The Best Schools In The World

2011-06-28T06:15:00.001-07:00

More private school pupils accepted at top universities

2011-06-25T02:57:00.000-07:00

Pupils at private schools have received more offers of places at leading research universities this year than those at state schools, according to the Independent Schools Council's annual universities survey.

The survey of 139 schools shows a rise in the acceptance rate of Independent Schools Council (ISC) pupils at Russell Group universities to 65.6% this year from 62.5% in 2006.

But the Russell Group, which represents the largest research universities, said that it was working hard to ensure that it took pupils from state and private schools, and in some of its institutions the numbers of students entering from both were roughly equal.

Private school pupils applying for undergraduate studies are more likely to target the top universities. They are also far more likely to take sciences and languages and were more likely to apply to Russell Group universities than before.

The overall offer rate by the university admissions service, Ucas - where offers are made and taken up - for places at Russell Group universities is 13%.

The ISC survey, published today, shows that acceptance rates for independent school pupils are especially high (more than 80%) in biological sciences, physical sciences, mathematical and computer sciences, and technologies subjects.

According to the ISC, getting three A or B grades at A-level is the key to get a place at a leading universities and it is better to have three top A-level grades than the equivalent A-level points score made up from a larger number of less good results.

For instance, a pupil with three A-level A grades will get 360 points as will a pupil with one A and three C grades. But for many courses at leading universities three A-level A grades is the normal entry requirement, so lower grades with the same point score are unlikely to be accepted.

Jonathan Shephard, ISC chief executive, said: "These results show once again the superb job done by ISC schools in preparing pupils for entry to leading universities.

"Our research also shows that A-level point scores can be misleading as a measure of achievement: it is quality, not quantity, that counts."

According to the Russell Group's director general Dr Wendy Piatt, universities in the group were over-subscribed by high-performing candidates with an average of nearly eight applications per place.

Dr Piatt said: "One of the keys to successful applications to Russell Group universities is a strong academic record, and the facts show that pupils from independent and grammar schools have a good chance of gaining three As.

"However, admissions practices within the Russell Group universities also aim to identify potential in candidates over and above qualifications. Oxford, for example, has recently introduced a new admissions form offering schools the opportunity to provide detailed and reliable information about a candidate's educational environment. We are also exploring the ability of aptitude tests to identify potential which is not reflected in a candidate's academic record."

Dr Piatt added that several Russell Group universities have a broadly similar success rate for both independent and state school applicants. For example, at the University of Warwick the proportion of applicants who accepted a place they were offered from independent schools in 2006 was 10.5% compared to 11.0% from comprehensive schools.

The best international schools around the world

2011-06-25T02:55:00.000-07:00

When looking for schools abroad that offer a British curriculum (international GSCEs and A levels), parents are spoilt for choice. There are also thousands of schools accredited by the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) across the world that offer the well-established and reputable IB diploma in English.

Some schools focus on a bicultural and bilingual education while others create a miniature version of Britain inside the school gates, emphasising British culture and language. A bilingual curriculum is a challenging and stimulating environment for children who speak English as a first language, especially as students are required to write essays in both their native and host language. Check carefully to see what immersion language classes are available and what support is offered for students who initially only speak English. Few would deny that a bilingual curriculum is both beneficial and enriching for students and encourages them to become global citizens.

In South America, most schools offer the IB programme in Spanish, English or both. In such bilingual schools, around half of the classes are taught in Spanish and the remaining half in English, often taught by imported native-English speaking teachers who make up at least 25% of the teaching staff.

School fees increase incremently according to age group and are often paid in the local currency. There are extra costs to consider, such as application and enrolment fees, school development fund fees, lunch and transport costs, student accident insurance, uniforms and exam entry fees. Full IB diploma examination fees cost around £340. Some schools offer discounts on tuition fees when two, three or more children from the same family are enrolled.

Neither the IBO or the Council of International Schools (CIS), which accredits schools, publish league tables. The following list of the top international and IB schools across the world are based on a combination of factors, such as exam results, school facilities and extra-curricular activities offered, but it's also based on word of mouth and those schools recommended by expatriate teachers and parents.

Asia

India, Japan (and its islands) China, and in particular Hong Kong, have the best and widest range of international schools in the region catering for a large expatriate population. When choosing a school in Bangkok, it's advisable to consider the distance from home to school because of the heavy traffic.

Tanglin Trust school, Singapore

www.tts.edu.sg

Students must be fluent in English to be accepted in the school and the vast majority of teachers are British, giving Tanglin school a predominantly British feel. It has an excellent academic reputation and a strong emphasis on the performing arts, with well-established choirs, orchestras and concerts. Many students go on to study at leading UK universities.

Campus: Modern teaching blocks with a separate sixth form centre overlooking tropical forest. Swimming pool and spacious outdoor playing fields.

Student intake: Of the 2,000 students, about 70% are British citizens.

Curriculum: British curriculum taught in English.

Fees: Termly tuition fee from S$4275 (£1,440) to S$7775 (£2,620).

Examination results: In 2006, 95% of students gained GSCE A*-C grades and 82% A-C grades at A-level.

Dulwich College international school, China (Shanghai and Beijing)

www.dulwichcollege.cn

A partner of Dulwich College in London with a traditional public school atmosphere. The vast majority of its staff are native English-speakers.

Campus: Excellent sport and music facilities.

Student intake: Over 900 students (ages 2-16) at the Shanghai school.

Curriculum: British curriculum taught in English with IB offered from September 2007. In Beijing, a Montessori curriculum is offered at pre-school. Spanish and Chinese as a second language classes are available.

Fees: Annual tuition fees from RMB135,100 (£9,000) to RMB186,500 (£12,500).

The Garden international school, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur

www.gardenschool.edu.my.

The largest international school in Malaysia. It has an academic and friendly atmosphere with an excellent range of extracurricular actitvities on offer, from modern dance to judo and Mandarin classes.

Campus: Modern and well-resourced teaching blocks with excellent sport facilities.

Student intake: Students from over 58 different countries.

Curriculum: British.

Fees: Tuition fees per term (three terms in total) from RM6,590 (£950) to RM12,010 (£1,740).

Examination results: In 2006, the percentage of students with A and B passes at A level was over 80%, with almost 60% obtaining grade A.

Europe

International School of Geneva, Switzerland

http://www.ecolint.ch/ecolint/ch/en-ch/index.cfm

This hi-tech flagship IB school with its bilingual international environment, academic excellence and strong emphasis on global issues, feels a bit like the UN headquarters.

Campus: Three separate leafy campuses, including a chateau in the countryside with a lake and mountain views.

Student intake: Over 3,750 students, representing 120 nationalities, including 84 languages Curriculum: IGSCE, IB and French bac. At secondary school, students can choose to study in French, English or both. SAT (standard assessment tests) can be taken at the school. Palm-held computers are used in some classes.

Fees: Annual tuition fees from CHF19,760 (£8,400) to CHF25,075 (£10,600).

Latin America

St Paul's school, Sao Paulo, Brazil

www.stpauls.br

This Anglo-Brazilian bilingual school is regarded as one of the leading British schools in Latin America. It boasts an excellent academic reputation and is a demanding and challenging environment for students. Many of them go on to study at the top UK and US universities.

Campus: A large, bright and well kept campus set in the leafy suburb of a wealthy residential area.

Student intake: Brazilian elite and students from over 30 other countries.

Curriculum: IB and school curriculum is a mixture of Brazilian and British national curriculums. IB diploma in theatre and visual arts offered.

Fees: Annual tuition fees from £7,600.

Examination results: The IGSCE A*-C pass rate was 94.3% (2006). On average 34.5 points were awarded per IB candidate (maximum IB points are 45).

Newton College, Lima, Peru

www.newton.edu.pe

One of the leading British-style, bilingual, international schools in Peru.

Campus: A special feature is its field-study centre in the Amazon jungle used for student research projects.

Student intake: About 85% of its 1,300 students are Peruvian, with a growing international student community.

Curriculum: IB and IGSCE taught in English and Spanish. 80% of classes in kindergarten are taught in English.

Fees: Annual tuition fees from US$3,070 (£1.600) to US$6,280 (£3,300).

Grange school, Santiago, Chile

www.grange.cl

A well-established and renowned bilingual school with a traditional feel.

Campus: Boasts plush, landscaped grounds complete with a swimming pool and snow-capped mountain views. 1:1 computer-student ratio.

Student intake: Over 1,700 students, with waiting lists for first school year (pre-kinder).

Curriculum: Integrated British and Chilean national curricula. IGSCE and AS/A2 exams are in English.

Fees: Tuition fees from £150 a month (11 monthly payments).

Middle East

St Christopher's, Bahrain

www.st-chris.net

A welcoming and friendly school with a predominantly British feel.

Campus: Modern teaching blocks, swimming pool and a good sixth-form centre.

Student intake: 2,000 students from around 50 countries.

Curriculum: GSCEs and a broad choice of A-level options offered, including media and business studies, PE and psychology. The music department enjoys a good reputation.

Fees: Termly tuition fees (three terms) from BD751 (£1,050) to BD1,630 (£2,300).

Examination results: Last year, 42% of students obtained A grades at A-level and 92% obtained A*-C passes at GSCE.

University of Cambridge

2011-04-30T06:58:00.000-07:00

The University of Cambridge is rich in history - its famous Colleges and University buildings attract visitors from all over the world. But the University's museums and collections also hold many treasures which give an exciting insight into some of the scholarly activities, both past and present, of the University's academics and students.
The University of Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the world and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. Its reputation for outstanding academic achievement is known world-wide and reflects the intellectual achievement of its students, as well as the world-class original research carried out by the staff of the University and the Colleges. Its reputation is endorsed by the Quality Assurance Agency and by other external reviewers of learning and teaching, such as External Examiners.
These high standards are the result of both the learning opportunities offered at Cambridge and by its extensive resources, including libraries, museums and other collections. Teaching consists not only of lectures, seminars and practical classes led by people who are world experts in their field, but also more personalised teaching arranged through the Colleges. Many opportunities exist for students to interact with scholars of all levels, both formally and informally.

There are 31 Colleges in Cambridge. Three are for women (New Hall, Newnham and Lucy Cavendish) and two admit only graduates (Clare Hall and Darwin). The remainder house and teach all students enrolled in courses of study or research at the University
Each College is an independent institution with its own property and income. The Colleges appoint their own staff and are responsible for selecting students, in accordance with University regulations. The teaching of students is shared between the Colleges and University departments. Degrees are awarded by the University.
Within each College, staff and students of all disciplines are brought together. This cross-fertilisation has encouraged the free exchange of ideas which has led to the creation of a number of new companies. Trinity and St John's have also established science parks, providing facilities for start-ups, and making a significant contribution to the identification of Cambridge as a centre of innovation and technology.
In addition to the collections on display in the University's libraries & museums, there is a wealth of sporting and cultural activity at the University of Cambridge, much of it organised by individual clubs and societies run by staff and students. Although the University does not offer courses in the creative arts or sport, there is a strong tradition of achievement in these fields, with many former students going on to gain international standing as artists, performers and athletes. Initiatives ensure that aspiring performers enrich their education with a high level of activity outside the lecture.

Universidades latinoamericanas “tendrían que desarrollar con más fuerza los estudios de posgrado”

2011-04-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

El historiador argentino Fernando Devoto -de paso por Montevideo para presentar La Universidad de la República. Desde la crisis a la intervención. 1958-1973, libro póstumo de Blanca Paris de Oddone-, dijo a la diaria que tendrían que “defenderse con más fuerza mecanismos de cooperación y algún tipo de interacción entre las universidades de la región, incluso la creación de algún tipo de institución regional a nivel terciario”.*

El argentino Fernando Devoto y los desafíos de la historia y la universidad actuales.

Titular de teoría e historia de la historiografía en la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras de la Universidad de Buenos Aires, Fernando Devoto (1949) tuvo cercana relación con Paris y con su esposo (y colega) Juan Oddone. "Creo que la Universidad de la República es un poco un estudio en sí, y es a la vez un lugar en el cual se puede pensar la historia del Uruguay. Tiene un interés específico vinculado a un ámbito importante para la formación de los grupos dirigentes, tanto de dirigentes establecidos como de outsiders, desde el poder y desde la oposición, en un sentido amplio. Esos ámbitos formativos son importantes, no sólo como conjunciones de ideas, sino más aun como constructores de ámbitos de sociabilidad, como ámbitos de interacción", opinó Devoto en relación a la obra de Paris.

-En la presentación se habló de la corriente reformista que refleja el libro, y de Blanca Paris como una historiadora comprometida con los tiempos que le tocó vivir y con los procesos de cambio en la universidad. ¿Cómo se puede relacionar estas ideas con los desafíos actuales de las universidades latinoamericanas ?

-La pregunta es compleja. Primero, haría una precisión. Creo que Blanca Paris fue una persona mucho más comprometida con la reforma de la universidad y con una idea de la universidad que una historiadora o una persona comprometida en la arena política. Eso también es parte del clima del reformismo. Era un compromiso intelectual. Un compromiso desde lo profesional y desde los ámbitos profesionales, más que una participación activa. Dicho esto, creo que una de las virtudes de Juan Oddone y Blanca Paris es que fueron muy imbricados con las dos orillas del Plata. Muchas experiencias de ellos en Buenos Aires reflejan un tiempo de unión entre dos historiografías. El clima cultural ahora es muy diferente. Los desafíos actuales tienen que ver ya no con problemas asociados, por ejemplo, con la explosión de la matrícula. La explosión vino, se instaló y se quedó. Hoy el desafío es pensar en una nueva universidad, en cómo mantener unidos un proceso de especialización con un espíritu global. Es evidente que lo que podríamos hablar sobre estudios terciarios ha cambiado de características. En Argentina hay muchos jóvenes, y también en Uruguay, que van a hacer sus posgrados al exterior. Las universidades latinoamericanas tendrían que desarrollar con más fuerza los estudios de posgrado, tendrían que defenderse con más fuerza mecanismos de cooperación y algún tipo de interacción entre las universidades de la región, incluso la creación de algún tipo de institución regional a nivel terciario. Éstos son problemas que el reformismo no pensaba. El reformismo pensaba “universidad-cambio social”. La universidad tiene en sí un papel en el proceso de cambio, pero ese proceso de cambio tiene que estar vinculado con el ofrecimiento de una enseñanza de calidad. Y además, hoy en día la universidad pública tiene la competencia de las universidades privadas. Lo que se debe conservar, entonces, y lo que planteaba el reformismo, es la idea de que el Estado tiene que garantizar no sólo los estudios gratuitos sino una educación de excelencia. Y esa educación de excelencia no siempre es posible con una educación masificada, por lo que el Estado tiene que tener distintas alternativas. Pero el Estado no puede perder mecanismos de controles que aseguren la formación de sus cuadros dirigentes.

-En eso jugaría un papel importante el intercambio académico, tanto en beneficio de las ciencias sociales como para los procesos de la universidad latinoamericana. Y también puede tener un papel muy importante para la historia, como lo fueron, por ejemplo, para el desarrollo inicial del Instituto de Investigaciones los aportes de historiadores argentinos como Emilio Ravignani y José Luis Romero.

