International Telematic University UNINETTUNO

International Telematic University UNINETTUNO

UNINETTUNO is an Italy-based distance education university established by a decree of the Italian Ministry of Education, University, and Research in 2005. It originated from NETTUNO, a consortium of 43 Italian and foreign universities that has been providing satellite TV and internet university courses to thousands of students using distance education technologies since 1992. Today, UNINETTUNO has six faculties (Engineering, Economics, Literature, Psychology, Communication Sciences, and Law), with approximately 23,000 students enrolled from over 160 countries. UNINETTUNO offers courses in five languages (Italian, English, French, Arabic, Greek) through the UNINETTUNO e-learning platform, founded on the research activities and pedagogical model of Rector Prof. Maria Amata Garito, developed by its researchers and developers. Its participation in applied research on teaching and learning technologies has made the NETTUNO Consortium and subsequently UNINETTUNO pioneers in integrating new technologies into daily teaching delivery.

In 1999, NETTUNO began offering approximately 5,000 hours of video lectures on demand via the web, while YouTube was only launched in February 2005. In 2006, the UNINETTUNO platform already provided services such as live streaming with chat integration, a learning analytics module, and a virtual reality environment for flipped classroom activities. The research activities of UNINETTUNO Faculties have led to notable results; one of the latest achievements is the funding received by the Faculty of Engineering for the Italian Space Agency's (ASI) LIMADOU-CSES Project. This project is one of the few "ASI Award Scheme Projects" funded by the Italian Ministry of Education, University, and Research (MIUR). UNINETTUNO, together with INFN, Trento University, and INAF-IASP, is responsible for the design, construction, and testing of the HEPD and EFD experiments to be installed on the China-Italy satellite CSES, aimed at studying seismic precursors.

UNINETTUNO has a strong track record in European projects focused on extensive studies, inventories, open, online, flexible, technology-supported learning analyses, and the production of best practices, guidelines, and handbooks. These projects range from business model analysis (USBM - University Strategies and Business Models for Lifelong Learning in Higher Education, funded by the Lifelong Learning program) to quality assurance approaches (E-xcellance +: Cross-Sector Value Enhancement, funded by the Lifelong Learning Program) and pedagogical and organizational models (Re.ViCA - Reviewing European Virtual Campuses (traces), funded by the Lifelong Learning Program between 2007-2009, aiming to provide an inventory and systematic review of cross-institutional Virtual Campus initiatives), covering European and International institutions.

As members of international associations such as ICDE and EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities), UNINETTUNO is capable of conducting necessary data collection activities smoothly and within the prescribed timeframe, through active partnerships for EU-funded projects and agreements signed with many higher education institutions worldwide. The organizational structure appears as a "network" with Coordination Centers and Technological Poles and Production Centers located in national and international regions. These centers are interconnected by satellite-based networks. Currently, UNINETTUNO can rely on the Technological Poles established in Italy and the 31 Technological Poles and 9 Production Centers established in university campuses and vocational training centers of Med Net.