed an agreement to make UTIU develop e-learning courses in this university. At present the Euro-Mediterranean University, based in Slovenia, has already funded UTIU master’s course in Euro-Mediterranean Cultures and Policies and has already put at disposal the sites where all the 24 students enrolled to the master, coming from various Mediterranean countries, can attend a training period at the end of the distance delivery.


Di seguito si sintetizzano le attività svolte dall’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO in attuazione delle decisioni assunte nelle Conferenze di Catania 1, 2 e 3:
The UTIU is the only Italian telematic university that has been accepted to join the '''EADTU''' (European Association of Distant Teaching Universities) with which it is carrying on an international project aimed at identifying European quality assessment standards for e-Learning (E-xcellence Project) and of the ICDE (International Council for Open and Distance Education).
* Stipula di accordi accademici con l’Università di Helwan e la Cairo University in Egitto, l’Università di Yarmouk e la Jordan University of Science and Technology in Giordania, l’Università Virtuale di Tunisi e il Ministero dell’Educazione e la Formazione del Marocco (SEFT - Secrétariat d’Etat chargé de la Formation Professionnelle du Maroc); accordi ratificati dai Ministri dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca dei paesi interessati, così che il titolo accademico  rilasciato dall’ Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO è valido anche per i paesi Mediterranei che hanno siglato l’accordo; 
Many others agreements with international institutions can be found in the list of the agreements.
* Inaugurazione, il 14 marzo 2006, di un Polo Tecnologico UNINETTUNO presso la sede del Segretariato di Stato per la formazioni professionale di Rabat in Marocco, utilizzato per i corsi  a distanza di alfabetizzazione informatica, realizzati con il progetto Med Net’U,  e per formare i Funzionari dei ministeri all’uso delle nuove tecnologie;
* Inaugurazione, il 15 giugno 2006,  di un Polo tecnologico UNINETTUNO presso la Helwan University in Egitto, per la realizzazione del Corso di Laurea in Ingegneria Informatica dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO, con circa 40 studenti iscritti che hanno già brillantemente superato gli esami del primo anno. I professori egiziani sono stati formati dai docenti UNINETTUNO per svolgere le funzioni di tutor. Gli esami finali si svolgono avanti a docenti egiziani  insieme a docenti UNINETTUNO, faccia a faccia ed in videoconferenza; come sopra si è detto, il governo Egiziano con apposito provvedimento ha consentito che al compimento dei corsi di UNINETTUNO venga rilasciato agli studenti egiziani il doppio titolo Accademico,  Italiano ed Egiziano,
*  Collaborazione con le due università egiziane per progettare e produrre insieme i contenuti dei corsi a distanza relativi  ai settori  dell’ Economia, del Management, del Diritto Internazionale, del Turismo dei beni culturali, oltre che dei Corsi di Formazione professionale, legati ai bisogni occupazionali dei nuovi mercati del lavoro, finalizzati a far acquisire competenze adeguate per l’immigrazione nei paesi Europei, sia professionali specifiche che linguistiche e di cultura generale,
* accordo, di rilevante importanza, recentissimamente siglato con l’Egyptian E-Learning University (EELU), il 26 Ottobre 2008 al Cairo, alla presenza del Presidente della Repubblica Italiana Giorgio Napolitano e del Ministro dell’Istruzione e della Ricerca Scientifica dell’Egitto Hany Helal, grazie al quale l’Egitto istituisce la prima Università a distanza su Internet del Paese, progettata e realizzata secondo il modello dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO. Le due Università telematiche realizzeranno insieme corsi di laurea universitari, master e corsi di alto livello di specializzazione e riqualificazione professionale. Condivideranno curricula, piani di studi, metodi d’insegnamento. I migliori docenti delle Università italiane, egiziane, dell’Europa e del mondo Arabo saranno coinvolti nel progetto. Per iniziare le attività verrà utilizzato il portale dell’UTIU www.uninettunouniversity.net, il primo portale del mondo dove si insegna e si apprende in quattro lingue: italiano, francese, inglese ed arabo.  


Altri rapporti legati all’internazionalizzazione si sono sviluppati con altri paesi. In particolare viene qui citato l’accordo con il Centro EMUNI che ha creato L’Università Euromediterranea a Port Rose in Slovenia .Con questa  nuova università Euromediterranea si è gia sviluppato un accordo per fare in modo che l’UTIU sviluppi l’e-learning di questa università. Attualmente  l’Università Euromediterranea in Slovenia ha già finanziato il Master dell’UTIU di Politiche e Culture Euromediterranee ed ha già messo a disposizione le sedi presso le quali tutti i 24 studenti iscritti al Master, appartenenti ai paesi del Mediterraneo, possono svolgere lo stage alla fine dell’erogazione a distanza.
=== II. Innovation ===


L’UTIU è l’unica  università Telematica Italiana che è stata accettata a far parte dell’'''EADTU''' (Associazione dell’Università a distanza Europee)  con la quale sta portando avanti un progetto di ricerca internazionale per definire gli standard europei di qualità  per l’E-Learnig (progetto excellence )e dell’ICDE  (International Council for Open and Distance Education).
The problem we faced when designing UNINETTUNO teaching and learning model was to create a distance education structure that, while meeting the educational needs of students, would take account both of the evolution and development of information technology and the results of psycho-pedagogic research. The cognitive and connectionist theories are the theoretical basis for implementing the whole process of distance teaching and learning within the didactic cyberspace of UTIU portal.  
Moltri altri accordi con istituzioni internazionali si possono trovare nell’elenco delle convenzioni.


=== II. Innovazione ===
UTIU innovation in terms of process and system results from the outcomes of research programme developed up to now with Consorzio NETTUNO. The results of the realised research project represented the theoretical basis of the evolution of the psycho-pedagogic and didactic model that led to the realisation of the new distance teaching and learning model applied to the UTIU and recognised by the international scientific community. Also the 9 UTIU research project funded by the European Commission allow to innovate face-to-face and distance teaching and learning processes. The new projects (further details can be found in the section of this report devoted to research) are aimed at creating a distance education system based on the use of the cognitive and connectionist theories. The aim is that of creating, in applying technologies to the teaching and learning processes a balance between the technical-engineering components and the cognitive, cultural and educational ones that specific of the information technologies. These projects involve many international level experts in several disciplines (technicians, computer scientists, pedagogists, learning psychologists, experts in various languages). The research activity carried on by the UTIU is, at the same time, theoretical-experimental, pure and applied.  


Il problema che ci siamo posti quando abbiamo progettato il modello didattico dell’ UTIU è stato quello di creare una struttura di formazione a distanza che, nel rispondere ai bisogni di formazione della società cognitiva, tenesse conto sia dell’evoluzione e dello sviluppo delle tecnologie dell’informazione sia dei risultati delle ricerche psicopedagogiche. Le teorie cognitive e connessioniste sono la base teorica su cui si attua tutto il processo di insegnamento e apprendimento a distanza nel Cyberspazio didattico del portale internet dell’UTIU.
The objective is to make the outcomes have positive effects on the theories that are related to the learning processes, on teaching methodologies, on distance interaction relations.
From the economic viewpoint, the results could also supply the starting-points to develop new models of e-Learning, but also new technological applications with positive effects for the ITC industry.


L’Innovazione  dell’UTIU di processo e di sistema avviene dai risultati di programmi di ricerca, fino ad ora sviluppati  con il  Consorzio NETTUNO. I risultati dei progetti di ricerca realizzati hanno costituito la base dell'evoluzione del modello psicopedagogico e didattico che ha portato alla realizzazione del nuovo modello di insegnamento e apprendimento a distanza applicato all’UTIU riconosciuto dalla comunità scientifica internazionale.  Anche i 9 progetti di ricerca dell’UTIU finanziati dalla Commissione Europea consentono  di creare  innovazione nei processi di insegnamento e apprendimento  faccia a faccia e a distanza. I nuovi progetti (si troverà il dettaglio nella sezione di questa relazione dedicata alla ricerca) sono  finalizzati alla costituzione di un corpo coerente di conoscenze teoriche ed operative sulla cui base costruire un sistema complesso di insegnamento a distanza basato sull'uso delle tecnologie e sulle teorie cognitive e connessioniste.  L’obiettivo è anche quello di trovare  nelle applicazione delle tecnologie nei processi di insegnamento e apprendimento un equilibrio tra le componenti tecniche-ingegneristiche, e le componenti cognitive, culturali ed educative proprie dello sviluppo delle tecnologie dell'informazione. Questi progetti  coinvolgono studiosi a livello internazionale di discipline diverse (tecnologici, informatici, pedagogisti, psicologi dell'apprendimento, esperti dei vari linguaggi). L ‘attività di ricerca che porta avanti l’UTIU  al tempo stesso teorico-sperimentale, pura ed applicata.
In addition, the UTIU has already concretely realised significant innovations linked to:
* '''Organisation models of the university structures''';
L’obiettivo è quello di fare in modo che i risultati possono  avere  ricadute significative sulle teorie legate ai processi di apprendimento, sulle metodologie di insegnamento, sui rapporti di interazione a distanza.
* Models of '''organisation and delivery of the didactics''' (flexibility, availability, support to the learning processes);
Dal punto di vista economico, i risultati potrebbero  anche fornire le basi per sviluppare nuovi modelli di e-learning, ma anche nuove  applicazioni tecnologiche con ricaduta per l’industria ITC.  
* '''Teaching and learning models''';
* '''Professors’ and students’ roles''';
* '''Evaluation procedures'''.


Inoltre l’UTIU ha gia concretamente realizzato importante  innovazioni legate:
=== III. Relations with traditional universities ===
* ai '''modelli organizzativi delle strutture dell’ateneo''';
* ai modelli di '''organizzazione ed erogazione della didattica''' (flessibilità, reperibilità, assistenza continua dei processi di apprendimento);
* ai '''modelli di insegnamento e di apprendimento''';
* ai '''ruoli dei docenti e degli studenti''';
* alle '''procedure di valutazione'''.


=== III. Rapporti con le Università Tradizionali ===
The UTIU, as amply said above, takes origin from Consorzio NETTUNO, an Italian association of distance university including 43 Italian and foreign universities partner of consortium and which delivers university degree courses based on a blended didactic model.


L’UTIU, come ampiamente trattato nei precedenti paragrafi, nasce dal Consorzio NETTUNO, una struttura di università a distanza Italiana che è costituita da ben 43 università Italiane e Straniere consorziate e che a tuttora eroga corsi di laura secondo un modello didattico Misto.
Such an origin has greatly helped the collaboration with traditional universities and has allowed the UTIU to endow itself since the very beginning with academic staff of highly scientific quality. All UTIU professors, both those who realise the videolessons and the didactic contents to be included into the didactic cyberspace of UTIU portal, and the professors in charge of the specific courses and the area professors and also the members of the scientific committees and today the Deans and the members of the Academic Senate, and the members of the Technical Organising Committee and today the Board of Directors are all full professors; more specifically, UTIU Board of Directors is composed of 4 Rectors of traditional universities. These relationships allow the UTIU to deliver high-quality educational services and to develop research project with traditional universities.
Questa sua origine ha favorito molto la collaborazione con le università tradizionali ed ha permesso all’UTIU di dotarsi già da subito di un personale accademico di alta qualità scientifica. Tutti i docenti dell’UTIU sia quelli che realizzano le videolezioni e i contenuti didattici da inserire nel cyberspazio didattico  del portale dell’UTIU, sia  i titolari dell’Insegnamento ed oggi i docenti di area, sia i membri dei comitati scientifici  ed oggi  i Presidi e  quindi i componenti del Senato accademico, sia i membri del CTO  ed oggi del Consiglio di Amministrazione, sono docenti Universitari di ruolo;  in particolare  il Consiglio di Amministrazione  dell’UTIU è composto da 4 rettori di università tradizionali. Questi rapporti hanno permesso all’UTIU di erogare servizi didattici di alta qualità e di sviluppare progetti di ricerca con le università tradizionali.
Many full professors of the Politecnico di Torino, of the University of Roma Tre and of the University of Palermo will soon have a double appointment including the UTIU.
These universities put at disposal physical structures such as laboratories for research and training activities, libraries, rooms equipped with personal computers and classrooms to carry on the students’ face-to-face exams. In addition, the professors of these universities who are engaged in delivering the UTIU educational services are developing also UTIU university and faculty research programmes.
Molti professori ordinari del  Politecnico di Torino, dell’Università di Roma Tre e dell’Università di Palermo presto avranno il doppio incardinamento con l’UTIU.
Queste università mettono a disposizione strutture fisiche come  laboratori per la ricerca e per la didattica, biblioteche sale di computer e aule per far sostenere gli esami faccia a faccia agli studenti. Inoltre  i docenti di queste università  che sono impegnati nell’erogare servizi didattici dell’UTIU  stanno sviluppando anche programmi di ricerca  di Ateneo e di facoltà dell’UTIU.


In molte convenzioni stipulate con le università tradizionali si definiscono forme di collaborazione che portano anche all’erogazione di titoli  accademici congiunti o doppi titoli, come risulta dal dettaglio delle convenzioni  riportate nella presente relazione (si rinvia al paragrafo 1.2 “rapporti con altre università” per l’elenco delle convenzioni ed accordi in essere).  
In several of the agreements concluded with traditional universities they identified forms of cooperation also leading to the delivery of joint or double academic titles, as it results from the details referring to the agreements included into the present report. (see paragraph 1.2 “Relations with other Universities” to get the list of the agreements and conventions in force).
Inoltre, tutti i docenti e i tutor dell’UTIU vengono formati al nuovo ruolo che questi devono assumere per diventare docenti video e docenti capaci realizzare contenuti da inserire  su internet in modo ipertestuale e multimediale e di seguire on-line i processi di apprendimento degli studenti. Queste  competenze  consentono ai docenti di apportare innovazione anche nei processi di insegnamento tradizionale.  
In addition, all the professors and tutors of the UTIU are trained to the new profile that these should acquire to become video professors and teachers enabled to realise contents to be included on the Internet in a hypertextual and multimedia mode and to follow online the students’ learning progress. These skills allow the professors to bring about innovation also to traditional teaching processes.


Infine, l’UTIU  grazie al  rapporto  che ha stabilito con molte università dei Paesi europei ed Euromediterranei può facilitare l’internalizzazione delle università tradizionali.
Finally, the UTIU, thanks to the relationships that it established with many European and Euro-Mediterranean countries can facilitate the internationalisation of traditional universities.  


* '''''Describe or provide a document describing the current e-learning strategy.'''''
* '''''Describe or provide a document describing the current e-learning strategy.'''''


Il modello psicopedagogico dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO è il frutto di oltre 15 anni di ricerca internazionale e di sperimentazione dei risultati nella didattica a distanza del Consorzio NETTUNO. I progetti di ricerca hanno coinvolto studiosi a livello internazionale di discipline diverse (tecnologi, informatici, pedagogisti, psicologi dell'apprendimento, esperti dei vari linguaggi). I risultati hanno costituito la base teorica su cui si sono realizzati nuovi modelli organizzativi del sistema d’insegnamento e apprendimento a distanza e nuovi modelli psicopedagogici e didattici. Il  modello sta dando risposte adeguate alla domanda qualitativa e quantitativa dei bisogni formativi della società dell’informazione e anche alla domanda di flessibilità, di diversificazione e di internazionalizzazione dei processi di insegnamento-apprendimento, è riconosciuto dalla comunità scientifica Internazionale, come risulta da numerose pubblicazioni, ed ha già una ricaduta significativa sulle teorie legate ai processi di apprendimento, alle metodologie d’insegnamento, ai rapporti di interazione a distanza.
The psycho-pedagogic model of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO was realised by Maria Amata Garito and it is the outcome of her research work and experimentation of the results developed since 1993 with NETTUNO - Network per l'Università Ovunque.
Le teorie cognitive e connessioniste sono la base teorica su cui si attua tutto il processo d’insegnamento e apprendimento nell’area “Cyberspazio Didattico” del portale su Internet www.uninettunouniversity.net (fruibile in quattro lingue: Italiano, Inglese, Francese ed Arabo).
L’utilizzazione delle nuove tecnologie ha permesso di modificare non solo il processo di insegnamento-apprendimento, ma anche le strutture fisiche dove questo processo si svolge. Le aule sono state sostituite da strutture aperte, i Poli Tecnologici, dove le tecnologie consentono l’attivazione di un processo di formazione flessibile ed autogestito ed ha modificato i ruoli  e le funzioni dei docenti e degli studenti. Qui di seguito si sintetizzano le principali caratteristiche:


'''DOCENTE'''
The research projects involved many international level experts in several disciplines (technicians, computer scientists, pedagogists, learning psychologists, experts in various languages). The results represent the theoretical bases upon which were realised the new organisational models of the distance teaching and learning system and of the new psychopedagogic and didactic models. The model is giving adequate answers to the qualitative and quantitative educational demands of the information society and to the need for flexibility, diversification and internationalisation of the teaching-learning processes; it is acknowledged by the international scientific community, as it results from the various publications and already has significant effects on the theories related to learning processes, teaching methodologies, distance interaction relationship.
* cambia il suo ruolo diventando docente-maieuta, consulente e guida;
The cognitive and connectionist theories are the theoretical basis upon which the whole teaching and learning process is carried on in the “Didactic Cyberspace” area of the Internet portal http://www.uninettunouniversity.net (usable in four languages: Italian, English, French and Arabic).
* da docente solitario a membro di un gruppo di apprendimento;
* da docente che controlla il contesto educativo a partecipante attivo insieme agli studenti, del processo di insegnamento-apprendimento;
* da trasmettitore di conoscenze a “progettista” delle esperienze di apprendimento degli studenti;
* imposta soltanto la struttura iniziale del lavoro dello studente, incoraggiando una maggiore capacità di auto-direzione;
* manifesta una sensibilità maggiore verso gli stili di apprendimento degli studenti;
* stimola discussioni riproponendo le domande provenienti dai singoli studenti, al gruppo o agli altri studenti;
* privilegia domande che prevedono una risposta aperta e che stimolano gli studenti a pensare in modo creativo, mettendo in relazione idee ed informazioni apparentemente non correlate resiste alla tentazione di fornire risposte, stimolando e aiutando gli studenti a scoprire da soli la risposta.


'''STUDENTE'''
The use of new technologies allowed modifying not only the teaching-learning process, but also the physical structures where this process goes on. The classrooms have been replaced by open structures, the Technological Poles, where technologies allow to set up a flexible and self-managed training process which has modified the roles and functions of the professors and of the students.  
* diventa il “gestore” del proprio processo di apprendimento in termini di spazio e di tempo;
* agisce in qualità di membro di un gruppo virtuale di apprendimento  impegnato in compiti cooperativi e collaborativi, dando il suo personale contributo all’interazione di gruppo:
* '''analizzando gli argomenti e i contenuti da prospettive diverse''';
* '''elaborando domande accurate e tentando di individuare risposte valide''';
* riconosce l’importanza dell’acquisizione di adeguate strategie di apprendimento (individuali e collaborative);
* impara ad interagire nella rete con soggetti di diversa cultura ed esperienza sociale;
* impara a tramutare le competenze teoriche in abilità pratiche in sintesi si trasforma da ricettacolo passivo di conoscenze a costruttore attivo delle stesse e a risolutore di problemi complessi.


====Modalità Didattiche di Apprendimento a Distanza ====
Below are outlined their main characters:


Con l’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO si integrano le possibilità didattico-pedagogiche dei vari media a disposizione, e si realizza su questa base un ambiente di apprendimento aperto e flessibile che consente di:
'''PROFESSOR'''
* aprire, anche a distanza, nuovi rapporti di comunicazione tra studenti e professori, promuovendo il passaggio da una comunicazione unidirezionale (tipica dei primi modelli di insegnamento a distanza) ad una di tipo bidirezionale anche in tempo reale;
* He changes his role becoming that one of teacher-mentor, advisor and guide;
* porre fine all’emissione a senso unico del sapere ed aprire una nuova linea di comunicazione, che permette allo studente di accedere a conoscenze dinamiche che egli stesso può arricchire e rendere disponibili agli altri;
* From solitary professor to member of a learning group;
* utilizzare con Internet via satellite il computer come centro focale del sistema nel quale convergono i contributi dei diversi media che consentono la realizzazione di un vero modello multimediale integrato e “aperto”. Il computer consente di veicolare direttamente dall’università alla scrivania dello studente, lezioni, prodotti multimediali, banche dati, assistenza tutoriale, attività di esercitazioni, sistemi di valutazioni e di autovalutazione.
* From professor who controls the educational situation to active participant together with the students in the teaching-learning process;
* From transmitter of knowledge to “designer” of the students’ learning experience;
* He only plans the initial pattern of the student’s work encouraging a greater ability of self-guidance;
* He is more responsive to the students’ learning styles;
* He promotes discussions re-proposing questions coming from the individual students to the group or to other students;
* He privileges questions that involve an open answer and that stimulate the students to think in a creative way, establishing correlations among ideas and information that are apparently un-related, resisting to the temptation to give answers, stimulating and helping the students to discover the right answer by themselves.


L’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO propone una didattica con modalità di insegnamento/apprendimento sincroniche, in cui vi è unità di tempo ma non di spazio nel processo di insegnamento e apprendimento, e diacroniche, in cui il processo formativo ed educativo non è più legato e vincolato all’unità di tempo e di luogo.
'''STUDENT'''
* He becomes the “manager” of his won learning process in terms of space and time;
* He acts as member of a virtual learning group engaged in cooperative and collaborative tasks giving his personal contribution to the interactions of the group:
** '''Analysing the subject and contents from different perspectives''';
** '''Formulating precise questions and trying to identify correct answers''';
* He recognises the importance of acquiring appropriate (individual and collaborative) learning strategies;
* He learns how to interact on the network with individuals having a different culture and social experience ;
* He learns to transform theoretical skills into practical abilities, shortly said he transforms himself from a passive receiver of knowledge to an active constructor them and into a solver of complex problems.


=====Modalità Diacronica=====
====Distance learning didactic modes====


È necessario innanzi tutto sottolineare come questa modalità offra il massimo grado di flessibilità. L’assenza di limitazioni spazio-temporali permette al discente di sviluppare un apprendimento con tempi e ritmi a lui congeniali. La mancanza di una costrizione di luogo, inoltre, consente di utilizzare i materiali didattici in ogni possibile contesto: a casa, sul posto di lavoro, nei centri di studio. Viene dunque favorita un’ottimizzazione dell’apprendimento.
With the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO the various didactic-pedagogic possibilities of the various media available are integrated and on this basis it is realised an open and flexible learning environment which allow to:
Nella modalità diacronica sono compresi aspetti differenti dell’apprendimento:
* Open, also at distance, new communication relationships between students and professors, promoting the shift from unidirectional communication (typical of the first distance teaching models) to a bi-directional communication, also in real time;
* apprendimento simbolico-ricostruttivo
* End the one-way transfer of knowledge and open a new communication line allowing the students to access dynamic knowledge that he can enrich and made available to others;
* apprendimento attraverso il fare (learning by doing)
* Use through Internet via satellite the Pc as the focal point of a system in which the contributions of the various media converge allowing to realise a true integrate and “open” multimedia model. The PC allows to directly conveying from the university to the student’s home or to the workplace lessons, multimedia products, databases, tutoring support, practice work and evaluation systems.
* apprendimento collaborativo mediato dalla scrittura su supporti tecnologici.
Nelle prime due modalità si verifica un’interazione uomo/macchina: il discente usa il portale didattico su Internet, in particolare l’area relativa al Cyberspazio didattico dove si trovano anche le esercitazioni pratiche: esercizi o i laboratori virtuali. L’interazione in questo modello diacronico di apprendimento fra gruppi di studenti e/o docenti, si realizza attraverso l’uso di strumenti tecnologici basati sulla scrittura: il Forum, la posta elettronica.
Il testo scritto, che ha il vantaggio di essere prepianificato, strutturato e consequenziale, permette:
* di conservare in database tutto il materiale prodotto, consentendo successive consultazioni;
* di gestire spazi autonomi di riflessione e di consultazione libera dei materiali prodotti.
Questi strumenti, determinando il superamento dei vincoli spazio/temporali, creano le condizioni per costruire una “comunità virtuale” e per innescare processi di apprendimento collaborativo in rete.


=====Modalità Sincronica=====
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO proposes a didactics envisaging '''synchronic''' teaching/learning modes where there is unity of time, but not of space in the teaching and learning process and '''diachronic''' ones, where the educational and training process is no longer linked to the unity of time and space.


Nella modalità sincronica lo sviluppo delle nuove tecnologie ha comportato un’innovazione particolarmente significativa. Grazie all’uso della telematica è possibile attivare un’interazione in tempo reale senza compresenza di altri soggetti nel medesimo luogo. L’unità di tempo si è mantenuta, ma quella di luogo non è più una condizione necessaria.
=====Diachronic mode=====


La modalità sincronica consente dunque un apprendimento collaborativo che si realizza attraverso le aule virtuali, videoconferenze, audio e video-chat su Internet. In questi spazi virtuali è possibile attivare un’interazione in tempo reale senza compresenza di studenti e docenti nello stesso luogo. Si mantiene l’unità di tempo del processo di insegnamento e apprendimento ma quella di luogo non è più una condizione necessaria. Le forme di interattività che si stabiliscono con i sistemi di videoconferenza su Web e quindi con le aule virtuali, anche quelle di Second Life, sono molto simili a quelle che si possono stabilire in una classe reale dove il docente pone domande, gli studenti rispondono, sviluppano apprendimenti collaborativi e collegano automaticamente il materiale di insegnamento ai processi di apprendimento.
Above all, it’s necessary to underline that this method offers the highest degree of flexibility: the lack of spatial-temporal limitations allows the student to learn at his/her own pace and at times of his choice. The lack of limits of space also allows the student to use didactic materials in every possible context: at home, at work, at the study centres – according to his or her needs. Therefore, optimal learning is fostered.


====Il portale didattico su internet====
Different aspects of learning are included in the diachronic method:
* symbolic-reconstructive learning
* learning by doing
* collaborative learning mediated by written work on  supportive technologies.


=====Internet per insegnare ed apprendere =====
In the first two methods, man and machine interact: the student uses the Internet-based didactic portal, in particular the area related to the Didactic Cyberspace where he finds also practice work: exercises or virtual laboratories. Interaction is carried out through the use of technologies that are based on writing: forums, e-mail. The written text, since it has the advantage of being pre-planned, structured and consequential, allows to:
* Keep a database including all the material produced allowing for subsequent consultations;
* Manage autonomous space for thinking and free consultation of the materials produced.


La piattaforma didattica su Internet via satellite dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO consente di costruire un nuovo modello psicopedagogico, che si caratterizza per il passaggio:
These tools, leading to the overcoming of space/time limits, create the condition for building a “virtual community” and to trigger networked collaborative learning processes.
* dalla centralità del docente alla centralità dello studente;
* dalla trasmissione della conoscenza alla costruzione della conoscenza;
* dalla integrazione tra teoria e pratica;
* da un apprendimento passivo e competitivo ad un apprendimento attivo e collaborativo.


Il modello psicopedagogico prevede la massima flessibilità in favore dello studente. Con questo modello lo studente può costruire il proprio percorso di apprendimento in funzione delle sue esigenze formative e del suo livello di competenza. L’ambiente di apprendimento così sviluppato non si limita ad offrire corsi statici rigidamente definiti, ma offre contenuti dinamici che possano essere arricchiti da altri contenuti che esistono in rete.
=====Synchronic mode=====
Per queste attività, gli studenti vengono aiutati dalle sitografie, scelte dai docenti e tutor.
Nell’ Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO è infatti lo studente ad essere al centro del processo educativo, guidato, però, dalla nuova figura del docente tutor telematico che gli fornisce gli strumenti adatti a facilitare il processo di apprendimento e comunicazione in rete in forma sincronica e diacronica.
Nel Cyberspazio Didattico gli studenti partecipano attivamente alla creazione dei loro ambienti di apprendimento e possono attivare due modelli di interazione:
* con il docente => tutor telematico
* con il sistema intelligente.


=====Ambienti di apprendimento nel Cyberspazio Didattico =====
In the synchronic method, the development of new technologies has brought with it a particularly significant innovation. Telecommunication has made it possible to initiate interaction in real time without needing the participants to be present in the same place. Time unfolds simultaneously for all, but place is no longer a necessary condition.


Il Cyberspazio didattico rispecchia le esigenze di flessibilità e adattabilità del percorso formativo, che annulla l’isolamento del singolo in favore di una partecipazione attiva nel processo di apprendimento e crescita formativa.
The synchronic method, therefore, allows collaborative learning to be carried out through video-conferencing, conference calls, and Internet chat rooms. In these virtual spaces it is possible to trigger an interaction in real time without needing the participants to be present in the same place. Time unfolds simultaneously for the whole teaching and learning process, but the unity of place is no longer a necessary condition. The forms of interactivity which are implemented by the Web-based videoconferencing systems and therefore with the virtual classrooms, also that on Second Life, are similar to those that can be started up in real classroom where the teacher asks questions, the students answer, developing collaborative learning and linking automatically the training material to the learning processes.


Gli ambienti di apprendimento costituiscono uno strumento aperto e flessibile e consentono agli attori del processo formativo: studenti, docenti e tutor:
====The Internet-based didactic portal====
* la creazione di  nuovi rapporti di comunicazione a distanza bidirezionale in tempo reale;
* la realizzazione di contenuti dinamici che possano essere arricchiti da altri contenuti già esistenti in rete;
* l’integrazione tra i diversi tipi di media:
* l’organizzazione non lineare delle informazioni;
* la personalizzazione dei sistemi di apprendimento e quindi:
** l’adattamento del sistema alle esigenze del singolo studente;
** lo sviluppo di apprendimenti cooperativi e collaborativi tra le comunità formative di docenti e studenti;
* la possibilità di trasformare le conoscenze in abilità pratiche e quindi in competenze professionali.


Quindi gli ambienti di apprendimento del Cyberspazio Didattico consentono di:
=====Internet for teaching and learning=====
* fornire un unico punto di ingresso nella rete (portale) attraverso il quale raggiungere una grande quantità di risorse esistenti sulla formazione accademica;
* fornire informazioni complete e aggiornate su contenuti ed eventi formativi, come piani di studio, esami, tutorati, esercitazioni etc;
* organizzare ed erogare i contenuti i formativi in modo prepianificato, strutturato e consequenziale;
* usare le nuove tecnologie per migliorare la chiarezza e l’immediatezza dell’informazione;
* monitorare l’apprendimento dello studente attraverso continue verifiche, i cui risultati sono consultabili dallo stesso studente al fine di auto-valutare il proprio processo di apprendimento;
* mettere in contatto studenti, docenti e tutor attraverso strumenti per la comunicazione a distanza con modalità sia asincrona che sincrona, in modo da favorire la condivisione delle informazioni ed il consolidamento dell’apprendimento.


Gli attori che possono svolgere le attività di formazione nel Cyberspazio Didattico sono: studente, docente di area e tutor. Ognuno di questi attori ha un suo spazio nel portale (www.uninettunouniversity.net) , da noi detta pagina, dalla quale possono organizzare le loro attività didattiche legate a funzioni e ruoli specifici.
The Internet via satellite didactic platform of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO allows the building of a new psycho-pedagogic model that is characterised by the shift:
Queste attività avvengono all’interno del Cyberspazio Didattico.
* From teacher’s central role to the student’s central role;
Le attività di formazione avvengono all’interno del Cyberspazio Didattico dove gli attori del processo formativo possono accedere solo dopo aver inserito il proprio “login” e la propria “password”, dopo che il sistema li riconosce, studenti, docenti e tutor possono accedere alle loro pagine. Il sistema permette l’accesso ai contenuti didattici da punti differenti, in modo da garantire stili di navigazione e di fruizione del materiale diversi, a secondo di ogni utente.
* From knowledge transfer to knowledge creation;
* From integration between practice and theory;
* From a passive and competitive learning to active and collaborative learning.