-Yo diría que de todas maneras hoy no se plantea del mismo modo que a mediados de la década de 1940. Yo no iría por ahí. Eso respondía a problemas de aquel entonces. Yo creo que hoy en día es un problema de diálogo entre iguales, de intercambio. Pero sí insistiría mucho sobre el tema de un marco de circulación, un marco de intercambio. Profesores argentinos que enseñen en un período en las universidades uruguayas, profesores uruguayos que enseñen por períodos en las universidades argentinas o brasileñas. No te digo otros países porque tiene un sistema universitario muy diferente. Pero en estos tres países, Argentina, Brasil y Uruguay, hay compatibilidad ,¿por qué no hay un acuerdo que implique este intercambio de experiencias? Hay que abrir la universidad de algo que aparece poco en el libro de Blanca Paris, que son los intereses corporativos. Los grupos académicos son focos que se autoprotegen y se autoreproducen. Entonces eso limita las posibilidades de contar con una universidad de excelencia. ¿Cómo se combate eso? Yo creo que con una apertura. Apertura al mundo global, una apertura de aquellas universidades que tienen desafíos, que tienen intereses y que tienen perspectivas comunes en la región.

-¿Como podrían ayudar estos intercambios al estudio de la historia regional y de la historia comparada?

-El futuro de la historiografía está más allá de las historias nacionales. Entonces acá tenemos dos vías. Una es la historia regional. Una historia que se da por dimensiones que no son delimitadas por lo político sino por otras características, que pueden ser sociales, económicas, espaciales, que van más allá de las fronteras políticas. La otra idea es la historia comparada, que permite ciertas unidades de observación, que en este caso no necesariamente tienen por qué ser una historia comparada de Argentina y Uruguay, pero sí, por ejemplo, se puede hacer una historia comparada de Uruguay y el litoral argentino. Siempre debe haber comparación con unidades similares, y en el problema de la regionalización, lo importante es la delimitación de la región. O sea, lo que tiene que resolver el historiador es el objeto de estudio, cómo lo delimita, cuál es la escala en la que quiere operar y cuáles son las operaciones que quiere hacer a partir de ellos.

-Usted tiene una relación bastante cercana con historiadores uruguayos. ¿Cuál es su opinión acerca del estado de la historiografía uruguaya?

-Creo que está ante un desafío, y que es también el de la historiografía argentina, que es cómo se sustituye una generación de grandes historiadores a los que les pasó su tiempo, por su desaparición o su retiro. El problema se presenta no sólo para los que son los sustitutos naturales de la historia académica, sino para las nuevas generaciones (y, pensando en la pregunta, yo no sé si tengo los elemento suficientes para responder eso). O sea, no la generación inmediatamente sucesiva, sino la otra. En ese contexto, noto sí que hay una generación joven de muy buenos historiadores uruguayos, formados en el exterior, gran parte de ellos, y muy profesionales. Puedo citar el caso de Vania Markarian, quien estudió en Estado Unidos. Hay otros, como Laura Reali, que está en Francia, o Isabella Cosse, que está en Buenos Aires. Pienso que ahí está el futuro de la historiografía uruguaya.

-¿Cuál es su opinión sobre el papel que han jugado los historiadores argentinos en los festejos del Bicentenario?

-Primero, los historiadores juegan el papel que les dejan jugar. En ese sentido, yo diría que los historiadores en general han tenido un lugar bastante marginal. Y lo han tenido quizás no porque ellos lo hayan querido, sino porque también los historiadores tienen hoy un conjunto de desafíos, como los operadores y gestores mediáticos, que eran desafíos impensables hace 30, 40 años. Entonces, considero que lo que tenemos hoy son best sellers, tenemos medios de comunicación, etcétera. La industria editorial ha dicho lo suyo. Además, no te olvides de que los historiadores no tienen que construir mitos, tienen que criticarlos. En general, las conmemoraciones, como el Centenario, el Bicentenario, son concepciones siempre arbitrarias. Es más una celebración del presente con la excusa del pasado. Entonces, en ese punto el historiador debería ser más bien, lamentablemente, un aguafiestas. Y, ¿quién quiere un aguafiestas?

* La entrevista fue realizada por el periodista Santiago Delgado.

Should Diversity Be Added to Best Law Schools Rankings?

2011-04-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

U.S. News recently received a letter from The State Bar of California asserting that our main Best Law Schools rankings would be improved by including numerous diversity-related measures.

This new diversity category would include indicators measuring the degree to which a law school's student body is ethnically diverse, possibly relative to state-wide demographic data. One indicator would be a determination of whether law schools had taken "concrete actions," via programs and activities committed to diversity that are aligned with the "ABA Accreditation Standards on Diversity" (Standard 212).

U.S. News was urged to poll diversity professionals at law schools on diversity reputation or include diversity as a category on our existing reputation surveys. Finally, the letter also recommends that these new diversity variables count for a total of 15 percent of a law school's overall score and that the weights of the existing peer surveys and student selectivity (admissions data) be reduced.

U.S. News doesn't incorporate our current diversity index or diversity into the Best Law Schools rankings, because measuring how successful law schools are at achieving diversity goals cannot be included easily in our rankings formula in a fair and meaningful way. The current U.S. News diversity index does not measure how successful law schools are at achieving diversity standards against a benchmark; rather, it measures to what extent a law school is diverse.

There are many key questions that need to be resolved. For example, U.S. News would need to determine what scale would be used to measure diversity success for each law school. How should law schools be compared in ethnically diverse states like California and Florida with those in far less diverse states like Vermont and Iowa? Should Stanford University and the University of Southern California, both private law schools, be measured against the same scale as public schools in California like UCLA?

How should diversity at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and North Carolina Central University law schools, which are part of the historically black colleges and universities, be measured? Should diversity just be based on ethnic diversity and not take into account economic diversity? How would law school economic diversity be measured? We also need to consider what the law schools themselves think about including diversity in the rankings.

Yet another important issue is to what degree diversity is linked to academic quality versus being an important social goal. There is also the key question of whether diversity should even be included in the rankings, given that the main purpose of the rankings is to identify the best schools academically.

I spoke with Craig Holden, a partner at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith and chair of the Council on Access & Fairness for The State Bar of California, who was the catalyst behind the proposal to U.S. News, and told him that U.S. News was willing to have further discussions so we could determine the feasibility of the suggestions.

In addition, U.S. News would need to work with a representative group of legal educators and others to develop such diversity success yardsticks. We cannot do it without outside assistance and some meaningful level of agreement on the right things to measure and the correct metrics to use to measure them.

Searching for a law firm? Get our complete rankings of Best Law Firms.

Researchers Discuss the Higher Ed Act

2011-04-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

I recently returned from the 2008 Southern Association for Institutional Research Conference in Memphis. I go to these conferences in the United States and around the world to give talks on the Best Colleges rankings, find out the latest trends at universities, determine what new higher education data U.S. News should try to collect, and get feedback. I made one presentation: "America's Best Colleges Rankings: What Just Happened and What's Ahead."

The impact on colleges and students of the recently passed Higher Education Opportunity Act was discussed at length there. The HEOA includes provisions aimed at making more information available so that the public can better understand and respond to the rising cost of a college education. The act calls for the U.S. Department of Education to collect and publish on its website College Navigator a wide variety of information on college affordability, the net price of attending college by income level for those receiving student aid, which schools are raising tuitions more than others, and other consumer topics, including the time it takes to complete a degree at that college, alternative tuition plans, and information for disabled students.

There was also an update on the now two-year-old Voluntary System of Accountability project, which is a partnership between the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges. The VSA's goal is to provide students with comparable information on public institutions in a standardized format called College Portraits. The VSA deserves a lot of credit for being the only such effort underway that will include comparative data on student engagement as well as information on student learning outcomes. There is good news, too: As of October 18, nearly 60 percent (309 schools) of the 520 member institutions of the two higher education associations have agreed to participate in the project, and over 200 have already posted College Portraits. These colleges enroll some 3 million undergraduates, nearly 60 percent of the total undergraduate enrollment in four-year public colleges and universities. But there's a potential cloud on the horizon: Because the VSA system is, by definition, voluntary, it's unclear what proportion of four-year public colleges will end up participating and making all their information public.

High Schoolers Take More Credits Than Ever

2011-04-18T06:36:00.001-07:00

Today's high school students are taking more classes than ever.

According to a new study by the National Center for Education Statistics, the average high school graduate in 2009 earned about three credits more than graduates in 1990. The extra credits amounted to about 420 more hours spent in the classroom than 1990 graduates.

Where did students find the time? About 1 in 5 took a summer class at some point during their high school careers; some students earned high school credits such as Algebra I, foreign language, and biology in middle school; and about 5 percent of graduates took a supplemental course online.

About 13 percent of graduates completed a "rigorous" curriculum, which includes at least three years of a foreign language; math coursework that includes pre-calculus; and at least three years of science, including at least one course in biology, chemistry, and physics. In 1990, just 5 percent of students completed such a rigorous curriculum, and in 2005, 10 percent did.

[Read about the growth of foreign languages in high schools.]

Not all graduates completed a tough curriculum, though—25 percent of graduates completed a curriculum considered below standard. In 1990, 60 percent of students completed a below-standard curriculum. The study defined a standard curriculum as four years of English and three each of social studies, math, and science. Many of these graduates failed to meet the science benchmark.

Not surprisingly, those who completed rigorous and midlevel coursework scored highest on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics and science standardized tests. Graduates with higher GPAs also scored higher on the tests. The NAEP tests are given to students to determine national education levels. Scores on the mathematics test were virtually unchanged between 2005 and 2009; the science test was not given in 2005.

[Learn about the surge in AP science and math enrollment.]

Female graduates had an average GPA of 3.10, while males earned an average of 2.90. That gap was the smallest since 1990, and overall, GPAs improved from 2.68 in 1990 to an average of 3.0 in 2009. That number was unchanged since 2005. Males outscored females on NAEP math and science tests.

White and Asian/Pacific Islander students earned higher GPAs than Hispanics and blacks, but GPAs generally improved across the board.

The National Center for Education Statistics, which is affiliated with the Department of Education, studied 37,700 high school transcripts from 740 public and private schools nationwide.

See how your school stacks up in our rankings of Best High Schools. Have something of interest to share? Send your news to us at highschoolnotes@usnews.com.

Online Pharmacy Degrees

2011-04-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

Online degrees have taken the world by storm and have been beneficial to millions of students and working professionals from all over the world. Not only can students pursue higher education of their choice, but they can also continue working as professionals in their respective fields even while pursuing these online courses. Online pharmacy degrees are one such variety of courses that one can opt for across some of the most renowned institutes of the world.

Online pharmacy degrees have been endowed with a number of features to enable individuals/students interested in this field to take up these courses that definitely promise for great careers ahead. A few of the most significant elements associated with the online pharmacy degrees have been mentioned below for your perusal:

- These courses train students across the various aspects related to pharmacy degrees including the technical aspects as well.

- Complete information on medications and their usage, knowledge of the pharmaceutical drugs as well as computer database administration etc are also included as part of the online pharmacy degrees.

- Online pharmacy degrees are also blessed with features to enable world class information and knowledge even about the mistakes and hazards related to the usage of incorrect medications and even fake medicines as well.

Pharmacy degrees online also open numerous opportunities to the students and people who are already working in this field can surely expect to better their career chances after having successfully completed the courses. Besides the theoretical aspects, these courses are also equipped to train students in maintaining the right public relations with the patients as well as health workers and professionals. Among other responsibilities associated with people after having completed the online pharmacy degrees are responsibilities like information on alternate medicines, capability of suggesting this type of medicines, coordination with health insurance companies as well as filling prescriptions.

A few of the most reputed institutes where one can apply to take up online pharmacy degrees are Ashford University, University of Phoenix and University of Florida etc.

School Psychology: An Interesting Field

2011-04-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

School psychology is an interesting field if you are interested in helping the children deal with different themes such as social, emotional and scientific issues. The school psychologist act as intermediaries between pupils, parents and teachers. He/she helps, a healthy environment for promoting better learn through the students. Professionally speaking, school psychology is a relatively new profession. But it is quickly to the most coveted Job in education. School psychology is that the students and parents and teachers, address, and with the behavior issues in education and the home. They will contribute to development of techniques needed to deal with the issues. You can also the training of teachers and parents to overcome a crisis Situation.

The National Association of school psychology has five areas where the services of a school psychologist can fulfill a great need. The areas include research and planning, prevention, Intervention, evaluation and consulting. School psychologists may be used as a coach or Educators for parents and community development of children, with the help understand the basics behavior management techniques and behavior problems of a child. Employment Opportunities for school psychologists are becoming more and more. Most school psychologists have little difficulty, work in elementary and secondary schools, private practice, hospitals and universities.

To a school psychologist, needs for training and certification. Several states have different rules about the minimum necessary training. So before the program, it must be some examinations to the rules and regulations for the state you live. School psychology is a great way of support for children and parents deal with the various issues common to young people at a school setting.

Consulting education is the last happens, which is slowly catching up in almost all the educational environments in the world. It is not limited to a particular country or a particular area of education. In fact, students are consulting as abroad for higher studies and helping them to make the right choice as far as your career. career guidance helps not only that the right choice of career, but helps them is confident that persons to various problems in the field of education. Training advice is priceless and indispensable because of these changing educational Patterns and specializations. It is necessary that every educational institution decides for the implementation of this advice programs from time to time to improve their students.

.2011 Rankings of Universities in the world（1-100）

2011-04-01T04:05:00.000-07:00

Rank School Name Overall Score Country
1 Harvard University 100.0 United States
2 University of Cambridge 99.6 United Kingdom
3 Yale University 99.1 United States
4 UCL (University College London) 99.0 United Kingdom
5 Imperial College London 97.8 United Kingdom
5 University of Oxford 97.8 United Kingdom
7 University of Chicago 96.8 United States
8 Princeton University 96.6 United States
9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 96.1 United States
10 California Institute of Technology (Caltech) 95.9 United States
11 Columbia University 95.6 United States
12 University of Pennsylvania 94.2 United States
13 Johns Hopkins University 94.1 United States
14 Duke University 92.9 United States
15 Cornell University 92.5 United States
16 Stanford University 92.2 United States
17 Australian National University 90.5 Australia
18 McGill University 90.4 Canada
19 University of Michigan 89.9 United States
20 University of Edinburgh 89.3 United Kingdom
20 ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) 89.3 Switzerland
22 University of Tokyo 88.9 Japan
23 King's College London 88.4 United Kingdom
24 University of Hong Kong 87.5 Hong Kong
25 Kyoto University 87.1 Japan
26 University of Manchester 85.7 United Kingdom
27 Carnegie Mellon University 85.6 United States
28 Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris 85.4 France
29 University of Toronto 85.3 Canada
30 National University of Singapore (NUS) 84.3 Singapore
31 Brown University 83.9 United States
32 University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) 83.5 United States
32 Northwestern University 83.5 United States
34 University of Bristol 83.4 United Kingdom
35 Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 83.3 Hong Kong
36 École Polytechnique 83.1 France
36 University of Melbourne 83.1 Australia
36 University of Sydney 83.1 Australia
39 University of California, Berkeley 82.7 United States
40 University of British Columbia 81.2 Canada
41 University of Queensland 80.7 Australia
42 École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne 80.6 Switzerland
43 Osaka University 80.1 Japan
43 Trinity College Dublin 80.1 Ireland
45 Monash University 80.0 Australia
46 The Chinese University of Hong Kong 79.6 Hong Kong
47 University of New South Wales 79.0 Australia
47 Seoul National University 79.0 Korea, South
49 University of Amsterdam 78.9 Netherlands
49 Tsinghua University 78.9 China
51 University of Copenhagen 78.8 Denmark
52 New York University (NYU) 78.4 United States
52 Peking University 78.4 China
54 Boston University 77.8 United States
55 Technische Universität München 76.3 Germany
55 Tokyo Institute of Technology 76.3 Japan
57 Heidelberg University 76.2 Germany
58 University of Warwick 75.7 United Kingdom
59 University of Alberta 75.4 Canada
60 Leiden University 75.3 Netherlands
61 The University of Auckland 74.7 New Zealand
61 University of Wisconsin-Madison 74.7 United States
63 Aarhus University 74.5 Denmark
63 University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 74.5 United States
65 Katholieke Universiteit Leuven 74.2 Belgium
66 University of Birmingham 73.9 United Kingdom
67 London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) 73.7 United Kingdom
67 Lund University 73.7 Sweden
69 KAIST - Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology 72.6 Korea, South
70 Utrecht University 72.4 Netherlands
70 University of York 72.4 United Kingdom
72 University of Geneva 72.3 Switzerland
73 Nanyang Technological University (NTU) 72.0 Singapore
73 Washington University in St. Louis 72.0 United States
75 Uppsala University 71.9 Sweden
76 University of California, San Diego 71.5 United States
76 University of Texas at Austin 71.5 United States
78 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 71.3 United States
79 University of Glasgow 71.2 United Kingdom
80 University of Washington 71.1 United States
81 University of Adelaide 70.8 Australia
82 University of Sheffield 70.6 United Kingdom
83 Delft University of Technology 70.4 Netherlands
84 University of Western Australia 70.2 Australia
85 Dartmouth College 70.1 United States
86 Georgia Institute of Technology 70.0 United States
87 Purdue University 69.8 United States
87 University of St Andrews 69.8 United Kingdom
89 University College Dublin 69.7 Ireland
90 Emory University 69.6 United States
91 University of Nottingham 69.4 United Kingdom
92 Nagoya University 69.2 Japan
92 University of Zurich 69.2 Switzerland
94 Freie Universität Berlin 69.0 Germany
95 University of Southampton 68.9 United Kingdom
95 National Taiwan University 68.9 Taiwan
97 Tohoku University 68.6 Japan
98 Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München 68.4 Germany
99 University of Leeds 68.3 United Kingdom
100 Rice University 68.1 United States

