Type of site | Online education |
---|---|
Available in | English, German and Russian |
Created by | Jonas Liepmann and Hannes Klöpper |
URL | www |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Required |
Users | 600.000+ (February 2015) |
Launched | October 2013 |
Current status | Active |
Iversity (stylised as "iversity") is a Berlin-based online education platform. Since October 2013, iversity has specialised in providing online courses and lectures in higher education, specifically MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). [1] [2] [3] Courses are free and open for anyone to enroll and participate. [4] Many of them are conducted in English or German, but also in other languages. [5] iversity cooperates with individual professors as well as different European universities. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Some of the courses were winners of the MOOC Production Fellowship held in early 2013. [11] [12] [13] iversity.org officially launched the MOOC platform online in October 2013 [8] [14] [15] and as of February 2015 has a user base of 600,000 online learners, enrolled in 63 courses offered by 41 partner universities. iversity is the only MOOC platform offering courses with ECTS-integration. [16] [17] iversity has branch offices in Bernau bei Berlin, Germany and Berlin.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) harness visual elements (lecture videos, animations, graphics), interactive elements (simulations) and written materials (scientific articles). [31] [32] [33] [34] All elements can be reviewed at any time. Instructors and course participants can interact with each other in discussion forums. [35] Instructors can use quizzes to get feedback on the learning progress of the course participants. [36] Most iversity courses end with a final assessment or exam. Exams can be taken on-site, online as “proctored-exam” or in form of a final project that has to be handed in to the instructor.
Students at iversity.org can choose between different study paths, resulting in different certificates. “Statement of Participation” is free-of-charge, other certificates come with varying costs – depending on which level of certification the student chooses. [37] [38] Universities that offer a course at iversity have the option of offering European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits. This track allows students to receive credits from their courses and apply them to their university studies. ECTS Credits can be used at any European Higher Education Institution. A certificate that awards ECTS credits is issued once the participant has passed an on-site or online proctored exam. [39] [40] Enrolment to courses is free, costs only apply when purchasing certificates.
For the production of courses, iversity collaborates with European universities and individual professors. Lecturers design their MOOCs with technical support from iversity. iversity cooperates with institutions such as
iversity earns revenue through the sale of certificates, which online learners receive after completing courses on iversity.org thereby catering to all types of learners, among them working professionals who need to document their learning achievements and university students. [32] Some courses at iversity can be integrated into the student's diploma through the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). iversity has raised more than €5 million in venture capital. The investors are T-Venture, BMP media investors, BFB Frühphasenfonds, Masoud Kamali, Westtech Ventures, CRALS, Peter Zühlsdorf and Kontor B45. The iversity advisory board consists of Dr. Jörg Dräger and Prof. Édouard Husson.
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