======La pagina dello studente======
This psycho-pedagogic didactic model is characterised by the highest degree of flexibility for the student. By this model the student can build his own learning path in function of his educational needs and of his skill-level. A learning environment developed in such a way does not limit itself to offer rigidly pre-established courses, but it offer dynamic contents that can be enriched by other contents existing on the web.


Qui lo studente trova la sua pagina personalizzata dove può:
In these activities the students are helped by lists of websites, selected by professor and tutors.
* ricercare e fruire del materiale didattico messo a disposizione,  
Actually in the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, the student is at the centre of the educational process; however he is guided by the new profile of the professor=>telematic tutor who has the task of supplying the tools needed to facilitate the networked learning and communication process in a synchronic and diachronic way.  
* comunicare con i docenti e con gli altri studenti in modalità sincrona e asincrona,  
* eseguire le esercitazioni da inviare al tutor che le corregge e le valuta.  


Più altre attività che sono inserite nelle seguenti aree:
In the Didactic Cyberspace the students actively participate in the creation of their own learning paths and can implement two interaction models:  
* pianificazione didattica personalizzata; fornisce allo studente il piano di studi personale e la pianificazione delle attività didattiche legate ai singoli corsi. Ogni studente trova la programmazione delle sue attività didattiche su internet, suddivise in in quattro periodi didattici. L’inserimento nelle classi di studio on-line è organizzato in modo tale che ogni singolo studente possa seguire su internet, guidato dal docente/tutor due discipline per ogni periodo didattico. L’esito della valutazione in itinere, controllabile da ogni singolo studente anche nel tracciamento dei suoi processi di apprendimento su internet, consente l’ammissione agli esami. Il superamento degli esami dei moduli didattici frequentati consente l’iscrizione all’inserimento delle classi dei corsi successivi.
* With professor => telematic tutor  
* controllo del processo di apprendimento: Ogni singolo studente può controllare, per ogni singola attività didattica su internet, la sua autovalutazione e confrontarla con quella del suo tutor. Può verificare autonomamente le sue lacune e sviluppare nuove strategie di apprendimento con l’aiuto non solo del docente/tutor ma, anche con gli altri studenti della sua classe.
* With the intelligent system.
* Agenda (pianificazione delle attività didattiche): consente la visualizzazione degli appuntamenti fissati dal tutor o dal docente in Chat, Forum e nell’Aula Virtuale; è possibile utilizzare l'Agenda per inserire dei promemoria personali oppure richiedere l’aiuto del docente/tutor per superare le sue difficoltà di apprendimento;
* Le mie lezioni oggi in Tv: consente la visualizzazione del palinsesto delle videolezioni che andranno in onda sul canale satellitare per gli insegnamenti attivi.  


La pagina dello studente è quindi il punto in cui lo studente trova i collegamenti ai propri insegnamenti, alle ultime lezioni visitate per ciascun insegnamento alle statistiche sui dati di tracciamento.
=====Learning environments in Didactic Cyberspace=====
Inoltre lo studente nella propria hompage ha l’evidenza delle attività del giorno e della settimana, così come il collegamento all’intera sua agenda,  ai propri tutor, etc..


La pagina del Docente di Area e quella dei Tutor contengono le stesse funzionalità e gli stessi materiali didattici.  
The Didactic Cyberspace reflects the needs for flexibility and adaptability of the learning path that eliminates the isolation of the individual favouring an active involvement in the learning process and in the educational development.  


======Docente di Area======
The learning environments represent an open and flexible tool and allow the protagonists of the learning process, students, professors and tutors to:
In particolare i docenti di area hanno il compito di:
* Create new bi-directional distance communication relations in real time;
* predisporre il materiale didattico, le dispense, i documenti multimediali, gli strumenti utili per l’apprendimento ed i test di valutazione;  
* Realise dynamic contents that can be enriched by other contents, already existing in the web;
* inserire direttamente il materiale didattico nella sua pagina nel Cyberspazio didattico, catalogandolo opportunamente per essere inserito nel sistema;  
* Integrate different types of media;
* partecipare a lezioni e seminari sincronici attraverso le aule virtuali.
* Non-linear organisation of the information;
* Customise the learning systems and therefore:
** Adapt the system to the single user’s needs;
** Develop cooperative and collaborative learning among the students’ and the professors’ learning communities;
** Possibility of transforming the knowledge into practical abilities and therefore in professional skills.
 
Therefore, the learning environments on the Didactic Cyberspace allow to:
* Supply a single point of access to the web (portal) through which access to large amount of resources available on academic training;
* Supply exhaustive and updated information on educational contents and events, such as study programmes, tutoring, exercises etc;
* Organise and deliver educational contents in a pre-planned, structured and consequential way;
* Use new technologies to make information clearer and more readily accessible;
* Monitor the student’s learning through constant checks, whose results can be consulted by the student himself in order to self-evaluate his own learning process;
* Put into contact students, professors and tutors using distance communication tools, both in asynchronous and synchronous modes, in order to make information sharing and learning consolidation easier.
 
The players who can carry on educational activities on the Didactic Cyberspace are: the student, the area professor and the tutor. Each one of those players has a space on the portal (http://www.uninettunouniversity.net), which we call page, from where they can organise their training activities which depend on their specific functions and roles.
These activities take place in the Didactic Cyberspace.
 
These training activities take place in the Didactic Cyberspace where the protagonists of the training process can access only after having entered their “login” and their “password” and after the system has recognised them, students, professors and tutors can access to their own pages. The system allows to access to didactic contents from different places in order to assure different navigation and material utilisation styles according to every users.
 
======The Student’s page======
 
Here the student can find his own customised page where he can:
* Search and use the educational material available;
* Communicate with professors and other students in synchronic and asynchrony mode
* Make exercises to be submitted to the tutor who corrects and evaluates them.
 
As it regards other activities that are not included in the following areas:
* Customised didactic planning: it supplies the student a customised study programme and the didactic activities planning referring to each course. Each student finds the planning of his didactic activities, divided into four didactic periods, on the Internet. The inclusion into the online study classes is structured in such a way as to grant the student the possibility of attending two subjects for each didactic period being guided by a professor/tutor. The result of the intermediate assessment that can be checked by each single student also through the tracing of its Internet-based learning processes, which allows the admission to the exams. Getting through the exams of the attended didactic modules allows getting enrolled and included into the classes of the following courses.
* Learning process check: each individual student can check, for each Internet-based didactic activity, his own self-assessment and compare it with that one given by his tutor. He can check by himself if there some gaps in his learning and develop new learning strategies with the support of the professor/tutor, but also of his own classmates.
* Agenda (didactic activities planning): it allows displaying the rendezvous fixed by the tutors or by the professor in the Chat-room, Forum and in the Virtual Classroom; it is possible to use the Agenda to include personal memos or ask for the professor/tutor’s support to overcome any learning difficulties.
* My lessons on TV today: it allows displaying the videolessons programming schedule being broadcast on the satellite television channel for the subjects being currently delivered.
 
Therefore, the student’s page is the point where the student can find the links to his courses, form the lately accessed lessons for each course to the statistical data related to tracing.
 
In addition, in his homepage the student can display all the activities of the day and of the week and the link to his whole agenda, to his tutors etc…
 
The Area Professor’s page and the Tutor’s one include the same functionalities and the same training materials.
 
======Area Professor======
More specifically, the Area Professors have the tasks of:  
* Prepare the training material, the lecture notes, the multimedia documents, the tools needed to learning process and the evaluation tests;
* Directly enter the training material on the his page on the Didactic Cyberspace, classifying it appropriately to be included into the system;
* Participate in the synchronic lessons and seminars through virtual classrooms.


======Tutor======
======Tutor======
Le attività dei tutor, che di seguito verranno descritte più dettagliatamente, sono indirizzate a supportare lo studente e affiancare il docente nella preparazione e pubblicazione del materiale didattico nel Cyberspazio. Organizza appuntamenti on-line, verifica periodicamente l’apprendimento dei singoli studenti e della classe di studenti tramite il tracciamento di tutte le attività didattiche svolte in rete, supporta l’attività didattica attraverso sessioni sincrone - chat e aule virtuali - ed asincrone forum -, valuta le esercitazioni e i lavori di gruppo degli studenti.
The tutor’s activities, that will be described in more details below, are aimed at supporting the student and at helping the professor in preparing and publishing the training material on the Cyberspace. He organises the online appointments, checks on a regular basis the learning progress of individual students and of class of students by tracing all didactic activities carried on online, supports the educational activities through synchronic sessions – chats and virtual classrooms, and asynchronic forums – evaluates exercises and the students’ group work .


======La Pagina del Tutor======
======The tutor’s page======
La pagina on line di ciascun Tutor dell’insegnamento fornisce la sua disponibilità (date ed orari) ed i riferimenti per contattarlo (e-mail, numero di telefono e di fax), consentendo inoltre l’accesso alle seguenti aree:  
The online page for each Tutor of the subject being taught will communicate his or her availability (dates and schedules) along with contact details (e-mail, telephone and fax number), whilst in addition allowing access to the following areas:
* Curriculum vitae;  
* Curriculum vitae;  
* Programma dell’Insegnamento;  
* Study Programme;  
* Mappa Concettuale;  
* Conceptual Map;  
* InserimentoMateriale Didattici
* Inclusion of Didactic Materials;
* Pianificazione Didattica;  
* Didactic Planning;  
* Guida all’Esame
* Agenda;  
* Agenda;  
* I miei studenti
* My students
* Valutazioni e Statistiche;  
* Evaluation and Statistics;  
* Ambienti di Apprendimento
* Learning Environments;
** Videoteca: Videolezioni, Slides
** Video Library: Videolessons, Slides
** Biblioteca digitale: Libri e Articoli, DVD, Bibliografia, Sitografia
** Media Library: Books and Articles, DVDs, Bibliographical Reference, Lists of Websites
** Laboratorio Virtuale: Laboratori, Esercizi
** Virtual Laboratory: Laboratories, Exercises
** Tutoring On Line: Chat, Forum
** Online Tutoring: Chat, Forum
** Aula Virtuale
** Virtual Classroom
* Orari delle videolezioni
* Videolessons schedule
 
The '''Course Study Programme''' includes the course aims and the contents.
 
The '''Conceptual Map''' of the course includes the titles of the lessons, the structuring of the issues within each lesson and the bookmarks that link them to the educational materials (books and article, CD-ROMs, bibliographical reference, list of websites, exercises, virtual laboratories) related to the various issues treated. In the conceptual map one can see the schedules chat sessions that are linked to the issues of the videolessons and of the related educational materials and it is possible to highlight the issues of a lesson and the main educational materials associated.
The '''Didactic Planning''' section depends on the number of academic credits, as relates to the amount of work the student does. All of the subjects of the Degree Courses at the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO are delivered in module formats that have a predefined duration according to the number of academic credits attributed to the course, as has been illustrated before. In the Didactic Planning section, the Area Professor will indicate the approach and delivery timing as to his or her teaching programme, the parameters regarding academic credits and other information relative to the teaching subject.
 
The '''Exam Guide''' specifies and displays the exams dates.


Nel '''Programma dell’Insegnamento ''' vengono inseriti gli obiettivi ed i contenuti dell’insegnamento.
The '''Agenda''' is the tool that follows the student during his academic path with the purpose of helping him to schedule his work, supplying a calendar of online events and proposing to the students training materials according to the path established by the student himself and also by the tutors and by the professors who support him. In particular the Agenda:
La Mappa Concettuale dell’insegnamento presenta i titoli delle lezioni, l’articolazione degli argomenti all’interno di ciascuna lezione e i bookmark di collegamento ai materiali didattici (libri e articoli, CD-ROM, bibliografia, sitografia, esercizi, laboratori virtuali) relativi ai vari argomenti trattati.  


Nella '''mappa concettuale''' si possono vedere le sessioni di chat programmate e collegati agli argomenti delle videolezioni e dei materiali didattici ad esse collegate ed è possibile evidenziare gli argomenti di una lezione ed i principali materiali didattici associati.
* '''Displays online events''' such as seminars, interviews and synchronic lessons by chats or in the Virtual Classroom, asynchronic more-in-depth study sessions, collaborative learning sessions scheduled by tutors and related professors on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule;
* '''Divides''' automatically on a regular basis (weekly or bi-weekly) the contents that the student has to study more in depth, divided according to courses that the student has selected in order to support him along his learning path
* '''Indicates the papers and the evaluation tests''' that the student will have to develop including information concerning the required knowledge to carry them on and the timing and the modes that are envisaged to carry them on
* '''Highlights''' the relevant institutional events, as the dates of the exams and deadlines for enrolling


La '''Pianificazione Didattica''' viene collegata al valore dei crediti formativi, in funzione dell’impegno dello studente. Tutti gli insegnamenti dei Corsi di Laurea dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO sono erogati in moduli, che hanno una durata definita sulla base dei crediti formativi attribuiti all’insegnamento, come è già stato illustrato. Nella Pianificazione Didattica, il Docente di area indica le modalità ed i tempi di erogazione dei propri insegnamenti, i parametri per l’attribuzione dei crediti formativi agli studenti ed altre informazioni relative al proprio insegnamento.
Through the agenda the tutor/professor can set up a series of online events indicating the date and time of the event and its typology. The events can be scheduled according to the educational calendar and to the students’ availability and can include synchronic training events by chat or virtual classrooms, online assignments on forums, collaborative group activities, online seminars with experts. The new event entered by the tutor is automatically displayed on the “online agenda” of the students who refer to that specific tutor to make them book it in time.  
La '''Guida all’Esame''' specifica e indica le date degli esami.


L’'''Agenda''' e’ lo strumento che segue lo studente durante il percorso accademico, con lo scopo di supportarne la programmazione temporale degli impegni,  fornendo il calendario degli appuntamenti online e proponendo il materiale didattico allo studente in funzione del percorso stabilito sia dallo stesso studente, che dai docenti e dai tutor che lo seguono. In particolare, l’Agenda:
In '''My Students''' area the organisation in classes that belong to the modules of each tutor are displayed.
* visualizza gli appuntamenti online come seminari, interrogazioni e lezioni sincrone in chat o nell’Aula virtuale, sessioni di approfondimento asincrone, sessioni di apprendimento collaborativo, scadenzate dai tutor o dai docenti di riferimento, su base giornaliera, settimanale e mensile;
* suddivide automaticamente su base periodica (settimanale o bisettimanale) i contenuti che lo studente deve apprendere, suddivisi per i corsi che lo studente ha selezionato, in modo da seguirlo lungo il processo di apprendimento
* indica gli elaborati e le prove di valutazione che lo studente sarà chiamato a sviluppare, con informazioni riguardanti le conoscenze necessarie per svolgerli ed i tempi e le modalità previste per lo svolgimento
* evidenzia gli appuntamenti istituzionali rilevanti, come date degli esami e scadenze dei termini di iscrizione


Il tutor/docente attraverso l’agenda può impostare una serie di eventi online segnalando data e ora dell’evento e la sua tipologia. Gli eventi possono essere scadenzati a seconda del calendario formativo e della disponibilità degli studenti, e possono riguardare appuntamenti formativi sincroni in chat o Aula virtuale, compiti online su forum, attività collaborative di gruppo, seminari online con esperti. Il nuovo appuntamento impostato dal tutor viene visualizzato automaticamente nelle “agende online” degli studenti che fanno riferimento a quel dato tutor, in modo che essi possano prenotarsi per la partecipazione.
====Evaluations and Statistics====


Nell’area '''I miei studenti''' viene indicata l’organizzazione delle classi che appartengono agli insegnamenti di ciascun tutor.
''Organisation in classes''


====Valutazioni e Statistiche====
The organisation of students in classes allows to promote cooperation activities among the students themselves and at the same time to enhance the effectiveness of the tutors’ monitoring. Actually, the management of the classes of students gives the possibility to share activities such as the assignment of exercises or scheduling of the learning objectives; in addition, re-creating a learning social context, gives a significant motivation support to “distance” students.
''Organizzazione in classi''


L’organizzazione di studenti in classi permette di promuovere le attività di collaborazione tra gli studenti stessi ed allo stesso tempo migliora l’efficacia delle operazioni di monitoraggio del tutor. La gestione di classi di studenti da infatti la possibilità di collettivizzare attività quali l’assegnazione di esercizi o la scadenza degli obiettivi di apprendimento; in più, ricreando un contesto sociale di apprendimento, fornisce un importante supporto motivazionale agli studenti “a distanza”.
''Tracing and reporting''


''Tracciamento e Reportistica''
The student’ activity, during all the phases of his learning path, is checked by the system which keeps a record of all his training performances. The information stored in such a way are put at the tutors’ disposal to enhance and increase the effectiveness of their interventions aimed at solving the learning problems through constant monitoring; to the professors’ disposal to complete the final evaluation process that will have to take into account the results of the intermediate tests proposed to each student, and also quantitative data on the use of the training material; to the students’ disposal to check their own progress and, through a self-evaluation process, to adjust their rhythms in order to attain the training objectives.


L’attività dello studente durante tutte le fasi del suo percorso di apprendimento viene  controllata dal sistema, dove vengono registrate tutte le performance didattiche. Le informazioni così memorizzate vengono rese disponibili  ai  tutor  per migliorare e aumentare, attraverso il monitoraggio continuo delle attività di studenti e gruppi di studenti, l’efficacia degli interventi di soluzione delle problematiche dell’apprendimento; ai docenti per completare il processo di valutazione finale che dovrà tenere conto dei risultati delle prove intermedie proposte a singoli studenti, nonché dei dati di tipo quantitativo sulla fruizione del materiale didattico; agli studenti  per verificare i propri progressi e, attraverso un processo di auto-valutazione, adeguare i propri ritmi al fine di raggiungere gli obiettivi formativi.
====Learning environments====
=====Video Library=====
The Video Library includes all the digitised videolessons and their related slides. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO digitised videolessons are:
# '''contents modularity''' that allows the student to access to specific level of competence;
# '''indexing of the subjects''' that favours hypertextual navigation; indexing will also play the role of a cognitive map showing the student the different training paths and this way becoming a cognitive tool useful to strengthen memory and stimulate hypertextual navigation.
# bookmarks that play an essential role: they are graphical icons that will blink and turn on during the lesson to lead the student in an hypertextual way to the information included in the:
#* Practical exercises and the Virtual Laboratory to integrate the theoretical knowledge acquired with practical work through a “learning-by-doing” learning process;
#* Training material linked to the videolessons;
#* Media Library for more-in-depth study to be carried on using the texts stored into the database
#* Virtual Classrooms where, both synchronically and diachronically through videoconferencing, chats, video-chats and discussion forums he will be able to:
#** Access to collaborative and cooperative online with other students;
#** Start a dialogue of a Socratic kind with the professor that can support and help him during his training process;  
#** Interact with the other actors of the educational process coming from other cultural and linguistic contexts with a view to learn in global and not in a local perspective;
#** Fully investigate a specific subject in websites that were selected by the professor.


Ambienti di Apprendimento
Through the fruition of the digitised videolessons, a possibility will be given not only to start symbolic-reconstructive learning processes, linked to the classical linear mode of teaching, but, thanks to the modular organization of contents, to the indexing of subjects, to bookmarks, the student will be able to develop hypertextual and multimedia learning processes that will allow to enrich and improve the meta-cognitive strategies, that will favour the customisation of the learning processes and will thus allow to promote active, constructive and interactive learning processes.
Videoteca
La Videoteca contiene le video-lezioni digitalizzate e le relative slides. Le caratteristiche  delle videolezioni digitalizzate dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO sono:
# la modularità dei contenuti, che consente allo studente di accedere al preciso livello di competenza;
# l’indicizzazione degli argomenti, che favorisce la navigazione ipertestuale; l’indicizzazione svolge la funzione di mappa cognitiva che indica allo studente i diversi percorsi didattici, e diventa così uno strumento cognitivo utile a rafforzare la memoria ed a stimolare l’esplorazione ipertestuale;
# i bookmarks, che hanno un ruolo fondamentale: si tratta di icone che si attivano e lampeggiano durante la lezione per rinviare lo studente ad informazioni disponibili in modo ipertestuale:
#* nelle esercitazioni pratiche e nel laboratorio virtuale, per integrare le conoscenze teoriche acquisite con l’applicazione pratica, attraverso un processo di apprendimento del tipo “learning by doing”;
#* nel Materiale didattico collegato alle videolezioni;
#* nella Biblioteca Digitale per gli approfondimenti da realizzare attraverso i testi contenuti nel database;
#* nelle Aule Virtuali dove, in modo sia sincronico che diacronico per mezzo della videoconferenza, di chat, videochat, e forum di discussione, può:
#** accedere ad ambienti di apprendimento collaborativo e cooperativo in rete con altri studenti;
#** attivare con il docente un dialogo socratico che sia di sostegno e guida al processo formativo;
#** interagire con altri attori del processo educativo provenienti da altre realtà culturali e linguistiche, in una prospettiva di apprendimento non più locale ma globale;
#** approfondire l’argomento in siti web selezionati dal docente.


Attraverso la fruizione delle videolezioni digitalizzate, viene offerta la possibilità non solo di avviare processi di apprendimento di tipo simbolico-ricostruttivo, legati ad una modalità classica di insegnamento di tipo lineare ma, grazie all’organizzazione modulare dei contenuti, all’indicizzazione degli argomenti, ai bookmark, lo studente è in grado di sviluppare processi di apprendimento ipertestuali e multimediali che permettono di arricchire e di potenziare le strategie metacognitive, favoriscono la personalizzazione dei percorsi di apprendimento e consentono, quindi, di attivare processi di apprendimento attivi, costruttivi ed interattivi.
The videolessons developed a new teaching and learning model.


Le videolezioni hanno sviluppato un nuovo modello di Insegnamento e di Apprendimento.
=====New teaching models=====


=====Nuovi Modelli di Insegnamento=====
The new model proposed involves a changing of the university teachers’ traditional competences. Actually, the professors have to learn how to deliver courses on television, to design multimedia products, online exercises and materials to be put on the website ant to guide the students along their self-learning process using non-traditional tools, methods and technologies.  The professors have the double function of teaching through the Internet, but at the same time of delivering a learning support activity through the Internet. The have to realise new kinds of books. The professors have the double task of teaching through television and the Internet, but, at the same time, they have to supply a support to learning through telecommunication networks and technologies.


Il nuovo modello proposto implica una trasformazione delle competenze tradizionali dei docenti universitari. I professori devono, infatti, imparare a tenere corsi per televisione, a progettare prodotti multimediali esercitazioni on line, e materiali da inserire sul sito, e a guidare gli studenti nel processo di auto-apprendimento con strumenti, metodi e tecnologie non tradizionali. Il professore ha la doppia funzione di insegnare tramite la televisione, ma nello stesso tempo di svolgere un'attività di supporto all'apprendimento per mezzo di Internet. Devono creare nuovi tipi di libri. I professori hanno la duplice funzione di insegnare per televisione ed Internet, ma anche allo stesso tempo devono fornire un supporto all’apprendimento tramite le reti di telecomunicazione e le tecnologie.
The use of a tool such as television change traditional didactic communication. In the new didactic model, the professors have to learn a new way of explaining, synthesising and presenting his knowledge to a virtual student in order to trigger a critical and reflective learning process. The videolesson requires a specific preparatory work and, in order to exploit all the potentials of the tools, the professor has to work with a team of technicians and experts in language of image. We calculated that each hour of videolesson requires from twenty to thirty hours of preparatory work. This, of course, develops in the professors new communication skills and the use of new languages that area used also to store the results of their own research work. This new training experience has an impact on the way they deliver their lessons also in their traditional academic courses.
L’uso di uno strumento come la televisione modifica la comunicazione didattica tradizionale. Nel nuovo modello didattico, i docenti devono imparare un nuovo modo di spiegare, di sintetizzare e di presentare il proprio sapere ad uno studente virtuale, allo scopo di innescare un processo di apprendimento critico e riflessivo. La videolezione richiede una particolare preparazione e, per sfruttare le potenzialità dello strumento, il docente deve lavorare in gruppo insieme ai tecnici e agli esperti del linguaggio dell’immagine. Si è calcolato che ogni ora di videolezione richiede dalle venti alle trenta ore di preparazione. Ciò, in modo naturale, sviluppa nei docenti nuove capacità comunicative e l’uso di nuovi linguaggi anche per memorizzare i risultati dei propri lavori di ricerca. Questa nuova esperienza didattica influenza il modo di  insegnare anche nei loro corsi accademici tradizionali.
Con le videolezioni il docente insegna in modo interattivo, pone domande agli studenti, gli studenti rispondono, interagiscono con i docenti, ma anche tra di loro e sviluppano insieme apprendimenti collaborativi.


=====Nuovi modelli di Apprendimento=====
In the videolessons the professor teaches in an interactive way, asks questions to the students, the students answer, they interact with the professors, but also among them and jointly develop collaborative learning processes.


Per quanto riguarda lo sviluppo dell'apprendimento, è importante notare che le strategie di studio attuate durante la fruizione delle videolezioni digitalizzate permettono di attivare un processo di apprendimento in cui è lo studente ad avere il controllo completo dei tempi. Infatti, attraverso una serie di comandi che appaiono sullo schermo, play, stop, avanti veloce, indietro veloce, livello audio, lo studente può vedere e rivedere parti di videolezioni, quante volte desidera, sulla base delle proprie esigenze; può mettere in pausa per riflettere e per rendersi conto se ha bisogno di consultare ulteriori fonti, può rivedere quanto già visto per rinforzare la memoria a lungo termine; può vedere altre parti di video che possono avere interessanti collegamenti con altri materiali ed altre fonti. Queste funzioni non sono solo tecniche legate a modalità di fruizione delle videolezioni, ma sono anche strategie metacognitive che possono facilitare l’autovalutazione delle proprie attività di comprensione. Durante la tradizionale lezione in aula non è sempre facile fermare il docente per fargli ripetere ciò che ha spiegato, non è praticamente possibile interrompere per una pausa di riflessione o per consultare altre fonti. Questi nuovi strumenti di memorizzazione del sapere consentono di ottenere il superamento del vincolo di contemporaneità del processo di insegnamento-apprendimento, che avviene nel processo formativo tradizionale. Ciò permette non solo di rendere tutto il processo più flessibile, ma di innescare nuovi processi di apprendimento interattivi. Lo studente, oltre alla possibilità che ha di personalizzarsi tutti i percorsi di studio, può interagire con diversi materiali e realizzare una strategia di studio multimediale e ipertestuale: può organizzare le conoscenze in memoria utilizzando diversi registri quali, testo, suono e immagini; può interrompere la visione della videolezione per consultare banche dati, testi nella biblioteca virtuale; può provare con attività pratiche di laboratorio se è in grado di trasformare le conoscenze teoriche in capacità pratiche; può navigare su Internet per arricchire l'argomento con informazioni che possono provenire da realtà culturali e linguistiche diverse, interagire sull'argomento tramite i Forum e le chat con altri studenti e con altri esperti (Garito, 1998).
=====New learning models=====


In particolare, si realizza un apprendimento ipertestuale completo.
With regard to the development of learning, it is important to note that the study strategies set up during the use of the digitised video lessons allow setting up a learning process where it is the student who masters time. Actually, the student, through some controls appearing on the screen, such as play, stop, fast forward, rewind, volume level, the student can watch and watch again parts of the videolessons as many time he wishes to according to his needs; he can pause to think and see if he needs to consult further sources, he can see again what he has already seen to enhance his long-term memory; he cans see other parts of the video that can have interesting connections with other material and other sources. These are not only technical functions linked to the modes of use of the videolessons, but they area also meta-cognitive strategies that can facilitate self-evaluation of one’s own comprehension activities. During a traditional lesson it is not always easy to stop the professor to make him repeat what has explained, it is not practically possible to stop to reflect or consult other sources. These new tools of knowledge memorisation allow overcoming the limit of simultaneousness of the teaching-learning process that takes place in the traditional training process. This allows to make the whole process more flexible and to trigger new interactive learning processes. The student, besides having the possibility to customise all his study paths, can interact with different materials and realise a multimedia and hypertextual study strategy; he can organise the stored knowledge using different registers such as text, sound and pictures; he can interrupt viewing the videolessons to consult databases or texts available in the virtual library; he can try practical activities in the laboratory to see if he can transform his theoretical knowledge in practical abilities; he can navigate the Internet to enrich the subject with information that can come from different cultural and linguistic settings, or interact with other students and experts on the subject by means of forums and chats (Garito, 1998). More specifically, a complete hypertextual learining is realised. Many authors having a cognitive and connectivity approach agree on defining the hypertextual technologies as a tool capable of favouring a new kind of learning. since there exists a substantial analogy between the network of links typical of a hypertext and that of the working of the human mind, meant as a neural network.
Hypertextual learning guides the student in his explorative dynamics by proposing to him a non-linear type of knowledge that is made up of plots and connections among nodes.
In this way a learning strategy, whose main features are the following, develops:
* An associative and non-linear form of organisation of the information;
* The presence of diversified and alternative paths that can be freely selected and viewed;
* The presence of multimedia data: texts, pictures, audio, animations, videos, laboratory experience, discussions.


Più autori di stampo cognitivista e connessionista, infatti concordano nel definire le tecnologie ipertestuali uno strumento in grado di favorire un nuovo tipo di apprendimento in quanto sono vicine al naturale modo di pensare della mente umana poiché esiste una sostanziale analogia fra la rete di collegamenti tipica di un ipertesto e il funzionamento della mente umana intesa come rete neurale.
In addition, hypertextual learning promotes autonomy and makes the student become also author since it give him the possibility to realise navigation paths of his own among the nodes of knowledge proposed and to choose the level of detail and analysis he aims to reach.  


L’apprendimento ipertestuale guida lo studente nella sua dinamica esplorativa, proponendogli un sapere di tipo non lineare, fatto di intrecci  e connessioni tra nodi.
Actually, the student is given a learning environment that stimulates exploration and discovery, a tool to “learn how to learn”, to develop new learning strategies, to enhance cognitive processing.  
Si sviluppa in questo modo una strategia di apprendimento le cui principali caratteristiche sono:
* la forma associativa e non lineare di organizzazione delle informazioni;
* la presenza di percorsi differenziati ed alternativi che possono essere  liberamente selezionati e visionati;
* la presenza di dati multimediali: testi, immagini, audio, animazioni, video, esperienza nel laboratorio, discussioni.
L’apprendimento ipertestuale, inoltre, stimola l’autonomia e fa sì che lo studente diventi anche autore in quanto gli dà la possibilità di realizzare propri percorsi di navigazione tra i nodi di conoscenza proposti e di scegliere il livello di dettaglio e di approfondimento che  intende raggiungere.  


In sostanza, allo studente, è offerto un ambiente di apprendimento che stimola all’esplorazione e alla scoperta, uno strumento per “imparare ad imparare”, per sviluppare nuove strategie di apprendimento, migliorare l’elaborazione cognitiva.
The customisation of the learning paths gives also the possibility of incremental access by the student at different levels of knowledge. In this sense, hypertextual learning can be considered as a flexible process since it respects the different learning styles and allow for a targeted use in function of pre-requisites and of students’ past knowledge.  
La personalizzazione dei percorsi di apprendimento determina anche la possibilità di un accesso incrementale da parte dello studente a differenti livelli di conoscenza. In questo senso l’apprendimento ipertestuale può essere considerato uno processo flessibile in quanto rispetta i diversi stili di apprendimento e permette una fruizione mirata in funzione dei prerequisiti e delle conoscenze pregresse degli studenti.


