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Impetus
Founding a university is not a
common business. Since the very first days of universities as
places of gathering knowledge and transfer it to interested
persons ambitious persons founded the base for such locations
of science and knowledge. All of them where enthusiastic about
different elements of education and all shared the will to
overcome current obstacles and to optimize various issues. This
momentum of actively conducted change describes the trigger to
found Cubidor University Switzerland.
Various personal experiences of
the founder as a student as a lecturer and as a person in
charge of implementing distance learning elements in an
existing university course brought up many ideas to generate
extraordinary educational elements. As always a lot of ideas
are not realized because various organizational and personal
obstacles. The persistent will to take part in an organization
that tries to realize these ideas led finally to the foundation
of the university.
To realize the concept it is
vital to find equally minded and highly inspired persons that
are ready to make the ideas a reality. Thus, everyone who
contacts Cubidor University Switzerland at any level will meet
this kind of persons! Some of them can be found in the team member section below.
ms, 15.7.2007
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Mission Statement (Top)
Cubidor University Switzerland’s mission is ...
to design and conduct international competitive research activities and educational programs at university
level and gain reputation within the national and international science community;
to address international students that mostly already entered the labor markets to boost their opportunities;
to use a 100% distance learning approach as a catalyst to speed up, optimize and facilitate the learning and
teaching process;
to bridge the gap between blended learning and 100% distance learning by innovative means and
to establish a methodological framework throughout the whole university to align with the needs of
solution oriented students;
to grow steadily by an implemented time pacing concept.
Team Members (Top)
We are fully aware that being an online university lacks in some way the personal touch. To overcome this
feeling we decided to focus on personalities throughout this site. Thus, on various occasions we attached the
persons’ images and a short welcome notice as a tool tip of the e-mail links. Our intention is that you always see
to whom you write or talk. As our institution grows you will find students, lecturers and university staff at the contact page. To show you some protagonists at the university level we will start with:
Organizational Structure (Top)
Department versus Faculty
Right at the beginning of the planning phase it became apparent to create an organizational structure that
exploits central benefits of an online-university extensively. Especially
real-life orientation, flexibility and flat and fast decision processes
should be enhanced. To implement both goals into the structure of the
whole organization and not to formulate them only as strategic goals was the momentum to design the
educational and research related entities based on themes.
The conceptual entity that is capable to meet the set out goals is the
department. Cubidor leaves the classical
faculty based approach to reduce alignment problems in research and program design and to enforce real-life
oriented approaches. On the one side this structural decision reduces the stated problem areas durably. On the
other side it imposes a significantly higher know-how level on the director of a department. He has to possess
adequate knowledge to fulfill the position of a person who is in charge of research activities as well as of
designing educational programs at all levels. To be added, both areas have to meet all national and international
standards. Some additional thoughts concerning departments can be found throughout the proceeding text.
Department for Tourism and Leisure Management
One part of the preparation of founding the university was realized by a research project that was conducted by
the University of Graz (Austria) during the first quarter 2007. In a two step approach its purpose was (1) to
analyze international education markets concerning offered programs and prospective demands and (2) to carve
out market segments with high potential and to sketch out attractive and competitive programs on a university
level.
The core results of the research project are that
the tourism sector is highly attractive for educational organizations
prospective customers have very specific needs and differ from the classic student type
well aligned programs might offer a significant competitive advantage
studying online becomes more and more a common mean of knowledge transfer
To put these results into action Cubidor University Switzerland starts its activities with the Department for
Tourism and Leisure Studies which focuses exclusively on tourism and leisure systems and on tourism interested
national and international students and organizations.
Activity Range (Top)
Cubidor University Switzerland activity range comprises the following areas:
All research activities are structured and coordinated on the department’s level. To implement a transparent,
flexible and efficient organization entity each department establishes a Research Transfer Center (RTC) which is
in charge of all research related activities.
The respective department director is in charge of planning and realizing research activities and to has to inform
and transfer results to companies, politics and society.
Right at the beginning of the planning phase it became apparent to create a
organizational structure that supports flexibility and flat and fast decision
processes. To implement both goals into the structure of the whole
organization and not only formulate them as strategic goals was the
momentum to design the educational and research related entities based on
themes. Thus, all programs that are offered by the university are centered
around a theme. The structural equivalent to embrace the necessary activities
is the department. More on this issue you find further below.
