UTEL University schools more than 10,000 students in Mexico, but not from a brick-and-mortar location—students need only a computer and a working Internet connection to attend classes at any time that is most convenient for them. The founder of the online school, David Stofenmacher, notes: "Most of our students work full time, and choose to study online because they need the flexibility."
Students are able to tap into resources to further their education in engineering, economics, science, social humanities and graduate studies. Interaction between students and educators happens in several forms, primarily written communication using electronic documents, forums, chats and wikis.
By providing 24/7 access to virtual classrooms and teachers, it is becoming easier to measure a student's learned skills and appeal to alternative learning styles using a combination of online learning and competency-based training.
Online Hispanic Universities
UTEL is the First Online-Only University in Mexico
Trend Themes
1. Online Education - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop online learning platforms that provide flexible education options for working professionals.
2. Virtual Classrooms - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create interactive virtual classrooms that enhance student-educator interaction and improve learning outcomes.
3. Competency-based Training - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design competency-based training programs that allow students to demonstrate specific skills and knowledge.
Industry Implications
1. Higher Education - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Establish online-only universities to cater to students who require flexible study options.
2. Edtech - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop educational technology solutions that support online learning and virtual classroom experiences.
3. Workforce Development - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create competency-based training programs to upskill and reskill working professionals.