The UOC at your service

The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Open University of Catalonia, UOC) currently has a community of nearly two hundred thousand people. Alongside the @uoc.edu username, we are united by the fact that we play a part in one of the world’s most successful e-learning initiatives. And that means more than just logging on to the classrooms and learning, it means taking on a lifestyle where constant learning forms part of our DNA.

The UOC’s experience highlights a trend being seen in other countries too. Distance education is attracting a growing number of students around the world who need to balance work and home life with their studies, or who are looking to recycle their knowledge to better adapt to the new needs of the labour market. Although we don’t have the figures yet, the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) calculates that between 20 and 30 million people are currently training in non-traditional universities worldwide, and that this figure is on the rise. The ICDE assures us that open, online and distance education has never been as popular as it is now.

The flexibility to adapt to the new needs of students and society and the ability to teach people while overcoming the barriers of time and space – these are innate features of the wide range of courses on offer at the UOC. Our challenge is to make e-learning a day-to-day activity that is compatible with your leisure, work and family in the global digital environment we are living in.

From now on, those of you who have decided to start studying at the UOC will form part of this networked community. You are starting out on an exciting path, where you will gain knowledge through the enriching experience of learning by working in teams and in harmony with others.

I would like to take this chance to encourage you not to become disheartened when facing difficulties. The learning process requires effort and dedication, and involves each and every one of us: students, faculty, and management staff. For our part, we will do everything in our power to ensure you successfully achieve what you have set out to do. Your success is our success.

Go for it!

Imma Tubella i Casadevall

UOC President