Press room
[03/02/2010]
EUNIS analyses European university information systems
The UOC is to host the annual meeting of the European University Information Systems (EUNIS) E-Learning Task Force (ELTF). EUNIS fosters networking between information systems managers at Europe's higher education and research institutions. The meeting, organised by the network and the UOC's Office of Learning Technologies, is to take place on Thursday 4 February at the University's Barcelonès Support Centre (Rambla de Catalunya 6) at 9.15am.
[03/02/2010]
The UOC promotes Innosfera, a forum for innovation
The UOC is organising a new Innosfera session, a forum for presentations focusing on innovation. This time it is to look at collective thought and crowdsourcing as catalysts for innovation. The event is to take place on Wednesday 3 February at Madrid's Blanquerna Cultural Centre from 7pm onwards. As with all the activities organised as part of this initiative, attendance is free of charge, although you do need to register beforehand via the blog.
[02/02/2010]
A rise of 15.42% in examinations at the UOC this semester
In this first semester 2009-2010, a total of 66,026 final assessment tests were taken, 15.42% more than for the same semester of last year. The official days for sitting these examinations were Wednesday 13 and Saturdays 16 and 23 January.
[20/01/2010]
The digital divide in higher education the focus for the seventh volume of RUSC
The digital divide in higher education is the focus for the latest volume of the Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento (University and Knowledge Society Journal, RUSC). This UOC publication has now reached its seventh volume, which is to look at the question of universal access to ICT, focusing above all on that linked to university education.
[20/01/2010]
Dubet: "Society has to learn not to expect everything from schools"
The French sociologist François Dubet proposes that the schools of the future be inclusive schools based on balance and motivation, and able to count on the collaboration of other external agents who become involved in the educational project. This professor at the University of Bordeaux II and Director of Studies at Paris?s École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales presented his conclusions during the Debates on Education held yesterday at the MACBA Auditorium in Barcelona.
[18/01/2010]
The French sociologist François Dubet, professor at Bordeaux University and Director of Studies at Paris's École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, is the speaker at the latest in the series of Debates in Education which will take place next Tuesday 19 January in Barcelona. A defender of the inclusive school, Dubet will be focusing his speech on concepts such as social inequalities, the inclusive school and immigration.
[18/01/2010]
The aim of the Scheme for Institutional Development and Training in University Management (IDUM) begun a year ago by the ACUP, the group of 8 Catalan public universities, and culminating in a closing ceremony conference which starts today at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, is to encourage the exchange of experiences and training, and promote professional development of African university directors and managers.
[13/01/2010]
Over 62,000 exams during the month of January
The UOC expects to carry out more than 62,000 validation tests, summary tests and final examinations this January. The three days of official sittings for the first semester of the academic year 2009-2010 are today, Wednesday 13 January, and Saturdays 16 and 23 January.
[08/01/2010]
The UOC, Berkeley and ETH Zurich have joined forces to revolutionise audiovisual academic content
The UOC is taking part, alongside the University of California, Berkeley, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich), among other North American and European institutions, in a project which aims to make the most of the possibilities offered by video as an educational tool. This project is Matterhorn, a platform that provides software, capture, management, coding and delivery of audiovisual content. The first version of Matterhorn, which is to be released in August of 2010 and is based on open-source, already includes features to aid recording and uploading of audiovisual academic material, and its distribution and publication via iTunes, YouTube or on virtual campuses, like My UOC. It thus allows for the introduction of interactive interfaces that are more useful and attractive to students, with tools such as playback, capture of snippets and a search engine for content in videos. (By Leo Ruffini).
[21/12/2009]
The UOC's virtual holiday card now a reality
The UOC has, for the fourth consecutive year, organised a virtual Christmas card competition for its students. This year, the winning entry and the official UOC Christmas card was produced by a student from Manresa on the master's degree in Marketing and Communication Management, Roger Torras.
[21/12/2009]
The Office of Learning Technologies creates Apertium UOC
The UOC has just launched an exclusive version of the Apertium translation engine developed by the Office of Learning Technologies in collaboration with Prompsit. This internal tool will enable texts, documents (Excel, PowerPoint, compressed files, HTML, etc.) and web pages to be translated quickly and easily.