Il pensare è soprattutto creare interconnessioni tra elementi della conoscenza: perciò la piattaforma su Internet dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO stimola proprio un apprendimento di reti di concetti, piuttosto che di informazioni sparse o di sequenze. Inoltre la percezione di protagonismo favorisce un incremento della motivazione dello studente e conseguentemente un abbassamento dello sforzo cognitivo.  
Thinking is above all creating interconnection among the elements of knowledge: therefore, the Internet-based platform of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO stimulates a learning of network of concepts rather then scattered pieces of information ore sequences. In addition, the perception of protagonism favours an enhancement of the student motivation and consequently a decrease of the cognitive effort.  


[[Image:Modello_videolezione.jpg]]
[[Image:Modello_videolezione.jpg]]


=====Biblioteca digitale =====
=====Media Library=====
 
The Media Library contains training materials (Learning Objects) connected to the videolessons – for example study sheets, films, images, diagrams, animated material which are all gathered under an Intelligent Bibliographic System.
The elements that make up the Media Library represent in-depth study materials connected to the contents of the video lessons. They can be associated with a topic, a series of topics, an entire video lesson, a series of video lessons or the entire course.
The objects that make up the Media Library are categorized as follows: books and articles, DVDs, bibliographical references and lists of websites.
The in-depth study materials developed in an ad hoc fashion by the Tutor (or by the Area Professor) for the students of his own class and those study materials sent by students and selected by the Tutor (or Area Professor), as they refer to a specific class of students.
In the Media Library the student can access to training materials linked to the videolessons, always organised through hypertextual links to the subjects of the lessons. 
 
=====Virtual Laboratory=====
 
======On Line practical Exercises======
 
In this section online interactive practice work is included. Their implementation allows the video professors to link the theoretical aspects treated in the video lessons to the practical aspects illustrated of the issues treated by the same videolessons by carrying on exercises, solving problems, preparing papers or real-time simulations. The possibility of posting online exercises by professors and tutors coming from several universities allow the Internet site of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO to dispose of an ever-increasing number of online educational materials.
 
====== Virtual Laboratory  ======
 
Thanks to virtual laboratories it is possible to overcome several limits. In the first place, that one of materiality: modify any object in digital way, offering countless options and possibility to practise; possibility of learning, put virtually into practice what has been learnt, test new techniques before putting them into practice.
Through telematic networks the same virtual environment can be simultaneously shared by several users (teachers and pupils, guides and viewers). The concept of space, as a physical entity, also no longer applies, and it is possible to display the subject under study in any time and at any place. 
 
Virtual reality is developing new learning models that will tend to shift human cognitive doing at all levels: from the re-constructional-symbolic mode to that of the motor-perception one and, furthermore, it opens up fields of knowledge to the motor-perceptive mode that were before only accessible to the re-constructional-symbolic one.
The Virtual Laboratory of the International Telematic University UNINETTUO appears as a true environment where the student will be able to put into practice the abstract principles learned during the theory lessons, activating a learning process of the  “learning by doing ” type.
In this respect, the Virtual Laboratory of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is an integral part of the lesson since it makes possible to immediately link with the direct experimentation of what is illustrate by the professor whenever the student wishes so.


La biblioteca digitale è composta dai materiali didattici collegati alle video-lezioni - ad esempio dispense, filmati, immagini, schemi, animazioni, riferimenti sitografici, riferimenti bibliografici - raccolti all’interno di un Sistema Bibliografico Intelligente.
Also the exercises put at the students’ disposal have been included into the Cyberspace in order to make the completed by the students and submitted to the tutor to be evaluated; so doing the student is constantly supported and guided in the analysis of the procedures carried on and of the mistakes done and by the feedback of the intelligent system and/or telematic tutor.
I materiali didattici che costituiscono la biblioteca virtuale rappresentano degli approfondimenti rispetto ai contenuti trattati nelle video-lezioni e possono essere associati a un argomento, a un insieme di argomenti, a una intera videolezione, a un insieme di videolezioni o all’intero corso.
The goal is to create a powerful synergy in the virtual laboratory so that theoretical learning and practical problem-solving co-exist in the correct ratio and fully integrate each other: the student will be able to think about his experiences in the learning environment, and the abstract principles described by the teacher become motivated, are made operative and can be committed to memory thanks to the problem-solving activities.  
Le categorie di materiali didattici che costituiscono la Biblioteca sono complessivamente: libri e articoli, DVD, bibliografia, sitografia.
I materiali didattici di approfondimento elaborati ad hoc dal Tutor (o dal Docente di area) per gli studenti della propria classe e quelli selezionati dal Tutor (o dal Docente di area) tra i materiali inviati dai propri studenti sono resi disponibili soltanto nella Pagina del Tutor (o del Docente di area), perché si riferiscono ad una specifica classe di studenti.
Nella Biblioteca digitale lo studente può accedere ai materiali didattici collegati alle video-lezioni, sempre organizzati con collegamenti ipertestuali agli argomenti delle lezioni.


=====LABORATORIO VIRTUALE=====
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO learning environment gives the student an absolutely active role; all the training materials are put made available for this purpose. The student is not left alone, but he is guided by an expert tutor. This is the reason why the portal has a special area called ''online tutoring''.


======Esercitazioni Pratiche On Line======


In questa sezione vengono inserite le esercitazioni on line interattive. La loro implementazione permette ai docenti video di collegare gli aspetti teorici esposti nelle videolezioni con gli aspetti pratici degli argomenti delle videolezioni stesse, attraverso lo svolgimento di esercizi, la risoluzione di problemi, la stesura di temi o la simulazione in tempo reale. La possibilità di mettere le esercitazioni in rete permette al sito Internet dell’ Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO di disporre di un numero notevole di materiali didattici on-line. Anche i tutor delle varie università producono delle esercitazioni in rete consentendo di personalizzare l’intervento formativo dei tutor stessi. La possibilità di mettere le esercitazioni in rete da parte di docenti e tutor provenienti delle diverse università consente al sito Internet dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO di disporre di un numero sempre crescente di materiali didattici on-line.
=====Online tutoring=====


====== Laboratorio Virtuale ======
This is the real interactive synchronic portal section. Inside this section real tutors/teachers assist students in the virtual classrooms by means of chat, also audio and video, correct their papers, guide them to overcome learning and psychological difficulties, linked to distance student issues.
Tutoring is structured in classes of 20 or 30 students, 20 for the Engineering Faculties and 30 for the other Faculties.
In general, the telematic tutor will give students cognitive support:
* Giving information on the structure of the course and its aims;
* Giving user-students an evaluation and feed-back on the work done and the skills acquired both during the learning process and at the end of the course;
* Developing study skills such as critical skills and meta-cognitive learning strategies;
* Encouraging the anchoring of the new skills and knowledge to other knowledge and contexts;
* Facilitating access to technologies and materials that the users students will use during the course.


Grazie ai laboratori virtuali è possibile abbattere molti limiti. In primo luogo quello della materialità: intervenire digitalmente su un qualsiasi oggetto, offrendo innumerevoli tentativi e possibilità di esercizio; possibilità di apprendere, mettere virtualmente in pratica ciò che si è appreso, sperimentare tecniche nuove prima di metterle in pratica.
The tutor will have to:
Grazie alle reti telematiche, uno stesso ambiente virtuale può essere condiviso contemporaneamente tra più utenti (maestri e allievi, guide e spettatori). Viene a decadere anche lo stesso concetto di spazio come entità fisica essendo ormai possibile visualizzare l’oggetto di studio in qualsiasi luogo e in qualsiasi momento.
# Encourage the structuring of knowledge exchange networks, in a complex system, comprising telematic tutors, students and technologies, which is capable of working better than the sum of the single parts
La realtà virtuale sviluppa nuovi modelli di apprendimento, che tendono a spostare l'operare cognitivo umano a tutti i livelli: dalla modalità simbolico-costruttiva a quella percettivo-motoria e a rendere accessibile all'operare percettivo-motorio campi di conoscenza prima accessibili solo all'operare simbolico-ricostruttivo.
# Select the didactic material in order to guarantee access to information in an adequate format and level for the skills and knowledge of the various students. The resources will have to be grouped, perhaps in databases organised by level of complexity, in order to guide people who are not used to navigating (Garito 2000c).
Il Laboratorio Virtuale dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO si presenta come un vero e proprio ambiente in cui lo studente potrà applicare, nella pratica, i principi astratti appresi nelle lezioni teoriche, attivando un processo di apprendimento del tipo “learning by doing ”.
A tal fine il laboratorio virtuale dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO fa parte integrante della lezione poiché è possibile un immediato collegamento con la diretta sperimentazione di quanto spiegato dal docente, in qualunque momento lo studente desideri farlo.
Anche gli esercizi messi a disposizione degli studenti sono stati inseriti nel Cyberspazio in modo che vengano svolti dagli studenti e inviati al tutor per la valutazione, in questo modo lo studente è costantemente seguito e guidato nell’analisi delle procedure svolte e degli errori commessi dai feedback del sistema intelligente e/o del tutor telematico.
L’obiettivo è di raggiungere una sinergia, sia con i laboratori virtuali che con gli esercizi, tra l’apprendimento teorico e la soluzione pratica di problemi nella giusta proporzione ed integrazione tra loro: lo studente può riflettere sulle proprie esperienze nell’ambiente di apprendimento e i principi astratti descritti dal docente vengono resi operativi e facilmente memorizzabili grazie all’attività di soluzione di problemi.
L’ambiente dell’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO attribuisce allo studente un ruolo assolutamente attivo e tutti i materiali didattici vengono messi a disposizione con questo obiettivo. Lo studente non viene lasciato solo ma viene guidato da un tutor esperto. Ecco perché nel portale vi è una apposita sezione detta ''tutoring on line''.


=====Tutoring on line=====
The telematic tutor‘s role takes place by different didactic scenarios: “one-to-one” and  “one-to-many”.


Questa è la vera sezione interattiva sincronica del portale. In questa sezione tutor/docenti reali assistono gli studenti nelle aule virtuali tramite chat anche audio e video, correggono compiti, li guidano a superare difficoltà non solo di apprendimento ma anche psicologiche legate alle problematiche dello studio a distanza.
'''''“One to one” scenario (learning in a single mode)'''''
Il tutoraggio è organizzato in classi di 20 o 30 studenti, 20 per le Facoltà di Ingegneria e 30 per le altre facoltà.


In generale, il tutor telematico deve:
In this scenario, by means of videochats, chats, e-mail, the telematic tutor assists the student during his exploration of the different environments, giving a constant evaluation of his didactic progress, whenever the student wishes to. The telematic tutor, by means of interactive dialogues of the Socratic style, will help the student to analyse his own thinking and to discovers and correct not only his mistakes, but also their causes. The telematic tutor will have certain special functions, borrowed from specific experiences in the field of distance tutoring, such as:
* fornire agli studenti un supporto cognitivo:
* fornire  informazioni sulla struttura del corso e sulle sue finalità;
* fornendo agli studenti una valutazione ed un feed-back sul lavoro svolto e sulle competenze acquisite sia durante lo svolgimento del processo di apprendimento, sia alla fine del corso;
* stimolando l’acquisizione di competenze critiche e strategie metacognitive di apprendimento;
* favorendo l’ancoraggio delle competenze e delle conoscenze che gli studenti-studenti stanno sviluppando ad altre conoscenze e ad altri contesti;
* facilitando l’accesso alle tecnologie ed ai materiali che gli studenti utilizzeranno nel corso.


Il tutor deve:
# Support to student motivation
* favorire la strutturazione di reti di scambio di conoscenza, in un sistema complesso costituito da tutor telematici, studenti e tecnologie, la cui interazione darà un prodotto superiore alla somma delle singole competenze e conoscenze;
#* Mobilising and maintain motivation
* selezionare il materiale didattico, in modo da garantire l’accesso alle informazioni in un formato ed ad un livello adeguati alle competenze e alle conoscenze dei diversi studenti. Le risorse didattiche dovranno essere raggruppate e organizzate per livelli di complessità in modo che possano guidare chi è inesperto (Garito, 2000c).
#* Creating an open and positive atmosphere
#* Compensating the social requirements of the user-student
# Help on the content of the course
#* Connecting the contents with previous knowledge
#* Solving problems in the course contents
#* Stimulating the application of these contents in professional life
# Development of study skills
#* Promoting a critical sense
#* Developing learning styles and cognitive strategies
#* Helping to auto-regulate study and training
#* Promoting awareness of contextual learning factors
#* Introducing the student to the use of new technologies (e-mail, chat, videoconference, the Internet)
# Evaluation/feedback
#* Informing the user-student of his/her progress
#* Preparing the user-student for his/her exams
#* Helping the user-student to develop realistic self-evaluation skills(Garito 2000c).


Il ruolo di tutor telematico si sviluppa in due differenti scenari didattici: “uno ad uno” e “uno a molti”.
'''''“One to many” scenario (collaborative learning mode)'''''


'''''Scenario “uno ad uno” (apprendimento in modalità singola).'''''
In this scenario, by means of real time videoconferences and off-line forums, the telematic tutor organizes and structures collaborative learning sessions, to promote interaction among the different actors of the educational process.  The telematic tutor will actively direct the work of the groups.
The telematic tutor has to: 
* Organise group objectives clearly and precisely in order to prevent participators from wasting their energies on insignificant interactions and activities;
* Define specialised tasks and assign them to the various members;
* Clearly define the personal responsibilities of each member;


In questo scenario, attraverso videochat, chat, e e-mail, il tutor telematico assiste il singolo studente nel suo processo di esplorazione dei diversi ambienti, fornendo una valutazione continua del percorso didattico realizzato, ogni qualvolta lo studente lo richiede. In questa fase il docente-tutor, attraverso dialoghi interattivi di stile socratico, aiuta lo studente ad esaminare il suo ragionamento e a scoprire e correggere non solo gli errori ma anche le cause che li hanno determinati. il tutor telematico ha alcune funzioni mutuate da esperienze specifiche nel campo del tutoring a distanza, quali:
Particular attention must be paid to the group objectives, which have various specific functions. The tasks will be selected so as to offer a stimulating but not impossible challenge in order to activate motivation and stimulate the sensation of self-effectiveness.  
In particular, the tasks must be complicated enough to:
* Allow each participant to make his/her own contribution to the achievement of the objective;
* Ensure the participants realise that the group has greater skills and resources than the individual members.


# Fornire supporto alla motivazione dello studente:
The tutor must support the student motivation by encouraging the creation of an open and positive social environment. The type of environment that is planned to be created must stimulate reciprocal co-operation and help between students, allowing everyone to express himself and participate. In particular, he/she must pay attention to the social processes taking place in the group in order to ensure that these are directed towards:  
#* mobilitare e mantenere la motivazione;
* Social aims in order to stimulate social activities and behaviour;
#* creare un clima aperto e positivo;
* The adaptation of individual needs;
#* compensare le necessità sociali dello studente.
* Ensuring equal opportunities for all the participators to achieve the objective.
# Dare aiuto sui contenuti del corso:
#* collegare i contenuti alle conoscenze pregresse;
#* risolvere i problemi sui contenuti;
#* stimolare l’applicazione dei contenuti nella vita professionale.
# Sviluppare le competenze di studio:
#* promuovere lo spirito critico;
#* sviluppare gli stili di apprendimento e le strategie cognitive;
#* aiutare ad auto-regolamentare lo studio e la formazione;
#* promuovere la consapevolezza dei fattori contestuali di apprendimento;
#* introdurre lo studente all’utilizzo delle nuove tecnologie (e-mail, chat, videoconferenza, Internet).
# Dare una valutazione/un feedback:
#* informare lo studente sui progressi;
#* preparare lo studente ai test di verifica;
#* aiutare lo studente a sviluppare una auto-valutazione realistica (Garito, 2000c).


'''''Scenario “uno a molti” (apprendimento in modalità collaborativa).'''''
The establishment of learning communities will encourage participations in the various groups to combine their skills and attempt to reach a common and shared objective.
In this way various cognitive processes will be activated:
* User-students will have to explain their reasoning and understand that of other people. This will “force” them to formulate their thoughts clearly and highlight any shortcomings in communication. They will therefore have to carry out a specular task of decoding other people’s thoughts in order to achieve a further process of communication clarification.
* During social interaction, it is very probable that a “cognitive conflict” will arise. This will oblige user-students to explain and review their basic concepts when they come into contact with information they didn’t know beforehand, perhaps contradictory, proposed by the other group members.
* There is a cognitive challenge in co-operation where user-students attempt to defend and argue their points of view with the other learning partners. These challenges stimulate them to look for new arguments to supporting their view, and promote acceptance of other people’s ideas when their arguments are recognised as being valid.
* With co-operation, people also learn that criticisms are aimed at ideas and not at people and this fact stimulates a feeling of respect towards the others and confrontation training that is seen as a moment of growth.


In questo scenario, mediante videoconferenze in tempo reale e forum in differita, il tutor telematico organizza e struttura le sessioni di apprendimento collaborativo, per favorire momenti di interazione tra i diversi attori del processo educativo. Il tutor telematico interviene sul lavoro dei gruppi in modo da orientare il loro lavoro.
Learning therefore becomes a social process that promotes affective and motivational dynamics:
Il tutor telematico deve:  
* Group study supports the motivation of its members, helping them to overcome difficulties. Various research projects have shown how the level of self-esteem in groups is greater than in individuals because it is stimulated by the other members.
* organizzare in maniera chiara e precisa gli obbiettivi del gruppo, per evitare che i partecipanti si perdano in interazioni ed attività non significative;
* When a learning group realizes that collective success depends on the success and work of everyone, the willingness to provide emotive and didactic support grows, as does self-esteem.
* definire una specializzazione dei compiti assegnati ai diversi membri;
* Thanks to shared efforts and different contributions, the activities of the group encourage students to demonstrate that the subject and the objective they are pursuing are of great intrinsic importance, thereby increasing enthusiasm and self-esteem.
* definire con chiarezza le responsabilità personali dei vari membri.
Una particolare attenzione deve essere posta nei confronti degli obbiettivi del gruppo, che hanno diverse funzioni specifiche. I compiti sono selezionati in maniera tale da proporre un obiettivo che sia stimolante ma non impossibile, in modo da attivare la motivazione e stimolare il sentimento di auto-efficacia. In particolare il compito deve essere abbastanza complesso per consentire ai partecipanti di:
* dare il proprio contributo alla realizzazione dell’obbiettivo;
* mettere in luce al gruppo competenze e risorse maggiori che nel singolo individuo.
Il tutor deve fornire supporto alla motivazione dello studente favorendo la creazione di un ambiente sociale aperto e positivo per stimolare la cooperazione e l’aiuto reciproco fra gli studenti, consentendo l’espressione e la partecipazione da parte di tutti. In particolare deve fare attenzione ai processi sociali che si svolgono nel gruppo, così che questo sia:
* orientato verso obbiettivi sociali in modo da stimolare le attività ed i comportamenti sociali
* orientato ad un adattamento ai bisogni individuali;
* funzionale a concedere pari opportunità a tutti i partecipanti nel raggiungimento dell’obbiettivo.


La realizzazione delle comunità di apprendimento incoraggerà i partecipanti dei differenti gruppi a mettere in comune le loro capacità cercando di arrivare ad un obbiettivo comune e condiviso. In questo modo si attiveranno diversi processi cognitivi:
As regards his/her relationship with the organisation, the following will be required of the telematic tutor:
* gli utenti-studenti devono esplicitare il loro ragionamento, e comprendere quello degli altri. Questa attività li “costringe” a formulare con chiarezza le idee e conoscenze, scoprendo le loro eventuali lacune nella comunicazione. Dovranno quindi effettuare un lavoro speculare di decodifica le idee degli altri, per pervenire ad un ulteriore processo di chiarificazione della comunicazione;
# Must have a thorough knowledge of the characteristics of telematic environments, especially those encouraging collaboration and learning, i.e.:
* nelle interazioni sociali è molto probabile che si pervenga al “conflitto cognitivo” che obbliga gli utenti-studenti ad esplicitare e rivedere le loro concezioni di base quando vengono in contatto con informazioni prima sconosciute, magari contraddittorie, proposte dagli altri partner del gruppo;
#* Offering a welcoming social environment;
* nella cooperazione si assiste ad una sfida cognitiva, dove gli utenti-studenti cercano di difendere ed argomentare i loro punti di vista rispetto agli altri partner di apprendimento. Questa sfida li stimola a cercare nuovi argomenti a sostegno delle proprie tesi, oltre a promuovere l’accettazione delle idee provenienti dagli altri, quando le argomentazioni si riconoscono valide;
#* Concentrating the attention of students on the problems of shared understanding;
* nella cooperazione si impara anche che le critiche vengono rivolte alle idee, e non alle persone, stimolando in questo modo un atteggiamento di rispetto verso gli altri, e di addestramento al confronto, che assume il valore di momento di crescita.
#* Encouraging exploration;
L’apprendimento si configura così come processo sociale che promuove dinamiche affettive e motivazionali:
#* Encouraging connectivity to ensure that students follow the logic of their reasoning;
* lo studio di gruppo sostiene la motivazione dei suoi membri, aiutandoli a superare le difficoltà. Differenti ricerche hanno messo in evidenza come il livello di autostima nei gruppi sia maggiore che nei singoli, perché stimolati dagli altri membri;
#* Giving pride of place to group rather than individual work.
* quando in un gruppo di apprendimento ci si rende conto che il successo collettivo dipende dal successo e dallo sforzo di tutti cresce la disposizione a fornire il sostegno emotivo e didattico;
# Will give the organisation feedback on the opinions of the students concerning the course in order to allow the organisation to make improvements to courses and interaction methods.  
* le attività di gruppo, grazie agli sforzi condivisi ed ai differenti apporti, incoraggiano gli studenti a dimostrare che l’argomento e l’obiettivo che stanno seguendo ha una grande importanza intrinseca, aumentando l’entusiasmo e l’autostima.
# Will collaborate with the other institutional roles in order to redefine the role of the teachers who will have to introduce specific elements for distance collaborative environments into their activities:  
Infine, per quanto riguarda il rapporto con l’organizzazione, il tutor telematico deve:
#* Preferring to reply to student questions rather than asking them and encouraging communication between students during the search for solutions;
# avere una conoscenza approfondita delle caratteristiche degli ambienti telematici, in particolare di quelle che favoriscono la collaborazione e l’apprendimento, ovvero:
#* The teachers will act as guides and tutors, providing as much personalised feed-back as possible and becoming real and proper promoters of knowledge.
#* offrire un ambiente sociale accogliente;
#* concentrare l’attenzione degli studenti su problemi di comprensione comune;
#* incoraggiare l’esplorazione;
#* incoraggiare la connettività, per fare in modo che gli studenti seguano il filo del loro ragionamento;
#* porre in primo piano il lavoro collettivo rispetto a quello del singolo.
# fornire all’organizzazione un feed-back sul corso rispetto alle opinioni degli studenti, in modo da dare la possibilità all’organizzazione di realizzare degli interventi di miglioramento sui corsi, e sulle modalità di interazione.
# collaborare insieme alle altre figure istituzionali per ridefinire il ruolo dei docenti, che devono inserire nella loro attività degli elementi specifici per gli ambienti collaborativi a distanza:  
#* privilegiare il rispondere alle domande degli studenti piuttosto che porne e incoraggiare la comunicazione fra gli studenti, per la ricerca delle soluzioni;  
#* i docenti hanno funzioni di guida e di tutor, fornendo il più possibile un feedback personalizzato e diventando dei veri promotori del sapere;


In sintesi il docente, nella sua nuova veste di tutor telematico, deve:
In short, the telematic tutor in his new function should:
* assumere il ruolo di docente-regista che progetta scenari di apprendimento, e coopera poi con i suoi ‘allievi’ per realizzare un percorso educativo che sia rispettoso dei diversi stili di apprendimento;
* Play the role of teacher-director that designs learning scenarios and who, later on, cooperates with his “students” to create and educational path that should take into account different styles of learning;
* fornire agli studenti strumenti non solo teorici e concettuali, ma anche strumenti che permettano di trasformare le conoscenze in abilità pratiche e quindi  in competenze professionali;
* Supply the students not only with theoretical and conceptual tools, but also tools that could allow them to transform knowledge into practical abilities, then into professional skills;
* favorire, grazie ai “laboratori virtuali” l’integrazione tra il sapere ed il saper fare;
* Promote, thanks to the “virtual laboratories”, the integration between knowing and being able to do;  
* sviluppare modelli di condivisione dei saperi con altri studenti della rete favorendo processi di apprendimento collaborativo;
* Develop models of sharing knowledge with the other users of the Network promoting collaborative learning processes;
* assumere il ruolo di orientatore e facilitatore e dare tutti gli strumenti necessari per aiutare lo studente a cercare le informazioni sulla rete ed evitare che si perda nell’iperspazio del Web;
* Play the role of somebody who orientates and facilitates and give everybody the necessary tools to help the student find the information he needs on the Net and avoid his getting lost in the Web Hyperspace;
* favorire modelli di socializzazione sulla rete tra le comunità di studenti e docenti a distanza.
* Promote socialization models on the Net between distance students and teachers communities.


=====Forum e Chat=====
=====Forum and Chat=====


Questa area è dedicata ai Servizi di Comunicazione (diacronica e sincronica): Forum e Chat permettono a docenti e discenti di scambiarsi opinioni, idee e informazioni sui diversi argomenti legati ai corsi a distanza. I forum e la chat aiutano a creare delle vere e proprie Comunità virtuali di apprendimento.
This area is devoted to Communication Services (diachronic and synchronic): Forum and Chat allow teachers and students to share opinions, ideas and information about different subjects linked to distance courses. Forum and chat help to in setting up perfect virtual Learning Communities.
I Forum permettono una maggiore interattività grazie alla predisposizione di tre macro-aree: Studenti, Docenti, e Materie. Tutte le macro-aree hanno, al loro interno, un Forum generico, destinato alla socializzazione, alle richieste di informazioni riguardanti l’ Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO e alla segnalazione di eventuali disguidi riscontrati durante la navigazione.
Forums allow a major interactivity thanks to the organisation of three macro-areas: Student’s Forum, Teacher’s Forum and Subject Forum. All macro-areas have, inside, a generic forum, devoted to socialization, to inquiry about the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO and to signal of any miscarriage found during navigation.
I Forum sono stati pensati per coinvolgere gli studenti in scambi di informazioni riguardo a testi ed esercitazioni, e nella condivisione di materiale istituzionale o creato da loro stessi.
Forum has been though with the intention to involve users in sharing information about exams, texts an practices and to exchange institutional material or self prepared material.
I Forum rappresentano una forma di comunicazione particolarmente diretta, utile anche a coloro che non saranno coinvolti direttamente nello sviluppo della discussione, formando, infatti, una sorta di "biblioteca" in costante crescita, a disposizione degli studenti.
Forum represents a direct way of communication, encouraging and developing discussion, setting up a continuous increasable library that remains at student’s disposal.
All'interno dell'area Forum Studenti sono stati aperti Forum tematici, suddivisi e nominati a seconda del corso di formazione di interesse.
Inside Student’s Forum area, thematic forums have been set up, divided and named according to different University Degree courses interested.
Nell'area Forum Docenti, i Forum specifici sono aperti direttamente dai professori, che ne sono anche i curatori insieme ai Tutor.
In Teacher Forum area, specific forums have been set up directly from teachers that has also a role of administrator together with the tutors.
I Forum per materia sono caratterizzati per la funzione didattica e di approfondimento che esercitano.  
The Subject Forums are characterised by their didactic and deepening function.
La chat è stata suddivisa in macro-aree: una “Stanza” generale e “Stanze” dedicate ai singoli Learning Center, ai Docenti video e ai tutor/docenti locali.
The Chat has been divided into macro-areas: a general “Room” and “Rooms” divided per each Learning Centre, per video-professors and per local telematic tutors/teachers.


* '''''What is the percentage of students'''''
* '''''What is the percentage of students'''''
** '''''taking courses wholly or largely delivered by e-learning'''''
** '''''taking courses wholly or largely delivered by e-learning'''''
Percentuale: 100%
Percentage: 100%
** '''''taking courses where the amount of institutionally supplied/guided e-learning is "significant" (i.e. has an impact on staff or students)'''''
** '''''taking courses where the amount of institutionally supplied/guided e-learning is "significant" (i.e. has an impact on staff or students)'''''
Percentuale: 100%
Percentage: 100%
** '''''taking courses where the where the amount of institutionally supplied/guided e-learning is insignificant? In each case comment on the answer.'''''
** '''''taking courses where the where the amount of institutionally supplied/guided e-learning is insignificant? In each case comment on the answer.'''''
Percentuale: 0%
Percentage: 0%
Tutti i corsi di Laurea dell’Università Telematica UNINETTUNO sono erogati in modalità a distanza, le uniche attività in presenza sono gli esami di profitto.
All the degree courses of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO are delivered by distance mode; the only activities carried on face to face are the exams.


* '''''Give the percentage of the institutional budget that e-learning represents. Comment on how it is measured including the assumptions made, whether it is appropriate and any trends.'''''
* '''''Give the percentage of the institutional budget that e-learning represents. Comment on how it is measured including the assumptions made, whether it is appropriate and any trends.'''''


L’Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO eroga esclusivamente formazione a distanza quindi il 100% del budget istituzionale è destinato a realizzare attività a distanza.
The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO delivers only distance teaching courses, therefore 100% of its institutional budget is devoted to the realisation of distance activities.


== Structure ==
== Structure ==
Line 709: Line 755:
* '''''Classify the e-learning support model as (a) hub (b) distributed (c) hub and spokes (d) complicated (e) non-existent. Comment on the choice.'''''
* '''''Classify the e-learning support model as (a) hub (b) distributed (c) hub and spokes (d) complicated (e) non-existent. Comment on the choice.'''''


