New Millennium, new way of learning

An innovative new method of distance learning is to be launched by the University of Teesside's School of Business & Management. Students can access learning materials from the Internet to support their learning for the first time, thanks to the DOLI (Distance and Open Learning Initiative) initiative.

The new initiative is available only for students of the University's Management Development Programme, which incorporates the Master of Business Administration (MBA). The Management Development can be studied for three years part-time and is delivered in three stages, beginning with the Postgraduate Certificate, followed by the Postgraduate Diploma and finally the MBA. Each stage has to be successfully completed to achieve the MBA.

Fred Hutchinson, Director of Postgraduate Programmes in the School of Business and Management said: "The advantage of DOLI for students is that they can get support at the time they need it, not just when lecturers are available. They can access materials in their own workplace or at home, it's flexible, interactive learning, and students can take part in discussion groups with each other via the Internet. For those students who haven't got access to the Net, the material will also be available on disc or CD ROM; although the learning won't be interactive."

The course is not just based on the Internet, however, and students will still need to attend lectures and workshops. The initiative was developed after Teesside students took part in similar distance learning projects with Universities in Holland and America.

The fees for the Postgraduate Certificate are £960, although people in receipt of certain benefits may be entitled to different rates. For more details contact Fred Hutchinson, Paul Lisaman or Janet Blee on 01642 342807, fax 01642 342925, e-mail J.M.Blee@tees.ac.uk

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