[21/12/2009]
The UOC and the Incorpora Programme of the ?la Caixa? Charitable Fund favour reintegration
The UOC and the "la Caixa" Charitable Fund have signed a collaboration agreement to favour the employment reintegration of people at a risk of or in a situation of social exclusion.
[18/12/2009]
The UOC's departments unveil their own sites on the portal
Each of the UOC's six departments has unveiled their own sites on the UOC portal this month. Thus, for the first time, the UOC's Arts and Humanities; Information and Communication Sciences; Law and Political Science; Economics and Business Studies; IT, Multimedia and Telecommunications, and Psychology and Educational Sciences departments will have their own specific sites on the University's portal.
[15/12/2009]
Researchers in the DPCS research group publish a new book on mobile-learning
A group of researchers with the DPCS research group (distributed, parallel and collaborative systems) at the UOC research institutes, the IN3 and the eLearn Center, has recently published a book on Mobile-Learning: "Architectures for Distributed and Complex M-Learning Systems: Applying Intelligent Technologies". The publication focuses on Mobile-Learning with the aim of contributing to laying down the bases of the complex systems that provide support to this type of learning, characterised by its flexibility and freedom of place.
[11/12/2009]
Over 700 UOC students already involved in virtual pairs to learn languages
Is it possible to practise the oral part of a language at an online university where there are no physical classrooms? The answer from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) is yes. Indeed, what might seem to be a limitation can be transformed into an opportunity and an advantage. This is what Christine Appel, the lecturer responsible for English at the UOC, has shown with Tandem, a learning tool to create pairs "or tandems" of native speakers of different languages, allowing both to learn while speaking to each other.
[09/12/2009]
The UOC to lead a virtual library task force
The Executive Committee of the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) agreed to set up a library task force to be led by the UOC at its latest meeting held in Barcelona on 19 November. This new project forms part of the process to strengthen the role of virtual libraries in distance university teaching in the European Higher Education Area.
[01/12/2009]
The get-together featured the participation of experts from around the world and a presentation was given of the results of the UOC pilot course on Facebook, which received an excellent evaluation by the students
[30/11/2009]
Imma Tubella signs a collaboration agreement with the UNAM
The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (Autonomous National University of Mexico, UNAM) are to sign a collaboration agreement next Thursday to strengthen relations between the two institutions in open and distance education. The signing of the agreement is to take place as part of UOC President Imma Tubella's visit to Mexico City, starting next Tuesday. The President is scheduled to meet university authorities, including the presidents of the UNAM, José Narro, and of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional (National Pedagogical University), Silvia Ortega.
[26/11/2009]
International experts debate the new revolution in 2.0 education at the UOC: Open Social Learning
International experts in the different theoretical and practical aspects of the use of ICT in education will meet in Barcelona at the Sixth International UOC eLearn Center UNESCO Chair in E-Learning Seminar, which this year will be discussing Open Social Learning (OSL), the new revolution in education 2.0. The seminar, which will be held on 30 November and 1 December, has already received some seventy enrolments from researchers from all over the world. It can also be followed on Twitter.
[24/11/2009]
They highlight their role in higher education and stress that they will lead the changes needed in the university community thanks to their pioneering use of new technologies
[20/11/2009]
A roundtable analyses the links between multilingualism and nationalist sentiments
The professor from the UOC's Arts and Humanities department, Miquel Strubell, and the tutor from the same department, Ernest Querol, are to take part, on Tuesday 24 November in a roundtable to present their book entitled Llengua i reivindicacions nacionals a Catalunya. Evolució de les habilitats, dels usos i de la transmissió lingüística (1977-2008) [Language and Nationalist Sentiments in Catalonia. Evolution of Language Skills, Uses and Transmission (1977-2008)].
[20/11/2009]
The economist Xavier Sala i Martín and the president of the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Imma Tubella, emphasized today the role of the university in overcoming the crisis and creating a new pattern of economic growth. Sala i Martín and Tubella participated in the opening of SCOP 2009, the standing conference that brings together as of this Friday in Barcelona some 80 presidents and executive directors of virtual and distance universities throughout the world. The meeting focuses on the search for formulas that allow the quality of university services to be maintained during the crisis and, at the same time, contribute to overcoming the economic and financial difficulties that society is going through.