Il modello di supporto all’e-learning utilizzato è sia centralizzato (attraverso le Segreterie Studenti e le Presidenze di Facoltà) e sia capillare attraverso i tutor che seguono classi di studenti per ogni insegnamento di ogni corso di laurea. Le finalità istituzionali e l'insieme dei valori che guidano le scelte strategiche dell’Università, nonché la sua dimensione internazionale ed il modello psicopedagogico didattico utilizzato, si riflettono, sia sull’organizzazione dell’‘UTIU sul territorio, un’organizzazione flessibile e aperta verso l’esterno, sia sull’organizzazione “interna”, in grado di realizzare operativamente gli indirizzi programmatici definiti dagli organi di governo.  
The e-Learning support model used is both a centralised one (thanks to the Students Secretariats and the Faculty Deanships) and a capillary one (thanks to the tutors who support the students classes for each module of every degree course). The institutional aims and the values that guide the University’s strategic choices and its international dimension and the psycho-pedagogic didactic model used, are reflected both on the organisation of the UTIU on the territory, a flexible and open organisation and on it  “internal” organisation capable of putting into practice the programme orientations identified by the governing bodies.  
La struttura organizzativa  dell’UTIU sul territorio si presenta come una struttura “reticolare”: una Sede Centrale di coordinamento e dei Poli Tecnologici  e Centri di produzione  dislocati sul territorio nazionale ed internazionale collegati telematicamente attraverso anche antenne satellitari trasmittenti e riceventi. Attualmente l’UTIU può contare non solo sui poli tecnologici installati in Italia ma anche sulle strutture e tecnologie dei 31 Poli tecnologici e 9 centri di produzione, installati in università e centri di formazione professionale partner del progetto MED NET’U  e collocati in 11 paesi dell’area Euromediterranea, come viene rappresentata dalla seguente figura:
The UTIU organisation structure on the territory appears as “network” structure: a Coordination Centre and Technological Poles and Production Centres located on the national and international territory interconnected by telematic networks and also through transmitting and receiving satellite dishes. At present, the UTIU can rely not only on the Technological Poles already set up in Italy, but also on the structures and technologies of 31 Technological Poles and 9 Production centres, set at the universities’ sites and vocational training centres of the Med Net’U Project partners and dislocated in 11 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area, as shown in the picture below:  


[[Image:Poli.jpg]]
[[Image:Poli.jpg]]


Il '''Polo tecnologico''' è una struttura didattica fornita delle nuove Tecnologie d’Informazione e della Comunicazione (TIC) distribuita sul territorio nazionale e internazionale che mette a disposizione degli studenti tutte le tecnologie per seguire i corsi a distanza, partecipare alle attività didattiche in videoconferenza, sostenere gli esami; ha una funzione di coordinamento e supervisione delle attività formative e di ricerca nell’ambito territoriale di competenza ed offre un luogo fisico di interazione e incontro tra studenti, docenti e tutor. Gli studenti che non hanno la possibilità di avere a casa internet veloce e quindi l’accesso a tutti i servizi a distanza offerti dall’UTIU, possono usufruire dei servizi offerti dal Polo. Gli studenti, invece, che possono dotarsi delle opportune attrezzature (computer collegato ad internet veloce anche via satellite), creano una stazione di ricezione direttamente nella propria casa.
The '''Technological Pole''' is a didactic structure equipped with the new Information and Communication Technologies (TIC) distributed on the national and international territory that put at the students’ disposal all the technologies needed to attend distance teaching courses, to participate in the training activities by videoconferencing, take the exams; it has coordination and supervision function of the training and research activities in its respective territory and it supplies a physical place of interaction and meeting among students, professors and tutors. Students who do not dispose of a high-speed Internet connection at home and therefore to all the distance services supplied by the UTIU, can benefit from the services offered by the Pole. Students instead who cannot provide themselves with appropriate equipment (a PC connected to high-speed Internet, also via satellite) set up a receiving workstation at home.
 
The '''Production Centres''' are structures provided with the equipment to realise multimedia educational product (videolessons, online exercises, texts, Internet sites, multimedia products) that are broadcast on satellite television, on Internet via satellite and that are available in the learning environments on the didactic portal, the first distance teaching portal in the world realised in four languages (Arabic, English, French and Italian).
 
* '''''Describe in more detail the structure for the e-learning operation and how it maps into the institutional structure'''''
 
The University’s '''“internal” organisation''' was designed and organised in:
* '''Organs of government''' as it regards the definition and supervision of the University’s strategic orientations;
* '''Academic structure''': Faculties;
* '''Operational management system (technical and administrative staff)''' for the support services related and complementary to teaching and research activities, including ''seven structures'':
*# ''Administrative structure'',  
*# ''Personnel structure'',  
*# ''Marketing structure'',
*# ''Supply of Didactic Services structure'' (it manages the '''Students Secretariat''', it coordinates the '''Technological Poles''' on the territory, it manages the '''Programme Schedule''' and the online didactics).
*# ''Production structure'',
*# ''Technological structure'',
*# ''Research and Development structure''.
 
'''Faculties'''
 
Apart from their institutional tasks, envisaged by the Statute, Faculties have the task of defining the Study Programme, the modes for carrying out practice exercises and exams, the selection of the professors in charge of the video courses, the quality assessment of the educational material realised by the Production Centres located on the national and international territory; the coordination of the tutoring activities, the quality assessment of all educational services delivered by means of the new technologies and connected to each Faculty, promotes the development of research programmes.
 
'''Administrative structure'''
 
The Administrative Structure is in charge of the management of the General Accountancy, Analytical Accounting, Provisioning and Supplying.
 
'''Personnel structure'''
 
The Personnel Structure in charge of the human resources management, therefore of the technical-administrative personnel and of the teaching body as well.
 
'''Marketing structure'''
 
The Marketing structure is in charge of the promotional and marketing activities supporting the development and strengthening of the University.
 
'''Supply of Didactic Services structure'''
 
The Supply of Didactic Services structure is in charge of ensuring the effective coordination and the operational support of didactic activities, and for ensuring the compliance with the Statute of the Student Services. In particular, this department is in charge of the Secretariat for Students, the coordination of the Technological Poles on the territory, the management of programs schedule supporting the distance delivery of university courses, and the online didactics management.
More specifically it:
* oordinates the activities of the Faculties and of each Degree course or training course delivered at distance;
* Coordinates the didactic and organisation activities of the decentralised structures of the national and international Technological Poles;
* Coordinates the production of the videolessons and of their related didactic materials on the Internet;
* Sees to the training of the professors and tutors;
* Realises the database systems of didactic materials produced and realises the databases and the satellite and telematic connections between the head office and the various national and international Technological Poles;
* Manages and prepares the programming schedule of the videolessons on the satellite channels;
* Manages the Internet-based didactic portal.


I '''Centri di Produzione''' sono strutture attrezzate per realizzare prodotti educativi multimediali (videolezioni, esercizi on line, testi, siti internet, prodotti multimediali) che vengono trasmessi tramite televisione satellitare, Internet via satellite, e che sono disponibili negli ambienti di apprendimento sul portale didattico, il primo portale di insegnamento a distanza del mondo realizzato in quattro lingue (arabo, inglese, francese ed italiano).
The '''Students Secretariat''' manages enrolments and the academic career (as it regards all administrative and didactic aspects) of the students. The Esse 3 system allows that these activities take place online in the area devoted to the Students Secretariat on the UTIU didactic portal.  


'''Production structure'''
The Production structure is in charge of the production and update of all didactic materials, of both the videolessons and of the multimedia didactic materials for the Internet.
'''Technological structure'''
The Technological structure is in charge of assuring the full efficiency of the technological infrastructures, with specific reference to the planning of the development of the software platform.
The Technological structure manages the UTIU technological structures as it regards both via Internet connections and the satellite networks that allow high-speed connections and also the television channel RAI NETTUNO SAT 1, and the hardware and software technologies, the virtual classrooms and the connections by videoconferencing on the Internet and on Second Life.
As it regards course delivery the University utilises the Internet technology and the RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 satellite channel. In addition, the UTIU can rely on a web-based system of Internet via satellite linking the National Centre in Rome with the 31 Technological Poles set up at the universities and training agencies, partner in the Med Net’U Project in 11 Mediterranean countries.
This technological structure that allows to interact by videoconferencing with professors and students represents the technological basis working in all UTIU Technological Poles and Study Centres.
The model of organisational structure allows the development and realisation of the UTIU psycho-pedagogic didactic model that is enclosed to the present report.
Television Channels. On RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 it has been realised the UTITU programming schedule and every day the video courses related to the faculties implemented by the UTIU are aired 24 hours a day.
RAI NETTUNO SAT is the first television channel of the world that delivers its contents in 4 languages. All courses are digitised and posted on the Didactic Cyberspace of the Internet-based Learning Environment.
'''Research and Development structure'''
The Research and Development structure is in charge of the promotion of the research activities as well as technological, didactic and scientific development.


* Describe in more detail the structure for the e-learning operation and how it maps into the institutional structure.
* Describe the committees that oversee e-learning (including the rank and role of the Chair in each relevant committee) and their relationship to the organisational structure.
* Describe the committees that oversee e-learning (including the rank and role of the Chair in each relevant committee) and their relationship to the organisational structure.
In Italy it is envisaged that in every university it has to be established an Internal Evaluation System of the administrative management system, of the research and didactic activities and the measures adopted to support the right to study. The Board of Evaluation of the University that enjoys operational autonomy and the right to access to all necessary information carries on the universities evaluation actions.


== Learning and Teaching processes ==
== Learning and Teaching processes ==


This has a focus on learning and teaching with other aspects viewed from this perspective.
=== Learning and teaching design and delivery ===
* '''''Describe how choice of pedagogies and technologies is made for a typical programme that is envisaged to include significant e-learning.'''''
 
Main didactic tool to access and to use the videolessons, use the didactic material and all the other student’s support elements is the personal computer.  Connecting to the UTIU website you access to the Internet-based learning environment which envisages a massive use of e-Learning information technologies. The student has to follow a study programme that is available in the section called Didactic Cyberspace: in the Didactic Cyberspace are available, for each module included in the curriculum, the professors’ pages, the tutors’ pages from which it is possible to access to: videolessons digitised with bookmarks allowing for hypertextual and multimedia link to books, selected bibliographical reference, texts, exercises, virtual laboratories and lists of websites selected by the professors.
The Professor and Tutor’s page is considered as the focus of the didactic activities and is structured according to different learning environments that guide the student along its learning path.
According to this model the student can build his own learning path based upon his learning needs and his skill-level and he is at the centre of the learning process, guided by the new profile of the professor=>telematic tutor who has the task of supplying the tools needed to facilitate the networked learning and communication process in a synchronic and diachronic way.


The proposed learning activity allows the shift:
* From knowledge transfer to knowledge creation;
* From a passive and competitive learning to active and collaborative learning
* From the simple to the complex (videolesson and intelligent library);
* From theory to practical projection (learning by doing in a virtual laboratory);
* From guided exercises to research on the World Wide Web (Internet);
* From individual study to interactive dialogue between teachers and students and among students (on the Internet).


=== Learning and teaching design and delivery ===
* '''''Describe what scope staff have at delivery stage to refine or in some cases override design decisions made earlier.'''''
* Describe how choice of pedagogies and technologies is made for a typical programme that is envisaged to include significant e-learning.
* Describe what scope staff have at delivery stage to refine or in some cases override design decisions made earlier.


The staff, which the student has to refer to, is the professor-tutor. In the website there is an area devoted to direct interactions between students and professor-tutor. In this section actual professor-tutor assist the students through chats, also audio and video, correct their assignments, guide them to overcome any learning or psychological difficulties arising from distance study. Online tutoring is organised in classes, with an advanced system of profiling where the user is recognised unequivocally, allows constant monitoring of the learning process of each individual user/student. Using the chats, video-chats, the professor-tutor, through by means of the Socratic-style interactive dialogues, helps the student to analyse his reasoning process and discover and correct not only the mistakes, but also their causes. Through real-time videoconferences and recorded forums, the telematic tutor organises and structures the collaborative learning sessions to favour the opportunities of interaction among the different actors of the educational process and develops networked socialisation models between communities of distance students and teachers.
The professor => telematic tutor plays the role of professor-director, designs learning scenarios and gives the students theoretical and conceptual tools, but also tools that transform the knowledge in practical abilities and therefore into professional skills; it favours the integration between ''know how to be'' and ''know how to do''.


=== Learning and teaching development ===
=== Learning and teaching development ===
   
   
This includes materials and IPR.
* '''''How much e-learning content is sourced from outside the institution? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment (an exact percentage is useful).'''''
* How much e-learning content is sourced from outside the institution? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment (an exact percentage is useful).
* Of all e-learning content sourced from outside the institution, what fraction is OER? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment.
* When staff in the institution develop content, is the content (a) owned by them and licensed to the institution, (b) owned by the institution but with some licensing back to staff, (c) owned by the institution but with no licensing back to staff, (d) unclear or disputed IPR position? Whatever option is chosen, provide a narrative describing the situation in more detail.
* When content is sourced for a programme within the institution, how much is sourced from other departments within the institution? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment (an exact percentage is useful).
* What is the role of student-generated content in the institution's programmes? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment.


The focus of the training activities is the videolessons that are produced in the University site as well as the slides, the exercises and the virtual laboratories: value 1 (equal to 100%)
The University professors and tutors produce bibliographical references and lists of websites in-house, but, in this case, they refer also to external materials: value 2 (equal to 80%)
As it regards books and articles, we produce them partly in-house and partly come from external sources: value 3 (equal to 60%)
* '''''Of all e-learning content sourced from outside the institution, what fraction is OER? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment.'''''
In the training practice the staff suggest lists of websites where the students can find OER and this can be quantified by value 2 (equal to 40%).
* '''''When staff in the institution develop content, is the content (a) owned by them and licensed to the institution, (b) owned by the institution but with some licensing back to staff, (c) owned by the institution but with no licensing back to staff, (d) unclear or disputed IPR position? Whatever option is chosen, provide a narrative describing the situation in more detail.'''''
(c) It is owned by the University, with no licensing back to staff.
In the contracted conclude by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO with the teaching staff it is established that the didactic material supplied by the tutor further to his work becomes property of the UTIU which can use it as it likes best, including its publication within the scope of its educational activities.
* '''''When content is sourced for a programme within the institution, how much is sourced from other departments within the institution? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment (an exact percentage is useful).'''''
Within the UTIU there are no departments, but Faculties and degree courses. In implementing new programmes we always try to reutilise useful contents from the already-delivered courses. In quantitative it is possible to indicate a value equal to 1 (below 20%).
* '''''What is the role of student-generated content in the institution's programmes? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment.'''''
The students, interacting with the tutor and the professor, have the possibility of suggesting how to enrich the training materials. In addition, they realise learning communities in within which the participants in the various groups are encouraged to share their skills trying to attain a shared and common objective. So doing several cognitive processes are set off. Within the learning communities the student-generated content is equal to 2.


=== Learning and teaching evaluation and quality ===
=== Learning and teaching evaluation and quality ===


* Describe the quality procedures (a) in general terms and (b) with respect to e-learning.
* '''''Describe the quality procedures (a) in general terms and (b) with respect to e-learning.'''''
* Describe the approach to evaluation of programmes (a) in general terms and (b) where such programmes have significant e-learning components.
 
Progress tests are carried on both in itinere and through a final exam.
In itinere the assessment is made by the tutor in a qualitative and quantitative way and by the Intelligent System realised in the Didactic Cyberspace.
The platform tracing and reporting system allows to continuously check all student’s activities during the different phases of his learning path: access to a didactic unit, usage of different learning contents, time spent in each didactic unit, frequency of the contributions in the virtual class, evaluation and self-evaluation on intermediate tests, evaluation on the quality of the contributions in the virtual meetings sessions. The information related to the usage time, to the visited didactic units, to the participation to discussion forums and to chats and exercises that are carried on and relative assessments and self-assessments are stored in a database to be displayed later on to the authorised users of the reporting system. The information stored in such a way can be used by the: 
 
* '''''Tutors''''' to enhance and strengthen, through constant monitoring of the students’ activities and students’ groups, the effectiveness of the solution of the learning problems, carrying on the role of guides and motivation to study;
* '''''Professors''''' to complete the final assessment process that will have to take into account the results of the intermediate tests proposed to the individual students and to the student’s groups, and also of the quantitative data relating to the use of the training materials and on the participation to collaborative activities and qualitative assessments expressed by the tutors on the occasion of synchronic and asynchronic virtual meetings;
* '''''Students''''' to check their progress and, by means of an auto-assessment process, ad just one’s own paces in order to attain the fixed training aims.
 
The didactic approach of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO does not follow a traditional semester plan. Instead, it unfolds as teaching materials are delivered. All of the teaching activities of the Degree Courses at the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO are delivered in modules of a variable duration based on the academic credits of the given course. These are repeated four times each academic year.
For each teaching subject the students are divided into classes on the basis of individual profiles that are the result of the Entrance Questionnaire that students fill out at the moment of enrolment. A tutor is assigned to each class, which can contain up to 30 students. This applies to all of the Faculties, with the exception of the Degree Course of the Engineering Faculty where the classes can contain a maximum of 20 students. During the period of time in which teaching is carried out, your tutor will follow your progress as the didactic activity unfolds, furnishing you with ad hoc learning materials and interacting with you through the available systems of communication available on the Tutor Page of the Didactic Cyberspace. During the course delivery period, the tutor carries on qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the learning progress in order to continuously monitor the results of the teaching-learning process and to offer the students a customised tutoring in view of the final exam.
The quantitative evaluation of the students participation is carried on by the tutor on basis of the statistics related to students’ navigation on the Didactic Cyberspace, in terms of number and duration of accesses to the various sections of the Internet site. In order to integrate this level of monitoring, the Tutor administers evaluation sheets to all the students (preferably with questions and open answers and/or exercises) in order to check and see how well the student has assimilated the contents of the professor’s lessons. The results of the qualitative and quantitative evaluations constitute the basis for strengthening the student’s cognitive abilities.
 
The Tutor’s offering of supplementary learning materials serves two purposes: on one hand to strengthen any weak spots in the Learning Process of the single student or group of students and on the other hand to satisfy eventual requests for study in greater depth.
 
At the end of the course delivery period we organise exam sessions.
Students who have followed the study programme as set by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO will be allowed to sit the exam. The final exams of each selected study course are carried on face-to-face, according pre-fixed schedules, at the head office or at the branches of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO.
In the Tutor’s page the student finds a section called Exam Guide which includes: the date, time and place of the exam, the members of the exam commission, the exam modes, the requirements to sit the exam: issues to be studied to take the exams, text books, online exam booking modes, documents required to take the exam.


* '''''Describe the approach to evaluation of programmes (a) in general terms and (b) where such programmes have significant e-learning components.'''''
Every year the students answer a questionnaire surveying theirs satisfaction level as it regards the degree course and the services in general and the e-Learning contents programmes as well. The answers received through the questionnaire are analysed by the Board of Evaluation of the University and the relative results are taken into account in order make any needed enhancements to didactics and to organisation.


== Meta Learning and Teaching processes ==
== Meta Learning and Teaching processes ==
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=== Communications ===
=== Communications ===


* Describe how the institution communicates good practice in e-learning within itself, focussing on communications across internal boundaries.
* '''''Describe how the institution communicates good practice in e-learning within itself, focussing on communications across internal boundaries.'''''
* Describe how the institution communicates its good practice in e-learning to organisations outside.
 
* Describe how the institution communicates good practice in e-learning from outside organisations into its own organisation.
The information exchange with internal staff takes place on the UTIU website and thanks to regular direct mailing. 
* Describe recent occasions on which institutional leaders or managers have made presentations with significant reference to e-learning.
 
* '''''Describe how the institution communicates its good practice in e-learning to organisations outside.'''''
 
The privileged channels are press releases, thematic pages on the website, contributions to public conferences and publication of scientific articles to present more-in-depth- studies and good practice.
 
* '''''Describe recent occasions on which institutional leaders or managers have made presentations with significant reference to e-learning.'''''
 
Recent occasions in which the scientific contents and the methodological approaches and research outcomes have been presented are the international seminars and conferences listed below:
* '''National Seminar “Alphabétisation : Savoir pour Pouvoir LIFE - Literacy Initiative for Empowerment”''' on the occasion of the National Literacy Day in Morocco. Presentation on « Cours télévisé d’alphabétisation : Présentation d’un prototype » ''Rabat, 13 October 2008''
 
* '''Conference “La Città della Pace per i Bambini in Basilicata”'''
Participation in the Round Table with Betty Williams and Rigoberta Menchù Tum on the theme: “Come collaborare alla realizzazione della Città della Pace per i Bambini in Basilicata”
''Matera, 27-28 September 2008''
 
* '''Study Day – “Bilancio e Prospettive dell’Alfabetizzazione nel Mediterraneo”'''
Presentation of the Project “I lean Arabic: the Treasure of the Letters”
''Roma, Camera dei Deputati, 8 September 2008''
 
* '''EXPO E-Learning Barcellona 2008'''
Participation in the Round Table for comparing projects and experiences of Italian universities and Spanish and Latino American Universities.
''Barcellona, 3-5 April 2008''
 
* '''Conference “Comunicazione e Geopolitica: La Televisione Satellitare nell’Era delle Nuove Grandi Migrazioni - IV Incontro Internazionale dei canali all-news. Migrazioni e nuove audience interculturali: il ruolo dell’informazione satellitare”'''
Participation to the session “I Nuovi  Progetti per l’Integrazione Culturale”
''Rome, 28-29  March 2008''
 
* '''II Forum EXPO Milano 2015 – International Conference “Nutrire il Pianeta: Energia per laVita. Lavorare insieme per la Sicurezza Alimentare La Tutela degli Alimenti e Stili di Vita Corretti”.'''
Participation in the Round table on the theme “Normativa in materia alimentare, nutrizione e educazione a stili di vita sani”
''Milano, 4 – 5 February 2008''
 
* '''EADTU 20th Anniversary Conference 2007''' – “International courses and services online. Virtual Erasmus and a new generation of Open Educational Resources for a European and global outreach”
Participation to the Parallel Session: “Stimulating Employability”. Title of the speech: Remote Internships inside Europe: Higher Education and Economy in Transition”
''Lisbon, Portugal, 8-9 November 2007''
 
* '''II Thematic Seminary ePrep –“La communauté de pratique ePrep: quels outils pour quels projets?”'''
Presentation: The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO
''Lyon, 5-6 November 2007''
 
* '''EDEN Annual Conference 2007''' – “New Learning 2.0? Emergine Digital Territories. Developing continuities – New Divides” –
Presentation of the results achieved by UNINETTUNO and on the Italian perspective in the session dedicated to the National case studies - Current Topics in National e-Learning development.
''Napoli, Città della Scienza, 13-16 June 2007''
 
* '''XIV COPEAM Conference - “Mediterranean: another way of communicating”'''  - Presentation of the Open Sky Europe Project
''Dead Sea, Jordan, 20-22 April 2007''
 
* '''2007 Cairo International Book Fair''' – Participation in the round table on the theme “Cultural Specificità and Information Society”
''Cairo, Egypt, 23 January – 4 February 2007''
 
* '''Forum sulla Cooperazione per la Pace e la Solidarietà, “UNIDO: 40 anni di sostegno allo sviluppo. Investimenti interni ed esteri per imprenditrici nel settore industriale”''' – Speech on the theme: “Promozione del ruolo svolto dalle donne nell’economia e nella società dei Paesi in via di sviluppo”
''Rome, Italy, 16 November 2006''
 
* '''Conference “Valorizzare il patrimonio delle tv locali”''', organised by Fondazione Ugo Bordoni, with the patronage of the Ministry of Communications. Paper: “La Formazione in TV”
''Rome, Italy, 18 October 2006''
 
* '''Conference “Investment & Trade Forum – Growing Business in Jordan”''' –  Under the High Patronage of  His Majesty King Abdullah II, King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre – Participation to the panel on the theme “Young Arab Enterprise Business Forum”, and to the round table on “Distance Learning and Enterprise Training” speech about “The Distance Learning network”
''Dead Sea, Jordan, 18-20 June 2006''
 
* '''Final EUMEDIS International Conference “Closing the Digital Gap in the Euromediterranean Region”''' organised with the support the Delegation of the European Commission in Egypt. Paper: “The Distance University with no distance” live connection to Algiers’ Technological Pole.
''Alessandria, Egypt, 11-12 June 2006''
 
* '''Conference “III Mediterranean Universities Forum”''' – Participation in the Conference with a speech entitled: “Distance University without Distances”
''Malta, 8-10 June 2006''


* '''Colloque International “L’Université à l’Ere du Numérique”''' – Partecipation in the Round Table on the theme “La construction des universités numériques :
un éclairage international ” and to the panel on the theme “Les universités numériques dans le monde”  - Cité des Science et de l’Industrie de la Vilette.
''Paris (France), 22-24 May 2006''
* '''Convegno “L’Orientamento nell’Era della Telematica”''' – Partecipation in the round table for discussine the Conference Finale paper, organised by the University of Naples “Federico II”, by GEO - Centro Interuniversitario Giovani Educazione Orientamento e da Città della Scienza.
''Naples, Italy,  20-22 April 2006''
* '''Conference Catania 3 – Euro-mediterranean Space of Higher Education and Research''' – Coordinator of the Working Group “New Technologies and Distance Teaching” and presentation of the results within the Euromediterranean Higher Education Ministers,
''Catania (Italy), 27-29 January 2006''
* '''6th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates - “Africa Emergency, From Attention to Action”''' – Coordination of the via satellite debate on “Equal Rights of a Non-violent World” among the Nobel Peace Laureates and the students of the Universities of Helwan (Egypt), Yarmouk (Jordan) and Tunis. Pari Diritti per un Mondo Non-violento” among the Nobel Peace Laureates and the students of Helwan (Egypt), Yarmouk (Jordan) and Tunis.
''Rome (Italy), 25 November 2005''
* '''WSIS 2005 Tunis – World Summit on the Information Society''' – Participation in the debate organised by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research in the framework of the second phase of Tunis WSIS. Title of the presentation: Democracy of Knowledge - From the Euromediterranean Distance University to the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO.
''Tunis, 16-18 Novembre 2005''
* '''Journée-séminaire « L’apport des TIC dans la rénovation des approches d’enseignement et de formation »''' - Participation to the Seminar organised by the Université Virtuelle de Tunis as a parallel event within WSIS 2005 Tunis. Presentation on the theme : La Communication du Savoir à l’aide des Nouvelles Technologies de l’Information.
''Tunis, 15 Novembre 2005''
* '''2005 EADTU Annual Conference “Towards Lisbon 2010: Collaboration for Innovative Content in Lifelong Open and Flexible Learning”''' – Member of the International Programme Committee and in the Official Opening Session of the Conference with a speech on the theme : “Content Sharing within NETTUNO and Networking between Italian and Mediterranean Universities” in the framework of the Annual Conference of EADTU – European Association of Distance Teaching Universities. Within this Conference she chaired a session entitled: “Lisbon 2010: Prospective Views”.
''Rome (Italy), 10-11 November 2005''
* '''Round Table "E-learning: esperienze e modelli di apprendimento a confronto”''' – Partticipation in the Round Table organised in the framework of the Conference “Creare, distribuire ed acquisire i contenuti in rete: tra economia e libertà, quale paradigma per il futuro?” promoted by the Commission Education and Culture and the Delegation of the Italian Senate at WSIS-World Summit on the Information Society.
''Rome (Italy), 12 July 2005''
* '''Round Table "La Televisione Digitale-Tecnologia, Pluralismo, Sviluppo Territoriale – Un’ opportunità per il Mezzogiorno”''' – Participation in the Round Table organised within the Xiv edition of the International Prize “La Calabria nel Mondo”.
Conference Hall of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Palazzo Marini
''Rome (Italy),  12 July  2005''
* '''Round Table "Ruolo e Sviluppo dell’Università Telematica”'''- Participation in the Round Table organnised in within DIDAMATICA ''2005, annual conference promoted by AICA – Associazione Italiana per l’Informatica e il Calcolo Automatico.
Potenza (Italy), 12-14 May 2005''
* '''First EUMEDIS International Conference “Closing the Digital Gap in the Mediterranean Region”''' organised with the support of the Delegations of the European Commission in Jordan and Egypt. Presentation:  “From Med Net’U – Network of Universities – to the International Distance University” with live connections with the structures realised within ghe Med Net’U Project and presentation of the results achieved by the pilot projects funded by the European Commission’s EUMEDIS Programme.
''Dead Sea Resort (Jordan), 17-18 April 2005.''
* '''Catania 2 Conference – Euro-mediterranean Area of Higher Education and Research''' – Coordinator of the Working Group on Distance University and presentation of the related results in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education Ministers.
''Catania (Italy), 18-19 January 2005''


=== Value for money ===
=== Value for money ===


* Describe the annual planning procedure (a) in general and (b) how it handles e-learning aspects.
* '''''Describe the annual planning procedure (a) in general and (b) how it handles e-learning aspects.'''''
* Describe the decision-making process for a typical academic programme, with particular reference to how e-learning aspects are handled.
 
* Describe the decision-making process for a typical large IT project such as selection and installation of a new VLE.
The Board of Directors carries on the task of planning and general orientation of the University and supervises the administrative, financial and economic-patrimonial management of the University.
* Describe the approach to budget management with particular reference to the staff versus non-staff issues in budgeting for e-learning.
* Describe the procedures in the institution for assigning or negotiating teaching workload to/with staff, taking account of non-traditional styles of teaching as well as classroom teaching and taking specific account of e-learning.


* '''''Describe the decision-making process for a typical academic programme, with particular reference to how e-learning aspects are handled.'''''
In order to be implemented an academic programme has to comply with the guidelines indicated by the MIUR (Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research). According to these official guidelines you have to specify which are the basic subjects, the optional ones and those at students’ choice. In compliance with these parameters, it is up to the Degree Course Committee to propose to the Faculty Council the implementation of an academic programme. The Faculty Council has to request the authorisation of the Board of Directors, which deliberates its final approval. Once this procedure is completed, the new academic programme has to be submitted to the MIUR for official approval by the body concerned. Once the MIUR has given its go-ahead, the academic programme can be set up. As for e-Learning, it must be highlighted that UTIU’s work is very important in this regard.
* '''''Describe the decision-making process for a typical large IT project such as selection and installation of a new VLE.'''''
Then the Supervision Area of the Information department of the UTIU that designs and develops IT projects generally identifies new requirements in terms of IT.
* '''''Describe the approach to budget management with particular reference to the staff versus non-staff issues in budgeting for e-learning.'''''
The entire budget, in direct or indirect terms, is devoted to the implementation of e-learning services and activities. The relative management follows the indications given by the Board of Directors.
* '''''Describe the procedures in the institution for assigning or negotiating teaching workload to/with staff, taking account of non-traditional styles of teaching as well as classroom teaching and taking specific account of e-learning.'''''
Each class has to refer to a professor-tutor.


== Staff ==
== Staff ==
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=== Teachers, lecturers, trainers and equivalent support roles ===
=== Teachers, lecturers, trainers and equivalent support roles ===


* Describe the approach to development of e-learning technical and pedagogic skills among staff, taking account of the different needs of different categories of staff. Set this within the context of staff development generally.
* '''''Describe the approach to development of e-learning technical and pedagogic skills among staff, taking account of the different needs of different categories of staff. Set this within the context of staff development generally.'''''
* Describe (a) the current level of staff competence in e-learning and (b) the expected level of staff competence in five years time. In each case use a 1-5 scale with a comment.
 
* Describe the extent to which staff attitudes to e-learning are favourable or not. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.
In the proposed psycho-pedagogic model, the student is at the centre of the educational process, guided by the new profile of the professor- telematic tutor who represents a guide and a constant presence during the learning process.
* Describe the way that the institution rewards and recognises staff with competence in e-learning, in (a) monetary and (b) non-monetary terms.
Every year, the UTIU, after the tutors’ appointment, organises training courses to make the staff acquire specific skills. Tutors are selected by the area professors and chosen among doctor’s degree candidates, researchers, study grant holders and experts in the subject. Tailored training is aimed at making them acquire a range of skills that can be grouped into five main areas:
# Specific disciplinary skills;
# Specific professional skills;
# Organisational skills;
# Communication and relational skills;
# Pedagogic and didactic skills.
The use of ICT tools transforms traditional didactic communication. In the new didactic model, the professors have to learn a new way of explaining, synthesising and presenting his knowledge to a virtual student in order to trigger a critical and reflective learning process. The videolesson requires a specific preparatory work and, in order to exploit all the potentials of the tools, the professor has to work with a team of technicians and experts in language of image. We calculated that each hour of videolesson requires from twenty to thirty hours of preparatory work. This, of course, develops in the professors new communication skills and the use of new languages that area used also to store the results of their own research work. This new training experience has an impact on the way they deliver their lessons also in their traditional academic courses.
 
* '''''Describe (a) the current level of staff competence in e-learning and (b) the expected level of staff competence in five years time. In each case use a 1-5 scale with a comment.'''''
 
Staff competence in the field is excellent since the UTIU delivers courses only on a distance model (level 5). This is the reason why the levels expected in the next years are of further professional growth (level 5).
 
