From Researching Virtual Initiatives in Education
The Armenian Virtual College" (AVC) is a virtual college organisation based in New York USA under the auspices of the "Armenian General Benevolent Organisation" (AGBU). The AGBU was founded early in the twentieth century to address the needs of the Armenian diaspora. The Armenian Virtual College is the newest learning institute of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) – one that will carry on its lifelong dedication to Armenian education with an entirely innovative approach. Through online education, the AVC’s focus is helping learners acquire basic knowledge in Armenian studies. It offers several certificate programs and credit-bearing courses in Armenian education at the college level.
- The college was founded in 2004, following an initiative in California.
- It is not possible to identify the number of enrollments from the college website.
- There are three Departments: (1) Language, which teaches Armenian language at all levels from beginners' to advanced. Courses are offered in both Western and Eastern Armenian. (2) History, which offers four courses spanning Ancient history through to the history of twentieth century Armenia. (3) Culture, offering a range of courses on Armenian architecture, music, fine arts and literature. Instruction for all courses is available in seven languages: English, French, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and both Armenian languages. Course completion earns credits which may be transferable to US colleges and a range of universities - the college appears to be currently negotiating acceptability with them.
- All learning is online, using both synchronous and asynchronous technology. Formats used include multimedia (text, audio, and visual media) lessons, and also online discussions with virtual teachers and classmates face-to-face during office hours. In addition to weekly lessons, students have access to automated study tools, games, assignments, course calendars, syllabi, quizzes, midterms, finals, project drop boxes, and grade books.
- AVC’s mission is to provide learners around the world the opportunity to receive a full-fledged Armenian education, regardless of their age, country of residence, or knowledge level.
The AVC web site is at <http://www.avc-agbu.org>.
More Details
- Numbers of staff are not listed on the website, but nine content providers are identified in the Language department, five in the Culture department and one in the History department - though in the latter two departments the content is described as 'based on the work' of the named experts.
- AVC learners can choose to earn credits for each course that they complete, ultimately leading to a diploma from the AGBU Armenian Virtual College by completing 12 courses, or a minor in a subject domain by completing 4 courses from a single department.
Moreover, students may transfer credits from AVC courses to various universities and learning institutes across the world. Currently, the AVC is actively pursuing accreditation with recognized educational institutions in the Republic of Armenia, North America and Europe. Such accreditation may help students transfer credits from AVC to their corresponding university programmes or obtain credit as Advanced Placements courses in their corresponding high schools programmes.
References
- "Armenian Virtual College", http:www.avc-agbu.org, 3 August 2012
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