Virtual Global University
Encyclopedia
The Virtual Global University (VGU) is a virtual university
offering online distance education
or virtual education
on the Internet
.
from 14 different universities in Germany
, Austria
and Switzerland
. The VGU brings together the knowledge and experience of people from different universities in one virtual organization
. At the same time it is a real organization, according to German civil law under the name "VGU Private Virtual Global University GmbH".
Within the Virtual Global University, the School of Business Informatics (SBI) is the organizational unit that offers online courses and an online study program.
(IT) and management
— or Business Informatics
as it is called in Central Europe. Students of Business Informatics
(BI) are taught how to use IT effectively to develop business solutions for global challenges.
All courses offered by the VGU are based on the Internet as well as on commonly available information and communication technology and are given entirely, or are substantially supported, by means of electronic media. The MBI can be conducted either in English or in German.
" (MBI). The creation of the MBI was supported by the German "Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung" (federal ministry of education and research) within the program "New Media in Education". The program is accredited by government as well as by ACQUIN. The master's degree
is awarded by the European University Viadrina (EUV) in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany in cooperation with the VGU. While the latter one provides expertise and teaching for the program, EUV is responsible for ensuring that the academic and educational standards of the program are maintained at an appropriate level.
topics are offered in addition to the master program MBI.
Virtual university
A virtual university provides higher education programs through electronic media, typically the Internet. Some are bricks-and-mortar institutions that provide online learning as part of their extended university courses while others solely offer online courses. They are regarded as a form of...
offering online distance education
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
or virtual education
Virtual education
Virtual education refers to instruction in a learning environment where teacher and student are separated by time or space, or both, and the teacher provides course content through the use of methods such as course management applications, multimedia resources, the internet, and videoconferencing...
on the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
.
Organization
The Virtual Global University (VGU) is a private organization founded in 2001 by 17 professors of Business InformaticsBusiness informatics
Business informatics or organizational informatics is a discipline combining information technology , informatics and management concepts. The BI discipline was created in Germany, from the concept of "Wirtschaftsinformatik"...
from 14 different universities in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The VGU brings together the knowledge and experience of people from different universities in one virtual organization
Virtual business
A virtual business employs electronic means to transact business as opposed to a traditional brick and mortar business that relies on face-to-face transactions with physical documents and physical currency or credit.-History:...
. At the same time it is a real organization, according to German civil law under the name "VGU Private Virtual Global University GmbH".
Within the Virtual Global University, the School of Business Informatics (SBI) is the organizational unit that offers online courses and an online study program.
Studies at the Virtual Global University
The focus of VGU's study offerings is information technologyInformation technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
(IT) and management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
— or Business Informatics
Business informatics
Business informatics or organizational informatics is a discipline combining information technology , informatics and management concepts. The BI discipline was created in Germany, from the concept of "Wirtschaftsinformatik"...
as it is called in Central Europe. Students of Business Informatics
Business informatics
Business informatics or organizational informatics is a discipline combining information technology , informatics and management concepts. The BI discipline was created in Germany, from the concept of "Wirtschaftsinformatik"...
(BI) are taught how to use IT effectively to develop business solutions for global challenges.
All courses offered by the VGU are based on the Internet as well as on commonly available information and communication technology and are given entirely, or are substantially supported, by means of electronic media. The MBI can be conducted either in English or in German.
MBI program
The VGU offers a master program leading to the degree of an "International Master of Business InformaticsMaster of Business Informatics
Master of Business Informatics is a postgraduate degree in Business Informatics . BI programs combine information technology and management courses and are common in central Europe ....
" (MBI). The creation of the MBI was supported by the German "Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung" (federal ministry of education and research) within the program "New Media in Education". The program is accredited by government as well as by ACQUIN. The master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
is awarded by the European University Viadrina (EUV) in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany in cooperation with the VGU. While the latter one provides expertise and teaching for the program, EUV is responsible for ensuring that the academic and educational standards of the program are maintained at an appropriate level.
Certificate courses
Independent certificate courses on a number of IT and managementManagement
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
topics are offered in addition to the master program MBI.
Head of VGU
The head of the Virtual Global University is Prof. Dr. Karl Kurbel. He is also CEO of the VGU GmbH and head of the Business Informatics Chair at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany.Faculty
The faculty of the School Business Informatics consists of 17 professors plus external lecturers, assisted by teaching assistants. The current faculty members are:- Prof. Dr. Freimut Bodendorf, Chair of Information Systems II, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
- Prof. Dr. Stefan Eicker, Research Group for Business Informatics and Software Engineering, University of Duisburg-EssenUniversity of Duisburg-EssenThe University Duisburg-Essen is a public university in Duisburg and Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and a member of the new founded University Alliance Metropolis Ruhr....