* '''''Describe the extent to which staff attitudes to e-learning are favourable or not. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.'''''
 
Staff is in favour by 100% (value 5).
 
* '''''Describe the way that the institution rewards and recognises staff with competence in e-learning, in (a) monetary and (b) non-monetary terms.'''''


Staff selection is always made on the basis of their competence as it regards e-learning that should be of excellent level, since the UTIU delivers courses only on distance mode. This is the reason why no awards or prizes are recognised as it regards e-learning skills.


=== Management and leadership ===
=== Management and leadership ===


This subsection concerns leaders (Rectors, Vice-Chancellors, etc) and academic and support service managers (Deans, Directors, etc). These do not need to have specific knowledge of e-learning details but must have the necessary strategic, management, costing and foresight capability to preside over decisions on key e-learning issues such as procurement of a new VLE, development of a new distance learning programme, rebalancing the library and its staff more towards web 2.0 and less to books, etc. This will require appropriate manager and leader training.
* '''''Describe the approach to development of e-learning-related skills among (a) managers and (b) leaders.'''''
* Describe the approach to development of e-learning-related skills among (a) managers and (b) leaders.
 
* Describe the current level of (a) management and (b) leadership competence in e-learning related skills appropriate to their levels. In each case use a 1-5 scale with a comment.
Since the UTIU delivers only distance teaching courses, both management and leadership are fully involved and engaged in developing the objectives linked to e-learning.
* Describe the extent to which (a) management and (b) leadership attitudes to e-learning are favourable or not. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.
 
* Give details of the job description of the most senior manager/leader in the organisation who spends a significant portion of his/her time on e-learning matters (e.g. the Director of E-Learning).
* '''''Describe the current level of (a) management and (b) leadership competence in e-learning related skills appropriate to their levels. In each case use a 1-5 scale with a comment.'''''
 
The management and leadership competencies in the field are excellent since the UTIU delivers only distance teaching courses (level 5). In particular, the Rector, Prof. Maria Amata Garito, full professor of Teaching and Learning Technologies at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Rome “La Sapienza” created the Psycho-pedagogic and Didactic Model used by NETTUNO System to produce all videolessons.
 
* '''''Describe the extent to which (a) management and (b) leadership attitudes to e-learning are favourable or not. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.'''''
 
Management and leadership are in favour by 100% (value 5).
 
* '''''Give details of the job description of the most senior manager/leader in the organisation who spends a significant portion of his/her time on e-learning matters (e.g. the Director of E-Learning).'''''


The UTIU organisation is structured on seven organisms and each of them is under the supervision of a senior manager. They are the administration, personnel, marketing, didactic service delivery, production, technological and research and development structures. All seniors’ activities are focused on issues directly or indirectly linked to the good working of the structure and therefore of the didactics and of e-Learning.


== Students ==
== Students ==


* Describe the approach to development of e-learning skills among students, taking account of the different needs of different categories of students. Set this within the context of students' more general information literacy and communication skills.
* '''''Describe the approach to development of e-learning skills among students, taking account of the different needs of different categories of students. Set this within the context of students' more general information literacy and communication skills.'''''
* Describe (a) the current level of student competence in e-learning on entry to the institution and (b) the expected level of student competence on graduation from the institution. In each case use a 1-5 scale with a comment.
 
* Describe the extent to which student attitudes to e-learning are favourable or not. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.
During his learning path, the student’s activities are checked by the system where are recorded all his training performances. The stored information are made available to the '''tutors''' to enhance and increase, through a continuous monitoring of the activities of the students and of groups of students, the effectiveness of the measures taken to solve learning problems; to the '''professors''' to complete the final assessment process that will have to take into account of the results of the intermediate tests proposed to the individual students and also quantitative data related to the use of the training material; to the '''students''' to make them assess their progress and, through an auto-evaluation process, to adjust their own rhythms to achieve their educational objectives.
* Describe the extent to which students understand the demands on them placed by e-learning systems (e.g. for assignment handling).
 
* Describe the current approach to handling student plagiarism, both prevention strategies and detection strategies.
* '''''Describe'''''
* Describe the current (i.e. at last survey) level of student satisfaction with the e-learning aspects of their courses. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.
'''''(a) the current level of student competence in e-learning on entry to the institution'''''
 
The students’ average level is high. In any case it has to be sufficient to be able to attend online courses and services.
 
'''''(b) the expected level of student competence on graduation from the institution. '''''
 
The students’ competences in e-learning on graduation are excellent (value 5).  
 
* '''''Describe the extent to which student attitudes to e-learning are favourable or not. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.'''''
 
The student opinion survey carried out on the 2006/2007 academic year registers on average a high level of satisfaction with the organization of the degree courses and the online didactics, with decidedly high percentage. Of considerable significance are the evaluations of the videolessons, exercises and efficacy of online tutoring, these representing the specific tools of the University and not usually found in traditional Universities. Such instruments were available in academic year 2006/2007 in already consolidated form. The relevant evaluations are decidedly positive, being around 80-90% in all the Faculties (value 5).
 
* '''''Describe the extent to which students understand the demands on them placed by e-learning systems (e.g. for assignment handling).'''''
 
The level of understanding showed by the students in e-learning is excellent (value 5).
 
* ''''' Describe the current (i.e. at last survey) level of student satisfaction with the e-learning aspects of their courses. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment. '''''
The student opinion survey carried out on the 2006/2007 academic year registers on average a high level of satisfaction with the organization of the degree courses; more specifically it results that:  and the online didactics, with decidedly high percentage
# the overall organisation of the degree course registered high levels of satisfaction of the students who expressed positive evaluations as it regards the allocation of study workload of the courses in the reference period, both as it regards the overall organisation of the courses and the flexibility of the educational offer with a rate of positive evaluations of 80% of the received answers (level 4).
# In the evaluation of the organisation of the individual course, particularly striking are the positive evaluations of tutors’ activity and of their wilfulness to help reaching peaks of 90% of the positive evaluations expressed; the modes according to which the exams are organised and the online didactic support are considered satisfactory in the 87.9% and in the 86.5% respectively of the answers (level 5).
# as it regards training and study activities the student understand in clear way the topics presented both by the professor and by the tutor and again there is a high level of satisfaction on the students’ part as it regards the tutor’s work who is capable of stimulating the interest for the discipline, as indicated in over 93% of the answers (level 5).


The study aimed at contents comprehension level and not only at acquiring information registered positive evaluation among all students; the appropriateness of the tests adopted obtained over 90% of the positive evaluations (level 5).


== Technology ==
== Technology ==


For each of the following technologies relevant to e-learning describe how much it is used on a scale of 1-5 and add a comment if appropriate.
* '''''VLE and/or content repository'''''
* VLE and/or content repository
 
* email or bulletin boards
Scale: 5
* automated assessment
All didactic materials necessary to learning and to the obtention of the study titles are stored in the content repository
* Web 2.0 tools especially blogs, wikis and social networks oriented to the institution
 
* e-portfolios
* '''''email or bulletin boards'''''
* laptops - and comment on student ownership issues
 
* audio or video podcasting or streaming - and comment on student ownership issues
Scale: 5
* mobile devices (not laptops) - and comment on student ownership issues
All the University’s staff and UNINETTUNO students can dispose of an e-mail account that is used for all communication in the University both didactic ones and addressed to the tutors and of administrative ones with the students secretariats and deanship secretariats.
And finally:
 
* Provide a description of any other technologies with significant use in the institution.
* '''''automated assessment'''''
 
Scale: 4
The University uses an automated assessment system based on the tracing of online activities.
 
* '''''Web 2.0 tools especially blogs, wikis and social networks oriented to the institution'''''


Scale: 3.5
It will soon be delivered an option giving the possibility of sharing document through a web-based environment integrated to the platform.
* '''''e-portfolios'''''
Scale: 4
The online learning environments of the University include a “Student’s Page”.
The Student’s Page includes the functions made available for the students and allows accessing to the following area: 
# Customised didactic planning: this supplies the student with a customized study programme and the didactic activities planning referring to each course. Every student can find the planning of his didactic activities, divided into four didactic periods, on the Internet. The inclusion in the online study classes is structured in such a way as to grant the student the possibility of attending two subjects for each didactic period while being guided by a professor/tutor. The result of the intermediate assessment that can also be checked by each individual student along with the tracking of his Internet-based learning, so allowing admission to the exams Getting through the exams of the attended didactic modules allows getting enrolled and included into the classes of the following courses.
# Learning process check: each individual student can check, for each Internet-based didactic activity, his own self-assessment and compare it with that one given by his tutor. He can check by himself if there are some gaps in his learning and develop new learning strategies with the support of not only the professor/tutor, but also of his own classmates
# Agenda (planning of didactic activities): This displays the rendezvous fixed by the tutors or by the professor in the Chat-room, Forum and in the Virtual Classroom; it is possible to use the Agenda to include personal memos or ask for the professor/tutor’s support to overcome any learning difficulties.
# My lessons on TV today: This displays the video lessons programming schedule being broadcast on the satellite television channel for the subjects being currently delivered
* '''''laptops - and comment on student ownership issues'''''
Scale: 0
The University relies on web-based platform that can be accessed by any pc; in addition the University supplies Technological Poles that are at the students’ disposal, therefore the use or non-use of a laptop is at the student’s choice, but it not a feature affecting the system.
* '''''audio or video podcasting or streaming - and comment on student ownership issues'''''
Scale: 4
All videolessons are available online and in video streaming.
* '''''mobile devices (not laptops) - and comment on student ownership issues'''''
Scale: 0
At present the University does not use training-supporting mobile devices since the use of the videolessons through mobile devices that have too small screens is not profitable from the didactic point of view.
* '''''Provide a description of any other technologies with significant use in the institution.'''''
'''Videoconferences'''
'''Television''' – the University has two satellite television channels (RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 and RAI NETTUNO SAT 2) broadcasting 48 hours a day the educational materials produced by the University.
'''Satellite''' – It is used to diffuse the lessons on the satellite television channels and the Internet via satellite is used where terrestrial network Internet is not available by means of Eutelsat’s Open Sky platform.


== Futures ==
== Futures ==


* Describe the expected changes as they relate to e-learning within the institution's current strategic horizon (from the institution's strategy documents).
* '''''Describe the expected changes as they relate to e-learning within the institution's current strategic horizon (from the institution's strategy documents).'''''
* Describe any changes further downstream that the institution is now considering or concerned about.
* Describe how the institution handles the foresight aspects of its operation with regard to e-learning.
* Describe how the institution handles advanced development oriented to e-learning (e.g. by a "sandbox" lab, innovation centre, etc).
* Describe how the institution analyses and takes into account present and future markets for its offerings.
* Describe how the institution analyses and takes into account present and future competitor suppliers for its offerings.
* Describe how the institution analyses and takes into account the views of other stakeholders, including but not restricted to employers, local authorities and the social partners (unions).


The UTIU strategic horizon has essentially to be projected firstly toward an international dimension. Among other goals there are: 
cannot be no longer projected
* Maintenance of high quality of educational contents to be made available in more languages;
* Improvement and continuous implementation of the learning model through multimedia interaction modes;
* Realisation of courses for the delivery of double degree courses between the UTIU and traditional universities.
* '''''Describe how the institution handles the foresight aspects of its operation with regard to e-learning.'''''
We have to highlight the priorities set by the UTIU in a perspective of gradual realisation of the objectives:
* Quality of the video professor, selected among the best ones of the Italian and foreign universities;
* Quality of the training structures thanks to full professors, tenured and associate ones, hired according to selection procedures. These teachers are hired by a contract regulated by agreements between the universities they belong to, as provided for by the ministerial regulations in force. So doing we established a stable teaching staff, bound to represent, also in the future, the main focus which assures the quality of the educational paths and of the researchers and tutors engagement;
* Quality of the computer-based platform, realised on the basis of the already developed psycho-pedagogic and didactic model and continuously enhanced;
* Accurate selection, targeted training and continuous coordination and monitoring of the tutors;
* Realisation of Technological Poles and didactic structures in cooperation with Italian and foreign traditional universities and with public and private agencies;
* Development of cooperation with foreign universities for the realisation of distance courses and delivery of a double title, especially aimed at realising a Euro-Mediterranean Network stably connecting UNINETTUNO to the best universities of the Mediterranean countries;
* Considerable investments in international-level research and initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the distance teaching methodologies.
* '''''Describe how the institution handles advanced development oriented to e-learning (e.g. by a "sandbox" lab, innovation centre, etc).'''''
The objective is to find in the application of the technologies in the teaching and learning processes a balance between the technical-engineering components and the cognitive, cultural and educational ones linked to the development of the information technologies. These projects involve international-level experts in several disciplines (technicians, computer scientists, pedagogists, learning psychologists, experts in various languages). The research activity carried on by the UTIU is, at the same time, theoretical-experimental, pure and applied.
* '''''Describe how the institution analyses and takes into account present and future markets for its offerings.'''''
The UTIU constantly monitors reference markets through its networks and relations at national and international level as well.
* '''''Describe how the institution analyses and takes into account present and future competitor suppliers for its offerings.'''''
The analysis of the competitors is carried on through a continuous monitoring of the websites and through public documentation available on the Internet.
* '''''Describe how the institution analyses and takes into account the views of other stakeholders, including but not restricted to employers, local authorities and the social partners (unions).'''''
The reference stakeholders have continuous exchange with the UTIU through many communication media. In the first place, there are the secretariats of the faculties’ deanships through which the students, professors and tutors can submit their requests and proposals. Other stakeholders, such as local authorities and social partners, have continuous exchanges with the University’s management and leadership. Cooperation is reciprocal and particularly lively and exchange on new ideas is free and always very active.


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== References and reports ==
* Garito, M.A., Anceschi G., Botta M., (2006). ''L'Ambiente dell'Apprendimento - Web Design e Processi Cognitivi.'' Milano: Mc Graw-Hill.
* Garito, M.A. (2005). ''“Towards the Euro-Mediterranean Distance University”'', in LlinE - Lifelong Learning in Europe - European Adult and Continuing Education Journal, vol. IX issue 1, pp. 47-49.
* Garito, M.A. (2004). ''“NETTUNO-The University to Watch, Browse and Surf on”'' Die Rolle des Telelearning: Europäische Erfahrungen, Materialien, Nr. 87, July, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, pp. 141-149.
* Garito, M.A. (2004). ''“La Perspective Internationale. Une collaboration Europe-Pays de la Méditerranéee »'', revue Savoirs, N. 5, novembre, Paris : L’Harmattan, pp. 97-103.
* Garito, M.A. (2004). ''“Zmierzajac ku Wirtualnej Edukacji”'' in e-Mentor, Internet Magazine, Warsaw: Warsaw School of Economics, N. 1 pp. 51-53.
* Garito, M.A. (2003). ''“The Euromediterranean Distance University”'' in Public Service Review: European Union, Newcastle-under-Lyme (UK): Public Service Communication Agency Ltd, Autumn 2003, pp. 129-132.
* Garito, M.A. (2003). ''“Going the Distance with e-Learning”'' in Public Service Review: European Union, Newcastle-under-Lyme (UK): Public Service Communication Agency Ltd, Spring, pp. 146-151.
* Garito, M.A. (2001). ''“The University for the New Market of Knowledge”'', in World Futures, The Journal of General Evolution, edited by Ervin Laszlo, Special Issue no. 1, Volume 57, n. 4, London: Taylor & Francis, pp. 373-393.
* Garito, M.A. (2000). ''“Globalizzazione e Innovazione: Le Nuove Opportunità di Istruzione e Formazione”'', in Viaggio tra i Perché della Disoccupazione in Italia, Milano: Giuffré Editore, pp. 177-196.
* Garito, M.A. (1999), ''“La Universidad del Futuro. Hacia un Proceso de Ensenanza-Aprendizaje Integrato y Abierto”'', in Global Networking into the Future, Veracruz: FESI Mexico, pp. 69-77.
* Garito, M.A. (1998). ''“La Télévision dans les Processus d'Enseignement et Apprentissage”'', in Images and Scientific Education in Europe-European Science and Technology Forum, Paris: CNRS.
* Garito, M.A. (1997). T''ecnologie e Processi Cognitivi: Insegnare e Apprendere con la Multimedialità'', Milano: Angeli.
* Garito, M.A. (1997). ''The Creation of the Euro-Mediterranean Information Society: Communication, Education and Training'', Research, Firenze: Giunti.
* Garito, M.A. (1996). (a cura di) ''La Multimedialità nell’Insegnamento a Distanza'', Roma: Garamond.


== References and reports ==


''Add what you can''.


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[[Category:Case study for UNINETTUNO]]

Latest revision as of 06:32, 5 June 2009

Preliminary remarks

Scientific contents of the following module were designed and realised by Prof. Maria Amata Garito and are under copyright.

Institution

Revica Logo UTIU.jpg

Name of the University: Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO

Acronym: U.T.I.U.

The University website is: http://www.uninettunouniversity.net

The Università Telematica Internazionale UNINETTUNO (in English: International Telematic University UNINETTUNO), recognised with the Ministerial Decree of the 15 April 2005, is a non-state telematic university that issues academic titles legally acknowledged in Italy, Europe and in the Mediterranean Countries. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is promoted by Consorzio NETTUNO which has been operating the field of distance education since 1992. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO and Consorzio NETTUNO represent a single NETTUNO System.


The present

The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO takes origin from the experience of Consorzio NETTUNO and benefits from its know-how that was acquired in over 15 years of practice in the field of distance education and e-Learning.

Consorzio NETTUNO was established in 1992 in the form of a non-profit association, promoted by the Ministry of Education, University and Research, and it united 43 Universities to important companies such as Telecom Italia, IRI, RAI, CONFINDUSTRIA with the purpose of realising Distance University Degree Courses.

When established, the UTIU took advantage also from the European Project Med Net’U, the Mediterranean Network of Universities, from which it derives a marked Euro-Mediterranean characterisation. UTIU internationality is fundamental characteristic that which permeates all didactic and research activities and the academic ones as well.

The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is based on a close cooperation with traditional universities, Italian ones and also European, of the Arab World, of the United States, Latin America ones and at present it is concluding new agreements with universities of China, Russia and Africa. The alliance of university institutions of many countries of the world allows supplying wider and more diversified offers as it regards the teaching staff and the subjects and educational contents as well.

The main didactic tool is the Internet-based learning environment http://www.uninettunouniversity.net , the first portal in the world where teaching and learning are carried out in four languages: Italian, French, English and Arabic.

The institution is structured upon an International Centre, Faculties, University Degree Courses and Technological Poles. The Technological Poles are located in Italy and also abroad; they are facilities at the students’ disposal equipped with all technologies needed to follow the distance teaching courses, participate in training activities by videoconference and they represent an actual meeting-point to host face-to-face exams sessions, meetings and seminars with professors and tutors.

The management bodies are: the Board of Directors, the President, the Rector, the Academic Senate, the Faculties Councils, the Board of Evaluation, the Board of Auditors. The University is authorised to issue study titles legally acknowledged in Italy and abroad for: first-level degrees (bachelor’s degrees), specialisation degrees, research doctorates and master’s course.

The University’s educational offer (5 Faculties and 7 University Degree Courses) was designed and implemented taking into account the Bologna Declaration (3+2) and is structured according to the ECTS credit system.

The quality of the educational paths offered by UNINETTUNO is assured by the presence of professors and researchers coming from the most prestigious international universities and of professionals coming from the industrial world capable of transferring knowledge, experience and professionalism to all those who aim at enhancing their own professional and cultural background.

For academic year 2008-2009 5 faculties and 8 three-year university degree courses are implemented:

  • Engineering Faculty (Civil Engineering, Information and Communication Engineering and Management Engineering);
  • Law Faculty (Legal Expert in Development and Internationalisation of Enterprises);
  • Economics Faculty (Economics and Business Management, Management of Tourist Enterprises);
  • Psychology Faculty (Psycho-social Disciplines);
  • Literature Faculty (Cultural Assets Operator).

Beside these courses, the University has obtained the acknowledgement of further four University Degree Courses (“Gazzetta Ufficiale” nr. 107 of the 10th May 2006), yet not already implemented for 2008-2009 academic year:

  • Communications Sciences Faculty (Communication Sciences);
  • Economics Faculty (Business Administration, Economics of Cooperative Enterprises and of Non-Profit Organisations);
  • Engineering Faculty (Telecommunication Engineering)
  • What is the institution's annual budget?

The budget for 2008 of NETTUNO System is 11.133.554,00 EURO; of this amount 7.090.672,00 EURO is for Consorzio NETTUNO and 4.042.882,00 EURO is for the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO.

  • How many students does the institution have (a) in total? (b) as full-time equivalents?

The students enrolled in the university degree courses of NETTUNO System are 12,000 approximately. All students (100%) of the Telematic University are full-time students.

  • How many staff does the institution have (a) in total? (b) as full-time equivalents?

Total staff members: 66; among which 95% are full-time staff.

  • What is the institution's "business model"? (a) public (b) private (c) consortium (d) national programme. If (c) or (d) above, list the other partners (or the members) and for each briefly describe its role.

The “business model” of NETTUNO System is based on the double mode of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, including a single great “non-state” and non-profit university; and on that of Consorzio NETTUNO which, in terms of organisational and structural model, is consortium of traditional universities and companies.

The UTIU is characterised by a strong and decided international vocation and orientation that allowed it to rapidly become part of the context of the European higher education institutions, developing a significant strategic alliance with the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area.

Given the great importance that the objective of internationalisation has in UNINETTUNO’s development strategies, it is useful to summarise its main phases and make reference to what is more diffusely reported in the introduction.

The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO takes origin form NETTUNO - Network per l’Università Ovunque model (operating in Italy since 1992) and from the success of the European Project Med Net’U - Mediterranean Network of University (2002-2006), funded by the European Commission in the framework of the EUMEDIS Programme and coordinated by NETTUNO - Network per l’Università Ovunque and which saw the participation of 11 Mediterranean Countries (Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Jordan, Greece, France, Italy, Morocco and Syria).

The main result of the Med Net’U Project is the realisation of networked structure based on transmitting and receiving bi-directional satellite technologies, connecting 11 Production Centres and 31 Technological Poles, at the Mediterranean Partner Universities’ sites. Thanks to this network, the only of this kind existing n the Euro-Mediterranean Area for distance education, today all partners can produce, broadcast and receive educational contents, through Internet via satellite and on television, on RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 as well, that, since many years has been broadcasting academic lessons of the Engineering degree course in Arabic, English, French and Italian.

The Consortium was established in 1992 and included 3 universities and 5 companies. In only three years it passed from 3 to 24 Italian and foreign universities and today there 43 of them: Politecnico di Bari, Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino and the Universities of L'Aquila, Bologna, Camerino, Cassino, Florence, Genua, Lecce, Milan, Modena, Naples "Federico II", Second University of Naples, Padua, Parma, Pisa, Rome Tor Vergata, Salerno, Siena, Turin, Trento, Trieste, Viterbo "La Tuscia" and 11 Technological Poles.

In addition, we should highlight the priorities that the NETTUNO System gave to itself as business models:

  • Quality of the video professors, selected among the best ones of the Italian and foreign universities;
  • Quality of the educational structures achieved thanks to full professors, regular and associated ones, recruited through selection procedures. These professors are hired by contract in accordance to agreements established with the universities they belong to, as envisaged by the ministerial regulations now in force. So doing, we have formed a stable teaching staff, bound to represent, also in the future, the focal element which assures the quality of the educational paths and that of the recruitment of researchers and tutors;
  • Quality of the computer-based platform, realised on basis of the already developed and continuously checked didactic and psychopedagogic model;
  • Accurate selection, targeted training and continuous coordination and monitoring of the tutors;
  • Realisation of Technological Poles and didactic facilities in cooperation with Italian and foreign traditional universities and with public and private bodies;
  • Development of cooperation relationships with foreign universities for the realisation of distance training courses and the issuing of joint degrees, more specifically focused on the realisation of a Euro-Mediterranean network stably linking UNINETTUNO to the best universities of the Mediterranean countries;
  • Considerable investments in international-level research work and in initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the distance teaching methodologies.
  • What percentage of the institution's students are based outside the home country?

The students who reside abroad represent 20% of the total and come from: Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Morocco, Nigeria, Netherlands, Russia, United States of America, Switzerland.

In particular, in the Engineering Faculty 85% of the students enrolled are of foreign nationality.

  • Describe the institution's approach to virtual mobility.

The NETTUNO System has a long experience in the field of virtual mobility and of cooperation in the framework of national and international programmes starter up since 1994.

Virtual Mobility actually represents a significant opportunity for distance university for offering its own students an international experience and contributing to the Bologna process.

In the framework of the activities of Virtual Mobility, the University received the accreditation for the Erasmus University Charter – EUC – which supplies that general framework within which to carry on all European mobility activities which the higher education institutions can carry on within the Erasmus Programme and it represents for the University the will to engage in mobility programmes.

The priority in this field is a better integration of the virtual dimension within physical mobility by assuring the quality and the systems of reciprocal acknowledgement of the Bologna process. The objective is that of encouraging the development of European programmes of exchange and cooperation building on the existing European cooperation structures and giving the operational tools (ECTS, European Community Course Credit Transfer System) a new virtual dimension.

In recent years, the University has taken part in several specific projects in the field of virtual mobility in the framework of the e-Learning Programmes of the European Commission. These projects are: HEAL - Higher Education E-Learning courses Assessment and Label; REVE - REal Virtaul Erasmus Project; E-MOVE, An Operational Conception of Virtual Mobility; VENUS - Virtual and e-mobility for Networking Universities in Society.

  • Describe how the institution manages its "brand" (a) in general and (b) in respect of any e-learning aspects.

Most of the University’s brand is managed through the website, advertising campaigns and by establishing agreements and partnerships.

For its advertising campaigns, the UNINETTUNO System and the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO in particular utilise the main tools of web-based communication exploiting the 2.0 system and through its presence on thematic sites and forums. In addition, many articles and papers are published on the most important newspapers and specialised magazines. After a careful study of the target audience and a profiling of the ideal/typical user, the University has opted for these two tools since they are the most appropriate and suitable to get to the target (coverage and pressure). The goals of the advertising campaign are:

  • Dissemination (increase and enhancement) of the knowledge and visibility of the institutional look of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO and of its model by the target audience
  • Strengthening the knowledge of the educational offer (degree courses, vocational training courses, language, master’s courses)
  • Highlighting the advantages offered by the distance teaching mode and of the specific characters of the UTIU model (satellite channels, lessons in four languages, bookmarks).

Due to strategic reasons, the advertising camping is carried out in the period where the choice of the university path is decided (end June – November); the budget to purchase spaces is not set in advance, but it is used each time according to the sale of promotional spaces and to the actual needs.

The past

  • Give a narrative description of the institution's history since its foundation, concentrating on key dates, recent years and any e-learning issues.

The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO was born in 2005 from NETTUNO - Network per l’Università Ovunque model (operating in Italy since 1992) and from the success of the European Project Med Net’U - Mediterranean Network of University. With the Med Net’U - Mediterranean Network of Universities), funded by the European Commission in the framework of the EUMEDIS Programme and coordinated by NETTUNO - Network per l’Università Ovunque and which saw the participation of 11 Mediterranean Countries (Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon, Tunisia, Jordan, Greece, France, Italy, Morocco and Syria) the following results were obtained:

  1. The design of two common curricula in the Engineering area according to the lines indicated in the Bologna and Sorbonne processes (three years of basic studies plus two specialisation years);
  2. the production, in four languages (Arabic, English, French and Italian) of all the modules of the degree course in Information and Communication Engineering and in Mechanical Engineering;
  3. the training of teachers, tutors and technical staff strictly related to the competences and skills needed in distance education;
  4. the realisation of networked structure based on transmitting and receiving bi-directional satellite technologies, set up at the 11 Production Centres and 31 Technological Poles, at the Mediterranean Partner Universities’ sites: it is the only bi-directional distance teaching network existing n the Euro-Mediterranean Area;
  5. e) the development of an didactic platform based on Internet via satellite, in four languages – the only one worldwide Arabic, French, English and Italian – and the availability on the satellite channel, RAI NETTUNO SAT 1, of an area entirely devoted to the broadcasting in four languages of the videolessons realised by the professors of the universities of the Arab World and of Europe.

On the 14th March 2006, it was inaugurated a Technological Pole of UNINETTUNO, at the site of the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training in Rabat, in Morocco. In this structure the Government of Morocco uses the distance computer-literacy courses, realised with the Med Net’U Project and aimed at training the executives of the ministries in the use of the new technologies.

On the 15th June 2006, it was inaugurated a Technological Pole of UNINETTUNO at the Helwan University’ site in Egypt, just as a starting-point, and nearly 40 students are enrolled in the Computer Engineering Degree Course of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO and they have already successfully passed the exams of the first year. The Egyptian professors were trained by our professors to be able to follow the student as tutors and jointly with our professors the carry on the exams face-to-face and by videoconferencing.

On the 26 October 2008, in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic and of the highest officials of Egypt, was undersigned a historic academic agreement between the first Egyptian e-Learning Distance University, the EELU Egyptian E-Learning University, and the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO. By a special provision the Egyptian Government allowed the Egyptian students enrolling to UNINETTUNO courses to get the acknowledgement of the Egyptian – Italian joint academic title.

External environment

  • What is the institution's funding from government as a percentage of annual income?

The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO does not benefit from funding supplied by the Government, but its revenues are mainly based on the fees paid by the students. The rate of funding coming from the Government is equal to 0%.

  • Describe the way that funding is provided for institutions in the institution's country, or state that it is the same as for other institutions in the country.

The Government funds only public universities through by supplying resources coming from the Fondo di Finanziamento Ordinario - FFO - Fund of Ordinary Funding). The shares are defined according to a complex mechanism of calculation which takes into account many variables among which the most important ones are: the number of enrolled students, the number of graduates per academic year, the average ECTS credits acquired by the students.

Private universities can receive some direct funding from the Government established annually by the financial planning bill.

  • Describe the legal status of the institution.

The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is a non-state university, legally recognised and authorised to issue academic titles having legal value in Italy, in Europe and in the Mediterranean countries.

  • List the language(s) that the institution uses for instruction with the percentage of students studying in each. (Bilingual study can also be included.)

The University courses are delivered by means of the Internet-based learning environment (http://www.uninettunouniversity.net), designed and developed by the University in a multilingual format: both contents and interface are available in Arabic, French, English and Italian.

The foreign students represent 7.3% of the total enrolled students. Among these ones, nearly 85% attend courses in English and Arabic; the reminder 5% follow courses in French.

“This cooperation among the Universities represents a cultural initiative allowing to democratise knowledge and that opens the way of global labour and of the dialogue among the new European generations and of the Arab World” (M.A.Garito, 2002)

  • Describe any specific cultural issues that affect the institution's students or state that that it is the same as for other institutions in the country. Mention any features relevant to e-learning.

In Italy’s recent history the university system has been affected by significant reforms started already with the appearance of the Republic during the first after-war period, when the rigid system imposed by Fascism was reformed and was sanctioned the right to university autonomy granted by art. 33 of the Constitution, published on the 27th December 1947 and recognising to higher cultural institutions, universities and academic the right to give themselves autonomous rules.

A second important phase of reforms of the organisation of the Italian universities took place at the beginning of the Sixties with Maranini-Miglio project of reform, implemented in 1969 and whose organisational format was left mostly unchanged up to the new cycle of reforms starting at the beginning of the Nineties and going on between the two millennia.

The phase of renewal of beginning Nineties represent a veritable divide among the university system know up to that time and the developments produced with the opening to the new multimedia systems for higher education. By the Law n° 341 of the 19th November 1990, was realised the “Reform of the University Educational Rules”, by means of which were launched significant innovations as it regarded the universities educational autonomies, the teaching and research personnel, tutoring and scientific-disciplinary sectors.