(1-100) (101-200)
Top 600 Universities in the World 2010
1--100 101--200 201--300 301--400 401--500 501--600
More Webpages of World University Rankings

School of Mechanics, Civil Engineering & Architecture

2011-03-19T03:05:00.000-07:00

The School of Mechanics, Civil Engineering and Architecture (SMCA) excels at both teaching and research. It was founded in July 2003, and was a combination of the former Department of Engineering Mechanics and Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture. SMCA consists of three departments, seven institutes, one state key specialized laboratory and two corporations. It offers five programs for bachelor’s degrees, seven programs for master’s degrees and four programs for Ph.D. degrees, as well as one postdoctoral position in mechanics.

Since 1956, SMCA has been offering graduate programs. The Mechanics discipline of NPU is one of the first-class disciplines approved by the Academic Degree Office of State Council and was first authorized to confer doctoral degrees in 1981. In 1985, SMCA began to offer postdoctoral position in mechanics. Solid Mechanics is a state key discipline and Structure Engineering is a key discipline of the university. SMCA is also one of the six state educational bases of fundamental mechanics for engineering courses in China.

The School is staffed with an excellent faculty of 87 members, who have a high academic level and rich experience in teaching and research, including one member of the Chinese Academy of Science (Professor Zhu Weiqiu), 24 professors, 26 associate professors and senior engineers, and 15 lecturers and engineers. The Dean of the School, Prof. Zhufeng Yue, is a Yangze River scholar specially appointed by the Cheung Kong Scholars Program.

At present, there are more than 1000 undergraduates and over 200 graduates studying at SMCA. They are consistently guided to aim for “excellent personality, excellent ability and excellent health” and to concentrate on specialty study and training. In the past years, more than 2000 students have graduated from SMCA and are highly sought after in various fields.

Department of Engineering Mechanics
Department of Civil Engineering

Department of Architecture

Engineering Mechanics
Civil Engineering
Traffic Engineering
Engineering Management

Architecture

Engineering Mechanics
Solid Mechanics
General Mechanics and Fundamental Mechanics
Structure Engineering
Traffic Engineering
Engineering Management

Architecture

General Mechanics and Fundamental Mechanics
The research focuses on seven primary topics: vibration theory and its application, random vibration, nonlinear dynamics, dynamics for controlled system, vibration control and smart structure, multiple body dynamics, spatial dynamics and shock dynamics.
Engineering Mechanics
The primary research fields in the specialty are strength of structure and materials, vibration, shock and noise, engineering measurement and testing, MEMS mechanics and analytical technique for engineering mechanics.
Solid Mechanics
The main research activities are micro-mechanics & damage mechanics, fracture mechanics, strength of composite materials, behavior of strength of materials and their computational simulation.

Construction Materials

Mechanics

There are eight laboratories, seven research institutes and two corporations, including:
The Laboratory of Dynamics and Strength (a state key specialized lab)
The Laboratory of Vibration
The Laboratory Center of Engineering Mechanics
The Laboratory of Material Properties
The Laboratory of Construction Material
The Laboratory of Dynamic Simulation
The Laboratory of Mechanical Quantities
The Laboratory of Micro-mechanics and Fracture
The Institute of Dynamic and Control
The Institute of Strength
The Institute of Vibration Engineering
The Institute of Architectural Design and Research
The Institute of Astrodynamics
The Institute of Composite Materials
The Institute of MEMS
Project Management Supervisory Corporation

Construction Corporation

At present, SMCA is undertaking more than 40 research projects at the national or provincial level, among which some are funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, 863 High Technology Program. Every year, around 160 papers are published in well-known journals at home and abroad, among which near 40 are indexed by SCI, EI and ISTP. The School has won 13 official awards at or above provincial and ministerial level, and 4 patent grants.

Importance is also attached to international academic cooperation and exchange. International relationships have been established with universities and institutes in USA, Germany, UK, France, Japan, Switzerland, Netherlands, Canada, Hong Kong and among others. A large number of faculty members and graduates of SMCA are conducting cooperative research with overseas institutes and universities. More than 60 SMCA faculty members have been abroad for academic exchanges.

School of Aeronautics

2011-03-19T02:58:00.001-07:00

The School of Aeronautics could hardly be better situated for the research and study for Aeronautics. With its location in Xi’an, the School is in a unique position to combine the best of the aeronautical industries in the city. The predecessors of the School are the Aircraft Department and the Civil Aviation Engineering College. The Aircraft Department was founded in 1952 by merging three Aeronautics Departments of Shanghai Jiaotong University, Nanjing University and Zhejiang University. The next big expansion occurred in 1970 when the Aircraft Department of Harbin Engineering College merged into the Department. With the approval of the AVIC (Aviation Industries of China) and CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China), Civil Aviation Engineering College was jointly founded by NPU, AMECO (Aircraft Maintenance & Engineering Corporation) and CNWA (China Northwest Airline) in 1994. Another big development was the Aircraft Department’s merger with the Civil Aviation Engineering College in 2003.

Currently, the School has 37 professors including two members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and three Yangze River Scholars, and 35 associate professors. There are over 1300 undergraduate students, 299 postgraduate students, and 116 PhD candidates at the School. The graduates of the School of Aeronautics have played a key role in the aeronautical industry in China. Zhang Qingwei, the General Manager of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is one of the famous alumni of the School.

Department of Aircraft Design Engineering
Department of Synthetic Technique and Control Engineering
Department of Hydromechanics
Department of Aeronautical Structure Engineering
Department of Civil Aviation Engineering

The School offers the following six undergraduate degree programs:
Aircraft Design Engineering
Electric Engineering and its Automation
Aircraft Environment and Life Safeguard Engineering

Safe Engineering

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
Electronic Information Engineering

The School also has the following thirteen disciplines leading to a M.S. and a Ph.D.:

Aircraft Design (M.S., Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Position)
Aircraft Conceptual Design
Aircraft Structure Design
Aircraft Aerodynamic Configuration and Stealth Integration Design
Aircraft Flight Mechanics and Control
Aircraft Reliability Engineering
Active Control; Synthetic Control; Flight Management Technique
Hydromechanics (M.S., Ph.D.)
Theoretical and Computational Hydromechanics
Aircraft Design Aerodynamics
Experimental Hydromechanics and Technique for Measuring and Control
Fluid-Solid Coupling and Aerodynamic Noise
Industry Aerodynamics
Solid Mechanics (M.S., Ph.D.)
Structure Fatigue, Fracture and Reliability Analysis
The New Computational tactic and Numerical Method
Structure Dynamics and Dynamic Failure Analysis
Traffic Transportation Programming and Management (M.S., Ph.D.)
Flight Dynamic Features and Flight Qualities
Air Traffic Control
Air Traffic Economy and Operation
Man-machine Environment Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.)
MMES Engineering and Synthesis Layout
Man-machine Engineering
The Environment Problems in Aircraft
Hydro- Mechanism and Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.)
Energy Saving and Ventilation Engineering
Fluid Solid Coupling and Control (M.S., Ph.D.)
Theoretical and Computational Liquid-Solid Coupling Mechanics
Experimental and Fluid-Solid Coupling Mechanics
Fluid-Solid Coupling Control
Aerospace Safety Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.)
Aerospace Safety System Engineering
Risk Evaluation and Disaster Protection
Failure Diagnosis and Health Monitoring
Means of Transport Applied Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.)
Means of Transport Safety and Reliability Guarantee Technique
Traffic Information and Electronic System
Means of Transport advanced Control System Technique
Power System Operation Control and Failure Diagnosis
Means of Transport Navigation and Traffic Management
Communication and Information System (M.S., Ph.D.)
Detecting and Control Network and Dummy Simulating Technique
Power Electronic and Electrical Drive (M.S., Ph.D.)
Aircraft Electric System

Material Science (M.S., Ph.D.)
Corrosion and Protection
Material Processing Engineering (M.S., Ph.D.)
Solidification Technique and Material Preparation Figuration

The School is home to one national key laboratory, one national specialized laboratory, and ten other laboratories, institutes and centers that give support to the Aircraft Design, Fluid Dynamics, Solid Mechanics and other disciplines.
The National Key Laboratory of Aerofoil/Foil Grid Aerodynamics
The National Specialized Laboratory of Dynamics and Strength
Aerodynamic Numerical Simulate Laboratory
Aerodynamics Laboratory
Airframe Strength Laboratory
Aerofoil Research Center
Airplane Design New Technology Institute
Structure Strength Institute
Hydromechanics Institute
Reliability Engineering Institute and Structure Integration Institute
Corrosion and Protection Research Center
Civil Aviation Trouble Shooting Research Center

Shaanxi Wind Machine and Pump Engineering Center

The School has made significant contributions for the Chinese aeronautic industries. In recent years, the School of Aeronautics has achieved 15 National Awards for Scientific Progress, 109 awards at provincial and ministerial level, and 11 national patents. It has published more than 1000 research articles both in Chinese and internationally well-know journals.

School of Electronics and Information

2011-03-19T02:54:00.001-07:00

The School of Electronics and Information (SEI), the former Radio Department, was founded in 1958. There are four departments offering broad programs in graduate studies leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy. There are three research institutes, one key ministerial laboratory, and three laboratories with international research collaboration.

The School now has 125 faculty and staff members, including 24 professors, and 43 associate professors and senior engineers. More than 10 outstanding scholars and experts from home and abroad are the guest professors of SEI.

Over 7000 undergraduates and postgraduates have graduated from SEI in the past 40 years. At present, more than 1800 undergraduates and 700 postgraduates are studying at SEI. The School pays much attention to the overall management and establishment of good style of study, stresses the fundamental theories, skills and abilities, and widens the range of teaching, so as to improve the students' integrative quality. During the past several years, the students in SEI have been among the best ones of the University. The graduates of SEI have gained social and professional reputation. Every year, one third of them choose to pursue their further degrees in the Graduate Schools.

Department of Electronic Science and Technique
Department of Electronics and Information Engineering
Department of System and Control Engineering

Department of Communication Engineering

Electronic Science and Technique
Electronics and Information Engineering
System Engineering

Communication Engineering

Circuit and System (M.S, Ph.D.)
Theories and Application of Networks and Systems
Data Acquisition and Signal Processing with PC
Application of Micro-electronic Technology
Multimedia and Computer Network Communication
Technology of Information Countermeasure
Automation of Electronic Design
Circuit, System and Microwave Network
Technology of Information Fusing
Multi-sensor Information
Image Engineering & Graphics Engineering, Simulation & Virtual Environment Technology
System Engineering (M.S, Ph.D.)
Modern Fire Control Theory
Large Scale Systems Theory and Application
Intelligent Command and Control Engineering
Integrated Avionics Systems and Simulation Technologies
Theories and Application of Advanced Control
Modeling, Simulation and Effectiveness Evaluation of Complex Systems

Electromagnetic Field and Microwave Technology (M.S, Ph.D.)
Microwave Measurement
Microwave Communication
Applied Microwave Technology
Electronic Countermeasure
Modern Antenna Technology
Computed Electromagnetic Theory
Antenna and Radome
Computed Electromagnetic Engineering
Communication and Information Systems (M.S, Ph.D.)
Multi-media Communication and Advanced Information System
Data Communication and Computer Network
Multimedia and Computer Communication
Mobile Communication
Communication Signal Processing
Data Communication and Network Technology
Microwave Communication
Information Transmission and Processing for Radio Communication, Navigation, Telemetry and Telecontrol System

Signal and Information Processing (M.S, Ph.D.)
Multi-sensor Information Acquisition, Processing and Transmission
Modern Signal Processing and Application
Neural Networks and Intelligent Information Processing
Image Processing and Visualization Technology
Multi-sensor and Array Signal Processing
Detection, Estimation and Adaptive Processing of Signals
Virtual Reality and Multimedia Technology
Digital Signal Processing and Application
Bio-medical Information Acquisition and Processing
Biomedical Engineering (M.S.)
The Processing and Analysis of Medical Signal and Image
Medical 3-D Virtual Simulation and Visualization
Tele-medical Information Engineering
Biomedical Sensor Technology and Information Acquisition

Electrical Theory and New Technology (M.S.)
Electrical& Electronic Theory and New Technology Application
Power Electronic Theory and New Technology
Intelligence Information Processing and Detecting Technology

Intelligence Control Theories and New Technology

Circuit and System
Communication and Information Systems
Electromagnetic Field and Microwave Technology
System Engineering
Electromagnetic Field and Microwave Technology
Communication and Information Systems

Signal and Information Processing

Laboratory of Aeronautic Electronics Integrated Control System
Laboratory of Information Acquisition and Processing
Center of Experiment for Electronics and Information
Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Research Center of Electronics and Information Engineering
Center of R&D for Virtual Reality
Institute of Modern Information and Electronic System
Institute of Communication and Electronic System

Institute of Electronic Science and Technology

For the last three years, the School has been funded by National Nature Science Foundation of China, Doctor Programme Fund of State Education Committee, and Aeronautic Science Fund. More than 300 projects have been implemented, of which over 40 projects have been awarded with the provincial and ministerial prize. The School now is taking on more than 40 projects funded by National Nature Science Fund, Doctor Programme Fund of State Education Committee, Aeronautic Science Fund, National 973 Projects and National 863 projects. Over 46 million RMB has been invested in above mentioned research projects.