Bologna compliant 100% long distance
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All accredited programs are fully compliant with the ongoing Bologna
Process and are designed as complete long-distance education studies.
To implement a strong and consistent thematic focus throughout the whole university and all its entities the
organizational structure is based on
departments not on faculties. This allows the design of highly efficient programs of distinction.
Studying Online without blended learning (Education | Activity Range | Top)
Cubidor University Switzerland does not use the common blended learning
concept with part time presence blocks but offers all program entirely by
virtual means - a virtual campus
. All educational elements are realized by
the most modern and state-of-the-art means of distance learning.
To close the “gap” between a 100% online study and a blended learning system Cubidor University Switzerland
offers a more personal approach by offering each student a Private Career Guide (PCG) and the possibility to
actively join the Cubidor Global Student network (CGSN).
All programs were carefully designed to offer especially adult persons
to enter into an academic program.
Thus, the university pays tribute to the emerging demand for advanced education within the life-long-learning
process.
In contrast to typical students at the age of 18 or 19 Cubidor University Switzerland puts its focus on elder
persons that have already entered into the labor markets. In comparison to classic students these persons possess
very clear expectations and are much more problem-solving oriented than content oriented.
To use as many opportunities of online learning as possible Cubidor University Switzerland uses a very specific
and unique methodology approach.
The goal is to harmonize and standardize
repetitive elements at an administrative, learning and teaching
level but to foster flexibility
at the same time. More on this subject can be found here ...
Services that will be rendered by the university to national and international organizations as well as to interested
persons will derive directly from the origin research and education activities. These service offers comprise
amongst others consultancy, instructed research projects and more.
Accreditation (Top)
The Swiss accreditation system is changing rapidly and significantly. At the
moment (July 2007) Switzerland’s authorities prescribes a two step
accreditation process. The first activity is to achieve accreditation on the
cantonal level. After a minimum of one year doing actively business the
accreditation process can be proceeded by applying for federal accreditation.
More on this subject can be found on the pages of the Rector’s Conference of
the Swiss Universities.
As each Swiss Kanton is allowed to design his own educational laws it was important to find a Kanton which
offers a stable legal framework. The Kanton of Uri offers a clear regalement ( ) that determines the
requirements that have to be met.
Cubidor University Switzerland has been accredited by the Erziehungsrat des Kanton Uri, the official authorities
of the Kanton URI in May 2007 as a privately founded online university. The cantonal accreditation finalizes
the first step and coincidentally imposes the duty to aim at federal accreditation within 1 to 2 years.
ms, 9.7.2007
Legal ownership - Headquarters and Branches (Top)
According to Swiss law the university has to be based on an entity that is responsible for the legal and economic
conduct of the universities affairs. To stress the transparency of the “university project” the public limited
company Cubidor University AG
was founded. Its headquarters is located in the Swiss Kanton Uri and it is
entirely owned by university’s founder and first rector
Dr. Martin Schwarz.
Giving up any physical presence during the studies offers an additional flexibility concerning locations. Right
from the beginning the Cubidor concept took into account that long distance travels become more and more an
obstacle than an attractive enrichment. In fact, rising political threads and the increasing amount of time to
cover great distances or recurring presences clearly bother each of us. To overcome the distance problem the
university’s concept offers the possibility to put necessary infrastructure around key persons. Verbatim, the
managing persons of Cubidor can do their business everywhere around the world. General management and
administration efforts are realized by the headquarters to reduce redundancies and to free up a lot of time for
important issues. Indeed the university understands itself as a service center for the attached departments!
ms, 22.7.2007
Unique Selling Proposition (Top)
The assumptions which determined the base of the research program mentioned above form the core USP of the
university. The most important of theme we formulate them as follows:
Swiss Quality Standards International experts Thematic Focus Extensively broad and deep program range
Innovative Methodology Trans-disciplinary Approach Bologna Process Compliant
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Highest quality standards have to be met as a Swiss accredited
university; Bringing together international experts
with international oriented students Thematically
focused educational programs that cover an extremely wide range;
Broad target group definition due to educational programs that differ in
content and duration; Innovative methodology
concept that bridges the gap between
blended learning and completely long distance learning; Seamless trans-disciplinary approach;
Frictionless and integrated language education in 2 languages awarded with international degrees
(Cambridge Certificate, etc.) plus opportunities for additional language certificates;
Bologna Process
compliant, broad basic education in economics and business administration focusing
the touristic sector;
Clean and transparent structure based on encapsulated modules.
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