By the end of the Nineties, a strong drive for transforming university toward a “European model” was given by the reform introducing the Universities’ autonomy. It is the Law nr. 127 of the 15th May 1997, enforced by the Decree of the Minister of the University and Scientific and Technological Research n° 509 of the 3rd November 1999, by which the study courses were redesigned introducing the so-called “3+2” structure, based on the Anglo-American model. The aim was that of harmonising all the European educational systems by inter-governmental treaties concerning the homogenisation of university cycles according the “3+2” structure, an aim established by the Sorbonne agreement undersigned in 1998 among Italy, France, Germany and United Kingdom and with the Bologna agreement of 1999 with the other countries members and satellite countries.

1999 Bologna Process represents an important phase of the harmonisation path of the higher education systems at European level. In short, the objectives of the Bologna Declaration are:

  • Creation of a European Higher Education Area;
  • Worldwide promotion of the European Education System;
  • Harmonisation of the European University Systems.

In Italy, as anticipated in the previous paragraphs, further to the approval of the law n° 341/1990 on the restructuring of the university didactic rule (university autonomy), public-private consortia were established for distance teaching universities.

In April 2005 the “Moratti-Stanca” Decree about “the criteria and procedures for accrediting distance education courses of the state and non state universities and of higher education institutions enables to issue academic titles, was enacted”. This act concretely implements the institution of the telematic universities, authorised to issue academic titles.

In Italy distance education courses are established and implemented by state and non state universities and make use of computer-based and telematic technologies in accordance with the technical requirements indicated by the “Moratti-Stanca” Decree. These universities have to be organised “according to the most advanced computer-based and telematic technologies and are aimed at issuing academic titles envisage by laws currently in force”.

  • Describe the external quality assurance and/or accreditation regime affecting the institution, or state that it is the same as for other institutions in the country. Mention any features relevant to e-learning.

In order to evaluate and assure the high quality standards to the Italian university system, in compliance with the Law n° 370/1999 it was established a National Committee for the Evaluation of the University System. This Committee is an institutional body of the Ministry of the University and Scientific and Technological Research having the tasks of: establish the general criteria to evaluate university activities; prepare an annual report on the evaluation of the university system; promote experimentation, the application and spreading of evaluation methodologies and practices; identify the nature of the information and data that the boards of evaluation of the universities are required to transmit; implement an annual plan of external evaluations of the universities’ or of the individual training structures; carry on technical evaluations based on the proposals of new state and non state university institutions in view of the authorisation to issuing titles having legal value; prepare reports on the implementation status and on the planning results; prepare studies and documents on the situation of higher education, on the implementation of the right to study and on access to university study courses; prepare studies and documentations for establishing the criteria of allocation of the share of readjustment of the fund for university ordinary funding; carry on consulting, preliminary, evaluation activities; identify standards, parameters and technical rules, also as it regards the universities’ specific activities and projects and proposal presented by these ones to be transmitted to the Minister.

According to the above-mentioned regulations, the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO appointed its own Board of Evaluation, composed of experts in evaluation procedures coming from the academic environment and from the non-academic one as well. The Board is engaged in evaluating the training and administrative activities and carries on regular surveys on the students’ opinions.

The UNINETTUNO System is deeply committed in assuring the quality of its educational paths and to the guidelines referring to QA established at European level. In particular UNINETTUNO joined E-xcellence Project and later on the E-xcellence+ Project (that are both coordinated by the EADTU) that promote cooperation in quality assurance in the field of higher education, in particular as it regards the use of e-Learning. In this framework it used the tool devised for these projects to assess some of the courses delivered within the degree courses in order to identify the possible integrations of this tool and spread its use as a valid support for auto-evaluation of the didactics.

  • Describe the approach to credit transfer with other similar institutions.

The students who enrol to the UTIU can apply for the acknowledgment of ECTS credits resulting from professional activities and for certified past study paths, even if they have not been completed.

The Faculty Council assesses the certification submitted by the student and checks the consistency of the study path selected and establishes the final acknowledgement of the credits.

In addition, the Board of Directors, can deliberate as it regards the acknowledgement of the ECTS credits for specific professional categories.

The Acknowledgement of the ECTS Credits has to be requested by submitting a specific application to the Rector.

  • List the main associations that the institution is a member of, with a note as to the relevance of each to e-learning (if any).
  • Politecnico di Torino

Subject: the agreement establishes a mutual scientific cooperation relation and the willingness to use their laboratories to carry on research activities on shared programmes, the possibility to deliver joint academic titles as it regards the Engineering Faculty.

Concluded on the 16th May 2006.

  • University of “Roma Tre”

Subject: in this agreement it is mentioned the possibility of jointly designing and realising university courses, master’s courses, high-specialising courses and distance retraining courses in specific scientific-disciplinary sectors, of using the “Piazza Telematica” of Roma Tre, and also to deliver joint academic titles for research and training purposes.

Concluded on the 25th October 2007

  • University of Palermo

Subject: in this agreement it is mentioned the possibility of jointly designing and realising university courses, master’s courses, high-specialising courses and distance retraining courses in specific scientific-disciplinary sectors, of using the laboratory research of the University of Palermo and also the Technological Pole for research purposes and to deliver jointly academic titles.

Concluded on the 7th October 2008.

  • Scuola Superiore della Pubblica Amministrazione Locale (SSPAL)

Subject: delivery of study grants to young researchers.

Deliberation of the SSPAL of the 18th December 2006

  • Istituto di scienze della Tecnologia e della Cognizione (ISTC) del CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche)

Subject: this agreement establishes a mutual scientific cooperation aimed at enhancing the common research activities as it regards language and communication, globalisation and cultural diversity, scientific and technical information, sciences, techniques and society, technologies applied to face-to-face and distance teaching and learning processes, of virtual libraries.

Concluded on the 20th October 2008.

  • List the main international partners of the institution, in the order of strategic importance, with priority given to collaborations involving e-learning.
  • Partnership Agreement with the EELU – Egyptian E-learning University

Subject: this agreement established a mutual scientific cooperation relationship aimed at jointly designing university degree courses, master’s courses and highly specialising courses and vocational re-training courses, sharing curricula, study programme, and teaching methods.

Concluded on the 26th October 2008.

  • Agreement with Helwan University, Cairo (Egypt)

This agreement is about the scientific and educational cooperation with the state University of Helwan that can rely on 18 faculties and 50 research centres and that has reached high prestige thanks to its engineering faculties. In addition, this agreement envisages the possibilty for Helwan University students to enrol to the degree courses produced by UNINETTUNO and also the possibility to co-produce further degree courses and master’s courses they are both interested in. Thanks to this agreement it was established a Technological Pole at Helwan University and it is envisaged the delivery of joint academic titles with a double title.

Concluded on the 15th June 2006.

  • Agreement with the Université Publique de Tunis El Manar (Tunisia)

This agreement is aimed at mutual cooperation targeted to the analysis and use of UNINETTUNO distance teaching models and the implementation of a Technological Pole. The Université de Tunis El Manar is a state university whose main aims are education and training. It has over 45000 students and it is one of the most important of the country.

Concluded on the 10th May 2007

  • Agreement with the University of Malta

This agreement concluded with the representation of Malta University in Italy, the Link Campus Foundation, is about the study and research work aimed at the dissemination and implementation of distance university degree courses, master’s courses and training and re-training courses paying specific attention to the subjects related to the specific studies targeted to accountants and labour consultants. The University of Malta is the first foreign university authorised to operate in Italy. The agreement aims also at cooperation between the Parties for the establishment of Technological Pole at Link Campus’ site.

Concluded on the 18th May 2007.

  • Agreement with the Université Virtuelle de Tunis

This agreement is aimed at mutual cooperation targeted to the analysis and use of UNINETTUNO distance teaching models and the implementation of a Technological Pole. The Université Virtuelle de Tunis was established in 2002 operating in the field of distance education and training.

Concluded on the 24th August 2007

  • Partnership protocol with the Institut des Sciences de la Communication du CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique – France)

This Protocol is aimed at scientific cooperation in the field of language and communication, political communication, globalisation and cultural diversity, scientific information, sciences, technologies applied to teaching and learning processes etc.

Concluded on the 8th July 2008.


  • Scientific Partnership with the EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities)

Subject: the EADTU is an international organisation which represents the most important distance teaching universities of Europe and also national networks of the organisations operating in the field of distance education and e-learning. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is a member of the EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities) and develops research activities with them.

Concluded on the 27th October 2006.

  • Scientific Partnership with the EMUNI Centre - University Centre for Euro-Mediterranean Studies

Subject: EMUNI is a university centre, based in Portorož, Slovenia, whose statutory objectives are to promote cultural exchange among the Euro-Mediterranean countries by sharing knowledge, higher education and research; to promote networking among the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area; play a significant role in favour of socio-economic and environmental sustainable development. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO signed the Letter of Intent and the Foundation Charter and, in addition, it is member of the Academic Senate of the EMUNI University. At present, an important Master’s course delivered by the UTIU is being held also with the contribution of EMUNI: it is the Master’s course in Euro-Mediterranean Cultures and Policies.

Concluded on the 25th May 2008

  • Scientific Partnership with the ICDE - International Council for Open and Distance Education

The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) supplies a global network for the organisation of the whole world that operate in the field of distance education. The main objective of the ICDE is to promote intercultural cooperation and mutual understanding among different cultures enhancing learning strategies and flexibility of the educational models to spread them in global basis. The ICDE is recognised by the United Nations (UNESCO) and since it is a Global Umbrella Membership Organization in Online, Flexible and Blended Learning, is one of the most reference structure at global level as it regards distance education and online training

  • Scientific Partnership with the Anna Lindh Foundation

The Anna Lindh Foundation is an international organisation for the promotion of a network among the organisations of civil society that work for enhancing dialogue among the Mediterranean Countries. To this end, the Foundation keeps open communication channels with the governments of the Euro-Mediterranean Association. The Anna Lindh Foundation mission is to unite people and organisation of both shores of the Mediterranean Sea contributing to enhance a peaceful dialogue and mutual understanding. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO supports and is member of the Foundation playing a role and giving a contribution to realisation of the statutory aims.

  • Scientific Partnership with E.P.U.F. - Euromed Permanent University Forum

The E.P.U.F. - Euromed Permanent University Forum is a network representing 37 Euro-Mediterranean Countries working in favour of internationalisation in its widest meaning. The main objective of the Forum’s activities is to contribute to the establishment of Euro-Mediterranean Area for Higher Education and Research, following the lines promoted by the Bologna Process. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is among the signatories of the agreement for the establishment of the Forum and it promotes its scientific activities.

Concluded on the 11th October 2006.

  • Scientific Partnership with ELIG - European Learning Industry Group

European Learning Industry Group (ELIG) an open industrial group whose members share search for solution to problems dealing with eco-systems applying innovative tools in line with the 21st century evolution. ELIG tries to promote innovation in learning, in knowledge creation and in spreading it all over Europe. More specifically ELIG’s mission is aimed at the following issues: give innovative inputs to the policy makers at European, national and regional level. In addition, ELIG presents itself as a communication tool between research and market, highlighting the most innovative developments and trends in view of sustainable progress in favour of the respect of eco-systems and of the stakeholders and of the market as well. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO contributes to the dialogue and internal exchange among the members of the Group and to the research of innovative channels and tools to share knowledge thanks to their know-how and through its network (2008).

Concluded on the 27th February 2008

  • Scientific Partnership with EuroPACE

EuroPACE is a European non-profit association of universities, educational institutions and of their respective networks. It main objective is to promote web-based e-Learning for the purpose of virtual mobility, to internationalise higher education, to create and share knowledge and lifelong education. To this end, EuroPACE develops, prepares and manages web-based e-Learning projects in the framework of international, national and regional programmes in close cooperation with its members; it participates in e-Learning projects managed by its partners supplying administrative, technical and logistical support.

  • Centro Ecoeducation Celestin Freinet di Quito (Ecuador)

This agreement is aimed at mutual cooperation for the study and use of UNINETTUNO distance teaching models and at the establishment of Study Centre in Ecuador. The Centro Ecoeducation Celestin Freinet of Quito is one of the most prestigious bodies in the field of education in Ecuador and was realised thanks to the cooperation of Italian humanitarian activists.

Concluded on the 10th October 2008.

Strategy

The guidelines that led and are still leading the UTIU development and which represent the strong points of the International Telematic University are:

I. Internationalisation

II. Innovation (research and development)

III. Relations with traditional universities

I. Internationalisation

The strong point of the UTIU development is surely represented by the fact of having succeeded in rapidly getting and developing to an international level concluding significant agreements with Mediterranean countries and agreements with the universities of the United States, Ecuador, Europe, Slovenia and Moscow. The agreements with the Mediterranean countries follow the success of Med Net’U. The Med Net’U Project most important result is the realisation of a technological network, based on a bi-directional satellite Euro-Mediterranean network connecting 11 Production Centres and 31 Technological Poles at the Mediterranean partners’ sites. Thanks to this network, the only of this kind existing n the Euro-Mediterranean Area for distance education, today all partners can produce, broadcast and receive educational contents, through Internet via satellite and on television, on RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 as well, that, since many years has been broadcasting academic lessons of the Engineering degree course in Arabic, English, French and Italian.

In addition, here are the further important results:

  • The development of an didactic platform based on Internet via satellite, in four languages – the only one worldwide Arabic, French, English and Italian – and the availability on the satellite channel, RAI NETTUNO SAT 1, of an area entirely devoted to the broadcasting in four languages of the videolessons realised by the professors of the universities of the Arab World and of Europe.
  • The design of two common curricula in the Engineering area according to the lines indicated in the Bologna and Sorbonne processes (three years of basic studies plus two specialisation years).
  • The production, in four languages (Arabic, English, French and Italian) of all the modules of the degree course in Information and Communication Engineering and in Mechanical Engineering
  • The training of teachers, tutors and technical staff strictly related to the competences and skills needed in distance education.

In order to build on and extend the results obtained and the political-institutional consent generated by the Med Net’U Project the partners, the Ministers and the universities of the Euro-Mediterranean Countries, decided its development into multilingual distance teaching system. This was achieved during the Informal Meeting of the Ministries of Education on “Creating a Euro-Mediterranean Area for Higher Education”, that took place in Catania on the 6-8 November 2003 and in the Catania 2 Conference “Euro-Mediterranea Area for Higher Education and Research” that took place on the 18-19 January 2005, where it was decided to realise the system of the Euro-Mediterranean Distance University with the purpose of establishing a Euro-Mediterranean Area of Higher Education:

More specifically, in the Informal Meeting of the Ministries of Education on “Creating a Euro-Mediterranean Area for Higher Education”, that took place in Catania on the 6-8 November 2003 and in the Catania 2 Conference “Euro-Mediterranean Area for Higher Education and Research” that took place on the 18-19 January 2005, it was decided to realise the system of the Euro-Mediterranean Distance University with the purpose of:

  • Accepting the students’ enrolments to the distance university degree course in Computer Engineering realised with Med Net’U at the partners’ universities;
  • Realise new university degree courses in the fields of: economy of tourism, management, international comparative law, archaeology, Arabic and Italian languages and cultures, management of healthcare services and territory management;
  • Implement master’s courses in the fields that are most demanded in the labour market;
  • Implement short vocational training and retraining courses both as it regards trainers and teachers training a various levels and to prepare for the competences that are required by the global market of labour and linked to the educational needs of the countries involved.

In implementing the political will, expressed by the Mediterranean Governments and referred to above, the Italian Ministry of the University and Scientific Research, Ms Letizia Moratti, with the decree of the 15th April 2005 established the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, transforming Med Net’U from project to system.

With the Declaration of the Catania 3 Conference “Euro-Mediterranean Area of Education and Research” undersigned on the 29th January 2006, the 14 Ministers of the Euro-Mediterranean participating countries agreed on the need of “strengthening a distance learning system, by expanding the results attained through the “Med Net’U” project, in order to encourage the widest possible access to education and training in a perspective of lifelong learning” having recourse to this end to the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO. During the Catania 3 Conference itself, the Italian Minster of Education and Research, Ms Moratti, jointly with the 14 Ministers of the Mediterranean countries inaugurated the first academic year of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO.

Below are summarised the activities carried on by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO in execution of the decisions made in the 1,2 and 3 Catania Conferences:

  • Conclusion of academic agreements with the University of Helwan and Cairo University in Egypt, with Yarmouk University and the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Jordan, the Université Virtuelle de Tunis and the Ministery of Education and Training of Morocco SEFT - Secrétariat d’Etat chargé de la Formation Professionnelle du Maroc); agreements ratified by the Ministries of Education, University and Research of the countries concerned, to make the academic title issued by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO valid also in the Mediterranean countries that signed the agreement;
  • Inauguration, on the 14th March, of a Technological Pole of UNINETTUNO, at the site of the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training in Rabat, in Morocco, using the distance computer-literacy courses, realised with the Med Net’U Project and aimed at training the executives of the ministries in the use of the new technologies;
  • Inauguration, on the 15th June 2006, of a Technological Pole of UNINETTUNO at the Helwan University campus, in Egypt, for the realisation of a Computer Engineering degree course of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO with nearly 40 enrolled students who have brilliantly passed the exams of the first year. The Egyptian professors were trained by UNINETTUNO professors to carry on the tutoring functions. The final exams are carried in the presence of Egyptian professors jointly with the UNINETTUNO ones, both face-to-face and by videoconferencing; as said before, the Egyptian Government, by a specific provision, allowed that that upon completion of UNINETTUNO courses is issued to the Egyptian students a joint, Italian and Egyptian academic title;
  • Collaboration with these two Egyptian universities to jointly design and produce the contents of the distance courses related to the fields of Economics, Management, International Law, Tourism, Cultural Assets, beside the vocational training courses, meeting the employment needs of the new labour markets aimed at supplying the skills for immigrants to the European countries, both the professional ones and the linguistic and general cultural ones;
  • A significant agreement, that was very recently signed with the Egyptian E-Learning University (EELU), on the 26th October 2008 in Cairo, in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, Mr. Giorgio Napolitano and the Ministry of Education and Scientific Research of Egypt, Mr. Hany Helal, thanks to which Egypt establishes the first Internet-based distance university of the country, designed and realised according to the model of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO. The two telematic universities will jointly realise university degree courses, master’s courses, highly specialising courses and vocational training courses. They will share curricula, study programmes, teaching methods. The best professors of the Italian, Egyptian, European and Arab World universities will be involved into the project. In order to start the activities they will use UTIU portal http://www.uninettunouniversity.net, the first portal of the world where teaching and learning are carried on in four languages: Italian, French, English and Arabic.

Other relationships linked to the internationalisation process have been developed with other countries. In particular, here we can mention the agreement with the EMUNI Centre that established the Euro-Mediterranean University in Portorož, Slovenia. With this new Euro-Mediterranean University they developed an agreement to make UTIU develop e-learning courses in this university. At present the Euro-Mediterranean University, based in Slovenia, has already funded UTIU master’s course in Euro-Mediterranean Cultures and Policies and has already put at disposal the sites where all the 24 students enrolled to the master, coming from various Mediterranean countries, can attend a training period at the end of the distance delivery.

The UTIU is the only Italian telematic university that has been accepted to join the EADTU (European Association of Distant Teaching Universities) with which it is carrying on an international project aimed at identifying European quality assessment standards for e-Learning (E-xcellence Project) and of the ICDE (International Council for Open and Distance Education). Many others agreements with international institutions can be found in the list of the agreements.

II. Innovation

The problem we faced when designing UNINETTUNO teaching and learning model was to create a distance education structure that, while meeting the educational needs of students, would take account both of the evolution and development of information technology and the results of psycho-pedagogic research. The cognitive and connectionist theories are the theoretical basis for implementing the whole process of distance teaching and learning within the didactic cyberspace of UTIU portal.

UTIU innovation in terms of process and system results from the outcomes of research programme developed up to now with Consorzio NETTUNO. The results of the realised research project represented the theoretical basis of the evolution of the psycho-pedagogic and didactic model that led to the realisation of the new distance teaching and learning model applied to the UTIU and recognised by the international scientific community. Also the 9 UTIU research project funded by the European Commission allow to innovate face-to-face and distance teaching and learning processes. The new projects (further details can be found in the section of this report devoted to research) are aimed at creating a distance education system based on the use of the cognitive and connectionist theories. The aim is that of creating, in applying technologies to the teaching and learning processes a balance between the technical-engineering components and the cognitive, cultural and educational ones that specific of the information technologies. These projects involve many international level experts in several disciplines (technicians, computer scientists, pedagogists, learning psychologists, experts in various languages). The research activity carried on by the UTIU is, at the same time, theoretical-experimental, pure and applied.

The objective is to make the outcomes have positive effects on the theories that are related to the learning processes, on teaching methodologies, on distance interaction relations. From the economic viewpoint, the results could also supply the starting-points to develop new models of e-Learning, but also new technological applications with positive effects for the ITC industry.

In addition, the UTIU has already concretely realised significant innovations linked to:

  • Organisation models of the university structures;
  • Models of organisation and delivery of the didactics (flexibility, availability, support to the learning processes);
  • Teaching and learning models;
  • Professors’ and students’ roles;
  • Evaluation procedures.

III. Relations with traditional universities

The UTIU, as amply said above, takes origin from Consorzio NETTUNO, an Italian association of distance university including 43 Italian and foreign universities partner of consortium and which delivers university degree courses based on a blended didactic model.

Such an origin has greatly helped the collaboration with traditional universities and has allowed the UTIU to endow itself since the very beginning with academic staff of highly scientific quality. All UTIU professors, both those who realise the videolessons and the didactic contents to be included into the didactic cyberspace of UTIU portal, and the professors in charge of the specific courses and the area professors and also the members of the scientific committees and today the Deans and the members of the Academic Senate, and the members of the Technical Organising Committee and today the Board of Directors are all full professors; more specifically, UTIU Board of Directors is composed of 4 Rectors of traditional universities. These relationships allow the UTIU to deliver high-quality educational services and to develop research project with traditional universities. Many full professors of the Politecnico di Torino, of the University of Roma Tre and of the University of Palermo will soon have a double appointment including the UTIU. These universities put at disposal physical structures such as laboratories for research and training activities, libraries, rooms equipped with personal computers and classrooms to carry on the students’ face-to-face exams. In addition, the professors of these universities who are engaged in delivering the UTIU educational services are developing also UTIU university and faculty research programmes.

In several of the agreements concluded with traditional universities they identified forms of cooperation also leading to the delivery of joint or double academic titles, as it results from the details referring to the agreements included into the present report. (see paragraph 1.2 “Relations with other Universities” to get the list of the agreements and conventions in force). In addition, all the professors and tutors of the UTIU are trained to the new profile that these should acquire to become video professors and teachers enabled to realise contents to be included on the Internet in a hypertextual and multimedia mode and to follow online the students’ learning progress. These skills allow the professors to bring about innovation also to traditional teaching processes.

Finally, the UTIU, thanks to the relationships that it established with many European and Euro-Mediterranean countries can facilitate the internationalisation of traditional universities.

  • Describe or provide a document describing the current e-learning strategy.

The psycho-pedagogic model of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO was realised by Maria Amata Garito and it is the outcome of her research work and experimentation of the results developed since 1993 with NETTUNO - Network per l'Università Ovunque.

The research projects involved many international level experts in several disciplines (technicians, computer scientists, pedagogists, learning psychologists, experts in various languages). The results represent the theoretical bases upon which were realised the new organisational models of the distance teaching and learning system and of the new psychopedagogic and didactic models. The model is giving adequate answers to the qualitative and quantitative educational demands of the information society and to the need for flexibility, diversification and internationalisation of the teaching-learning processes; it is acknowledged by the international scientific community, as it results from the various publications and already has significant effects on the theories related to learning processes, teaching methodologies, distance interaction relationship. The cognitive and connectionist theories are the theoretical basis upon which the whole teaching and learning process is carried on in the “Didactic Cyberspace” area of the Internet portal http://www.uninettunouniversity.net (usable in four languages: Italian, English, French and Arabic).

The use of new technologies allowed modifying not only the teaching-learning process, but also the physical structures where this process goes on. The classrooms have been replaced by open structures, the Technological Poles, where technologies allow to set up a flexible and self-managed training process which has modified the roles and functions of the professors and of the students.

Below are outlined their main characters:

PROFESSOR

  • He changes his role becoming that one of teacher-mentor, advisor and guide;
  • From solitary professor to member of a learning group;
  • From professor who controls the educational situation to active participant together with the students in the teaching-learning process;
  • From transmitter of knowledge to “designer” of the students’ learning experience;
  • He only plans the initial pattern of the student’s work encouraging a greater ability of self-guidance;
  • He is more responsive to the students’ learning styles;
  • He promotes discussions re-proposing questions coming from the individual students to the group or to other students;
  • He privileges questions that involve an open answer and that stimulate the students to think in a creative way, establishing correlations among ideas and information that are apparently un-related, resisting to the temptation to give answers, stimulating and helping the students to discover the right answer by themselves.

STUDENT

  • He becomes the “manager” of his won learning process in terms of space and time;
  • He acts as member of a virtual learning group engaged in cooperative and collaborative tasks giving his personal contribution to the interactions of the group:
    • Analysing the subject and contents from different perspectives;
    • Formulating precise questions and trying to identify correct answers;
  • He recognises the importance of acquiring appropriate (individual and collaborative) learning strategies;
  • He learns how to interact on the network with individuals having a different culture and social experience ;
  • He learns to transform theoretical skills into practical abilities, shortly said he transforms himself from a passive receiver of knowledge to an active constructor them and into a solver of complex problems.

Distance learning didactic modes

With the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO the various didactic-pedagogic possibilities of the various media available are integrated and on this basis it is realised an open and flexible learning environment which allow to:

  • Open, also at distance, new communication relationships between students and professors, promoting the shift from unidirectional communication (typical of the first distance teaching models) to a bi-directional communication, also in real time;
  • End the one-way transfer of knowledge and open a new communication line allowing the students to access dynamic knowledge that he can enrich and made available to others;
  • Use through Internet via satellite the Pc as the focal point of a system in which the contributions of the various media converge allowing to realise a true integrate and “open” multimedia model. The PC allows to directly conveying from the university to the student’s home or to the workplace lessons, multimedia products, databases, tutoring support, practice work and evaluation systems.

The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO proposes a didactics envisaging synchronic teaching/learning modes where there is unity of time, but not of space in the teaching and learning process and diachronic ones, where the educational and training process is no longer linked to the unity of time and space.

Diachronic mode

Above all, it’s necessary to underline that this method offers the highest degree of flexibility: the lack of spatial-temporal limitations allows the student to learn at his/her own pace and at times of his choice. The lack of limits of space also allows the student to use didactic materials in every possible context: at home, at work, at the study centres – according to his or her needs. Therefore, optimal learning is fostered.

Different aspects of learning are included in the diachronic method:

  • symbolic-reconstructive learning
  • learning by doing
  • collaborative learning mediated by written work on supportive technologies.

In the first two methods, man and machine interact: the student uses the Internet-based didactic portal, in particular the area related to the Didactic Cyberspace where he finds also practice work: exercises or virtual laboratories. Interaction is carried out through the use of technologies that are based on writing: forums, e-mail. The written text, since it has the advantage of being pre-planned, structured and consequential, allows to:

  • Keep a database including all the material produced allowing for subsequent consultations;
  • Manage autonomous space for thinking and free consultation of the materials produced.

These tools, leading to the overcoming of space/time limits, create the condition for building a “virtual community” and to trigger networked collaborative learning processes.

Synchronic mode

In the synchronic method, the development of new technologies has brought with it a particularly significant innovation. Telecommunication has made it possible to initiate interaction in real time without needing the participants to be present in the same place. Time unfolds simultaneously for all, but place is no longer a necessary condition.

The synchronic method, therefore, allows collaborative learning to be carried out through video-conferencing, conference calls, and Internet chat rooms. In these virtual spaces it is possible to trigger an interaction in real time without needing the participants to be present in the same place. Time unfolds simultaneously for the whole teaching and learning process, but the unity of place is no longer a necessary condition. The forms of interactivity which are implemented by the Web-based videoconferencing systems and therefore with the virtual classrooms, also that on Second Life, are similar to those that can be started up in real classroom where the teacher asks questions, the students answer, developing collaborative learning and linking automatically the training material to the learning processes.

The Internet-based didactic portal

Internet for teaching and learning

The Internet via satellite didactic platform of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO allows the building of a new psycho-pedagogic model that is characterised by the shift:

  • From teacher’s central role to the student’s central role;
  • From knowledge transfer to knowledge creation;
  • From integration between practice and theory;
  • From a passive and competitive learning to active and collaborative learning.

This psycho-pedagogic didactic model is characterised by the highest degree of flexibility for the student. By this model the student can build his own learning path in function of his educational needs and of his skill-level. A learning environment developed in such a way does not limit itself to offer rigidly pre-established courses, but it offer dynamic contents that can be enriched by other contents existing on the web.

In these activities the students are helped by lists of websites, selected by professor and tutors. Actually in the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO, the student is at the centre of the educational process; however he is guided by the new profile of the professor=>telematic tutor who has the task of supplying the tools needed to facilitate the networked learning and communication process in a synchronic and diachronic way.

In the Didactic Cyberspace the students actively participate in the creation of their own learning paths and can implement two interaction models:

  • With professor => telematic tutor
  • With the intelligent system.
Learning environments in Didactic Cyberspace

The Didactic Cyberspace reflects the needs for flexibility and adaptability of the learning path that eliminates the isolation of the individual favouring an active involvement in the learning process and in the educational development.

The learning environments represent an open and flexible tool and allow the protagonists of the learning process, students, professors and tutors to:

  • Create new bi-directional distance communication relations in real time;
  • Realise dynamic contents that can be enriched by other contents, already existing in the web;
  • Integrate different types of media;
  • Non-linear organisation of the information;
  • Customise the learning systems and therefore:
    • Adapt the system to the single user’s needs;
    • Develop cooperative and collaborative learning among the students’ and the professors’ learning communities;
    • Possibility of transforming the knowledge into practical abilities and therefore in professional skills.

Therefore, the learning environments on the Didactic Cyberspace allow to:

  • Supply a single point of access to the web (portal) through which access to large amount of resources available on academic training;
  • Supply exhaustive and updated information on educational contents and events, such as study programmes, tutoring, exercises etc;
  • Organise and deliver educational contents in a pre-planned, structured and consequential way;
  • Use new technologies to make information clearer and more readily accessible;
  • Monitor the student’s learning through constant checks, whose results can be consulted by the student himself in order to self-evaluate his own learning process;
  • Put into contact students, professors and tutors using distance communication tools, both in asynchronous and synchronous modes, in order to make information sharing and learning consolidation easier.

The players who can carry on educational activities on the Didactic Cyberspace are: the student, the area professor and the tutor. Each one of those players has a space on the portal (http://www.uninettunouniversity.net), which we call page, from where they can organise their training activities which depend on their specific functions and roles. These activities take place in the Didactic Cyberspace.

These training activities take place in the Didactic Cyberspace where the protagonists of the training process can access only after having entered their “login” and their “password” and after the system has recognised them, students, professors and tutors can access to their own pages. The system allows to access to didactic contents from different places in order to assure different navigation and material utilisation styles according to every users.

The Student’s page

Here the student can find his own customised page where he can:

  • Search and use the educational material available;
  • Communicate with professors and other students in synchronic and asynchrony mode
  • Make exercises to be submitted to the tutor who corrects and evaluates them.