SEI has joint research programs with the well-known universities, industries and research institutes in United States, Russia, Singapore, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Japan, and Canada. Every year, there are more than 40 times/persons for visits and exchanged experts.
The Laboratory of Aeronautic Electronics Integrated Control System of SEI has cooperated with Moscow Aeronautic Institute in teaching and academic research for more than ten years. Professor А.П.Гришин, a famous scientist of Russia has been to SEI, giving lectures on Efficacy Analysis. The laboratory also engages two professors from Moscow Aeronautic Institute as consultative professors.

SEI has established three jiont researh institutions: International Center of Teaching & Research for Aeronautic System Effectiveness (MAI of Russia and NWPU of China), International R&D Center for Digital Information Technology (MENSI of France and NWPU of China), Texas Instruments-NWPU DSPs Laboratory

المدرسة الإلكترونية واقع ننتظره

2011-03-19T02:46:00.001-07:00

دفع التطور الهائل في المعلومات، والانفجار الثقافي والمعرفي، الذي يشهده العالم في وقتنا الحاضر، التعليم إلى أن يأخذ منحنى جديدًا تجاوباً مع هذه التطورات، فأخذت كثير من الجهات التعليمية (حكومية وخاصة) النظم الرقمية أو الإلكترونية عبر إيجاد فصول أو مدارس بذلك النظام، ومن هذه الإفرازات خـرج علينا مصطلــح "المدرسة الإلكترونية" (Electronic School) واختصـارها(E-School).

ويمكن أن يستفيد المخططون من ميل وتعلق أغلب الجيل الحالي من ( 6- 18سنة) بأجهزة الكمبيوتر وما في حكمها من برمجيات وألعاب إلكترونية، وذكاء وسباق وغيرها، حيث نستطيع أن نحور أو نربط جزءاً من مناهجنا كالرياضيات والعلوم والجغرافيا والتاريخ إلى دروس وألعاب تعتمد على الذكاء وعلى الفهم والتطبيق والتركيب والتحليل والتقويم، وعلى سرعة البديهة والابتكار والإبداع، وقد نستطيع جمع ما تقدم في مدرسة تحت مسمى المدرسة الإلكترونية أو مدرسة المستقبل وهي خيارنا الجديد في التعليم. ولكي نبسط الفكرة ونقرب بعض الأفكار إلى ذهن القارئ نضرب مثلاً بمقرر الجغرافيا حيث يسمع المتعلم عن عدد من المدن الداخلية والساحلية ويسمع عن الأنهار والجبال وقممها والهضاب والحدود، ولكنه لا يتصورها التصور الأمثل، وعبر الفصل الإلكتروني يستطيع المعلم أن يطلب من جميع الطلاب توقيع هذه المدن على الخرائط الإلكترونية، ورسم الأنهار، ووضع الحدود وتلوينها، ثم البحث في الروابط عن صور لها، أو أفلام ومعلومات أخرى تقربه من هذه المفاهيم, وفي مقرر التاريخ يستطيع الطلاب تتبع الغزوات والرحلات، والاطلاع على نفائس المسلمين، وفي مقرر اللغة العربية يستطيع الطلاب الاطلاع على عدد من القطع واستخراج القواعد النحوية منها، وإعراب ما تحته خط، وإكمال الأبيات وكتابة نص مع تصحيحه من قبل الكمبيوتر، وبمتابعة من قبل المعلمين، وكذلك في اللغة الإنجليزية حيث كتابة المرادفات والعكس وغيرها، وفي مقرر العلوم يمكن إجراء التجارب وكذلك في الرياضيات وباقي المواد.

كل هذه المعطيات السابقة تعطي مؤشراً لتقبل الطلاب ذلك النوع من التعليم؛ ودافعاً لتجربة جديرة بالتطبيق والدعم والملاحظة، وربما تكون نقلة تعليمية نوعية في هذا البلد الكريم.

ظهور المدرسة الإلكترونية :( E-School )
أصبح الكمبيوتر وما يتضمنه من تطبيقات متنوعة جزءاً أساسياً من مكونات الحياة المعاصرة، نظراً لتداخله في جميع مجالات اجتهادات البشر، وتمكّنه من تغيير أوجه الحياة في أزمنة قياسية. وتُعد شبكة المعلومات الدولية ( الإنترنت) إحدى التطبيقات المهمة للكمبيوتر، والتي تطورت بشكل سريع في الآونة الأخيرة؛ بحيث أصبحت كتاباً مفتوحاً للعالم أجـمع ، غنية بمصادر المعلومات، وأُزيلت بسببها الحواجز الطبيعية وغير الطبيعية بين كافة الدول، ومن ثمَّ تحوَّل العالم إلى قرية صغيرة، وكان ذلك أحد أسباب ظهور العولمة. وقد أدت المعلوماتية بتراكمها المتواصل السريع إلى الانفجار المعرفي الهائل، ولولا وجود الكمبيوتر والإنترنت لما تمكَّن البشر من الإلمام بالمعارف المتفجرة أو حتى تخزينها في عقولهم أو في صفحات الكتب مهما تضخمت هذه الكتب وتعددت تلك العقول.

وبات الأثر الفعَّال للإنترنت واضحاً في مجال العملية التعليمية ، فمن الآثار الإيجابية لتكنولـوجيا المعلومات والإنترنت في التعليم تحسـين عمليتي التعليم والتعلم من خلال الاستفـادة من المصـادر التعليمية التعلُّية المنتشرة عبر الإنترنت، والمقـررات المُصممـة تصميمـاً ينـاسب العمليـة التعليمية. وقد أدى ذلك إلى ظهور التعلم من بعد باستخدام الإنترنت، والجامعات الافتراضية(Virtual University) ، أيضاً ظهرت المدارس الافتراضية (Virtual School) أو الفصول الافتراضية(Virtual classrooms)، والتي كان من نتاجها ظهور ما يُطلق علية المدرسة الإلكترونية(E-School) . ولكن ينبغي الأخذ في الاعتبار أن إدخال الإنترنت إلى الفصل مباشرة يُعد نقلة نوعية قد لا يكون المجتمع التعليمي مهيئاً لها في الوقت الحاضر ،نظراً لوجود بعض المُعوقات التي قد تحول دون تحقيق أهداف التعليم كالافتقاد إلى اللغة ونوعية المواد وغيرها ، كذلك فإن التغيير المفاجئ قد ينتج عنه بعض الآثار غير المتوقعة . وفي المقابل فإن الإحجام عن التفكير أو السعي لمثل هذا التطوير قد يُضيع على المجتمع فرصة مواكبة متطلبات العصر الراهن. لذا فإن المدرسة الإلكترونيـة قد تكون الخطوة الأولى للإفادة من الإنترنت في التعليم، حيث إنه من المهم والضروري أن يتدرب الطلاب في بيئة الإنترنت الفعَّالة داخل فصل تعليمي إلكتروني. لقد كانت فكرة المدرسة الإلكترونية حلماً يراود الكثيرين من المهتمين بقضايا تطوير التعليم؛ للتغلب على مشكلاته التقليدية كزيادة أعداد المتعلمين، والقصور في معالجة الفروق الفردية بينهم ، وانخفاض أعداد المعلمين المؤهلين أكاديمياً وتربوياً، فقد كانت فكرة المدرسة الإلكترونية الشغل الشاغل بالنسبة لكل مهتم بالعملية التعليمية وتطويرها في ضوء متطلبات التدفق التكنولوجي من منسق تكنولوجي، وأعضـاء مجلس إدارة المدرسـة، والمسئولون عن دمج التكنولوجيا داخل الفصل. وأصبحت تلك الفكرة حقيقة مع ظهور شبكة الإنترنت واقتحامها مجال التعليم وما ترتب عليها من تعلم من بعد، وظهور الكتب الإلكترونية، والدوريات، وقواعد البيانات، والموسوعات، والمواقـع التعليميـة والاتصـال غير المباشـــر عن طريــق البريد الإلكتروني والبريد الصوتي، والتخاطب بالصوت والصورة كالمؤتمرات المرئية من خلال الإنترنت . ومنذ أن بدأ التفكير في استخدام شبكة الإنترنت في التعليم، تعددت تطبيقاتها في هذا المجال سواءً داخل المؤسسات التعليمية أو خارجها، وقد بدأت شبكة الإنترنت أخذ مكاناً متميزاً بين المؤسسات التعليمية كوسيط تعليمي وباعتبارها من أكبر الموسوعات التعليمية التي عرفها التاريخ، ولكونها أداة للشرح والتوضيح ووسيلة لنقل الأفكار وتبادل التجارب، فهي بمثابة النمط المتميز للتفاعل المباشر مع العالم الخارجي. ومن ثمَّ فقد ازدادت المواقع التعليمية على الإنترنت في الآونة الأخيرة، بحيث باتت تمثل أحد البنود المهمة في خطط وسياسات التعليم، ومع تطور شبكة الإنترنت وانتشارها عالمياً أصبحت أداة رئيسة لحفظ المعلومات، ومن خلالها تم تحـويل التعليـم من تقليدي إلى تعليم فردي. وهذا يُعد أحد الغايات المهمة للتربية والتي ينادي التربويون بتحقيقهـا، وعـلاوة على ذلك فإن شبكة الإنترنت تؤدي دوراً مهمـا وفعَّالاً في التعليـم والتدريـب من بعد مما يوفِّـر الوقـت ويُغنِي عن الأمـاكن والتجهيـزات المتنوعة.

مفهوم المدرسة الإلكترونية (E-School):
تمثل المدرسة الإلكترونية إحدى التطبيقات الحديثة للتعلم المبني على الإنترنت، وهي عبارة عن غرفة إلكترونية تشتمل على اتصالات أو أماكن خاصة يتواجد فيها المتعلمون، ويرتبطون مع بعضهم بعضاً ومع المحاضر عن طريق الإنترنت. وقد يتبادر إلى الذهن للوهلة الأولى أن المدرسة الإلكترونية عبارة عن بيئة للتعلم من بعد باستخدام الكمبيوتر، ولكنها مفهوم أعم وأشمل من ذلك فهي مدرسة في الفضاء الإلكتروني ترتكز على أسس علمية سليمة في مجال العملية التعليمية، ويكثر فيها التفاعل الإيجابي المباشر أو غير المباشر بين المعلم والمتعلم. وفيها يتم إرسال الدروس والمحاضرات إلى مسافات بعيدة حيث يجتمع الطلاب في مكان واحد أو أماكن متفرقة حول الدرس والمعلم، ومن خلال الوسائل المتنوعة والمؤتمرات المرئية يستمتع الطلاب بالتعلم .

فقد يتم التعلم من بعد عن طريق نقل الملفات أو الإرسال والاستقبال للمعلومات من خلال البريد الإلكتروني، بينما تتسم المدرسة الإلكترونية بالتفاعلية بين المتعلم والمعلم من خلال المناقشة الآنية والحوار المباشر، لذلك فالتعلم التفاعلي هو السائد في مجال تلك المدرسة. ومن الممكن أن تتم هذه الأنشطة المتنوعة من خلال الدمج بين الصوت والصورة، والمؤثرات اللونية والحركية المتنوعة داخل قاعة تدريسية مجهزة بأجهزة كمبيوتر تُستخدم لهذا الغرض. وتقوم فكرة المدرسة الإلكترونية على إيجاد موقع تعليمي إلكتروني مرتبط بالإنترنت يخدم قطاع التعليم، ويتوافر فيه مجموعة متنوعة من البرامج التعليمية يمكن الاستفادة منها. وتقوم المدرسة الإلكترونية بمهمة الاتصال المستمر بين مختلف فئات القطاع التعليمي عن طريق البريد الإلكتروني، وربط المدارس بالطلاب حتى ولو كانوا بعيدين عن فترات الدراسة الفعلية، ومن خلالها يمكن الاستفادة من تجارب وخبرات الآخرين. فالمدرسة الإلكترونية ترفع شعار إمكانية التعلم في أي وقت، وفي أي مكان ،وبأي أسلوب، وبأي سرعة .

مستويات التعلم الإلكتروني في المدرسة الإلكترونية :
وللتعلـم الإلكتروني مـن خـلال المدرســة الإلكترونيـة أربعـة مستـويات رئيسـة هي: ·

■المستوى الأول: منتديات البريد الإلكتروني، وهذا المستوى ييسِّر الاتصال التعليمي بين مجموعة صغيرة من الطلاب، ويفيد البريد الإلكتروني في تبادل المعرفة والآراء بين هؤلاء الطلاب .
■ المستوى الثاني: الشبكات المحلية ( الإنترانت ) (LAN) ، وفي هذا المستوى يسهل إجراء الحوار والمناقشات على المستوى المحلي . ·
■المسـتوى الثالث: التدريب التفاعلي من خلال الإنترنت ، ويتميز هذا المستوى بالمحاكاة (Simulation) وبالرسومات الجاذبة للانتباه ، كما أن التعلم في ضوء هذا المستوى يتم بأقل التكاليف . ·
■المستوى الرابع: التعلم التفاعلي الفوري من خلال الإنترنت ، ويتم فيه الاهتمام بالمؤثرات الصوتية واستخدام أجهزة الفيديو ، وما زال هذا المستوى في حيِّز التطوير . ولا يقتصر التعلم الإلكترونى على المدارس وإنما تعداها إلى الجامعات ، بل كان السبق للجامعات في هذا المجال حيث ظهرت الجامعات الإلكترونية (Electronic Universities) ، وهي عبارة عن مجموعة من الكليات والجامعات ترسل بعض المقررات الدراسية عن طريق الإنترنت، ويمكن لأعضاء هيئة التدريس أن يتحاوروا مع طلابهم عن طريق البريد الإلكتروني، والمحادثة عبر الكمبيوتر .
ويمكن للطلاب الحصول على درجتي البكالوريوس والليسانس عبر الجامعة الإلكترونية. كما يمكن استخدام المكتبة الإلكترونية (Electronic Library) عبر الكمبيوتر. وينتشر خلال هذا الأسلوب التعليم التفاعلي من بعد المعتمد على التكنولوجيا، ولا تؤثر فيه المسافات مهما بعدت، وتتقلص فيه مشكلات متطلبات التعليم التقليدي كضرورة وجود أماكن لتدريس الطلاب، أوتوفير الجامعات والمعاهد، أو مقاعد الطـلاب ومعاملهـم وتجهيـزات تلك المعامـل، أو ضـرورة توفـير عـدد مناسب من أعضاء هيئة التدريس، أو تحديد أوقات كافية للتدريس والتعلم .

الإنترنت والمدرسة الإلكترونية:
تُعد شبكة الإنترنت وما صاحبها من أساليب التعلم من بعد السبب الرئيس لظهور المدرسة الإلكترونية منذ كانت فكرة.

وللإنترنت في المدرسة الإلكترونية عدة خدمات رئيسة هى:

أ – البريد الإلكتروني والمدرسة الإلكترونية: يُعد البريد الإلكتروني أحد وسائل تبادل الرسائل بين المعلم والمتعلم من خلال المدرسة الإلكترونية ، والتي تتم بسرعة وكفاءة عالية لا تُقارن بالأساليب التقليدية لإرسال الرسائل وتلقي ردودها، والإرسال من خلال البريد الإلكتروني وسيلة اتصال سهلة كالاتصال بالتليفون، إلا أن الاتصال الأخير لا يستلزم شخص آخر يتواجد في نفس الوقت لالتقاط المحادثة ثم الرد. ويمكن وضع كم كبير من المعلومات والاستفسارات خلال تلك الوسيلة، ويمكن للشخص المستقبل الرد في الوقت الملائم .