[18/11/2009]
Presidents of distance and virtual universities from around the world meet in Barcelona
The meeting will serve to discuss the challenges arising from the current economic crisis for a university community that has to face up to strategic change.
[12/11/2009]
The UOC holds its graduation ceremony in Madrid
This Saturday, 14 November, Madrid's National Music Auditorium is to be the setting for the graduation ceremony for the UOC's latest graduates. More than 5,500 students from around the world have completed their studies during the academic year 2008-2009. The President, Imma Tubella, is to preside over the event, which is also to involve other members of the UOC's governing team. The patron for this year's graduates is Manuel Campo Vidal, journalist and Director of the Instituto de Comunicación Empresarial (Business Communication Institute). The graduates will be represented by Nuria Arroyo Jerez, graduate in Advertising and Public Relations.
[06/11/2009]
IN3-HAROSA workshop first edition, an international forum on collaborative research
The UOC's research institute, the IN3, is organising the first edition of the "Hybrid Algorithms for solving Realistic rOuting, Scheduling and reliability/Availability problems" (HAROSA) Workshop, a forum about online, distributed and collaborative research in the fields of computation and operational research. This year, the central theme of the conference is "HAROSA: a knowledge community for online, distributed and collaborative research." The forum will take place on 9, 10 and 11 November, at the IN3 building (Av. del Canal Olímpic, s/n, Castelldefels), from 9.30 am to 5 pm.
[06/11/2009]
The UOC organises a get-together for more than 2.400 postgraduate students
On Saturday, the 7th of November, the first get-together of the new academic year will take place for over 2,400 students of the UOC´s International Graduate Institute, held at the Geography and History Department of the UB (c-Montalegre, 6). Throughout the morning, the students in the masters, postgraduate and specialisation programmes and their professors and tutors will have the opportunity to participate in different talks and program activities.
[04/11/2009]
«Our mediation techniques are superior to violent technology»
Eduard Vinyamata, Director of the UOC Campus for Peace, opened the Third International Conflicts, Conflictology and Peace Conference defending the use of mediation in any violent context. "Our technology is far superior to violent technology", he asserted. "Directly intervening in war with our tools is no utopia". The event has served for reflection on Conflictology, for presenting the UOC's new courses in this discipline and for bringing together national and international experts in an enriching debate and exchange of ideas.
[02/11/2009]
The UPF and the UOC start up new master's degree in Secondary Education Teacher Training
The Master's Degree in Secondary and Upper Secondary Education and Language and Vocational Training Teacher Training organised jointly between Pompeu Fabra University and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC), will commence on 10 November, with these two being the first of the nine Catalan universities to offer these studies this year.
[30/10/2009]
School segregation and its effects on the student. A subject for reflection in Debates on Education
Debates on Education, the area of reflection for education professionals and representatives of civil society, organised by the UOC and Fundació Jaume Bofill, has commenced its seventh edition. Vincent Dupriez, social psychologist and professor at the Catholic University of Louvain, was the first guest on the 2009-2010 edition with the conference ?School segregation: social and political challenges?, given on 27 October in the MACBA.
[30/10/2009]
Conference on the hacker ethic
Professor Pekka Himanen, one of the internationally best-known experts of the information age will give a lecture on "The Hacker Ethic: The Way Forward after the Current Global Economic Crisis". Himanen is an IN3 visiting professor, and during his stay at the institute, he directed a research seminar on the hacker ethic. The conference will take place on 2 November at 18h, at the UOC's Barcelona Regional Centre (Rambla de Catalunya, 6). The event is open to the public.
[29/10/2009]
ICT, a tool for transforming poor societies
Information and communications technologies have had a strong impact on the most vulnerable countries. ICT experts from around the world have analysed how they influence socioeconomic development and the migratory movements of these societies.
[28/10/2009]
Today marks the start of the academic year for postgraduate courses at the UOC
The UOC's postgraduate courses start with some new developments.