As it regards other activities that are not included in the following areas:

  • Customised didactic planning: it supplies the student a customised study programme and the didactic activities planning referring to each course. Each student finds the planning of his didactic activities, divided into four didactic periods, on the Internet. The inclusion into the online study classes is structured in such a way as to grant the student the possibility of attending two subjects for each didactic period being guided by a professor/tutor. The result of the intermediate assessment that can be checked by each single student also through the tracing of its Internet-based learning processes, which allows the admission to the exams. Getting through the exams of the attended didactic modules allows getting enrolled and included into the classes of the following courses.
  • Learning process check: each individual student can check, for each Internet-based didactic activity, his own self-assessment and compare it with that one given by his tutor. He can check by himself if there some gaps in his learning and develop new learning strategies with the support of the professor/tutor, but also of his own classmates.
  • Agenda (didactic activities planning): it allows displaying the rendezvous fixed by the tutors or by the professor in the Chat-room, Forum and in the Virtual Classroom; it is possible to use the Agenda to include personal memos or ask for the professor/tutor’s support to overcome any learning difficulties.
  • My lessons on TV today: it allows displaying the videolessons programming schedule being broadcast on the satellite television channel for the subjects being currently delivered.

Therefore, the student’s page is the point where the student can find the links to his courses, form the lately accessed lessons for each course to the statistical data related to tracing.

In addition, in his homepage the student can display all the activities of the day and of the week and the link to his whole agenda, to his tutors etc…

The Area Professor’s page and the Tutor’s one include the same functionalities and the same training materials.

Area Professor

More specifically, the Area Professors have the tasks of:

  • Prepare the training material, the lecture notes, the multimedia documents, the tools needed to learning process and the evaluation tests;
  • Directly enter the training material on the his page on the Didactic Cyberspace, classifying it appropriately to be included into the system;
  • Participate in the synchronic lessons and seminars through virtual classrooms.
Tutor

The tutor’s activities, that will be described in more details below, are aimed at supporting the student and at helping the professor in preparing and publishing the training material on the Cyberspace. He organises the online appointments, checks on a regular basis the learning progress of individual students and of class of students by tracing all didactic activities carried on online, supports the educational activities through synchronic sessions – chats and virtual classrooms, and asynchronic – forums – evaluates exercises and the students’ group work .

The tutor’s page

The online page for each Tutor of the subject being taught will communicate his or her availability (dates and schedules) along with contact details (e-mail, telephone and fax number), whilst in addition allowing access to the following areas:

  • Curriculum vitae;
  • Study Programme;
  • Conceptual Map;
  • Inclusion of Didactic Materials;
  • Didactic Planning;
  • Agenda;
  • My students
  • Evaluation and Statistics;
  • Learning Environments;
    • Video Library: Videolessons, Slides
    • Media Library: Books and Articles, DVDs, Bibliographical Reference, Lists of Websites
    • Virtual Laboratory: Laboratories, Exercises
    • Online Tutoring: Chat, Forum
    • Virtual Classroom
  • Videolessons schedule

The Course Study Programme includes the course aims and the contents.

The Conceptual Map of the course includes the titles of the lessons, the structuring of the issues within each lesson and the bookmarks that link them to the educational materials (books and article, CD-ROMs, bibliographical reference, list of websites, exercises, virtual laboratories) related to the various issues treated. In the conceptual map one can see the schedules chat sessions that are linked to the issues of the videolessons and of the related educational materials and it is possible to highlight the issues of a lesson and the main educational materials associated.

The Didactic Planning section depends on the number of academic credits, as relates to the amount of work the student does. All of the subjects of the Degree Courses at the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO are delivered in module formats that have a predefined duration according to the number of academic credits attributed to the course, as has been illustrated before. In the Didactic Planning section, the Area Professor will indicate the approach and delivery timing as to his or her teaching programme, the parameters regarding academic credits and other information relative to the teaching subject.

The Exam Guide specifies and displays the exams dates.

The Agenda is the tool that follows the student during his academic path with the purpose of helping him to schedule his work, supplying a calendar of online events and proposing to the students training materials according to the path established by the student himself and also by the tutors and by the professors who support him. In particular the Agenda:

  • Displays online events such as seminars, interviews and synchronic lessons by chats or in the Virtual Classroom, asynchronic more-in-depth study sessions, collaborative learning sessions scheduled by tutors and related professors on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule;
  • Divides automatically on a regular basis (weekly or bi-weekly) the contents that the student has to study more in depth, divided according to courses that the student has selected in order to support him along his learning path
  • Indicates the papers and the evaluation tests that the student will have to develop including information concerning the required knowledge to carry them on and the timing and the modes that are envisaged to carry them on
  • Highlights the relevant institutional events, as the dates of the exams and deadlines for enrolling

Through the agenda the tutor/professor can set up a series of online events indicating the date and time of the event and its typology. The events can be scheduled according to the educational calendar and to the students’ availability and can include synchronic training events by chat or virtual classrooms, online assignments on forums, collaborative group activities, online seminars with experts. The new event entered by the tutor is automatically displayed on the “online agenda” of the students who refer to that specific tutor to make them book it in time.

In My Students area the organisation in classes that belong to the modules of each tutor are displayed.

Evaluations and Statistics

Organisation in classes

The organisation of students in classes allows to promote cooperation activities among the students themselves and at the same time to enhance the effectiveness of the tutors’ monitoring. Actually, the management of the classes of students gives the possibility to share activities such as the assignment of exercises or scheduling of the learning objectives; in addition, re-creating a learning social context, gives a significant motivation support to “distance” students.

Tracing and reporting

The student’ activity, during all the phases of his learning path, is checked by the system which keeps a record of all his training performances. The information stored in such a way are put at the tutors’ disposal to enhance and increase the effectiveness of their interventions aimed at solving the learning problems through constant monitoring; to the professors’ disposal to complete the final evaluation process that will have to take into account the results of the intermediate tests proposed to each student, and also quantitative data on the use of the training material; to the students’ disposal to check their own progress and, through a self-evaluation process, to adjust their rhythms in order to attain the training objectives.

Learning environments

Video Library

The Video Library includes all the digitised videolessons and their related slides. The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO digitised videolessons are:

  1. contents modularity that allows the student to access to specific level of competence;
  2. indexing of the subjects that favours hypertextual navigation; indexing will also play the role of a cognitive map showing the student the different training paths and this way becoming a cognitive tool useful to strengthen memory and stimulate hypertextual navigation.
  3. bookmarks that play an essential role: they are graphical icons that will blink and turn on during the lesson to lead the student in an hypertextual way to the information included in the:
    • Practical exercises and the Virtual Laboratory to integrate the theoretical knowledge acquired with practical work through a “learning-by-doing” learning process;
    • Training material linked to the videolessons;
    • Media Library for more-in-depth study to be carried on using the texts stored into the database
    • Virtual Classrooms where, both synchronically and diachronically through videoconferencing, chats, video-chats and discussion forums he will be able to:
      • Access to collaborative and cooperative online with other students;
      • Start a dialogue of a Socratic kind with the professor that can support and help him during his training process;
      • Interact with the other actors of the educational process coming from other cultural and linguistic contexts with a view to learn in global and not in a local perspective;
      • Fully investigate a specific subject in websites that were selected by the professor.

Through the fruition of the digitised videolessons, a possibility will be given not only to start symbolic-reconstructive learning processes, linked to the classical linear mode of teaching, but, thanks to the modular organization of contents, to the indexing of subjects, to bookmarks, the student will be able to develop hypertextual and multimedia learning processes that will allow to enrich and improve the meta-cognitive strategies, that will favour the customisation of the learning processes and will thus allow to promote active, constructive and interactive learning processes.

The videolessons developed a new teaching and learning model.

New teaching models

The new model proposed involves a changing of the university teachers’ traditional competences. Actually, the professors have to learn how to deliver courses on television, to design multimedia products, online exercises and materials to be put on the website ant to guide the students along their self-learning process using non-traditional tools, methods and technologies. The professors have the double function of teaching through the Internet, but at the same time of delivering a learning support activity through the Internet. The have to realise new kinds of books. The professors have the double task of teaching through television and the Internet, but, at the same time, they have to supply a support to learning through telecommunication networks and technologies.

The use of a tool such as television change traditional didactic communication. In the new didactic model, the professors have to learn a new way of explaining, synthesising and presenting his knowledge to a virtual student in order to trigger a critical and reflective learning process. The videolesson requires a specific preparatory work and, in order to exploit all the potentials of the tools, the professor has to work with a team of technicians and experts in language of image. We calculated that each hour of videolesson requires from twenty to thirty hours of preparatory work. This, of course, develops in the professors new communication skills and the use of new languages that area used also to store the results of their own research work. This new training experience has an impact on the way they deliver their lessons also in their traditional academic courses.

In the videolessons the professor teaches in an interactive way, asks questions to the students, the students answer, they interact with the professors, but also among them and jointly develop collaborative learning processes.

New learning models

With regard to the development of learning, it is important to note that the study strategies set up during the use of the digitised video lessons allow setting up a learning process where it is the student who masters time. Actually, the student, through some controls appearing on the screen, such as play, stop, fast forward, rewind, volume level, the student can watch and watch again parts of the videolessons as many time he wishes to according to his needs; he can pause to think and see if he needs to consult further sources, he can see again what he has already seen to enhance his long-term memory; he cans see other parts of the video that can have interesting connections with other material and other sources. These are not only technical functions linked to the modes of use of the videolessons, but they area also meta-cognitive strategies that can facilitate self-evaluation of one’s own comprehension activities. During a traditional lesson it is not always easy to stop the professor to make him repeat what has explained, it is not practically possible to stop to reflect or consult other sources. These new tools of knowledge memorisation allow overcoming the limit of simultaneousness of the teaching-learning process that takes place in the traditional training process. This allows to make the whole process more flexible and to trigger new interactive learning processes. The student, besides having the possibility to customise all his study paths, can interact with different materials and realise a multimedia and hypertextual study strategy; he can organise the stored knowledge using different registers such as text, sound and pictures; he can interrupt viewing the videolessons to consult databases or texts available in the virtual library; he can try practical activities in the laboratory to see if he can transform his theoretical knowledge in practical abilities; he can navigate the Internet to enrich the subject with information that can come from different cultural and linguistic settings, or interact with other students and experts on the subject by means of forums and chats (Garito, 1998). More specifically, a complete hypertextual learining is realised. Many authors having a cognitive and connectivity approach agree on defining the hypertextual technologies as a tool capable of favouring a new kind of learning. since there exists a substantial analogy between the network of links typical of a hypertext and that of the working of the human mind, meant as a neural network. Hypertextual learning guides the student in his explorative dynamics by proposing to him a non-linear type of knowledge that is made up of plots and connections among nodes. In this way a learning strategy, whose main features are the following, develops:

  • An associative and non-linear form of organisation of the information;
  • The presence of diversified and alternative paths that can be freely selected and viewed;
  • The presence of multimedia data: texts, pictures, audio, animations, videos, laboratory experience, discussions.

In addition, hypertextual learning promotes autonomy and makes the student become also author since it give him the possibility to realise navigation paths of his own among the nodes of knowledge proposed and to choose the level of detail and analysis he aims to reach.

Actually, the student is given a learning environment that stimulates exploration and discovery, a tool to “learn how to learn”, to develop new learning strategies, to enhance cognitive processing.

The customisation of the learning paths gives also the possibility of incremental access by the student at different levels of knowledge. In this sense, hypertextual learning can be considered as a flexible process since it respects the different learning styles and allow for a targeted use in function of pre-requisites and of students’ past knowledge.

Thinking is above all creating interconnection among the elements of knowledge: therefore, the Internet-based platform of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO stimulates a learning of network of concepts rather then scattered pieces of information ore sequences. In addition, the perception of protagonism favours an enhancement of the student motivation and consequently a decrease of the cognitive effort.

Modello videolezione.jpg

Media Library

The Media Library contains training materials (Learning Objects) connected to the videolessons – for example study sheets, films, images, diagrams, animated material which are all gathered under an Intelligent Bibliographic System. The elements that make up the Media Library represent in-depth study materials connected to the contents of the video lessons. They can be associated with a topic, a series of topics, an entire video lesson, a series of video lessons or the entire course. The objects that make up the Media Library are categorized as follows: books and articles, DVDs, bibliographical references and lists of websites. The in-depth study materials developed in an ad hoc fashion by the Tutor (or by the Area Professor) for the students of his own class and those study materials sent by students and selected by the Tutor (or Area Professor), as they refer to a specific class of students. In the Media Library the student can access to training materials linked to the videolessons, always organised through hypertextual links to the subjects of the lessons.

Virtual Laboratory
On Line practical Exercises

In this section online interactive practice work is included. Their implementation allows the video professors to link the theoretical aspects treated in the video lessons to the practical aspects illustrated of the issues treated by the same videolessons by carrying on exercises, solving problems, preparing papers or real-time simulations. The possibility of posting online exercises by professors and tutors coming from several universities allow the Internet site of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO to dispose of an ever-increasing number of online educational materials.

Virtual Laboratory

Thanks to virtual laboratories it is possible to overcome several limits. In the first place, that one of materiality: modify any object in digital way, offering countless options and possibility to practise; possibility of learning, put virtually into practice what has been learnt, test new techniques before putting them into practice. Through telematic networks the same virtual environment can be simultaneously shared by several users (teachers and pupils, guides and viewers). The concept of space, as a physical entity, also no longer applies, and it is possible to display the subject under study in any time and at any place.

Virtual reality is developing new learning models that will tend to shift human cognitive doing at all levels: from the re-constructional-symbolic mode to that of the motor-perception one and, furthermore, it opens up fields of knowledge to the motor-perceptive mode that were before only accessible to the re-constructional-symbolic one. The Virtual Laboratory of the International Telematic University UNINETTUO appears as a true environment where the student will be able to put into practice the abstract principles learned during the theory lessons, activating a learning process of the “learning by doing ” type. In this respect, the Virtual Laboratory of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO is an integral part of the lesson since it makes possible to immediately link with the direct experimentation of what is illustrate by the professor whenever the student wishes so.

Also the exercises put at the students’ disposal have been included into the Cyberspace in order to make the completed by the students and submitted to the tutor to be evaluated; so doing the student is constantly supported and guided in the analysis of the procedures carried on and of the mistakes done and by the feedback of the intelligent system and/or telematic tutor. The goal is to create a powerful synergy in the virtual laboratory so that theoretical learning and practical problem-solving co-exist in the correct ratio and fully integrate each other: the student will be able to think about his experiences in the learning environment, and the abstract principles described by the teacher become motivated, are made operative and can be committed to memory thanks to the problem-solving activities.

The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO learning environment gives the student an absolutely active role; all the training materials are put made available for this purpose. The student is not left alone, but he is guided by an expert tutor. This is the reason why the portal has a special area called online tutoring.


Online tutoring

This is the real interactive synchronic portal section. Inside this section real tutors/teachers assist students in the virtual classrooms by means of chat, also audio and video, correct their papers, guide them to overcome learning and psychological difficulties, linked to distance student issues. Tutoring is structured in classes of 20 or 30 students, 20 for the Engineering Faculties and 30 for the other Faculties. In general, the telematic tutor will give students cognitive support:

  • Giving information on the structure of the course and its aims;
  • Giving user-students an evaluation and feed-back on the work done and the skills acquired both during the learning process and at the end of the course;
  • Developing study skills such as critical skills and meta-cognitive learning strategies;
  • Encouraging the anchoring of the new skills and knowledge to other knowledge and contexts;
  • Facilitating access to technologies and materials that the users students will use during the course.

The tutor will have to:

  1. Encourage the structuring of knowledge exchange networks, in a complex system, comprising telematic tutors, students and technologies, which is capable of working better than the sum of the single parts
  2. Select the didactic material in order to guarantee access to information in an adequate format and level for the skills and knowledge of the various students. The resources will have to be grouped, perhaps in databases organised by level of complexity, in order to guide people who are not used to navigating (Garito 2000c).

The telematic tutor‘s role takes place by different didactic scenarios: “one-to-one” and “one-to-many”.

“One to one” scenario (learning in a single mode)

In this scenario, by means of videochats, chats, e-mail, the telematic tutor assists the student during his exploration of the different environments, giving a constant evaluation of his didactic progress, whenever the student wishes to. The telematic tutor, by means of interactive dialogues of the Socratic style, will help the student to analyse his own thinking and to discovers and correct not only his mistakes, but also their causes. The telematic tutor will have certain special functions, borrowed from specific experiences in the field of distance tutoring, such as:

  1. Support to student motivation
    • Mobilising and maintain motivation
    • Creating an open and positive atmosphere
    • Compensating the social requirements of the user-student
  2. Help on the content of the course
    • Connecting the contents with previous knowledge
    • Solving problems in the course contents
    • Stimulating the application of these contents in professional life
  3. Development of study skills
    • Promoting a critical sense
    • Developing learning styles and cognitive strategies
    • Helping to auto-regulate study and training
    • Promoting awareness of contextual learning factors
    • Introducing the student to the use of new technologies (e-mail, chat, videoconference, the Internet)
  4. Evaluation/feedback
    • Informing the user-student of his/her progress
    • Preparing the user-student for his/her exams
    • Helping the user-student to develop realistic self-evaluation skills(Garito 2000c).

“One to many” scenario (collaborative learning mode)

In this scenario, by means of real time videoconferences and off-line forums, the telematic tutor organizes and structures collaborative learning sessions, to promote interaction among the different actors of the educational process. The telematic tutor will actively direct the work of the groups. The telematic tutor has to:

  • Organise group objectives clearly and precisely in order to prevent participators from wasting their energies on insignificant interactions and activities;
  • Define specialised tasks and assign them to the various members;
  • Clearly define the personal responsibilities of each member;

Particular attention must be paid to the group objectives, which have various specific functions. The tasks will be selected so as to offer a stimulating but not impossible challenge in order to activate motivation and stimulate the sensation of self-effectiveness. In particular, the tasks must be complicated enough to:

  • Allow each participant to make his/her own contribution to the achievement of the objective;
  • Ensure the participants realise that the group has greater skills and resources than the individual members.

The tutor must support the student motivation by encouraging the creation of an open and positive social environment. The type of environment that is planned to be created must stimulate reciprocal co-operation and help between students, allowing everyone to express himself and participate. In particular, he/she must pay attention to the social processes taking place in the group in order to ensure that these are directed towards:

  • Social aims in order to stimulate social activities and behaviour;
  • The adaptation of individual needs;
  • Ensuring equal opportunities for all the participators to achieve the objective.

The establishment of learning communities will encourage participations in the various groups to combine their skills and attempt to reach a common and shared objective. In this way various cognitive processes will be activated:

  • User-students will have to explain their reasoning and understand that of other people. This will “force” them to formulate their thoughts clearly and highlight any shortcomings in communication. They will therefore have to carry out a specular task of decoding other people’s thoughts in order to achieve a further process of communication clarification.
  • During social interaction, it is very probable that a “cognitive conflict” will arise. This will oblige user-students to explain and review their basic concepts when they come into contact with information they didn’t know beforehand, perhaps contradictory, proposed by the other group members.
  • There is a cognitive challenge in co-operation where user-students attempt to defend and argue their points of view with the other learning partners. These challenges stimulate them to look for new arguments to supporting their view, and promote acceptance of other people’s ideas when their arguments are recognised as being valid.
  • With co-operation, people also learn that criticisms are aimed at ideas and not at people and this fact stimulates a feeling of respect towards the others and confrontation training that is seen as a moment of growth.

Learning therefore becomes a social process that promotes affective and motivational dynamics:

  • Group study supports the motivation of its members, helping them to overcome difficulties. Various research projects have shown how the level of self-esteem in groups is greater than in individuals because it is stimulated by the other members.
  • When a learning group realizes that collective success depends on the success and work of everyone, the willingness to provide emotive and didactic support grows, as does self-esteem.
  • Thanks to shared efforts and different contributions, the activities of the group encourage students to demonstrate that the subject and the objective they are pursuing are of great intrinsic importance, thereby increasing enthusiasm and self-esteem.

As regards his/her relationship with the organisation, the following will be required of the telematic tutor:

  1. Must have a thorough knowledge of the characteristics of telematic environments, especially those encouraging collaboration and learning, i.e.:
    • Offering a welcoming social environment;
    • Concentrating the attention of students on the problems of shared understanding;
    • Encouraging exploration;
    • Encouraging connectivity to ensure that students follow the logic of their reasoning;
    • Giving pride of place to group rather than individual work.
  2. Will give the organisation feedback on the opinions of the students concerning the course in order to allow the organisation to make improvements to courses and interaction methods.
  3. Will collaborate with the other institutional roles in order to redefine the role of the teachers who will have to introduce specific elements for distance collaborative environments into their activities:
    • Preferring to reply to student questions rather than asking them and encouraging communication between students during the search for solutions;
    • The teachers will act as guides and tutors, providing as much personalised feed-back as possible and becoming real and proper promoters of knowledge.

In short, the telematic tutor in his new function should:

  • Play the role of teacher-director that designs learning scenarios and who, later on, cooperates with his “students” to create and educational path that should take into account different styles of learning;
  • Supply the students not only with theoretical and conceptual tools, but also tools that could allow them to transform knowledge into practical abilities, then into professional skills;
  • Promote, thanks to the “virtual laboratories”, the integration between knowing and being able to do;
  • Develop models of sharing knowledge with the other users of the Network promoting collaborative learning processes;
  • Play the role of somebody who orientates and facilitates and give everybody the necessary tools to help the student find the information he needs on the Net and avoid his getting lost in the Web Hyperspace;
  • Promote socialization models on the Net between distance students and teachers communities.
Forum and Chat

This area is devoted to Communication Services (diachronic and synchronic): Forum and Chat allow teachers and students to share opinions, ideas and information about different subjects linked to distance courses. Forum and chat help to in setting up perfect virtual Learning Communities. Forums allow a major interactivity thanks to the organisation of three macro-areas: Student’s Forum, Teacher’s Forum and Subject Forum. All macro-areas have, inside, a generic forum, devoted to socialization, to inquiry about the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO and to signal of any miscarriage found during navigation. Forum has been though with the intention to involve users in sharing information about exams, texts an practices and to exchange institutional material or self prepared material. Forum represents a direct way of communication, encouraging and developing discussion, setting up a continuous increasable library that remains at student’s disposal. Inside Student’s Forum area, thematic forums have been set up, divided and named according to different University Degree courses interested. In Teacher Forum area, specific forums have been set up directly from teachers that has also a role of administrator together with the tutors. The Subject Forums are characterised by their didactic and deepening function. The Chat has been divided into macro-areas: a general “Room” and “Rooms” divided per each Learning Centre, per video-professors and per local telematic tutors/teachers.

  • What is the percentage of students
    • taking courses wholly or largely delivered by e-learning

Percentage: 100%

    • taking courses where the amount of institutionally supplied/guided e-learning is "significant" (i.e. has an impact on staff or students)

Percentage: 100%

    • taking courses where the where the amount of institutionally supplied/guided e-learning is insignificant? In each case comment on the answer.

Percentage: 0% All the degree courses of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO are delivered by distance mode; the only activities carried on face to face are the exams.

  • Give the percentage of the institutional budget that e-learning represents. Comment on how it is measured including the assumptions made, whether it is appropriate and any trends.

The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO delivers only distance teaching courses, therefore 100% of its institutional budget is devoted to the realisation of distance activities.

Structure

  • Describe the institutional structure, preferably supplying an organogram.

Organigramma.jpg

  • Classify the e-learning support model as (a) hub (b) distributed (c) hub and spokes (d) complicated (e) non-existent. Comment on the choice.

The e-Learning support model used is both a centralised one (thanks to the Students Secretariats and the Faculty Deanships) and a capillary one (thanks to the tutors who support the students classes for each module of every degree course). The institutional aims and the values that guide the University’s strategic choices and its international dimension and the psycho-pedagogic didactic model used, are reflected both on the organisation of the UTIU on the territory, a flexible and open organisation and on it “internal” organisation capable of putting into practice the programme orientations identified by the governing bodies. The UTIU organisation structure on the territory appears as “network” structure: a Coordination Centre and Technological Poles and Production Centres located on the national and international territory interconnected by telematic networks and also through transmitting and receiving satellite dishes. At present, the UTIU can rely not only on the Technological Poles already set up in Italy, but also on the structures and technologies of 31 Technological Poles and 9 Production centres, set at the universities’ sites and vocational training centres of the Med Net’U Project partners and dislocated in 11 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area, as shown in the picture below:

Poli.jpg

The Technological Pole is a didactic structure equipped with the new Information and Communication Technologies (TIC) distributed on the national and international territory that put at the students’ disposal all the technologies needed to attend distance teaching courses, to participate in the training activities by videoconferencing, take the exams; it has coordination and supervision function of the training and research activities in its respective territory and it supplies a physical place of interaction and meeting among students, professors and tutors. Students who do not dispose of a high-speed Internet connection at home and therefore to all the distance services supplied by the UTIU, can benefit from the services offered by the Pole. Students instead who cannot provide themselves with appropriate equipment (a PC connected to high-speed Internet, also via satellite) set up a receiving workstation at home.

The Production Centres are structures provided with the equipment to realise multimedia educational product (videolessons, online exercises, texts, Internet sites, multimedia products) that are broadcast on satellite television, on Internet via satellite and that are available in the learning environments on the didactic portal, the first distance teaching portal in the world realised in four languages (Arabic, English, French and Italian).

  • Describe in more detail the structure for the e-learning operation and how it maps into the institutional structure

The University’s “internal” organisation was designed and organised in:

  • Organs of government as it regards the definition and supervision of the University’s strategic orientations;
  • Academic structure: Faculties;
  • Operational management system (technical and administrative staff) for the support services related and complementary to teaching and research activities, including seven structures:
    1. Administrative structure,
    2. Personnel structure,
    3. Marketing structure,
    4. Supply of Didactic Services structure (it manages the Students Secretariat, it coordinates the Technological Poles on the territory, it manages the Programme Schedule and the online didactics).
    5. Production structure,
    6. Technological structure,
    7. Research and Development structure.

Faculties

Apart from their institutional tasks, envisaged by the Statute, Faculties have the task of defining the Study Programme, the modes for carrying out practice exercises and exams, the selection of the professors in charge of the video courses, the quality assessment of the educational material realised by the Production Centres located on the national and international territory; the coordination of the tutoring activities, the quality assessment of all educational services delivered by means of the new technologies and connected to each Faculty, promotes the development of research programmes.

Administrative structure

The Administrative Structure is in charge of the management of the General Accountancy, Analytical Accounting, Provisioning and Supplying.

Personnel structure

The Personnel Structure in charge of the human resources management, therefore of the technical-administrative personnel and of the teaching body as well.

Marketing structure

The Marketing structure is in charge of the promotional and marketing activities supporting the development and strengthening of the University.

Supply of Didactic Services structure

The Supply of Didactic Services structure is in charge of ensuring the effective coordination and the operational support of didactic activities, and for ensuring the compliance with the Statute of the Student Services. In particular, this department is in charge of the Secretariat for Students, the coordination of the Technological Poles on the territory, the management of programs schedule supporting the distance delivery of university courses, and the online didactics management. More specifically it:

  • oordinates the activities of the Faculties and of each Degree course or training course delivered at distance;
  • Coordinates the didactic and organisation activities of the decentralised structures of the national and international Technological Poles;
  • Coordinates the production of the videolessons and of their related didactic materials on the Internet;
  • Sees to the training of the professors and tutors;
  • Realises the database systems of didactic materials produced and realises the databases and the satellite and telematic connections between the head office and the various national and international Technological Poles;
  • Manages and prepares the programming schedule of the videolessons on the satellite channels;
  • Manages the Internet-based didactic portal.

The Students Secretariat manages enrolments and the academic career (as it regards all administrative and didactic aspects) of the students. The Esse 3 system allows that these activities take place online in the area devoted to the Students Secretariat on the UTIU didactic portal.

Production structure

The Production structure is in charge of the production and update of all didactic materials, of both the videolessons and of the multimedia didactic materials for the Internet.

Technological structure

The Technological structure is in charge of assuring the full efficiency of the technological infrastructures, with specific reference to the planning of the development of the software platform. The Technological structure manages the UTIU technological structures as it regards both via Internet connections and the satellite networks that allow high-speed connections and also the television channel RAI NETTUNO SAT 1, and the hardware and software technologies, the virtual classrooms and the connections by videoconferencing on the Internet and on Second Life. As it regards course delivery the University utilises the Internet technology and the RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 satellite channel. In addition, the UTIU can rely on a web-based system of Internet via satellite linking the National Centre in Rome with the 31 Technological Poles set up at the universities and training agencies, partner in the Med Net’U Project in 11 Mediterranean countries. This technological structure that allows to interact by videoconferencing with professors and students represents the technological basis working in all UTIU Technological Poles and Study Centres. The model of organisational structure allows the development and realisation of the UTIU psycho-pedagogic didactic model that is enclosed to the present report. Television Channels. On RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 it has been realised the UTITU programming schedule and every day the video courses related to the faculties implemented by the UTIU are aired 24 hours a day. RAI NETTUNO SAT is the first television channel of the world that delivers its contents in 4 languages. All courses are digitised and posted on the Didactic Cyberspace of the Internet-based Learning Environment.

Research and Development structure

The Research and Development structure is in charge of the promotion of the research activities as well as technological, didactic and scientific development.

  • Describe the committees that oversee e-learning (including the rank and role of the Chair in each relevant committee) and their relationship to the organisational structure.

In Italy it is envisaged that in every university it has to be established an Internal Evaluation System of the administrative management system, of the research and didactic activities and the measures adopted to support the right to study. The Board of Evaluation of the University that enjoys operational autonomy and the right to access to all necessary information carries on the universities evaluation actions.

Learning and Teaching processes

Learning and teaching design and delivery

  • Describe how choice of pedagogies and technologies is made for a typical programme that is envisaged to include significant e-learning.

Main didactic tool to access and to use the videolessons, use the didactic material and all the other student’s support elements is the personal computer. Connecting to the UTIU website you access to the Internet-based learning environment which envisages a massive use of e-Learning information technologies. The student has to follow a study programme that is available in the section called Didactic Cyberspace: in the Didactic Cyberspace are available, for each module included in the curriculum, the professors’ pages, the tutors’ pages from which it is possible to access to: videolessons digitised with bookmarks allowing for hypertextual and multimedia link to books, selected bibliographical reference, texts, exercises, virtual laboratories and lists of websites selected by the professors.

The Professor and Tutor’s page is considered as the focus of the didactic activities and is structured according to different learning environments that guide the student along its learning path. According to this model the student can build his own learning path based upon his learning needs and his skill-level and he is at the centre of the learning process, guided by the new profile of the professor=>telematic tutor who has the task of supplying the tools needed to facilitate the networked learning and communication process in a synchronic and diachronic way.

The proposed learning activity allows the shift:

  • From knowledge transfer to knowledge creation;
  • From a passive and competitive learning to active and collaborative learning
  • From the simple to the complex (videolesson and intelligent library);
  • From theory to practical projection (learning by doing in a virtual laboratory);
  • From guided exercises to research on the World Wide Web (Internet);
  • From individual study to interactive dialogue between teachers and students and among students (on the Internet).
  • Describe what scope staff have at delivery stage to refine or in some cases override design decisions made earlier.