و يمكن توظيف البريد الإلكتروني في المدرسة الإلكترونية في كلٍ من المجالات التعليمية والتعليمية المتنوعة من خلال ما يلى:

1- تحديد عنوان بريدي لكل متعلم للاتصال به في شتى جوانب العملية التعليمية، أيضاً تبيان الأنشطة التي يمكن أن يشارك فيها داخل المدرسة.

2- الاتصال بأولياء الأمور لمناقشتهم في أمور متنوعة تخص أبنائهم، بالإضافة إلى إرسال نتائج التقويم المستمر بشكل دوري لولي الأمر حتى يتمكن من المتابعة المستمرة للمتعلم.

3- يمكن عن طريق البريد الإلكتروني تبادل النماذج الإلكترونية بين المؤسسات التعليمية والحكومية لإنجاز مهام كل من المعلمين والمتعلمين بدقة ومرونة .

4- التواصل الفعَّال بين مختلف المدارس والإدارات المدرسية المتنوعة وبين وزارة التربية والتعليم لتبادل الآراء حول المشكلات التي تواجه العمليـة التعليمية مما يؤدي إلى السرعة في إيجاد حلول لتلك المشكلات .

5- تبادل الرسائل الإلكترونية مع الجامعات داخل الدولة وخارجها للاستفادة من خبراتها في مجال العملية التعليمية .

ب – خدمة تبادل الملفات والمدرسة الإلكترونية: تُعد خدمة تبادل الملفات بين أجهزة الكمبيوتر المتنوعة من الخدمات الأساسية في المدرسة الإلكترونية ، ومن الملفات التي يمكن تبادلها: النصوص(texts) ، الصور(pictures) ، والبرمجيات التعليمية المتنوعة (Instructional Programs) ، ويستطيع أي مُستخدِم أن ينقل إلى جهازه الملف الذي يحتاجه من أي مكان في العالم خلال دقائق محدودة .

ويتوقف الوقت الذي يستغرقه نقل الملف من مركز المعلومات الذي يتبعه إلى الكمبيوتر عبر الإنترنت على حجم الملف حيث بزيادة الحجم يزداد الوقت اللازم لاستقباله ، أيضاً يتوقف على كفاءة وسرعة خط التليفون، فخطوط التليفون السيئة تؤثر سلبياً على الوقت، بالإضافة إلى سرعة جهاز الكمبيوتر ومواصفات ملحقاته تؤثر أيضا على وقت نقل الملف.ويُعد بروتوكول نقل الملفات من خدمات الإنترنت شائعة الاستخدام والتي يمكن الاستفادة منها في العملية التعليمية، خاصةً في مجال نقل البرمجيات التعليمية المنشورة في مختلف المواد الدراسية، ونقل المقررات المنشورة. وقد تم تطوير تلك الخدمة بمعرفة مجموعة من العلماء كوسيلة لتبادل الملفات علي مختلف أنواعها فيما بينهم.

و من أهم الملفات التي يمكن تبادلها بين المدارس الإلكترونية والإدارات التعليمية ما يلى:

1- الملفات المتعلقة بالامتحانات والأنشطة المدرسية المتنوعة .

2- تقارير المعلمين والتي يمكن الاحتفاظ بها على هيئة ملفات إلكترونية لمعرفة أحوال المعلمين من قِبَل الإدارة التعليمية ووزارة التربية والتعليم.

3- ملفات خاصة ببيانات المتعلمين الشخصية والصحية والدراسية.

جـ - الدخول من بعد والمدرسة الإلكترونية: تتيح تلك الخدمة لأي مشترك الاتصال بالإنترنت وتنفيذ برامجه من خلالها، أيضاً الوصول مباشرة إلى قواعـد البيانات المتاحـة مـن خـلال أجهـزة الكمبيوتر، ومـن خلال برنامج (Telnet) يسهُل الربط بين أجهزة الكمبيوتر علـى الإنترنت والإفـادة مـن المعلومـات المُخـزنة فيهـا.

هذا بالإضافة إلى أن برنامج (Telnet) يؤَّمن الوصول المباشر إلى مختلف خدمات الكمبيوتر، وخصوصاً إذا كانت تلك الخدمات لا تتوافر في جهاز المُستخدم ، فمثلاً عندما يقوم بعض مواطني البلاد الإلكترونية بتصميم برمجيات ونشرها نشراً حراً، فإن برنامج (Telnet) يسمح بالوصول إليها واستعمالها كما لو كانت على جهازه.

ومن أمثلة التطبيقات العديدة لخدمة الدخول عن بعد خلال المدرسة الإلكترونية :

■ـ تواصل الآباء مع المدارس من خلال الاتصال بموقع المدرسة وتسجيل ملاحظاتهم سواءً كانت إيجابية أم سلبية وإرسالها للمدرسة عير الإنترنت بشكل مستمر.
■ـ يمكن للمتعلم المتغيب عن المدرسة معرفة واجباته المدرسية عند الاتصال بموقع المدرسة.
■ـ دخول الإداريين كلٍ من موقعه لتعرُّف بعض الملفات الإدارية للمعلمين بالمدرسة، والاطلاع على تقارير المعلمين .
■ـ تمكّن أولياء الأمور من الحصول على نتائج أبنائهم في أي مكان بالعالم من خلال الاتصـال بمـوقع المدارس د– المؤتمرات المدرسية الإلكترونية(E-School Conferences): من خلال المدرسة الإلكترونية يمكن توظيف الإنترنت في الاتصال الفعَّال بالمؤتمرات المسموعة والمرئية ، والاتصال المستمر من قِبَل أعضاء المدارس الإلكترونية لحضور تلك المؤتمرات بغرض معرفة أهم ما توصَّل إليه العلم في الجانب الإداري أو المجال التعليمي، وتحتاج عملية عقد المؤتمرات عبر الإنترنت لبعض الأدوات والمكونات البسيطة كلوحة التقاط بيانات الفيديو والتي تسمح الحصول على أي صورة يتم التقاطها بكاميرا فيديو وترجمتها إلى بيانات رقمية، بالإضافة إلى كارت صـوت للتمكن من المحادثات الصوتية. ومن البرامج اللازمة لعقد مؤتمرات الفيــــديو عبر الإنترنت Cu-SeeMe ويمكن تحميل هذا البرنامج عبر الموقع: http://cu-seeme.cornell.edu/
هـ - المكتبات الإلكترونية (E- Libraries): ومن الخدمات الأساسية للإنترنت ظهور المكتبات الإلكترونية(Electronic Libraries) ، وما تحتويه من معرفة ومعلومات في شتى المجالات، والتي لها أثرها الفعَّال في المدرسة الإلكترونية من خلال إثراء العملية التعليمية لجميع الطلاب بغض النظر عن مواقعهم الجغرافية ، بالإضافة إلي تمكن المعلمين من استخدام هذه النوعية من المكتبات لتدعيم دورهم في المدارس الإلكترونية .

إن الكثير من المكتبات العالمية، وفي ضوء ظهور الإنترنت، أصبحت تشارك في عدة بنوك معلومات عامة ومتخصصة ، كما أنها شرعت في إنشاء شبكات محلية (LAN) تربط بين عدة محطات تشغيل في أماكن متقاربة، وأخرى واسعة (WAN) للربط بين بنوك المعلومات المتواجدة على مسافات متباعدة، وتوفِّر للمستفيدين إمكانات الاتصال المباشر وغير المباشر بدلاً من تكديس المجلدات والمعاناة في حفظها أو صيانتها.

ونتيجة لذلك فإنه من الواضح أن بناء المجموعات سيشهد تغيراً كبيراً في عدة مجالات منها تعدد الأوعية في المكتبات كماً وشكلاً، والاختيار والتزويد سيُبنى على المتعلم ، كما إن الاستلام سيتم في ثوانٍ معدودة بواسطة الاتصال المباشر، وبناء المجموعات سيصبح عبارة عن الاشتراك في بنك المعلومات أكثر من شراء المطبوعات. وعندما انتشرت الإنترنت، وكثر استخدامها في العملية التعليمية، نشأت المكتبات الإلكترونية التي اختفـت فيهـا المبـاني الواسعـة، وبدأت الرفـوف تضمحـل في ذاكـرة الكمبيوتر وتغيب فيها.

ولذلك ينبغي أن تقوم الهيئة العامة للكتاب ودار الكتب المصرية ومكتبات الجامعة، ومراكز البحوث وغيرها في كافة الدول العربية بالاستعداد لاستخدام هذه الثورة التكنولوجية في مجال العلم والتعليم وإدارة المكتبات.

مميزات المدرسة الإلكترونية :
من خلال العرض السابق للمدرسة الإلكترونية، تبيَّن أنها تؤثر إيجابياً على تعلم الطلاب لشتى المقررات الدراسية وتزيد من دافعيتهم للتعلم، وتدعم مفهوم التعلم الذاتي لديهم فالمدرسة الإلكترونية تُعد عاملاً مهماً من العوامل التي تنمي الإبداع لدى كل من المعلم والمتعلم ، فهي بمثابة أداة دافعة بطريقة ديناميكية تعمل على تنمية الاحتراف في التعليم ، وكلما مارس المعلم استخدام المدرسة الإلكترونية في التدريس طوال فترة خدمته كلما زاد نموه المهني التدريسي، أي أن لها تأثيرها الإيجابي على أساليب تعليم المعلمين أنفسهم من حيث تنويع تلك الأساليب، وتدعيم تطورهم المهني ومعاونتهم على إيجاد الحلول الإدارية الملائمة داخل الفصول الدراسية .

وتتميز المدرسة الإلكترونية عموماً بما يلي:

· البحث عن المعلومات من خلال المدرسة الإلكترونية وما تتضمنه من وسائل للتحري يوفر جواً من المتعة أكثر من أساليب البحث من خلال الكتب، نظراً لتضمنها مؤثرات صوتية وحركية ولونية. · توفَّر خيارات تعليميـة تعلُّمية عديدة لكل من المعلم والمتعلم لما فيها من تنويع في المعلومات والإمكانات . · المعلومات من خلال المدرسة الإلكترونية حديثة ومتجددة باستمرار . · تزوِّد الجميع بالقدرة علي تبادل المعرفة والمعلومات وتبادل التغذية الراجعة (Feed Back) من خلال إمكانية الاتصال بالخبراء في مختلف المجالات . ·

ويضيف دي سيكو وآخرون مجموعة مزايا للمدرسة الإلكترونية وللإنترنت تتلخص فيما يلي:

■- توفير فرصة تعليمية غنية ذات معنى ، فالطلاب مع شعورهم بالسيطرة والتحكم على تعلمهم يتحكمون بمدى تقدمهم الأكاديمي ويشاركون برؤيتهم وتجاربهم مع الآخرين أكثر من أولئك الذين لا تتوفر لديهم فرصة التعلم عبر المدرسة الإلكترونية ، ويمكن تطوير هذه القدرات بواسطة الاتصال مع الأصدقاء والزملاء ومشاركتهم للأفكار .
■- تطور مهارات الطلاب على مدى أبعد من مجرد تعلم محتوى التخصص حيث إن ما يميزهم في هذا العصر قدرتهم على اكتساب مهارات مثل القيادة ، وبناء الفريق ، ومهارات التواصل الجيد ، والتفكير الناقد، وحل المشكلات ، كما أن استخدام المدرسة الإلكترونية عبر الإنترنت يُزيد من احتمالية اكتساب الطلاب لتلك المهارات .
■- التعلم من خلال المدرسة الإلكترونية عبر الإنترنت يوفِّر بيئة تعليمية غير مقتصرة على غرفة الصف أو على زمن معين ، كما إن التحرر من الوقت والحيز يحفز العلاقات مع الآخرين من أجل التغذية الراجعة والحصول على المعلومات من مصادر مختلفة بالإضافة إلي تكوين قدرات ذاتية .
■- أيضاً فإن التعليم باستخدام المدرسة الإلكترونية عبر الإنترنت يوفر فرصة تطوير مهني وأكاديمي كبيرة للمعلم عند الاشتراك بالمؤتمرات الحية من خلال البريد الإلكتروني أو شبكة الاتصال المباشر ، والحوار بين الأكاديميين بحيث يظل على اتصال بالتطورات الأكاديمية الحديثة في العالم . ومن خلال هذا الاتصال الأكاديمي فان المعلم يُعد بمثابة القدوة لطلابه .
ويرى وايزنبيرج أن من ميزات المدرسة الإلكترونية:

■- ملائمة هذا النوع من التعليم للطلاب في ضوء التغيرات التكنولوجية المتلاحقة .
■- شغل أوقات الفراغ والقضاء على مشكلة البعد الجغرافي .
■- زيادة التفاعل بين المعلم والمتعلم في ضوء تلك البيئة التعليمية الحديثة .
■- زيادة جودة التعليم ، وزيادة فعَّالية التعلم والبعد عن البيئة الروتينية والنظام التقليدي .
■- زيادة عدد قواعد البيانات والمصادر التعليمية الأخرى المؤثرة إيجابياً في التعلم .
وبصفة عامة عند تعامل الطلاب في عالم المدارس الإلكترونية يبدأ التعلم التفاعلي في الظهور، وسريعاً ما يكون السمة الأساسية لهذه النوعية من المدارس، ويصبح التعلم أكثر تشويقاً بالنسبة للطلاب في هذه البيئة التفاعلية.

المدرسة الافتراضية والمدرسة الإلكترونية:
ويمكن تصنيف نوعين من التعليم في المدرسة الإلكترونية هما:

الأول: المدرسة الإلكترونية الافتراضية:

وهي مدرسة لا توجد على الطبيعة فلا يستطيع المتعلم الذهاب لها؛ إنما هي موجودة على شبكة الإنترنت وفيها يستطيع المتعلم أن يتعلم عبر موقع المدرسة، ويتراسل مع معلمه عبر البريد الإلكتروني ويشارك في حلقات النقاش الفردي والجماعي، ويؤدي ما عليه من واجبات ويزور المكتبة ومراكز المعلومات المختلفة ويبحر في هذا العالم الفسيح عبر محركات البحث المتعددة.

الثاني: المدرسة الإلكترونية:

وهي مدرسة شبيهة بالمدارس العادية، ولكن تختلف بوجود فصول إلكترونية متكاملة، حيث يجلس كل متعلم أمام جهاز كمبيوتر (محمول أو ثابت)، فلا يوجد كتب مع المتعلم، فموقع المدرسة على الإنترنت والإنترانت قد جهز لكل مرحلة جميع ما تحتاجه من مقررات، وزاد في ذلك بإيجاد روابط لكل درس، وجعلها متنوعة ومختلفة، وأوجد لها طرقاً عديدة من التقويم، منها ما هو ذاتي ومنها ما هو من قبل المعلم وما هو جماعي. ويقوم المعلم بالتوجيه والإرشاد والتعليق أكثر من الشرح والتدريس، ويكلف الطلاب بالواجبات والتمارين الحية التي تجعلهم يبحرون في موقع الدرس، والروابط المختلفة، ويرسلون الإجابات بعد ذلك عبر البريد الإلكتروني للمعلم.والملاحظ هنا أن جميع جزئيات التعليم إلكترونية، حيث تم استخدام الكمبيوتر والشبكة العنكبوتية "الإنترنت"، والشبكة الداخلية للمدرسة "الإنترانت"، كمصدر من مصادر التعلم.

متطلبات المدرسة الإلكترونية:
تتطلب المدرسة الإلكترونية ما يلى:

1- إعداد جميع العاملين في المدرسة (مدير، وكيل، مرشد، معلمون، إداريون) وتهيئتهم للعمل في البيئة الإلكترونية عبر العديد من المحاضرات والورش والدورات التدريبية، واستبعاد من لا تكون لديه الرغبة في العمل بهذا النظام.