[28/10/2009]
World experts debate conflict, conflict resolution and peace at the UOC
Two peace reporters in times of war, a member of Amnesty International's education group and an expert in gangs are some of those taking part in the 3rd International Conference on Conflict, Conflict Resolution and Peace organised by the UOC's Campus for Peace on 29 and 30 October. This conference, which is to take place at the UOC's Barcelonès Support Centre (Rambla de Catalunya 6), aims to act as a forum for debate and sharing of ideas on these subjects.
[27/10/2009]
The UOC, member of The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education
The President, Imma Tubella, has been named on the Global Advisory Council of The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education (OBHE). This group is responsible for reviewing and approving major programmes, services and external initiatives. The Observatory's primary purpose is to provide strategic information to enable policy-makers and institutional-organisational leaders to make informed decisions relevant to their existing and/or future cross-border higher education initiatives.
[26/10/2009]
Study into the use of digital technologies in young people's leisure activities
The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) in collaboration with the Catalan Foundation for Recreation have carried out a study into the use of digital technologies in adolescents' leisure activities throughout Spain. The study, entitled The Use of Digital Technologies in Adolescents' Leisure Activities in Spain, includes the results from a survey of 2,054 people (aged between 12 and 18) and forms part of a project entitled Transforming Digital Leisure Activities. A Project for Socialisation in Free Time, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade's Advancement Plan. The study was led by UOC lecturers and researchers Daniel Aranda, Jordi Sánchez-Navarro and Carlos Tabernero. The research project between the UOC and the Catalan Foundation for Recreation began in 2008 and is scheduled for completion next year with the publication of a white paper containing the main discussions, reflections and methodologies which enable the integration of digital leisure tools within the context of education during free time.
[23/10/2009]
Forty education experts design the university of the future at the Open EdTech 2009 summit
Creating the university of the future: that was the aim of the forty international education leaders who met on 19 and 20 October at Open EdTech 2009, a summit sponsored by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and the New Media Consortium (NMC), which was attended by experts from four continents, including Vijay Kumar, Director of the Office of Educational Innovation and Technology of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA); Jessica Colaço, leader in mobile technology at the Strathmore Research and Consultancy Centre (Kenya); Phil Long, Director of the Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology of the University of Queensland (Australia); and Paula Nirschel, founder of the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women.
[23/10/2009]
The UOC Library offers loans of e-book readers
The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) Library has started up a new service for loan and use of e-book readers. The initiative has been a great success in its first week in operation. The Library management are to assess how the service works and users' level of satisfaction in order to decide whether to offer this service on a long-term basis.
[22/10/2009]
School segregation under debate
Vincent Dupriez, professor from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, is to give a lecture entitled School Segregation: Social and Political Challenges on 27 October. The talk forms part of the Debates on Education, a series analysing and reflecting on education organised by the Jaume Bofill Foundation and the UOC. The event is to take place in the MACBA Auditorium (plaça Joan Coromines s/n, Barcelona) at 7.30pm.
[22/10/2009]
The UOC to take part in the International University Teaching and Research Conference
The 6th International University Teaching and Research Conference (CIDUI) which is to take place in 2010 has opened the call for presentation of symposium proposals until 15 January 2010. Cristina Girona, Albert Sangrà and Montse Guitert from the UOC's eLearn Center are on the Organising Committee, and Lourdes Guàrdia, from the Psychology and Educational Sciences Department, is to take part on the Conference's Scientific Advisory Board as a member of its standing committee. Cristina Girona is also the UOC's representative on the Executive Committee.
[22/10/2009]
The UOC to host the 2nd EcoUniversity Conference
Nowadays, knowledge, reflection, debate and transformations are not generated exclusively in the classroom. In fact, there are those who feel that they are, on occasion, moving away from reality and the transcendental challenges that we are facing. Most universities focus solely on technology, science or economics because they believe that these are the truly practical and necessary things. But it should not be this way: they need to prepare students to find out about Nature, not as tourists but as pilgrims. As the great scientist Einstein said, "science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind", says Satish Kumar, editor of the renowned journal Resurgence and founder of the international Schumacher College.