The staff, which the student has to refer to, is the professor-tutor. In the website there is an area devoted to direct interactions between students and professor-tutor. In this section actual professor-tutor assist the students through chats, also audio and video, correct their assignments, guide them to overcome any learning or psychological difficulties arising from distance study. Online tutoring is organised in classes, with an advanced system of profiling where the user is recognised unequivocally, allows constant monitoring of the learning process of each individual user/student. Using the chats, video-chats, the professor-tutor, through by means of the Socratic-style interactive dialogues, helps the student to analyse his reasoning process and discover and correct not only the mistakes, but also their causes. Through real-time videoconferences and recorded forums, the telematic tutor organises and structures the collaborative learning sessions to favour the opportunities of interaction among the different actors of the educational process and develops networked socialisation models between communities of distance students and teachers. The professor => telematic tutor plays the role of professor-director, designs learning scenarios and gives the students theoretical and conceptual tools, but also tools that transform the knowledge in practical abilities and therefore into professional skills; it favours the integration between know how to be and know how to do.

Learning and teaching development

  • How much e-learning content is sourced from outside the institution? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment (an exact percentage is useful).

The focus of the training activities is the videolessons that are produced in the University site as well as the slides, the exercises and the virtual laboratories: value 1 (equal to 100%) The University professors and tutors produce bibliographical references and lists of websites in-house, but, in this case, they refer also to external materials: value 2 (equal to 80%) As it regards books and articles, we produce them partly in-house and partly come from external sources: value 3 (equal to 60%)

  • Of all e-learning content sourced from outside the institution, what fraction is OER? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment.

In the training practice the staff suggest lists of websites where the students can find OER and this can be quantified by value 2 (equal to 40%).

  • When staff in the institution develop content, is the content (a) owned by them and licensed to the institution, (b) owned by the institution but with some licensing back to staff, (c) owned by the institution but with no licensing back to staff, (d) unclear or disputed IPR position? Whatever option is chosen, provide a narrative describing the situation in more detail.

(c) It is owned by the University, with no licensing back to staff.

In the contracted conclude by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO with the teaching staff it is established that the didactic material supplied by the tutor further to his work becomes property of the UTIU which can use it as it likes best, including its publication within the scope of its educational activities.

  • When content is sourced for a programme within the institution, how much is sourced from other departments within the institution? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment (an exact percentage is useful).

Within the UTIU there are no departments, but Faculties and degree courses. In implementing new programmes we always try to reutilise useful contents from the already-delivered courses. In quantitative it is possible to indicate a value equal to 1 (below 20%).

  • What is the role of student-generated content in the institution's programmes? Use a scale of 1-5 with a comment.

The students, interacting with the tutor and the professor, have the possibility of suggesting how to enrich the training materials. In addition, they realise learning communities in within which the participants in the various groups are encouraged to share their skills trying to attain a shared and common objective. So doing several cognitive processes are set off. Within the learning communities the student-generated content is equal to 2.

Learning and teaching evaluation and quality

  • Describe the quality procedures (a) in general terms and (b) with respect to e-learning.

Progress tests are carried on both in itinere and through a final exam. In itinere the assessment is made by the tutor in a qualitative and quantitative way and by the Intelligent System realised in the Didactic Cyberspace. The platform tracing and reporting system allows to continuously check all student’s activities during the different phases of his learning path: access to a didactic unit, usage of different learning contents, time spent in each didactic unit, frequency of the contributions in the virtual class, evaluation and self-evaluation on intermediate tests, evaluation on the quality of the contributions in the virtual meetings sessions. The information related to the usage time, to the visited didactic units, to the participation to discussion forums and to chats and exercises that are carried on and relative assessments and self-assessments are stored in a database to be displayed later on to the authorised users of the reporting system. The information stored in such a way can be used by the:

  • Tutors to enhance and strengthen, through constant monitoring of the students’ activities and students’ groups, the effectiveness of the solution of the learning problems, carrying on the role of guides and motivation to study;
  • Professors to complete the final assessment process that will have to take into account the results of the intermediate tests proposed to the individual students and to the student’s groups, and also of the quantitative data relating to the use of the training materials and on the participation to collaborative activities and qualitative assessments expressed by the tutors on the occasion of synchronic and asynchronic virtual meetings;
  • Students to check their progress and, by means of an auto-assessment process, ad just one’s own paces in order to attain the fixed training aims.

The didactic approach of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO does not follow a traditional semester plan. Instead, it unfolds as teaching materials are delivered. All of the teaching activities of the Degree Courses at the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO are delivered in modules of a variable duration based on the academic credits of the given course. These are repeated four times each academic year. For each teaching subject the students are divided into classes on the basis of individual profiles that are the result of the Entrance Questionnaire that students fill out at the moment of enrolment. A tutor is assigned to each class, which can contain up to 30 students. This applies to all of the Faculties, with the exception of the Degree Course of the Engineering Faculty where the classes can contain a maximum of 20 students. During the period of time in which teaching is carried out, your tutor will follow your progress as the didactic activity unfolds, furnishing you with ad hoc learning materials and interacting with you through the available systems of communication available on the Tutor Page of the Didactic Cyberspace. During the course delivery period, the tutor carries on qualitative and quantitative evaluations of the learning progress in order to continuously monitor the results of the teaching-learning process and to offer the students a customised tutoring in view of the final exam. The quantitative evaluation of the students participation is carried on by the tutor on basis of the statistics related to students’ navigation on the Didactic Cyberspace, in terms of number and duration of accesses to the various sections of the Internet site. In order to integrate this level of monitoring, the Tutor administers evaluation sheets to all the students (preferably with questions and open answers and/or exercises) in order to check and see how well the student has assimilated the contents of the professor’s lessons. The results of the qualitative and quantitative evaluations constitute the basis for strengthening the student’s cognitive abilities.

The Tutor’s offering of supplementary learning materials serves two purposes: on one hand to strengthen any weak spots in the Learning Process of the single student or group of students and on the other hand to satisfy eventual requests for study in greater depth.

At the end of the course delivery period we organise exam sessions. Students who have followed the study programme as set by the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO will be allowed to sit the exam. The final exams of each selected study course are carried on face-to-face, according pre-fixed schedules, at the head office or at the branches of the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO. In the Tutor’s page the student finds a section called Exam Guide which includes: the date, time and place of the exam, the members of the exam commission, the exam modes, the requirements to sit the exam: issues to be studied to take the exams, text books, online exam booking modes, documents required to take the exam.

  • Describe the approach to evaluation of programmes (a) in general terms and (b) where such programmes have significant e-learning components.

Every year the students answer a questionnaire surveying theirs satisfaction level as it regards the degree course and the services in general and the e-Learning contents programmes as well. The answers received through the questionnaire are analysed by the Board of Evaluation of the University and the relative results are taken into account in order make any needed enhancements to didactics and to organisation.

Meta Learning and Teaching processes

Communications

  • Describe how the institution communicates good practice in e-learning within itself, focussing on communications across internal boundaries.

The information exchange with internal staff takes place on the UTIU website and thanks to regular direct mailing.

  • Describe how the institution communicates its good practice in e-learning to organisations outside.

The privileged channels are press releases, thematic pages on the website, contributions to public conferences and publication of scientific articles to present more-in-depth- studies and good practice.

  • Describe recent occasions on which institutional leaders or managers have made presentations with significant reference to e-learning.

Recent occasions in which the scientific contents and the methodological approaches and research outcomes have been presented are the international seminars and conferences listed below:

  • National Seminar “Alphabétisation : Savoir pour Pouvoir LIFE - Literacy Initiative for Empowerment” on the occasion of the National Literacy Day in Morocco. Presentation on « Cours télévisé d’alphabétisation : Présentation d’un prototype » Rabat, 13 October 2008
  • Conference “La Città della Pace per i Bambini in Basilicata”

Participation in the Round Table with Betty Williams and Rigoberta Menchù Tum on the theme: “Come collaborare alla realizzazione della Città della Pace per i Bambini in Basilicata” Matera, 27-28 September 2008

  • Study Day – “Bilancio e Prospettive dell’Alfabetizzazione nel Mediterraneo”

Presentation of the Project “I lean Arabic: the Treasure of the Letters” Roma, Camera dei Deputati, 8 September 2008

  • EXPO E-Learning Barcellona 2008

Participation in the Round Table for comparing projects and experiences of Italian universities and Spanish and Latino American Universities. Barcellona, 3-5 April 2008

  • Conference “Comunicazione e Geopolitica: La Televisione Satellitare nell’Era delle Nuove Grandi Migrazioni - IV Incontro Internazionale dei canali all-news. Migrazioni e nuove audience interculturali: il ruolo dell’informazione satellitare”

Participation to the session “I Nuovi Progetti per l’Integrazione Culturale” Rome, 28-29 March 2008

  • II Forum EXPO Milano 2015 – International Conference “Nutrire il Pianeta: Energia per laVita. Lavorare insieme per la Sicurezza Alimentare La Tutela degli Alimenti e Stili di Vita Corretti”.

Participation in the Round table on the theme “Normativa in materia alimentare, nutrizione e educazione a stili di vita sani” Milano, 4 – 5 February 2008

  • EADTU 20th Anniversary Conference 2007 – “International courses and services online. Virtual Erasmus and a new generation of Open Educational Resources for a European and global outreach”

Participation to the Parallel Session: “Stimulating Employability”. Title of the speech: Remote Internships inside Europe: Higher Education and Economy in Transition” Lisbon, Portugal, 8-9 November 2007

  • II Thematic Seminary ePrep –“La communauté de pratique ePrep: quels outils pour quels projets?”

Presentation: The International Telematic University UNINETTUNO Lyon, 5-6 November 2007

  • EDEN Annual Conference 2007 – “New Learning 2.0? Emergine Digital Territories. Developing continuities – New Divides” –

Presentation of the results achieved by UNINETTUNO and on the Italian perspective in the session dedicated to the National case studies - Current Topics in National e-Learning development. Napoli, Città della Scienza, 13-16 June 2007

  • XIV COPEAM Conference - “Mediterranean: another way of communicating” - Presentation of the Open Sky Europe Project

Dead Sea, Jordan, 20-22 April 2007

  • 2007 Cairo International Book Fair – Participation in the round table on the theme “Cultural Specificità and Information Society”

Cairo, Egypt, 23 January – 4 February 2007

  • Forum sulla Cooperazione per la Pace e la Solidarietà, “UNIDO: 40 anni di sostegno allo sviluppo. Investimenti interni ed esteri per imprenditrici nel settore industriale” – Speech on the theme: “Promozione del ruolo svolto dalle donne nell’economia e nella società dei Paesi in via di sviluppo”

Rome, Italy, 16 November 2006

  • Conference “Valorizzare il patrimonio delle tv locali”, organised by Fondazione Ugo Bordoni, with the patronage of the Ministry of Communications. Paper: “La Formazione in TV”

Rome, Italy, 18 October 2006

  • Conference “Investment & Trade Forum – Growing Business in Jordan” – Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II, King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre – Participation to the panel on the theme “Young Arab Enterprise Business Forum”, and to the round table on “Distance Learning and Enterprise Training” speech about “The Distance Learning network”

Dead Sea, Jordan, 18-20 June 2006

  • Final EUMEDIS International Conference “Closing the Digital Gap in the Euromediterranean Region” organised with the support the Delegation of the European Commission in Egypt. Paper: “The Distance University with no distance” live connection to Algiers’ Technological Pole.

Alessandria, Egypt, 11-12 June 2006

  • Conference “III Mediterranean Universities Forum” – Participation in the Conference with a speech entitled: “Distance University without Distances”

Malta, 8-10 June 2006

  • Colloque International “L’Université à l’Ere du Numérique” – Partecipation in the Round Table on the theme “La construction des universités numériques :

un éclairage international ” and to the panel on the theme “Les universités numériques dans le monde” - Cité des Science et de l’Industrie de la Vilette. Paris (France), 22-24 May 2006

  • Convegno “L’Orientamento nell’Era della Telematica” – Partecipation in the round table for discussine the Conference Finale paper, organised by the University of Naples “Federico II”, by GEO - Centro Interuniversitario Giovani Educazione Orientamento e da Città della Scienza.

Naples, Italy, 20-22 April 2006

  • Conference Catania 3 – Euro-mediterranean Space of Higher Education and Research – Coordinator of the Working Group “New Technologies and Distance Teaching” and presentation of the results within the Euromediterranean Higher Education Ministers,

Catania (Italy), 27-29 January 2006

  • 6th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates - “Africa Emergency, From Attention to Action” – Coordination of the via satellite debate on “Equal Rights of a Non-violent World” among the Nobel Peace Laureates and the students of the Universities of Helwan (Egypt), Yarmouk (Jordan) and Tunis. Pari Diritti per un Mondo Non-violento” among the Nobel Peace Laureates and the students of Helwan (Egypt), Yarmouk (Jordan) and Tunis.

Rome (Italy), 25 November 2005

  • WSIS 2005 Tunis – World Summit on the Information Society – Participation in the debate organised by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research in the framework of the second phase of Tunis WSIS. Title of the presentation: Democracy of Knowledge - From the Euromediterranean Distance University to the International Telematic University UNINETTUNO.

Tunis, 16-18 Novembre 2005

  • Journée-séminaire « L’apport des TIC dans la rénovation des approches d’enseignement et de formation » - Participation to the Seminar organised by the Université Virtuelle de Tunis as a parallel event within WSIS 2005 Tunis. Presentation on the theme : La Communication du Savoir à l’aide des Nouvelles Technologies de l’Information.

Tunis, 15 Novembre 2005

  • 2005 EADTU Annual Conference “Towards Lisbon 2010: Collaboration for Innovative Content in Lifelong Open and Flexible Learning” – Member of the International Programme Committee and in the Official Opening Session of the Conference with a speech on the theme : “Content Sharing within NETTUNO and Networking between Italian and Mediterranean Universities” in the framework of the Annual Conference of EADTU – European Association of Distance Teaching Universities. Within this Conference she chaired a session entitled: “Lisbon 2010: Prospective Views”.

Rome (Italy), 10-11 November 2005

  • Round Table "E-learning: esperienze e modelli di apprendimento a confronto” – Partticipation in the Round Table organised in the framework of the Conference “Creare, distribuire ed acquisire i contenuti in rete: tra economia e libertà, quale paradigma per il futuro?” promoted by the Commission Education and Culture and the Delegation of the Italian Senate at WSIS-World Summit on the Information Society.

Rome (Italy), 12 July 2005

  • Round Table "La Televisione Digitale-Tecnologia, Pluralismo, Sviluppo Territoriale – Un’ opportunità per il Mezzogiorno” – Participation in the Round Table organised within the Xiv edition of the International Prize “La Calabria nel Mondo”.

Conference Hall of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Palazzo Marini Rome (Italy), 12 July 2005

  • Round Table "Ruolo e Sviluppo dell’Università Telematica”- Participation in the Round Table organnised in within DIDAMATICA 2005, annual conference promoted by AICA – Associazione Italiana per l’Informatica e il Calcolo Automatico.

Potenza (Italy), 12-14 May 2005

  • First EUMEDIS International Conference “Closing the Digital Gap in the Mediterranean Region” organised with the support of the Delegations of the European Commission in Jordan and Egypt. Presentation: “From Med Net’U – Network of Universities – to the International Distance University” with live connections with the structures realised within ghe Med Net’U Project and presentation of the results achieved by the pilot projects funded by the European Commission’s EUMEDIS Programme.

Dead Sea Resort (Jordan), 17-18 April 2005.

  • Catania 2 Conference – Euro-mediterranean Area of Higher Education and Research – Coordinator of the Working Group on Distance University and presentation of the related results in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Higher Education Ministers.

Catania (Italy), 18-19 January 2005

Value for money

  • Describe the annual planning procedure (a) in general and (b) how it handles e-learning aspects.

The Board of Directors carries on the task of planning and general orientation of the University and supervises the administrative, financial and economic-patrimonial management of the University.

  • Describe the decision-making process for a typical academic programme, with particular reference to how e-learning aspects are handled.

In order to be implemented an academic programme has to comply with the guidelines indicated by the MIUR (Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research). According to these official guidelines you have to specify which are the basic subjects, the optional ones and those at students’ choice. In compliance with these parameters, it is up to the Degree Course Committee to propose to the Faculty Council the implementation of an academic programme. The Faculty Council has to request the authorisation of the Board of Directors, which deliberates its final approval. Once this procedure is completed, the new academic programme has to be submitted to the MIUR for official approval by the body concerned. Once the MIUR has given its go-ahead, the academic programme can be set up. As for e-Learning, it must be highlighted that UTIU’s work is very important in this regard.

  • Describe the decision-making process for a typical large IT project such as selection and installation of a new VLE.

Then the Supervision Area of the Information department of the UTIU that designs and develops IT projects generally identifies new requirements in terms of IT.

  • Describe the approach to budget management with particular reference to the staff versus non-staff issues in budgeting for e-learning.

The entire budget, in direct or indirect terms, is devoted to the implementation of e-learning services and activities. The relative management follows the indications given by the Board of Directors.

  • Describe the procedures in the institution for assigning or negotiating teaching workload to/with staff, taking account of non-traditional styles of teaching as well as classroom teaching and taking specific account of e-learning.

Each class has to refer to a professor-tutor.

Staff

Teachers, lecturers, trainers and equivalent support roles

  • Describe the approach to development of e-learning technical and pedagogic skills among staff, taking account of the different needs of different categories of staff. Set this within the context of staff development generally.

In the proposed psycho-pedagogic model, the student is at the centre of the educational process, guided by the new profile of the professor- telematic tutor who represents a guide and a constant presence during the learning process. Every year, the UTIU, after the tutors’ appointment, organises training courses to make the staff acquire specific skills. Tutors are selected by the area professors and chosen among doctor’s degree candidates, researchers, study grant holders and experts in the subject. Tailored training is aimed at making them acquire a range of skills that can be grouped into five main areas:

  1. Specific disciplinary skills;
  2. Specific professional skills;
  3. Organisational skills;
  4. Communication and relational skills;
  5. Pedagogic and didactic skills.

The use of ICT tools transforms traditional didactic communication. In the new didactic model, the professors have to learn a new way of explaining, synthesising and presenting his knowledge to a virtual student in order to trigger a critical and reflective learning process. The videolesson requires a specific preparatory work and, in order to exploit all the potentials of the tools, the professor has to work with a team of technicians and experts in language of image. We calculated that each hour of videolesson requires from twenty to thirty hours of preparatory work. This, of course, develops in the professors new communication skills and the use of new languages that area used also to store the results of their own research work. This new training experience has an impact on the way they deliver their lessons also in their traditional academic courses.

  • Describe (a) the current level of staff competence in e-learning and (b) the expected level of staff competence in five years time. In each case use a 1-5 scale with a comment.

Staff competence in the field is excellent since the UTIU delivers courses only on a distance model (level 5). This is the reason why the levels expected in the next years are of further professional growth (level 5).

  • Describe the extent to which staff attitudes to e-learning are favourable or not. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.

Staff is in favour by 100% (value 5).

  • Describe the way that the institution rewards and recognises staff with competence in e-learning, in (a) monetary and (b) non-monetary terms.

Staff selection is always made on the basis of their competence as it regards e-learning that should be of excellent level, since the UTIU delivers courses only on distance mode. This is the reason why no awards or prizes are recognised as it regards e-learning skills.

Management and leadership

  • Describe the approach to development of e-learning-related skills among (a) managers and (b) leaders.

Since the UTIU delivers only distance teaching courses, both management and leadership are fully involved and engaged in developing the objectives linked to e-learning.

  • Describe the current level of (a) management and (b) leadership competence in e-learning related skills appropriate to their levels. In each case use a 1-5 scale with a comment.

The management and leadership competencies in the field are excellent since the UTIU delivers only distance teaching courses (level 5). In particular, the Rector, Prof. Maria Amata Garito, full professor of Teaching and Learning Technologies at the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Rome “La Sapienza” created the Psycho-pedagogic and Didactic Model used by NETTUNO System to produce all videolessons.

  • Describe the extent to which (a) management and (b) leadership attitudes to e-learning are favourable or not. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.

Management and leadership are in favour by 100% (value 5).

  • Give details of the job description of the most senior manager/leader in the organisation who spends a significant portion of his/her time on e-learning matters (e.g. the Director of E-Learning).

The UTIU organisation is structured on seven organisms and each of them is under the supervision of a senior manager. They are the administration, personnel, marketing, didactic service delivery, production, technological and research and development structures. All seniors’ activities are focused on issues directly or indirectly linked to the good working of the structure and therefore of the didactics and of e-Learning.

Students

  • Describe the approach to development of e-learning skills among students, taking account of the different needs of different categories of students. Set this within the context of students' more general information literacy and communication skills.

During his learning path, the student’s activities are checked by the system where are recorded all his training performances. The stored information are made available to the tutors to enhance and increase, through a continuous monitoring of the activities of the students and of groups of students, the effectiveness of the measures taken to solve learning problems; to the professors to complete the final assessment process that will have to take into account of the results of the intermediate tests proposed to the individual students and also quantitative data related to the use of the training material; to the students to make them assess their progress and, through an auto-evaluation process, to adjust their own rhythms to achieve their educational objectives.

  • Describe

(a) the current level of student competence in e-learning on entry to the institution

The students’ average level is high. In any case it has to be sufficient to be able to attend online courses and services.

(b) the expected level of student competence on graduation from the institution.

The students’ competences in e-learning on graduation are excellent (value 5).

  • Describe the extent to which student attitudes to e-learning are favourable or not. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.

The student opinion survey carried out on the 2006/2007 academic year registers on average a high level of satisfaction with the organization of the degree courses and the online didactics, with decidedly high percentage. Of considerable significance are the evaluations of the videolessons, exercises and efficacy of online tutoring, these representing the specific tools of the University and not usually found in traditional Universities. Such instruments were available in academic year 2006/2007 in already consolidated form. The relevant evaluations are decidedly positive, being around 80-90% in all the Faculties (value 5).

  • Describe the extent to which students understand the demands on them placed by e-learning systems (e.g. for assignment handling).

The level of understanding showed by the students in e-learning is excellent (value 5).

  • Describe the current (i.e. at last survey) level of student satisfaction with the e-learning aspects of their courses. Use a 1-5 scale with a comment.

The student opinion survey carried out on the 2006/2007 academic year registers on average a high level of satisfaction with the organization of the degree courses; more specifically it results that: and the online didactics, with decidedly high percentage

  1. the overall organisation of the degree course registered high levels of satisfaction of the students who expressed positive evaluations as it regards the allocation of study workload of the courses in the reference period, both as it regards the overall organisation of the courses and the flexibility of the educational offer with a rate of positive evaluations of 80% of the received answers (level 4).
  2. In the evaluation of the organisation of the individual course, particularly striking are the positive evaluations of tutors’ activity and of their wilfulness to help reaching peaks of 90% of the positive evaluations expressed; the modes according to which the exams are organised and the online didactic support are considered satisfactory in the 87.9% and in the 86.5% respectively of the answers (level 5).
  3. as it regards training and study activities the student understand in clear way the topics presented both by the professor and by the tutor and again there is a high level of satisfaction on the students’ part as it regards the tutor’s work who is capable of stimulating the interest for the discipline, as indicated in over 93% of the answers (level 5).

The study aimed at contents comprehension level and not only at acquiring information registered positive evaluation among all students; the appropriateness of the tests adopted obtained over 90% of the positive evaluations (level 5).

Technology

  • VLE and/or content repository

Scale: 5 All didactic materials necessary to learning and to the obtention of the study titles are stored in the content repository

  • email or bulletin boards

Scale: 5 All the University’s staff and UNINETTUNO students can dispose of an e-mail account that is used for all communication in the University both didactic ones and addressed to the tutors and of administrative ones with the students secretariats and deanship secretariats.

  • automated assessment

Scale: 4 The University uses an automated assessment system based on the tracing of online activities.

  • Web 2.0 tools especially blogs, wikis and social networks oriented to the institution

Scale: 3.5 It will soon be delivered an option giving the possibility of sharing document through a web-based environment integrated to the platform.

  • e-portfolios

Scale: 4 The online learning environments of the University include a “Student’s Page”. The Student’s Page includes the functions made available for the students and allows accessing to the following area:

  1. Customised didactic planning: this supplies the student with a customized study programme and the didactic activities planning referring to each course. Every student can find the planning of his didactic activities, divided into four didactic periods, on the Internet. The inclusion in the online study classes is structured in such a way as to grant the student the possibility of attending two subjects for each didactic period while being guided by a professor/tutor. The result of the intermediate assessment that can also be checked by each individual student along with the tracking of his Internet-based learning, so allowing admission to the exams Getting through the exams of the attended didactic modules allows getting enrolled and included into the classes of the following courses.
  2. Learning process check: each individual student can check, for each Internet-based didactic activity, his own self-assessment and compare it with that one given by his tutor. He can check by himself if there are some gaps in his learning and develop new learning strategies with the support of not only the professor/tutor, but also of his own classmates
  3. Agenda (planning of didactic activities): This displays the rendezvous fixed by the tutors or by the professor in the Chat-room, Forum and in the Virtual Classroom; it is possible to use the Agenda to include personal memos or ask for the professor/tutor’s support to overcome any learning difficulties.
  4. My lessons on TV today: This displays the video lessons programming schedule being broadcast on the satellite television channel for the subjects being currently delivered


  • laptops - and comment on student ownership issues

Scale: 0 The University relies on web-based platform that can be accessed by any pc; in addition the University supplies Technological Poles that are at the students’ disposal, therefore the use or non-use of a laptop is at the student’s choice, but it not a feature affecting the system.

  • audio or video podcasting or streaming - and comment on student ownership issues

Scale: 4 All videolessons are available online and in video streaming.

  • mobile devices (not laptops) - and comment on student ownership issues

Scale: 0 At present the University does not use training-supporting mobile devices since the use of the videolessons through mobile devices that have too small screens is not profitable from the didactic point of view.

  • Provide a description of any other technologies with significant use in the institution.

Videoconferences

Television – the University has two satellite television channels (RAI NETTUNO SAT 1 and RAI NETTUNO SAT 2) broadcasting 48 hours a day the educational materials produced by the University.

Satellite – It is used to diffuse the lessons on the satellite television channels and the Internet via satellite is used where terrestrial network Internet is not available by means of Eutelsat’s Open Sky platform.

Futures

  • Describe the expected changes as they relate to e-learning within the institution's current strategic horizon (from the institution's strategy documents).

The UTIU strategic horizon has essentially to be projected firstly toward an international dimension. Among other goals there are: cannot be no longer projected

  • Maintenance of high quality of educational contents to be made available in more languages;
  • Improvement and continuous implementation of the learning model through multimedia interaction modes;
  • Realisation of courses for the delivery of double degree courses between the UTIU and traditional universities.
  • Describe how the institution handles the foresight aspects of its operation with regard to e-learning.

We have to highlight the priorities set by the UTIU in a perspective of gradual realisation of the objectives:

  • Quality of the video professor, selected among the best ones of the Italian and foreign universities;
  • Quality of the training structures thanks to full professors, tenured and associate ones, hired according to selection procedures. These teachers are hired by a contract regulated by agreements between the universities they belong to, as provided for by the ministerial regulations in force. So doing we established a stable teaching staff, bound to represent, also in the future, the main focus which assures the quality of the educational paths and of the researchers and tutors engagement;
  • Quality of the computer-based platform, realised on the basis of the already developed psycho-pedagogic and didactic model and continuously enhanced;
  • Accurate selection, targeted training and continuous coordination and monitoring of the tutors;
  • Realisation of Technological Poles and didactic structures in cooperation with Italian and foreign traditional universities and with public and private agencies;
  • Development of cooperation with foreign universities for the realisation of distance courses and delivery of a double title, especially aimed at realising a Euro-Mediterranean Network stably connecting UNINETTUNO to the best universities of the Mediterranean countries;
  • Considerable investments in international-level research and initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality and effectiveness of the distance teaching methodologies.
  • Describe how the institution handles advanced development oriented to e-learning (e.g. by a "sandbox" lab, innovation centre, etc).

The objective is to find in the application of the technologies in the teaching and learning processes a balance between the technical-engineering components and the cognitive, cultural and educational ones linked to the development of the information technologies. These projects involve international-level experts in several disciplines (technicians, computer scientists, pedagogists, learning psychologists, experts in various languages). The research activity carried on by the UTIU is, at the same time, theoretical-experimental, pure and applied.

  • Describe how the institution analyses and takes into account present and future markets for its offerings.

The UTIU constantly monitors reference markets through its networks and relations at national and international level as well.

  • Describe how the institution analyses and takes into account present and future competitor suppliers for its offerings.

The analysis of the competitors is carried on through a continuous monitoring of the websites and through public documentation available on the Internet.

  • Describe how the institution analyses and takes into account the views of other stakeholders, including but not restricted to employers, local authorities and the social partners (unions).

The reference stakeholders have continuous exchange with the UTIU through many communication media. In the first place, there are the secretariats of the faculties’ deanships through which the students, professors and tutors can submit their requests and proposals. Other stakeholders, such as local authorities and social partners, have continuous exchanges with the University’s management and leadership. Cooperation is reciprocal and particularly lively and exchange on new ideas is free and always very active.


References and reports

  • Garito, M.A., Anceschi G., Botta M., (2006). L'Ambiente dell'Apprendimento - Web Design e Processi Cognitivi. Milano: Mc Graw-Hill.
  • Garito, M.A. (2005). “Towards the Euro-Mediterranean Distance University”, in LlinE - Lifelong Learning in Europe - European Adult and Continuing Education Journal, vol. IX issue 1, pp. 47-49.
  • Garito, M.A. (2004). “NETTUNO-The University to Watch, Browse and Surf on” Die Rolle des Telelearning: Europäische Erfahrungen, Materialien, Nr. 87, July, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, pp. 141-149.
  • Garito, M.A. (2004). “La Perspective Internationale. Une collaboration Europe-Pays de la Méditerranéee », revue Savoirs, N. 5, novembre, Paris : L’Harmattan, pp. 97-103.
  • Garito, M.A. (2004). “Zmierzajac ku Wirtualnej Edukacji” in e-Mentor, Internet Magazine, Warsaw: Warsaw School of Economics, N. 1 pp. 51-53.
  • Garito, M.A. (2003). “The Euromediterranean Distance University” in Public Service Review: European Union, Newcastle-under-Lyme (UK): Public Service Communication Agency Ltd, Autumn 2003, pp. 129-132.
  • Garito, M.A. (2003). “Going the Distance with e-Learning” in Public Service Review: European Union, Newcastle-under-Lyme (UK): Public Service Communication Agency Ltd, Spring, pp. 146-151.
  • Garito, M.A. (2001). “The University for the New Market of Knowledge”, in World Futures, The Journal of General Evolution, edited by Ervin Laszlo, Special Issue no. 1, Volume 57, n. 4, London: Taylor & Francis, pp. 373-393.
  • Garito, M.A. (2000). “Globalizzazione e Innovazione: Le Nuove Opportunità di Istruzione e Formazione”, in Viaggio tra i Perché della Disoccupazione in Italia, Milano: Giuffré Editore, pp. 177-196.
  • Garito, M.A. (1999), “La Universidad del Futuro. Hacia un Proceso de Ensenanza-Aprendizaje Integrato y Abierto”, in Global Networking into the Future, Veracruz: FESI Mexico, pp. 69-77.
  • Garito, M.A. (1998). “La Télévision dans les Processus d'Enseignement et Apprentissage”, in Images and Scientific Education in Europe-European Science and Technology Forum, Paris: CNRS.
  • Garito, M.A. (1997). Tecnologie e Processi Cognitivi: Insegnare e Apprendere con la Multimedialità, Milano: Angeli.
  • Garito, M.A. (1997). The Creation of the Euro-Mediterranean Information Society: Communication, Education and Training, Research, Firenze: Giunti.
  • Garito, M.A. (1996). (a cura di) La Multimedialità nell’Insegnamento a Distanza, Roma: Garamond.



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