2- تجهيز المدرسة بكل ما تحتاجه من أجهزة و أدوات للعرض وربطها بالشبكات الداخلية والخارجية.

3- تهيئة المتعلم للتعلم بالطريقة الإلكترونية، وإشعار أولياء أمورهم بذلك.

4- تجهيز شبكة متكاملة داخلية (إنترانت).

5- تجهيز موقع للمدرسة على الشبكة العنكبوتية (الإنترنت).

6- إعداد المناهج بطريقة تسمح بعرضها إلكترونياً على أجهزة الحاسب في موقع المدرسة (على الشبكة الداخلية)، وتزويدها بجميع الوسائل التوضيحية.

7- تجهيز وسائل لتقويم كل درس (اختبار ذاتي، اختبار من قبل المعلم، أسئلة عامة على الدرس).

8- ربط جميع مفردات المنهج بمواقع أخرى لمزيد من الفائدة وتوسيع المدارك.

9- تجهيز بريد إلكتروني لكل متعلم.

10- تجهيز بريد إلكتروني لكل معلم.

مميزات التعلم من خلال المدرسة الإلكترونية:
يتميز التعلم من خلال المدرسة الإلكترونية بما يلى:

(1)- تحويل المقررات (الكتب الورقية) إلى مقررات إلكترونية مدعمة بالصور والشرح والأفلام والتسجيلات والرسومات البيانية؛ كي تساعد الطلاب على الفهم والاستيعاب.

(2)- القضاء على ظاهرة عدم متابعة الدروس (بسبب الغياب أو المرض أو السفر)، حيث يستطيع المتعلم متابعة الدروس في المنزل، أو من أي مكان آخر على جهازه المحمول.

(3)- يستطيع ولي أمر المتعلم متابعة ابنه عبر بريد خاص في أي وقت طوال السنة.

(4)- إتاحة الفرصة للمتعلم للتعلم طوال أيام السنة (قبل الدرس، بعد الدرس، طوال اليوم، في أيام الإجازات والعطلات).

(5)- في هذا الجانب يبتعد المعلم عن التقليدية عبر طرق تدريس حديثة.

(6)- تنمية النقاش الصحي بين المعلم والطلاب، وبين الطلاب أنفسهم، واكتساب مهارة النقاش واحترام آراء الآخرين.

(7)- تنمية مفهوم المراسلة والكتابة عبر البريد الإلكتروني بين المعلم والطلاب، وبين الطلاب أنفسهم (عبر العمل كفريق) وهذا غاية قديمة للتعليم.

(8) - السهولة في الوصول إلى المادة العلمية وإلى المعلم وإلى مدير المدرسة.

(9)- التجديد في طرق التقويم، وإمكانية تقويم المتعلم ذاتياً طوال اليوم.

(10)- تنمية المنافسة الشريفة بين الطلاب عبر وضع قائمة الشرف في الموقع المتاح للجميع، ووضع أبرز إنجازات الطلاب ومقتطفات ونماذج من أعمالهم وكتاباتهم.

(11) - يصبح المتعلم في هذا النوع من التعليم هو محور العملية التعليمية وهذا لب التدريس الفعال. (12)- توفير الورقيات. (13) - اعتماد مبدأ الجودة و توظيف التكنولوجيا كأساس جديد في التعليم.

Best Scottish Independent Schools

2011-03-19T02:43:00.001-07:00

There are only 100 independent schools in Scotland and if you live outside of Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen, then regrettably you have a limited choice. At this time we can only rank the senior schools on the basis of Highers or A levels, but we do list schools for all ages on our search engine. In this section we cover 5 aspects of choosing an independent school in Scotland for your child.

A. Best Scottish School League Tables – transfer to this section to view the top Scottish senior schools tables listed separately by A levels or Scottish Highers. Some schools have too small a sixth form for us to include them in the rankings. A few are offering the International Baccalaureate, in which case they will be covered in that section.

B. How to choose an Independent School in Scotland – click here to download a free eGuide on how to choose a Scottish independent school, including factors other than academic performance. This eGuide also includes a 30 point questionnaire to help you evaluate your shortlist.

C. Find a Scottish independent school – if you are looking at the top Scottish league tables, then just clicking your cursor on a school name will take you to the school’s details. If you want to find a school by area then follow this link and enter either the town or county in the search engine. Preps and Pre Preps are included here.

D. Expert assistance in finding a Scottish independent school – click here to go to the enquiry form to enter your requirements.

E. Reduce the school fees. It is our policy to only list fees for schools which are included in the league tables. Plainly independent education can be very expensive, but if you would like to explore financial and tax planning techniques to reduce your liability by 50% or more

Top 10 international boarding schools in the world

2011-03-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

An American journalist by the name of Sydney J Harris once wrote that, “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” If you want your child to have a window that looks out on the world, then there can be few better options than an international boarding school.
Research has shown that children in boarding school are more independent than others, and the educational foundations provided by this intensive form of training provides a springboard to greater things at university.
There are many good reasons why boarding school can transform your child’s life, but one of the most practical is the opportunity to become proficient in English.
Most of the world’s top international boarding schools use English – the global language that dominates the business, science and cultural worlds. The younger a student is exposed to the subject, the easier it is to learn, and immersion has been proven to be the most effective method. Different boarding schools have different entry requirements for English language skills, but the experience of many is that students immersed in a new environment where English is spoken pick up new language skills remarkably quickly.
Regardless of their level of academic achievement, English proficiency can be a major barrier for Asian students who wish to study university in other countries – or who wish to do well at it – and time spent at an international boarding school in earlier schooling will remove this barrier. English proficiency will open windows of opportunity for your son or daughter for the rest of their life.
For students who already have the English skills, top boarding schools provide an international perspective that they won’t encounter anywhere else. Lifelong friendships are forged, and many of these friendships will provide international connections.
Top boarding schools also offer a range of other benefits you won’t find at regular schools, such as small class sizes that help teachers provide individual attention and encourage participation. Students at boarding schools generally get more opportunity to interact with teachers. Good boarding schools also often have facilities that regular schools could only dream of having.
This can often be reflected in the depth of subject offerings and out of school activities. The range of activities in the arts and sports for example can be far more wide-ranging than anything available in regular schools.
While there’s definitely structure within boarding schools, students rapidly learn to adjust to a new environment, and learn how to be independent. As such they can be ideal for students looking for a fresh start who can learn how to make choices in ways that they do not while living at home.
Subject offerings arts and the outside activities such as sports and music are often far more wide-ranging than they will experience anywhere else.
In short, these are all things that will give your child a greater chance to find a place in a university and succeed when they get there.
Many boarding schools now strive to be a home away from home and have a number of options allowing children to keep in regular contact with their parents – for example, sessions on Skype and access to mobile phones on the weekends.
Choosing a good quality school in which to board is absolutely critical. For this you need to match the needs of your child with the culture of the school that you decide to send them to.
Thankfully, the world is a large place, and there are many extraordinary boarding schools around the world with exceptional track records. Here is a selection:

JFK INTERNATIONAL – SWITZERLAND

Switzerland is synonymous with high quality boarding schools, and one of the reasons for this is JFK International. Located in one of the most beautiful mountain villages in the Swiss Alps, JFK is a classic English language international boarding and day school that caters for 60 to 70 students between the ages of 5 and 14. While JFK is internationally renowned for its excellence in education, it prides itself on being a small family-style organization where children are treated as individuals. While JFK maintains the latest computer learning aids, the school considers the interaction between students and teachers to be the most important factor in developing the talents of every child. The Kennedy School is an idyllic place for children to grow and develop. The curriculum at JFK is especially designed for international schools and provides students with many experiences through activities, excursions and sports. Fundamental to its success is the strong belief that each child is a unique individual with differing needs..

BRANKSOME HALL – CANADA

Founded in 1903, Branksome Hall is one of Canada’s premier day and boarding schools for girls. Educating girls from junior kindergarten to university entrance, it is an independent, non-denominational girls’ day and boarding school and teaches the prestigious International Baccalaureate, a qualification recognised around the world. Branksome offers a strong liberal arts curriculum that develops critical thinking and inquiry skills, fosters a balance between academics and co-curricular choices, and emphasizes a global perspective. Boarding students at Branksome can enrol from Grades 8-12, and enjoy an enriched program within the caring residence environment. Branksome has an international outlook, with many of its highly qualified teachers having international teaching experience, and girls from Branksome are now to be found in the top universities around the world. .

DIOCESAN SCHOOL FOR GIRLS – NEW ZEALAND

The Auckland campus of Diocesan School for Girls is one of the top-performing schools in New Zealand. It has been in operation for more than a century and carries on the sort of reputation for excellence that sees daughters and granddaughters returning to the campus. Despite its proud traditions and history, this is not a school that stakes its reputation on past glory. It’s on the shortlist of New Zealand’s most dynamic centers of learning, equipped with cutting-edge classroom resources and spectacular recreational facilities. And it’s only getting better with each year. Many of the students in attendance hail from the area, but a strong contingent of international students is also enrolled. Innes House also has room to accommodate up to 35 boarding students. .

WESTMINISTER SCHOOL – ENGLAND

To understand what an exceptional educational institution Westminster School is, all you need to do is read the amazing role-call of famous alumni, ranging from historical figures like Christopher Wren, Ben Jonson and AA Milne through to actor Peter Ustinov, the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and famous modern day pop stars, like Dido and Gavin Rossdale. Situated next to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament in London, Westminster School is one of the world’s most distinguished independent boarding and day schools. Amazingly, the origins of the School can be traced back to the monastic school of a Benedictine abbey founded over a thousand years ago. Over each of the past five years, 50 per cent of pupils were accepted by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, 45 per cent chose courses to suit them at the country’s other leading universities and 5 per cent have taken up places at universities in America..
CHARTERHOUSE – ENGLAND

In 2011, Charterhouse celebrates an extraordinary 400 years of public education as one of the great historic schools of England. However, Charterhouse offers a dynamic and progressive education, and its graduates continue to fill the best universities in Britain. Its priority is not examination grades but the stimulation of independent inquiry and intellectual curiosity. Students are encouraged to maintain a balance between academic work and a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, with sporting and cultural achievements valued equally. Boys are admitted to Charterhouse in Year 9, when most of them are 13. A limited number of boys from overseas are admitted after taking tests in English, Mathematics and Science, usually in the January of the year of entry. Charterhouse also caters for around 50 girls who are admitted each year into the sixth form.
UWCSEA VISION – SINGAPORE

United World College of South East Asia promises no less than a holistic, life-defining educational experience for its students across its two campuses in Singapore. UWCSEA is the second of 13 colleges around the world that are part of the United World College movement, which was established with the aim of averting wars by using education to promote international understanding, uniting people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. As such, UWCSEA has an international focus and has developed a worldwide reputation for providing a challenging holistic values-based education with an emphasis upon academic achievement, service to others, environmental stewardship, teamwork and leadership. UWCSEA offers programs for children from kindergarten to grade 12, including a number of International Baccalaureate qualifications.
WOODSTOCK SCHOOL – INDIA

Situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, Woodstock School is one of the elite residential schools in India. Woodstock School was founded in 1854, and for the majority of its history primarily served the needs of missions and families engaged in social service in India. This heritage continues today in the school’s commitment to values of excellence, personal responsibility and service. Woodstock aims to develop responsible global citizens and leaders by providing a world-class international education, rooted in its Christian heritage and values, for a diverse group of students, especially from families in Christian or public service, in an Indian Himalayan environment. The School provides education for students aged 3 to 18, although boarding is only available to students from grade 3 onwards. Woodstock has an international reputation for excellence, as demonstrated by the fact that the majority of its students come from countries other than India..
DULWICH COLLEGE MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL

Dulwich College Management International (DCMI) is a network of educational facilities in Asia based on the educational philosophies of one of England’s leading independent schools, Dulwich College, London. DCMI commenced operations in China, with the establishment of Dulwich College in Shanghai, a co-educational, non-denominational academic institution offering education to the expatriate community. Following the success of the Shanghai College DCMI have established Dulwich College in Beijing, Suzhou, and Zhuhai in China as well as in Seoul, South Korea. DCMI is also developing bilingual kindergartens under a separate brand name, Windsor, and developing A-levels and advanced placement services for the local market. The success of these Colleges and Schools has established DCMI as a leading provider of international school education in Asia..
CANADIAN ACADEMY – JAPAN

Situated on Rokko Island in Kobe, Canadian Academy was established with the mission of inspiring students to inquire, reflect, and choose to compassionately impact the world throughout their lives. Canadian Academy is a private international school approved by the Japanese Ministry of Education, and certified to award both the US high school and International Baccalaureate diplomas. The student body is truly international in its make up, with about 17 per cent of students from North America, 7 per cent from Europe, 55 per cent from Asia, and 20 per cent representing the rest of the world. Canadian Academy has an international dormitory for students in grades 9-12. The layout of residences for boarders has been devised to create a family environment and to foster a closer relationship between students and their resident house parents. .
GEELONG GRAMMAR SCHOOL – AUSTRALIA

With five specialist campuses – Bostock, Toorak, Timbertop, Middle and Senior School – Geelong Grammar caters for all ages of school students. Now more than 150 years old, Geelong Grammar has developed into one of the most prestigious boarding schools in Australia, most famously hosting HRH Prince Charles at its Timbertop site in 1966. Geelong Grammar School is Australia’s largest co-educational Boarding School, attracting a remarkable diversity of students from around the world, and promoting the philosophy that education is dynamic and continuous. The Boarding Campus at Corio is a vibrant centre for sport, recreation and supervised study with more than 100 co-curricular activities available for students. Teaching at Geelong Grammar School employs implicit and explicit teaching of Positive Psychology skills and principles across every campus and across all aspects of school life which are known to be effective in improving critical thinking skills and increasing positive emotions in students..

