The online universities between pirouettes and self-criticism (on the Mercatorum commercial)

13 February 20243 months ago babelfish

The legal and media antics of online universities in the words of the association of digital universities also on the Mercatorum University… Facts and insights

Of appeals against the infamous sword of Damocles that hangs over the 11 online universities existing in Italy , i.e. that ministerial decree (1154/2021) which imposes more stringent requirements regarding both the number of teachers and students, the virtual universities have offered at each location. A barrage of complaints hit the Lazio Regional Administrative Court, with a request for precautionary measures, all with substantially similar content and all rejected.

ALL APPEALS FROM TELEMATIC UNIVERSITIES

Finally, in February 2022, the last attempt: an extraordinary appeal to the President of the Republic. The objective was to annul the provisions of the ministerial decree and in particular the planned increase in the number of teachers. A move which, however, was rejected: the Third Section of the Administrative Court of Lazio with short sentence no. 17236 of 21 December 2022 rejected the appeal of Pegaso Telematic University and Universitas Mercatorum.

THE LEAGUE AMENDMENT REJECTED BY THE FORZISTS

The last hopes were linked to the all-Lega amendment – signed by Northern League members Laura Ravetto, Alberto Stefani, Simona Bordonali, Edoardo Ziello and Igor Iezzi – which postponed for a year (and then who knows) the obligations for the online universities of conform to the quality standards of traditional universities. But it was torpedoed by government friendly fire: rejected by the Forzista minister Anna Maria Bernini , owner of the MIUR, who created an unprecedented Pd-M5s axis in this regard.

THE WAY OF DIALOGUE

Bruised, tired but still ready to speak, the online universities then play the dialogue card. They do this through United (Italian Telematic and Digital Universities), the newly formed and first association of Italian Digital Universities. “Seven of the major Italian digital universities recognized by the Ministry of University and Research contributed to the formation of this new reality – we read in Prima – including Pegaso Telematic University, Mercatorum Telematic University, San Raffaele Rome Telematic University, Telematic University of Studies IUL, eCampus University, Leonardo Da Vinci Telematic University and, finally, Giustino Fortunato Telematic University". In short, it is an association strongly supported by the Multiversity group. It should not be forgotten that Fabio Vaccarono today is not only CEO and general manager of Multiversity srl, but also CEO of Università Telematica Pegaso Spa and Università Telematica Pegaso srl, President and CEO of Pegaso Management srl and CEO of Universitas Mercatorum.

At the helm of the new formation we find Paolo Miccoli (in the photo), former president of Anvur (yes, that same body, the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research System, which has raised serious doubts about digital universities), this interviewed today by Corriere della Sera. Having failed the appeals and rejected the amendment to be stapled between the folds of the Milleproroghe, the position of Miccoli and, therefore, of the telematic universities he represents, now appears much more open to dialogue.

«It didn't seem like such a huge favor to us: asking for a one-year postponement so that online universities can comply with the quality criteria established by Anvur serves to do things properly. There is a clear desire on the part of online universities, but it takes time to announce competitions and choose the best professors." United's number 1 no longer seems to want to contest the merits of the decree that tries to equate traditional universities with digital ones.

The new strategy is to ask for more time to take action and get things in order. So much so that he recognizes: «It is true that this proportion must absolutely be corrected», but then he adjusts the aim: «But it is also true that in-person teaching and distance learning are two different things, there is also a relationship with the different spaces. Not to mention that the quantitative criterion is not in itself synonymous with quality. We are sure that if the ministry listened to us, a solution could be reached through dialogue."

TELEMATIC UNIVERSITIES CAN COEXIST WITH TRADITIONAL UNIVERSITIES

Hand also extended to the Conference of Rectors of Italian universities which has repeatedly put in black and white that online universities must adapt to quality standards: «We are not the B series, we also have research doctorates and projects financed within the Prin . Among telematics there are very different realities: they range from universities with a thousand students to very large ones like Pegaso, which this year will hire 330 new teachers, but which are struggling to reach the new quality criteria so quickly. Having said this, I believe that there is ample scope for collaboration with Crui."

And, above all, we want to reassure the rectors of the fact that virtual universities draw from a different user base: «It is a world that has many facets. The common denominator is that they all teach in asynchronous mode which is an advantage for the working student and for those who have abandoned their studies but have second thoughts and want to resume. These are mostly our students and this is the fundamental contribution we can make to families. Between 2006 and 2016, universities lost 200 thousand students, but online universities reached a maximum of 50 thousand students, a sign that there is no such direct transfer. And it's not even true that we are an anomaly compared to the rest of Europe. In Italy we represent 13 percent of the university sector, in Spain 19 and in the United Kingdom 11. These are courses that can provide a way out against the dropout rate, which is still very high, among students of Italian universities."

THAT RECURRING SOFA (WHICH MICCOLI DOESN'T LIKE) IN THE DIGITAL UNIVERSITY COMMERCIALS…

*In this commercial from Mercatorum University the camera focuses on a girl who studies from the sofa at home. Image criticized today by United's number 1*

There is also room for the self-criticism of an unspecified commercial that talks about the advantage of studying online, symbolizing it with the sofa at home: «It's an unfortunate slogan. Of course, during the Covid years, with distance learning, the idea of being able to study without having to leave home took hold", Miccoli cuts short. However, it is difficult to trace the advertisement in question, because the "unfortunate" idea of being able to study from the sofa is found in various advertisements: from this frame of the Mercatorum University commercial to this other one from the IUL university which dedicates its first seconds, although it is barely visible. Evidently, for the directors of the advertisements, there doesn't seem to be an online university without a sofa…

*The IUL commercial also has a girl studying from the couch at home. Recurring image to advertise the qualities of digital universities*

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/economia/le-universita-telematiche-universita-mercatorum/ on Tue, 13 Feb 2024 09:52:11 +0000.