, Essen, Germany - Prof. Dr. Dimitris Karagiannis, Institute of Applied Computer Science and Information Systems - Knowledge Engineering, University of ViennaUniversity of ViennaThe University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, Vienna, Austria - Prof. Dr. Gerhard Knolmayer, Institute of Information Systems - Research Group "Information Engineering", University of BerneUniversity of BerneThe University of Bern is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a broad choice of courses and programmes in eight faculties and some 160 institutes. The university is an...
, Berne, Switzerland - Prof. Dr. Hermann Krallmann, Department of Computer Science - Systems Analysis, Technical University of BerlinTechnical University of BerlinThe Technische Universität Berlin is a research university located in Berlin, Germany. Translating the name into English is discouraged by the university, however paraphrasing as Berlin Institute of Technology is recommended by the university if necessary .The TU Berlin was founded...
, Berlin, Germany - Prof. Dr. Karl Kurbel, Chair of Business Informatics, European University Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
- Prof. Dr. Susanne Leist, Faculty of Business, Economics and Information Systems, University of RegensburgUniversity of RegensburgThe University of Regensburg is a public research university located in the medieval city of Regensburg, Bavaria, a city that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university was founded on July 18, 1962 by the Landtag of Bavaria as the fourth full-fledged university in Bavaria...
, Regensburg, Germany - Prof. Dr. Gustaf Neumann, Chair of Information Systems and New Media, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Vienna, Austria
- Prof. Dr. Andreas Oberweis, Institute of Applied Informatics and Formal Description Methods, University of Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
- Prof. Dr. Guenther Pernul, Faculty of Business, Economics and Information Systems, University of RegensburgUniversity of RegensburgThe University of Regensburg is a public research university located in the medieval city of Regensburg, Bavaria, a city that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university was founded on July 18, 1962 by the Landtag of Bavaria as the fourth full-fledged university in Bavaria...
, Regensburg, Germany - Prof. Dr. Claus Rautenstrauch, Department of Business Information Systems, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans Roeck, Chair of Business Informatics, University of RostockUniversity of RostockThe University of Rostock is the university of the city Rostock, in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.Founded in 1419, it is the oldest and largest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Sea area...
, Rostock, Germany - Prof. Dr. August-Wilhelm Scheer, Institute of Business Informatics, Saarland UniversitySaarland UniversitySaarland University is a university located in Saarbrücken, the capital of the German state of Saarland, and Homburg. It was founded in 1948 in Homburg in co-operation with France and is organized in 8 faculties that cover all major fields of science...
, Saarbruecken, Germany - Prof. Dr. Bernd Scholz-Reiter, Bremen Institute of Industrial Technology and Applied Work Science, University of BremenUniversity of BremenThe University of Bremen is a university of approximately 23,500 people from 126 countries that are studying, teaching, researching, and working in Bremen, Germany...
, Bremen, Germany - Prof. Dr. Wolffried Stucky, Institute of Applied Informatics and Formal Description Methods, University of Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
- Prof. Dr. Alfred Taudes, Department of Production Management, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, Vienna, Austria
- Prof. Dr. Robert Winter, Institute of Information Management, University of St. GallenUniversity of St. GallenThe University of St. Gallen is a public research university located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. It is specialized in the fields of business administration, economics, law, and international affairs. The University of St. Gallen is also known as HSG, which is an abbreviation of its former German...
, St. Gallen, Switzerland
See also
- Virtual educationVirtual educationVirtual education refers to instruction in a learning environment where teacher and student are separated by time or space, or both, and the teacher provides course content through the use of methods such as course management applications, multimedia resources, the internet, and videoconferencing...
- Virtual universityVirtual universityA virtual university provides higher education programs through electronic media, typically the Internet. Some are bricks-and-mortar institutions that provide online learning as part of their extended university courses while others solely offer online courses. They are regarded as a form of...
- Distance educationDistance educationDistance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
- Master of Business InformaticsMaster of Business InformaticsMaster of Business Informatics is a postgraduate degree in Business Informatics . BI programs combine information technology and management courses and are common in central Europe ....
- Business InformaticsBusiness informaticsBusiness informatics or organizational informatics is a discipline combining information technology , informatics and management concepts. The BI discipline was created in Germany, from the concept of "Wirtschaftsinformatik"...
- Information SystemsInformation systemsInformation Systems is an academic/professional discipline bridging the business field and the well-defined computer science field that is evolving toward a new scientific area of study...
- European University Viadrina