Syrian Virtual University

The Syrian Virtual University (الجامعة الإفتراضيّة السوريّة) is a Syrian educational institution established by the Syrian Ministry of Higher Education. It provides virtual education (using the internet) to students from around the world. It was established on the 2nd of September 2002 and is the first virtual education institution in the region, and as of 2006, remains the only one. The goals of the SVU include offering education to those who want to learn but cannot afford to do so by going to a "brick and mortar" university. It is headquartered at the Ministry of Higher Education building, Damascus.

Administration

Dr. Riad Daoudi is the current president of the Syrian Virtual University. The vice president for academic affairs is Dr. Rakan Razzouk. The vice president for life-long learning is Dr. Anas Tarah. Program directos are Dr. Maher Suliman (ISE), Dr. Khalil Ajami (BIT), and Dr. Salam Al-Bizri (HND). The main telecenter admin is Eng. Amr Alkhatib.

Academic Programs

SVU provides two kinds of academic programs: partnership programs, those provided in cooperation with foreign universities; and domestic programs, those that are authored by the SVU and taught by local Syrian professors.

Partnership Programs

partnership programs are often provided in English; and they are taught by the universities that offer them. They include programs that award, upon completion, degrees that range from the associate degree to the PhD.

Domestic Programs

All domestic programs are provided in Arabic (except for the English HND), some courses are taught in English. Originally, all domestic SVU programs were related to Computer Science, but two new programs in Economics were added in 2007. There is currently a total of six domestic degree programs.

2-year Undergraduate Programs

HND

HND stands for the Higher National Diploma in Computing and Business Applications. It is offered in English and Arabic. The duration of study is two years. HND is available in two versions, one taught in Arabic and another in English.

4-year Undergraduate Programs

ISE

ISE is a credit-based BSc program in Information Systems Engineering. The content is very much that of a traditional Computer Science degree, but offered on line. The student has to take a number of "core courses" and then a number of "specialized courses" with the aid of a career planner. There are currently (as of 2008) four core specialization areas: Software Engineering, Multimedia Systems, Networking and Operating Systems, and Artificial Intelligence. It is possible to choose an emphasis within a core specialization area. A student must compete requirements in one or more specialization areas to graduate. The duration of study is (typically) four years.

BIT

BIT is a program leading to a Bachelor degree in Information Technology. It assimilates "both business concepts and information technology elements". The duration of study is typically four years.

BA in Economics

The SVU offers a BA in Economics, with three possible branches: Business Administration, Banking and Finance, and Marketing. Duration of study is four years.

BA in Law

This 4-year program is a BA in law, with several specializations, including criminal and constitutional law.

Postgraduate Programs

MBA

The SVU offers an MBA degree. The Duration is two years. The total tuition cost is around $2000.

MTM

A Masters degree in technology Management, with an emphasis on Technology Transfer. The duration is two years. The total tuition cost is around $2000.

MQM

A Masters degree in Quality Management. The Duration is two years. The total tuition cost is around $2000.

MWT

A Masters degree in web technologies.

Controversy and Acceptance

Internet Access

One of the issues which faces the SVU is the lack of a proper broad-band Internet ‎infrastructure in Syria. This can be viewed as a strategic problem, as it hinders potential ‎students. Faced with the terrible performance of the teleconferencing software on Dial-Up (then the only available option), the university created a number of telecenters (at a great ‎expense) in various Syrian governorates so that students who didn't have broadband Internet (virtually all of them) could attend their lessons ‎comfortably. With the introduction of ADSL and ISDN in 2004, it was hoped that the severity of the problem would be ameliorated. Unfortunately, the situation has not improved much: up to the end of 2007, ADSL is not yet available to students and the general public. Subscriptions are fewer than 5000 in number all over Syria and the cost for any potential adopter is too high (the actual going rate for an ADSL line is almost $1000, due to unavailability and very great demand by Internet Cafes). ISDN, while difficult to attain in many areas, is more publicly available than ADSL, and thus is the only option for Syrian SVU students who wish to attend lessons from their homes. Most Syrian SVU students, however, attend their lessons from a local telecenter.

upport for "Alternative" Operating Systems

The Learning Management Environment currently deployed supports only Windows Systems, starting with Windows 95 up to Windowx XP. Windows Vista, Mac OS X, and Linux are not currently supported. Only the email subsystem and the forums are platform-independent. There are plans underway to improve the situation by transitioning to a different LMS.

Quality of Teaching Materials

Students complain that some of the books offered are not suitable as study materials, due to their short length, the fact that they often read like a summary rather than an exposition of ideas, and the presence of numerous errors and omissions. The SVU administration claims that, due to the electronic nature of the books, errors can be corrected almost as soon as they are found. They add that the university is working hard to correct any mistakes.

External links

* [http://www.svuonline.org The Syrian Virtual University Website (Arabic, French, and English)]
* [http://csc-sy.net Online community for Computer Science Students in Syria (Arabic and English)]
* [http://vteam-sy.com Community site for SVU students (Arabic)]