[21/10/2009]
The development of ICT in Latin America and Africa, under debate at the UOC
The Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), the UOC's research institute, is organising the Conference on Development and Information Technologies. Mobile Phones and Internet in Latin America and Africa: What Benefits for the Most Disadvantaged? The event, which features the collaboration of the Catalan government's Catalan Development Cooperation Agency (ACCD), is aimed at researchers, grantholders and practitioners. The conference will be held on 23 and 24 October in the IN3 building (Av. del Canal Olímpic s/n., Castelldefels).
[19/10/2009]
Research seminar on interaction between technology and society
The researcher from the University of Oslo's Computer Engineering Department Irene Olaussen and UOC IN3 research institute visiting professors Israel Rodríguez and Daniel López are to offer a research seminar entitled Tracing Transitions: an ANT (Actor-Network Theory) Approach to the Study of Political Practice. The seminar is to take place on 21 and 22 October at the IN3 building (Av. del Canal s/n, Castelldefels).
[16/10/2009]
Jessica Colaço, TED Global 2009 Fellow and one of the most influential young women in Kenya, is to give the first of the UOC-Orange Tech Talks. It is to take place on 19 October at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) headquarters under the title Technology and Social Change. This first Tech Talk has been sponsored by Orange.
[16/10/2009]
Management of language diversity in the classroom, under debate with expert John Edwards
Professor of psychology at St Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia, Canada, John Edwards is to talk about Management of Language Diversity in the Classroom: What Teachers (and Others) Should Know on Monday, 19 October. The lecture, organised by the Linguamón-UOC Chair in Multilingualism, is to take place at the headquarters of the Catalan College of Doctors and Graduates of Philosophy and Letters (Rambla Catalunya 8) at 6pm.
[16/10/2009]
The UOC offers multilingual courses with the launch of the Global Campus
Coinciding with its fifteenth anniversary, the UOC has set up the new Global Campus, enabling it to progressively provide a multilingual offer, converting it into a worldwide brand. As part of its internationalisation strategy, the UOC is rolling out a new version of its portal in English in October. The portal acts as the window onto the world of the internet for this new project.
[15/10/2009]
The Campus for Peace organises the second EcoUniversity Conference
The UOC's Barcelonès Support Centre is to host the second EcoUniversity Conference organised by the UOC on Friday, 16 October. The event's highlight is a talk entitled Soil, Soul and Society by Satish Kumar, founder and Director of the Schumacher College's training programmes and Editor of Resurgence magazine.
[15/10/2009]
Lecture on the vulnerability of technological cultures
Wiebe E. Bijker, professor of Technology and Society at the University of Maastricht, Netherlands, is to give a lecture entitled Vulnerability of Technological Cultures. The event is to take place on 15 October, at 6pm, at the UOC Support Centre in Barcelona (Rambla Catalunya 6). The event is organised by the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and is open to the general public.
[15/10/2009]
Research seminar on online learning conversations
Expert in learning interaction and Research Fellow at the UOC's IN3 research institute, Jakko van der Pol, is to offer a research seminar entitled Facilitating Online Learning Conversations. The seminar, organised by the UOC, is to take place on 8 October at the IN3 building (Av. del Canal Olímpic s/n, Castelldefels), from 10.30am to 12.30pm.
[07/10/2009]
The UOC marks its fifteenth anniversary
Friday 6 October 1994. This is the date that has come to form part of the collective history of the UOC community. On that day, four institutions ? the Catalan Federation of Savings Banks, the Catalan Council of Chambers of Commerce, Televisió de Catalunya and Catalunya Ràdio ?, alongside the Catalan government, came together to establish the Foundation for the Open University of Catalonia, with the mission of creating and developing the UOC. Fifteen years have passed since then, during which the University has grown to become a worldwide point of reference for online higher education centres.
[06/10/2009]
The UOC is co-organising the 1st Conference on the Environment and Healthcare Technology taking place on 7 October at Madrid's Hospital Clínico San Carlos. Among the different speakers taking part, there are faculty members from the UOC's Health Sciences Area, including its director, José Esteban. The UOC's new master's degree in Healthcare Technology Planning and Management is to be presented during the event.
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