Top 100 Universities: Top 100 Colleges and Universities

2011-03-08T06:18:00.000-08:00

Rank Name of University Country
1 Harvard University USA
2 University of Oxford UK
3 University of Cambridge UK
4 Stanford University USA
5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology USA
6 University of California, Berkeley USA
7 California Institute of Technology USA
8 Princeton University USA
9 Yale University USA
10 University of Chicago USA
11 Columbia University USA
12 University of California, San Diego USA
13 Cornell University USA
14 University of California, Los Angeles USA
15 University Pennsylvania USA
16 University of Wisconsin, Madison USA
17 University of Washington, Seattle USA
18 Tokyo University Japan
19 University of California, San Francisco USA
20 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor USA
21 Kyoto University Japan
22 Imperial College London UK
23 Johns Hopkins University USA
24 University of Toronto Canada
25 University College London UK
26 University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign USA
27 Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich Switzerland
28 Washington University, St. Louis USA
29 New York University USA
30 Duke University USA
31 University of Minnesota, Twin Cities USA
32 Northwestern University USA
33 Rockefeller University USA
34 University of Colorado, Boulder USA
35 University of California, Santa Barbara USA
36 University of British Columbia Canada
37 University of Maryland, College Park USA
38 Utrecht University Netherlands
39 University of Texas, Austin USA
40 University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center USA
41 Pennsylvania State University, University Park USA
42 University of California, Davis USA
43 Vanderbilt University USA
44 University of California, Irvine USA
45 University of Paris 06 France
46 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh USA
47 University of Southern California USA
48 Rutgers State University, New Brunswick USA
49 University of Manchester UK
50 Karolinska Institute, Stockholm Sweden
51 University of Munich Germany
52 Technical University of Munich Germany
53 University of Florida USA
54 University of Edinburgh UK
55 Australian National University Australia
56 Carnegie Mellon University USA
57 University of Copenhagen Denmark
58 University of Zurich Switzerland
59 Hebrew University, Jerusalem Israel
60 Osaka University Japan
61 McGill University Canada
62 University of Bristol UK
63 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill USA
64 Uppsala University Sweden
65 Ohio State University, Columbus USA
66 University of Paris 11 France
67 University of Sheffield UK
68 University of Heidelberg Germany
69 University of Oslo Norway
70 Case Western Reserve University USA
71 Moscow State University Russia
72 University of Leiden Netherlands
73 Purdue University, West Lafayette USA
74 University of Helsinki Finland
75 University of Rochester USA
76 University of Melbourne Australia
77 Tohoku University Japan
78 University of Nottingham UK
79 University of Arizona USA
80 Michigan State University USA
81 King's College London UK
82 Boston University USA
83 University of Basel Switzerland
84 Stockholm University Sweden
85 Brown University USA
86 University of Goettingen Germany
87 Rice University USA
88 Texas A&M University, College Station USA
89 Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan
90 University of Birmingham UK
91 University of Utah USA
92 University of Freiburg Germany
93 McMaster University Canada
94 Nagoya University Japan
95 University of Iowa USA
96 University of Strasbourg 1 France
97 Ecole Normale Super Paris France
98 Indiana University, Bloomington USA
99 Arizona State University, Tempe USA
100 University of Rome La Sapienza Italy

Ranking of the best 100 universities in the Arab World

2011-03-08T06:16:00.000-08:00

King Saud University Flag of sa 380 1
2 King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Flag of sa 420
3 American University of Beirut Flag of lb 1,532
4 American University in Cairo Flag of eg 1,654
5 Birzeit University Flag of ps 1,814
6 King Abdulaziz University Flag of sa 2,106
7 Al Quds University the Arab University in Jerusalem Flag of ps 2,245
8 United Arab Emirates University Flag of ae 2,272
9 Higher Colleges of Technology Flag of ae 2,436
10 Université Saint Joseph de Beyrouth Flag of lb 2,607
11 King Faisal University Flag of sa 2,646
12 Sultan Qaboos University Flag of om 2,747
13 Umm Al-Qura University Flag of sa 2,829
14 Cairo University Flag of eg 2,934
15 Kuwait University Flag of kw 2,952
16 Imam Muhammad bin Saud University Flag of sa 2,957
17 American University of Sharjah Flag of ae 3,105
18 University of Qatar Flag of qa 3,401
19 University of Sharjah Flag of ae 3,921
20 Islamic University of Gaza (Note 60) Flag of ps 3,948
21 Université Cadi Ayyad Flag of ma 3,961
22 Jordan University of Science & Technology Flag of jo 3,998
23 Mansoura University Flag of eg 4,002
24 Zayed University Flag of ae 4,095
25 Ain Shams University Flag of eg 4,112
26 Bethlehem University Flag of ps 4,181
27 Islamic University of Al Madinah Flag of sa 4,262
28 Al Akhawayn University Ifrane Flag of ma 4,275
29 Université Abdelmalek Essadi Flag of ma 4,309
30 Lebanese American University Flag of lb 4,317
31 Yarmouk University Flag of jo 4,411
32 An-Najah National University Flag of ps 4,446
33 Université Abou Bekr Belkaid Tlemcen Flag of dz 4,452
34 Arab Open University Saudi Arabia Flag of sa 4,517
35 Arab Academy for Science & Technology and Maritime Transport Flag of eg 4,552
36 University of Jordan Flag of jo 4,630
37 King Khalid University Flag of sa 4,869
38 Philadelphia University at Jordan Amman Flag of jo 5,078
39 Zagazig University Flag of eg 5,146
40 Ecole Mohammadia d'Ingenieurs Flag of ma 5,303
41 Institut Agronomique et Veterinaire Hassan Ii Flag of ma 5,352
42 German University in Cairo Flag of eg 5,467
43 University of Balamand Flag of lb 5,569
44 Yemeni University of Science & Technology Flag of ye 5,804
45 Arab Open University Bahrain Flag of bh 5,850
46
47 University of Bahrain Flag of bh 5,968
48 Institute of Public Administration Flag of sa 6,106
49 King Abdullah University of Science & Technology Flag of sa 6,139
50 Mogadishu University Flag of so 6,145
51 University of Khartoum Flag of sd 6,213
52 Assiut University Flag of eg 6,530
53 Université Abdelmalek Essaadi Flag of ma 6,589
54 Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Informatique et d'Analyse des Systemes Ensias Flag of ma 6,599
55 Ecole Superieure Privee d'Ingenierie et de Technologies Flag of tn 6,687
56 Arab American University Flag of ps 6,696
57 Faculte des Sciences Rabat Flag of ma 6,732
58 Institut Francais du Proche-Orient Damas Flag of sy 6,747
59 Université Mohammed Premier Oujda Flag of ma 6,848
60 Helwan University Flag of eg 7,052
61 Notre Dame University Lebanon Flag of lb 7,122
62 Palestine Polytechnic University Flag of ps 7,124
63 College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences Flag of sa 7,144
64 Hebron University Flag of ps 7,151
65 Université Libanaise Flag of lb 7,169
66 Balqa' Applied University Salt Jordan Flag of jo 7,180
67 Hashemite University Flag of jo 7,188
68 Sudan University of Science & Technology Flag of sd 7,198
69 Université de Batna Flag of dz 7,199
70 Mutah University Flag of jo 7,211
71 Université Virtuelle de Tunis Flag of tn 7,237
72 Garyounis University Flag of ly 7,265
73 Damascus University Flag of sy 7,299
74 Gulf University for Science & Technology Flag of kw 7,346
75 Prince Sultan University Flag of sa 7,418
76 Amoud University Flag of so 7,440
77 Petroleum Institute Abu Dhabi Flag of ae 7,513
78 Ajman University of Science & Technology Flag of ae 7,583
79 Université des Sciences et de la Technologie Houari Boumediene Flag of dz 7,657
80 Université Mohammed V Souissi Flag of ma 7,664
81 Arabian Gulf University Flag of bh 7,675
82 Beirut Arab University Flag of lb 7,699
83 Naif Arab University for Security Sciences Flag of sa 7,710
84 Arab Open University Lebanon Flag of lb 7,714
85 American University in Dubai Flag of ae 7,719
86 Al Quds Open University Flag of ps 7,828
87 University of Aleppo Flag of sy 7,893
88 Faculte de Medecine & Pharmacie Flag of ma 7,937
89 Al-Hussein bin Talal University Flag of jo 7,988
90 Syrian Virtual University Flag of sy 7,994
91 University of Tanta Flag of eg 8,003
92 Université Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Fes Flag of ma 8,004
93 Institut Superieur de l'Information et de la Communication Flag of ma 8,016
94 Al Azhar Al-Sharif Islamic Research Academy Flag of eg 8,019
95 Arab Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences Flag of jo 8,087
96 Université M'Hamed Bougara de Boumerdes Flag of dz 8,130
97 Dubai Pharmacy College Flag of ae 8,181
98 Ecole Nationale de Commerce et de Gestion Flag of ma 8,215
99 Al Al-Bayt University Flag of jo 8,231
100 Institut National de Formation en Informatique Flag of dz 8,339

2011 school terms and holidays

2011-03-08T06:13:00.001-08:00

School terms and holidays for 2011 for state and state-integrated primary, intermediate, secondary and composite schools. It also provides Anniversary Day holidays for 2011.

2011 term dates

Differences for 2011

The usual length of each school term has been adjusted for 2011. Terms 1 and 2 are slightly longer than usual, and Term 4 is two weeks shorter. This adjustment has been made to align the October term holiday with the final stages of the 2011 Rugby World Cup tournament.
The earliest start date for 2011 has been amended. The earliest date on which schools may open in 2011 is Monday 31 January (rather than Tuesday 1 February, as previously).
For primary and intermediate schools
This table shows term start and end dates schools must use.

Term Start date End date
1 Between Monday 31 January (at the earliest) and Monday 7 February (at the latest) Friday 15 April (100 to 110 half-days)
2 Monday 2 May Friday 15 July (108 half-days)
3 Monday 1 August Friday 7 October (100 half-days)
4 Tuesday 25 October No later than Tuesday 20 December (82 half-days)*
* Or to a day in December which ensures that the school has been open for instruction for 390 half-days in 2011.

For secondary and composite schools
This table shows term start and end dates schools must use.

Term Start date End date
1 Between Monday 31 January (at the earliest) and Monday 7 February (at the latest) Friday 15 April (100 to 110 half-days)
2 Monday 2 May Friday 15 July (108 half-days)
3 Monday 1 August Friday 7 October (100 half-days)
4 Tuesday 25 October No later than Tuesday 13 December (72 half-days)*
* Or to a day in December which ensures that the school has been open for instruction for 380 half-days in 2011.

2011 holidays

Schools must be closed in 2011 on Saturdays and Sundays, and on these days:

New Years Day - 1 January
Day after New Years Day - 2 January
Waitangi Day - 6 February (Sunday)
Good Friday - 22 April
Easter Monday - 25 April
Day after Easter Monday - 26 April (Tuesday)
Anzac Day - 25 April
Queen's Birthday - 6 June (Monday)
Labour Day - 24 October (Monday)
Christmas Day - 25 December
Boxing Day - 26 December
And the relevant Anniversary Day holiday as below.

Anniversary Day holidays 20111
Province2 Includes Actual day Date observed in 2011
Southland Invercargill, Bluff, Milford Sound, Fiordland 17 January Monday 17 January
Wellington Wellington, Manawatu, Whanganui 22January Monday 24 January
Auckland Waikato, King Country, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne/East Coast 29 January Monday 31 January
Northland Whangarei 29 January Monday 31 January
Nelson Nelson, Tasman, Buller and parts of North Canterbury 1 February Monday 31 January
Otago Dunedin, Queenstown 23 March Monday 21 March
Taranaki (New Plymouth) New Plymouth 31 March Monday 14 March
South Canterbury 25 September Monday 26 September
Hawkes' Bay Napier, Hastings 1 November Friday 21 October
Malborough Blenheim, Picton 1 November Monday 31 October
Canterbury Christchurch, Ashburton 16 November Friday 11 November
Chatham Islands 30 November Monday 28 November
Westland Westport, Greymouth 1 December Monday 5 December

School

2011-03-08T06:07:00.000-08:00

This article is about institutions for learning. For the concept of "schooling", see Education. For other uses of the word "school", see School (disambiguation) or Educational institution.

School building and recreation area in England

A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students (or "pupils") under the supervision of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools. The names for these schools vary by country (discussed in the Regional section below), but generally include primary school for young children and secondary school for teenagers who have completed primary education. An institution where higher education is taught, is commonly called a university college or university.

In addition to these core schools, students in a given country may also attend schools before and after primary and secondary education. Kindergarten or pre-school provide some schooling to very young children (typically ages 3–5). University, vocational school, college or seminary may be available after secondary school. A school may also be dedicated to one particular field, such as a school of economics or a school of dance. Alternative schools may provide nontraditional curriculum and methods.

There are also non-government schools, called private schools. Private schools may be for children with special needs when the government does not supply for them; religious, such as Christian schools, hawzas, yeshivas, and others; or schools that have a higher standard of education or seek to foster other personal achievements. Schools for adults include institutions of corporate training, Military education and training and business schools.

In homeschooling and online schools, teaching and learning take place outside of a traditional school building.

Contents [hide]

1 History and development of schools

2 Regional terms

2.1 United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations

2.2 India

2.3 Europe

2.4 North America and the United States

2.5 Universal terms

3 School ownership and operation

4 Components of most schools

5 School security

6 School health services

7 Online schools/classes

8 Stress

9 Discipline

10 Etymology

11 See also

12 References

13 Further reading

History and development of schools

Main article: History of education

Plato's academy, mosaic from Pompeii.

The concept of grouping students together in a centralized location for learning has existed since Classical antiquity. Formal schools have existed at least since ancient Greece (see Academy), ancient Rome (see Education in Ancient Rome) ancient India (see Gurukul), and ancient China (see History of education in China). The Byzantine Empire had an established schooling system beginning at the primary level. According to Traditions and Encounters, the founding of the primary education system began in 425 A.D. and "... military personnel usually had at least a primary education ...". The sometimes efficient and often large government of the Empire meant that educated citizens were a must. Although Byzantium lost much of the grandeur of Roman culture and extravagance in the process of surviving, the Empire emphasized efficiency in its war manuals. The Byzantine education system continued until the empire's collapse in 1453 AD

Islam was another culture that developed a school system in the modern sense of the word. Emphasis was put on knowledge, which required a systematic way of teaching and spreading knowledge, and purpose-built structures. At first, mosques combined both religious performance and learning activities, but by the ninth century, the Madrassa was introduced, a proper school that was built independently from the mosque. They were also the first to make the Madrassa system a public domain under the control of the Caliph. The Nizamiyya madrasa is considered by consensus of scholars to be the earliest surviving school, built towards 1066 CE by Emir Nizam Al-Mulk.

Under the Ottomans, the towns of Bursa and Edirne became the main centers of learning. The Ottoman system of Kulliye, a building complex containing a mosque, a hospital, madrassa, and public kitchen and dining areas, revolutionized the education system, making learning accessible to a wider public through its free meals, health care and sometimes free accommodation.

One-room school in 1935, Alabama

The nineteenth century historian, Scott holds that a remarkable correspondence exists between the procedure established by those institutions and the methods of the present day. They had their collegiate courses, their prizes for proficiency in scholarship, their oratorical and poetical contests, their commencements and their degrees. In the department of medicine, a severe and prolonged examination, conducted by the most eminent physicians of the capital, was exacted of all candidates desirous of practicing their profession, and such as were unable to stand the test were formally pronounced incompetent

In Europe during the Middle Ages and much of the Early Modern period, the main purpose of schools (as opposed to universities) was to teach the Latin language. This led to the term grammar school, which in the United States informally refers to a primary school, but in the United Kingdom means a school that selects entrants based on ability or aptitude. Following this, the school curriculum has gradually broadened to include literacy in the vernacular language as well as technical, artistic, scientific and practical subjects.

Mental Calculations. In the school of S.Rachinsky by Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky. Russia, 1895.

Many of the earlier public schools in the United States were one-room schools where a single teacher taught seven grades of boys and girls in the same classroom. Beginning in the 1920s, one-room schools were consolidated into multiple classroom facilities with transportation increasingly provided by kid hacks and school buses.

Regional terms

A madrasah in the Gambia

Loyola School, Chennai, India - run by the Catholic Diocese of Madras. Christian missionaries played a pivotal role in establishing modern schools in India.

The use of the term school varies by country, as do the names of the various levels of education within the country.

United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations

In the United Kingdom, the term school refers primarily to pre-university institutions, and these can, for the most part, be divided into pre-schools or nursery schools, primary schools (sometimes further divided into infant school and junior school), and secondary schools. Various types of secondary schools in England and Wales include grammar schools, comprehensives, secondary moderns, and city academies. In Scotland, while they may have different names, all Secondary schools are the same, except in that they may be funded by the state, or independently funded (see next paragraph). It is unclear if "Academys", which are a hybrid between state and independently funded/controlled schools and have been introduced to England in recent years, will ever be introduced to Scotland. School performance in Scotland is monitored by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education. Ofsted reports on performance in England and Wales.

