ABSTRACT
The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) was initiated in 1993 with a very clear vision: to open up the possibility of higher education at a cost all Catalans could afford, by offering distance learning that maximizes the use of ICTs. This base was also seen as a springboard to win and maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly challenging global educational environment. To achieve this, the University had to innovate, because it was started at a time when there were few examples of online education success and no organizational models to follow. Table 8.1 summarizes UOC’s track record since it accepted its first students in 1995.
