Global developments and the contemporary international setting dictate more than ever the reorientation of the existing educational structures and the creation of new ones, in order to respond to the new challenges that countries and students are facing.

The formulation and development of a new educational structure and mode, such as the proposed “Global Degree”, comes to fill this gap. This new educational norm based on the methodology of the “International Academic Credit” (IAC), which will be globally established, will create solutions for making learning more targeted, flexible, updated and applicable. The “Global Degree Initiative” will also accommodate life - long learning and continuous education programs.

It will work on a parallel route with conventional degrees offered by Universities around the globe and it should not aim to substitute the existing higher education structures.

The institutions that will participate in the “Global Degree Initiative” will sign an “International Academic Treaty”and adopt the “International Academic Credit” (IAC) as a parallel system to those that they already use. Participating Institutions could then award a “Global Degree” to successful graduates without abolishing the awarding power of their traditional ones. “Global Degrees”, will acquire the same academic and professional rights as conventional ones in the country of the awarding Institution and globally where possible. “Global Degrees” will have an additional distinct logo and watermark in order to be distinguished from the conventional ones that institutions award.

Each student shall accumulate the newly established “International Academic Credits” (IACs) as he/ she did so far with traditional credits or ECTS for instance, with the distinctive difference that the location, the time, the mode of learning and the institution are now placed on a different layer and they do not constitute constraints but opportunities for flexible learning and continuing education processes.

More specifically, what is proposed is an “extensive hybrid” higher education methodology, where each student will build his/ her own Undergraduate or Postgraduate Degree regardless the mode of attendance (full time, part time, distance learning), the method of studying (conventionally, via e-learning, virtual learning, Second Life etc), the location of the University, or even the language of tuition.

Students will then be awarded a “Global Degree” by any of the Institutions that will participate in the “Global Degree Consortium” and additionally, they will be able to build new Degrees and to acquire new knowledge in the future based on the “International Academic Credits” (IACs) they have already attained. A civil engineer, for instance, could receive his/ her “Global Degree” and in fifteen years he/ she could return to University and study to be an architect using the relevant “International Academic Credits” he/ she has accumulated in the past as an engineering student plus those that are specialised for architecture. In this way, continuous education is enhanced and the learning process never stops. 

The core methodological instrument for the accreditation of the “Global Degree” is the International Academic Credit (IAC), which measures and represents the academic workload, which is required for studying.

Similarly to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) the International Academic Credits (IACs) are measured as follows: relation between the expected learning outcomes (based on the selected teaching and learning methods and assessment approaches) and the time available in terms of student workload. To earn 1 International Academic Credit, a student must carry out 25 hours of activity. These could be broken in:

• attending or viewing lectures
• individual study
• activities or practical / lab exercises

The methodology also uses all the current innovative technological educational tools such as virtual learning via the Metaverse but also the latest telematic applications on distance education and e-learning whereas, digital/ satellite television and the internet serve as educational platforms.

Above all, in the centre of the “Global Degree Methodology” and the International Academic Credit is the student. The didactic model focuses on the following learning dynamics:

• use of new technologies in higher education
• need for continuing education and life-long learning
• active participation of students and self-learning process

In this new model, the individual student becomes the centre of this new educational process. A Personal Learning Environment (PLE) could be then created including institutional support, pedagogical technological interface, and resource support.

Everything focus on the student as the “Global Degree Didactic Model” is been build around his/ her academic and professional aspirations. This new context will include the following features: the learning ecosystem, world view, information reflective thinking, the work environment, social interactions, technology and experiences.

The methodology will also expand to use certain contemporary technological and innovative instruments and trends such as: open and interactive content, mobile learning, the sharing of teaching and educational material, networks and informal learning: eg. Twitter, personal learning environments, e-portfolios and educational e-learning platforms. For example, a Virtual Leaning Environment (VLE) discussion forum, a Twitter account or a Skype/Teams/Zoomsession will be proved ideal global communicative skills for the answering of questions or for class interaction.

By utilizing all the latest innovative developments of technology and all the modern educational methodologies such as, open learning, the social media, mobile learning, blended learning, augmented reality etc., the "Global Degree" initiative will also bring a new stream of positive thinking regarding the future of education. As Plato said: “Do not train children to learning by force and harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”

Apart from the obvious benefits, graduates with a “Global Degree” will also be able to:

• Recognise and achieve goals and ambitions, especially in response to global challenges;
• Enhance their knowledge with a global perspective;
• Recognise that they belong to an international community and use this understanding effectively to understand multiculturalism;
• Practice their skills and creativity beyond their regional environments.