UNESCO Avicenna Virtual Campus Network
UNESCO Avicenna Virtual Campus Network
The Avicenna Virtual Campus Network (AVCN) is an international non-profit organization (NGO). AVCN aims to support universities, grandes écoles, and all other public and private educational institutions in successfully making the digital transition to education. This transition is necessary and fundamental for building the educational institutions of the future.
Since October 2021, AVCN has been a UNESCO-NGO in official partnership with UNESCO (adopted by the General Conference and the Executive Board of UNESCO):
https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/list_ngos_official_partners_unesco.pdf (See page 5). Ref: UNESCO – 212 EX/36 and 212 EX/36.INF. (page 46)
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000378715_eng
RCVA / AVCN is a member of the Global COVID-19 Education Coalition launched by UNESCO.
https://globaleducationcoalition.unesco.org/Members/Details/299 https://globaleducationcoalition.unesco.org/members
With the rapid evolution of digital technology, reform is essential to introduce new teaching methodologies and use digital tools to ensure modern education adapted to current and future generations.
RCVA offers a methodology that has been tested by UNESCO internationally. It is UNESCO's Avicenna Model, which has become an International Standard. This model covers all necessary aspects, including pedagogical, quality assurance, technological, legal, and organizational. It is essentially based on teacher capacity building, the production of quality online courses, and the implementation of modern hybrid teaching (online and face-to-face).
The Avicenna Concept was built on six pillars:
• Network organization
• Pedagogical model
• Technological model with adapted connectivity
• Copyright and intellectual property
• A reliable quality assurance system
• Integration of visually impaired teachers and students into the network.
UNESCO and the NGO RCVA:
RCVA is a continuation of the Avicenna program developed by UNESCO since December 11, 2003. The program is named after the Latin name of the 10th-century Persian medieval philosopher and scientist, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), born in Afshona, Uzbekistan, near Bukhara, between 980 and 1037.
This program was established through the implementation of several extra-budgetary projects on the digital transition of higher education to build the universities of the future in the Mediterranean, Africa, Central Asia, and the Arab States. This program has created a network of more than 60 universities, the UNESCO Avicenna Network, which continues to grow at the international and national levels (within countries).
Until September 2014, however, the UNESCO Avicenna Network was informal. Thus, the NGO RCVA was created to give the Avicenna Virtual Campus Network official legal status. A permanent international scientific council for Quality Assurance and evaluation has also been set up under the aegis of this NGO.
The Avicenna Virtual Campus Network was officially established in November 2002 jointly by UNESCO and the European Commission, as part of the EUMEDIS program, which brought together 14 universities in the Mediterranean region. The project was funded by the European Commission with a budget of €4,600,000 over four years.
The network initially consisted of Mediterranean partner universities in Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Palestine, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey. The initial Avicenna Network partners:
- CNED:
National Center for Distance Education (France)
- CNAM: National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts (France)
- NETTUNO: Network per l’Università Ovunque (Italy)
- ALQ-U: Al-Quds University (Palestine)
- NIACE: National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (UK)
- UM: University of the Mediterranean, Marseille (France)
- UNED: National University of Distance Education (Spain)
- CU: Cairo University (Egypt)
- ENSIAS: Higher School of Computer Science and Systems Analysis (Morocco)
- LU: Lebanese University
- MCST: Malta Council for Science and Technology
- METU: Middle East Technical University (Tukey)
- PUA: Philadelphia University in Amman (Jordan)
- UC: University of Cyprus
- UD: University of Damascus (Syria)
- UFC: Université de la Formation Continue (Algeria)
- UVT: Université Virtuelle de Tunis (Tunisia)
In June 2006, the European Commission declared the Avicenna Virtual Campus a "sustainable model." Indeed, the Avicenna model differs from other virtual campuses in that each university is autonomous in creating its own online course materials.
Furthermore, each university is entitled to share the knowledge bank of an open virtual library created by the network's partners. Within this virtual knowledge network, professors organize online courses in science and engineering using programs from their universities.
In October 2007, the UNESCO General Conference (193 countries) approved the use of the Avicenna model for the development of science in Africa.
Thus, the Avicenna model became a UNESCO STANDARD for higher education. From 2008 to 2024, the Avicenna network has expanded in Iraq and Libya, in Africa (Benin, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo, Cape Verde, Gabon, Cameroon, Chad, Mali and Equatorial Guinea), in Central Asia (Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan). National extensions of the network have been carried out in partner countries in Algeria, Egypt, Gabon and Senegal and other countries.
The main objective of the AVCN is to capitalize on all the achievements and experiences of the UNESCO Avicenna Virtual Campus since November 2002 to date (more than 22 years of international expertise, development of new projects, and especially the development and enrichment of the AVICENNA MODEL concepts).
Based on the experience of projects implemented by UNESCO in more than 60 member countries, we provide tailored solutions for developing your teaching skills and using ICT (Information and Communication Technologies for Education) to improve the quality of the teaching you provide.
– A methodology for producing high-quality online courses
– Experiences validated in several partner universities of the UNESCO Avicenna network
– UNESCO international standards for the production of online courses
– A quality assurance system for the validation and certification of online educational content
High-level international experts are at your service to assist you in the The RCVA also aims, in accordance with current national and international regulations and programs, to:
► Contribute to the realization of the right to education as stipulated by international agreements and conventions promulgated by the United Nations;
► Provide support for the development and promotion of education with a view to achieving the Education for All (EFA) goals as defined in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2015 and beyond;
► Support policies and strategies for innovation and improvement of the quality of education and training at all levels;
► Promote through educational programs universal values based on peace, freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, fraternity, diversity, and living together;
► Encourage cultural programs for the peace and non-violence;
► Develop cooperation, partnerships, and the exchange of experiences at the local, regional, and international North-South and South-South levels;
► Promote specific socio-educational and professional actions and programs aimed at young people and women, in particular;
► Strengthen the training capacities of teachers and education personnel;
► Contribute to the improvement of programs, educational innovations, and teaching methods, including Information and Communication Technologies for Education (ICTE);
► Provide technical assistance to relevant institutions, institutions, and countries in the aforementioned areas.
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (UNESCO and other institutions)
The RCVA's means of action include:
- The organization of conferences, seminars, meetings, workshops, and gatherings;
- On-site information and training sessions;
- Expertise, evaluation, and advisory missions;
- Production of project documents based on the Avicenna model;
- Support in seeking funding for projects developed jointly with partners;
- Coordination of cooperation and participation activities between institutional partners at the national, regional, and international levels. Among the Association's objectives, the statutes stipulate the following in particular:
- Provide professional training for adults
- Develop hybrid teaching (online and in-person)
- Establish criteria for quality assurance of online courses
- Develop educational engineering for the use of digital technology
- Contribute to strengthening the skills of African countries, Central Asia, Arab countries, and other regions in science and technology.