In the United Kingdom, most schools are publicly funded and known as state schools or maintained schools in which tuition is provided free. There are also private schools or independent schools that charge fees. Some of the most selective and expensive private schools are known as public schools, a usage that can be confusing to speakers of North American English. In North American usage, a public school is one that is publicly funded or run.

In much of the Commonwealth of Nations, including Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania, the term school refers primarily to pre-university institutions.

India

In ancient India, schools were in the form of Gurukuls. Gurukuls were traditional Hindu residential schools of learning; typically the teacher's house or a monastery. During the Mughal rule, Madrasahs were introduced in India to educate the children of Muslim parents. British records show that indigenous education was widespread in the 18th century, with a school for every temple, mosque or village in most regions of the country. The subjects taught included Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Theology, Law, Astronomy, Metaphysics, Ethics, Medical Science and Religion.

Under the British rule in India, Christian missionaries from England, USA and other countries established missionary and boarding schools throughout the country. Later as these schools gained in popularity, more were started and some gained prestige. These schools marked the beginning of modern schooling in India and the syllabus and calendar they followed became the benchmark for schools in modern India. Today most of the schools follow the missionary school model in terms of tutoring, subject / syllabus, governance etc.with minor changes. Schools in India range from schools with large campuses with thousands of students and hefty fees to schools where children are taught under a tree with a small / no campus and are totally free of cost. There are various boards of schools in India, namely Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), Madrasa Boards of various states, Matriculation Boards of various states, State Boards of various boards, Anglo Indian Board, and so on. The typical syllabus today includes Language(s), Mathematics, Science - Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, General Knowledge, Information Technology / Computer Science etc.. Extra curricular activities include physical education / sports and cultural activities like music, choreography, painting, theater / drama etc.

Europe

Chemistry lesson at a German Gymnasium, Bonn, 1988

In much of continental Europe, the term school usually applies to primary education, with primary schools that last between four and nine years, depending on the country. It also applies to secondary education, with secondary schools often divided between Gymnasiums and vocational schools, which again depending on country and type of school educate students for between three and six years. In Germany students graduating from Grundschule are not allowed to directly progress into a vocational school, but are supposed to proceed to one of Germany's general education schools such as Gesamtschule, Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium. When they leave that school, which usually happens at age 15-19 they are allowed to proceed to a vocational school. The term school is rarely used for tertiary education, except for some upper or high schools which describe colleges and universities.

In Eastern Europe modern schools (after World War II), of both primary and secondary educations, often are combined, while secondary education might be split into accomplished or not. The schools are classified as middle schools of general education and for the technical purposes include "degrees" of the education they provide out of three available: the first - primary, the second - unaccomplished secondary, and the third - accomplished secondary. Usually the first two degrees of education (eight years) are always included, while the last one (two years) gives option for the students to pursue vocational or specialized educations.

North America and the United States

In North America, the term school can refer to any educational institution at any level, and covers all of the following: preschool (for toddlers), kindergarten, elementary school, middle school (also called intermediate school or junior high school, depending on specific age groups and geographic region), senior high school, college, university, and graduate school.

In the US, school performance through high school is monitored by each state's Department of Education. Charter schools are publicly funded elementary or secondary schools that have been freed from some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools. The terms grammar school and grade school are sometimes used to refer to a primary school.

Universal terms

In many countries, Business Schools are colleges providing instruction in business, business administration, and management.

Boarding schools are schools where students live full-time amongst their peers in dormitories. Some boarding schools are separated by gender.

School ownership and operation

Many schools are owned or funded by states. Private schools operate independently from the government. Private schools usually rely on fees from families whose children attend the school for funding; however, sometimes such schools also receive government support (for example, through School vouchers). Many private schools are affiliated with a particular religion; these are known as parochial schools.

Components of most schools

A school entrance building in Australia

Schools are organized spaces purposed for teaching and learning. The classrooms, where teachers teach and students learn, are of central importance, but typical schools have many other areas, which may include:

Cafeteria (Commons), dining hall or canteen where students eat lunch and often breakfast and snacks.

Athletic field, playground, gym, and/or track place where students participating in sports or physical education practice

Auditorium or hall where student theatrical and musical productions can be staged and where all-school events such as assemblies are held

Office where the administrative work of the school is done

Library where students consult and check out books and magazines and often use computers

Specialized classrooms including laboratories for science education

Computer labs where computer-based work is done and the internet accessed

School security

To curtail violence, some schools have added CCTV surveillance cameras. This is especially common in schools with excessive gang activity or violence.

The safety of staff and students is increasingly becoming an issue for school communities, an issue most schools are addressing through improved security. After mass shootings such as the Columbine High School massacre and the Virginia Tech incident, many school administrators in the United States have created plans to protect students and staff in the event of a school shooting. Some have also taken measures such as installing metal detectors or video surveillance. Others have even taken measures such as having the children swipe identification cards as they board the school bus. For some schools, these plans have included the use of door numbering to aid public safety response.

Other security concerns faced by schools include bomb threats, gangs, vandalism, and bullying.

School health services

Main article: School health services

Online schools/classes

Main article: Virtual school

Some schools offer remote access to their classes over the Internet. Online schools also can provide support to traditional schools, as in the case of the School Net Namibia. Some online classes provide experience in a class so that when you take it you have already been introduced to the subject and know what to expect, and even more classes provide High School/College credit allowing you to take the class at your own pace. Many online classes cost money to use but some are offered free.

Stress

As a profession, teaching has levels of Work-Related Stress (WRS) that are among the highest of any profession in some countries, such as the United Kingdom. The degree of this problem is becoming increasingly recognized and support systems are being put into place.

Teacher education increasingly recognizes the need to train those new to the profession to be aware of and overcome mental health challenges they may face.[citation needed]

Stress sometimes affects students more severely than teachers, up to the point where the students are prescribed stress medication. This stress is claimed to be related to standardized testing, and the pressure on students to score above average.

Main article: School discipline

Schools and their teachers have always been under pressure — for instance, pressure to cover the curriculum, to perform well in comparison to other schools, and to avoid the stigma of being "soft" or "spoiling" toward students. Forms of discipline, such as control over when students may speak, and normalized behaviour, such as raising a hand to speak, are imposed in the name of greater efficiency. Practitioners of critical pedagogy maintain that such disciplinary measures have no positive effect on student learning. Indeed, some argue that disciplinary practices detract from learning, saying that they undermine students' individual dignity and sense of self-worth—the latter occupying a more primary role in students' hierarchy of needs.

Etymology

The word school is from Greek σχολή scholē), originally meaning "leisure", and also "that in which leisure is employed

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List of colleges and universities by country

List of schools by country

List of songs about school

List of television series about school

Music school

School and university in literature

School bullying

Schooliosis

Student transport

Teaching for social justice

University-preparatory school

Year-round school

Top 10 Psychology Colleges in the USA

2011-02-24T06:26:00.000-08:00

This is a ranking of the top 10 traditional psychologycolleges. If you are looking for information aboutonline psychology degrees, . With so many colleges in the USA, how can you find out which one will be best for your needs? As we said in a recent post entitled, Undergraduate Psychology: Picking a College, the college that you pick to get yourpsychology degree should fit right with your learning needs, but that doesn't mean that some schools don't rank higher than others for providing students with a better quality of overall educational experience. When choosing the top colleges for a psychology education, there are a number of important factors to consider. Some factors such as research facilities, are fairly easy to quantify in lists like this. However, the field of psychology has many different concentrations and the school you choose for earning your psychology degreeshould be heavily influenced by the faculty's interests and type of research that gets done at that school. Since psychology as a whole is moving more and more towards being practiced as an empirical science, we've skewed our rankings in favor of those schools which also have strong neuroscience approaches. Here are our top ten choices for the best psychology colleges:

10. UCSD

A university well known for having excellence in the psychology curriculum is the University of California in San Diego. This school is actually one of the best schools when it comes to experimental psychology programs. UCSD is located in one of the most beautiful cities in the nation that is known for its mild, warm weather and has an amazing city transit system. This school was founded in 1960 and currently has over 25,000 students enrolled.

9. University of California in Berkeley

The University of California in Berkeley consistently stays in the top ten psychology schools in the United States. In addition to this, UC Berkeley has 35 different graduate programs that are ranked in the top 10 nationwide. UC Berkeley has a very rich history that dates back to 1869 when it opened with 40 students. This school is located in Berkley, which is around forty-five minutes from San Francisco, an area where housing can sometimes be very expensive. You may consider on-campus housing as a cheaper alternative to renting in the city. The city bus and trolley system in San Francisco is state of the art and can save you a lot of gas money if you don't live right near the school.

8. University of Pennsylvania

The psychology department of the University of Pennsylvania is actually the oldest in North America and first opened its doors in 1887 and since that date has produced some of the top psychological scientists in the world. The University of Pennsylvania itself is actually much older and has the honor of being the first true university in the United States. This school had its first building erected in 1740 and was the brainchild of Benjamin Franklin. Currently, Penn has over 20,000 full-time students and over 4500 professors.

7. U of M Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota’s psychology department opened in 1919 and typically ranks as well as some of the larger, more well knownuniversities. This department has a very wide range of psychology classes in applied fields and really stands out in this area. The psychology department at the U of M works closely with other departments because they realize psychology is changing and new discoveries are happening at an amazing rate in the 21st century. The University of Minnesota is an enormous school with over 51,000 students and 3,100 professors.

6. Harvard

The name of this university says it all. You will be hard pressed to find a school with a better reputation than Harvard. Surprisingly, this school is only number six on the list. Harvard first opened the doors to its psychology department in the 1800s and has been named the best school for graduate level psychology for decades. Harvard is the oldest “school” in the United States and was founded in 1636 but it wasn’t technically considered a university until 1780. Harvard is located in Boston, Massachusetts and currently has almost 20,000 students enrolled.

Some Online Psychology Schools Worth Considering

University of Phoenix
Argosy University Online
Capella University

5. The University Of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

This university boasts an impressive selection of psychology classes such as biological, clinical, developmental, quantitative, and industrial-organizational. The psychology department of UIUC was founded in 1893 by William O. Krohn and since then has built a reputation of excellence in the field of psychology. UIUC spares no expense so the facilities and programs are top of the line in every aspect. This is a very large school and currently has over 40,000 students enrolled.

4. UCLA

The University of California Los Angeles has long been known to be one of the best schools in the nation and their psychology department is top notch. Located in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, UCLA was founded in 1919 and has more applicants per year than any other school in the United States. The psychology program at UCLA specializes in the psychology, cognitive sciences, and psychobiology fields and as an undergraduate, these will be your three choices for major study but you can also minor in gerontology, applied developmental psychology, or cognitive science. UCLA currently has close to 40,000 students enrolled. Traffic can be a factor if you attend UCLA so the school highly encourages you to use public transportation as much as possible.

3. Yale

Yale University is one of the big three along with Stanford and Harvard and is extremely well known as top of the line school. Yale is located in Connecticut and was originally established in 1701 and has always been highly regarded around the world. Especially when it comes to their law program. The psychology program at Yale specializes in research of behavioral neuroscience, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and social/personality psychology. Yale was also listed as second in College Crunch's Top 50 Colleges in 2009 list.

2. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

The University of Michigan offers an amazing psychology program and is home to a tremendous amount of psychological research. This university started in Detroit in 1817 but was moved to Ann Arbor in 1837. The psychology department offers degrees in almost every area of psychology and many of the professors here have been honored for excellence and contributing to new knowledge in the psychology area. There are over 41,000 students currently enrolled in the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

1. Stanford

Just the name Stanford is associated with excellence in almost every way. This school consistently ranks number one in the area of psychology and with good reason. Stanford is the home to 17 different research labs for the psychological study and 5 professors in this department have won awards in 2009 already. The psychology department at Stanford was created in 1892 and since that date, has excelled in every area of psychological study. There are currently just under 15,000 students enrolled at Stanford University in 2009.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

2011-02-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

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The mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century.

The Institute is committed to generating, disseminating, and preserving knowledge, and to working with others to bring this knowledge to bear on the world's great challenges. MIT is dedicated to providing its students with an education that combines rigorous academic study and the excitement of discovery with the support and intellectual stimulation of a diverse campus community. We seek to develop in each member of the MIT community the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment of humankind.

The Institute admitted its first students in 1865, four years after the approval of its founding charter. The opening marked the culmination of an extended effort by William Barton Rogers, a distinguished natural scientist, to establish a new kind of independent educational institution relevant to an increasingly industrialized America. Rogers stressed the pragmatic and practicable. He believed that professional competence is best fostered by coupling teaching and research and by focusing attention on real-world problems. Toward this end, he pioneered the development of the teaching laboratory.

Today MIT is a world-class educational institution. Teaching and research-with relevance to the practical world as a guiding principle-continue to be its primary purpose. MIT is independent, coeducational, and privately endowed. Its five schools and one college encompass 34 academic departments, divisions, and degree-granting programs, as well as numerous interdisciplinary centers, laboratories, and programs whose work cuts across traditional departmental boundaries.

UCL (University College London)

2011-02-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

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Described by The Sunday Times as 'an intellectual powerhouse with a world-class reputation', UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top three multifaculty universities in the UK and features in the top 5 universities worldwide.

UCL is a multidisciplinary university with an international reputation for the quality of its research and teaching across the academic spectrum, with subjects spanning the sciences, arts, social sciences and biomedicine. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) UCL was rated the best research university in London, and third in the UK overall, for the number of its submissions which were considered of world-leading quality. The RAE confirmed UCLâ??s multidisciplinary research strength with outstanding results achieved across the subjects, ranging from Biomedicine, Science and Engineering, and the Built Environment to Laws, Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities.

Teaching at UCL is 'research-led', meaning that the programmes we offer reflect the very latest research and are often taught by academic staff members who are world-leaders in their fields. UCL has one of the best staff-student ratios in the UK and places a strong emphasis on small group teaching.

As well as being dynamic and intellectually challenging, UCL offers a very cosmopolitan and international environment in which to study. Over 30% of our students are from outside the UK, coming from nearly 140 different countries. UCL also attracts academic staff from around the globe, and international staff and students alike are welcomed for the different perspectives and diversity they bring to teaching and learning at UCL.

The university is located on a compact site in the very heart of London and is surrounded by the greatest concentration of libraries, museums, archives, cultural institutions and professional bodies in Europe.

Yale University

2011-02-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

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Yale University was founded in 1701 as the Collegiate School in the home of Abraham Pierson, its first rector, in Killingworth, Connecticut. In 1716 the school moved to New Haven and, with the generous gift by Elihu Yale of nine bales of goods, 417 books, and a portrait and arms of King George I, was renamed Yale College in 1718.

Yale embarked on a steady expansion, establishing the Medical Institution (1810), Divinity School (1822), Law School (1843), Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (1847), the School of Fine Arts (1869), and School of Music (1894). In 1887 Yale College became Yale University. It continued to add to its academic offerings with the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (1900), School of Nursing (1923), School of Drama (1955), School of Architecture (1972), and School of Management (1974).

As Yale enters its fourth century, it's goal is to become a truly global university?educating leaders and advancing the frontiers of knowledge not simply for the United States, but for the entire world. Richard C. Levin, the president of Yale University, says: ?The globalization of the University is in part an evolutionary development. Yale has drawn students from outside the United States for nearly two centuries, and international issues have been represented in its curriculum for the past hundred years and more. But creating the global university is also a revolutionary development?signaling distinct changes in the substance of teaching and research, the demographic characteristics of students, the scope and breadth of external collaborations, and the engagement of the University with new audiences.?