e-Learning

In the academic year 2005/2006, approximately 2 million people in Poland were university students. In comparison, in 1990/1991 Polish universities had 404,000 students. According to Central Statistical Office surveys, in 2005 there were already 4.7 million people with higher education in Poland. This trend shows that Poles appreciate the role of education in their careers and private lives. As many as 90% of Poles say it is worthwhile getting an education, and 70% believe that strongly.

In the light of that, what does the e-learning market in Poland look like? E-learning training classes in Poland are steadily gaining in popularity. The willingness and necessity to raise qualifications are making this form of studying more appealing. In order to address those needs, many Polish universities have opened studies over the Internet. The current Higher Education Act allows conducting 70% of all the classes over the Internet.

The first virtual studies were launched in 2002 in Lodz. In 2003, the Polish Virtual University (PUW) was jointly created by the Academy of Humanities and Economics in Lodz and the Maria Curie-Sk³odowska University in Lublin. In March 2007, the total number of PUW students was approximately 1100 people, including 180 from abroad. Among other available online studies are for example the Distance Learning Centre (O¶rodek Kszta³cenia na Odleg³o¶æ, OKNO) of Warsaw University of Technology, which offers four‑year engineering degree studies: information technology, electronics and telecommunications, and mechatronics as well as 2-year information technology MSc studies. A consortium created by Warsaw University, the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Warsaw University of Technology and Poznan University of Technology was prepared to launch information technology studies in March 2007. The Silesian University of Technology offers e-learning with its Distance Learning Platform, which provides approximately 300 courses from most departments of the university. The platform has some 6.5 thousand users-students and teachers.

E-learning is also becoming popular with Polish managers. In early 2007, almost two thirds of them declared that this form of learning would be the most common form of raising qualifications in Polish companies. The main reasons for choosing e-Learning are the lower total cost, shorter course duration and savings associated with the elimination of travel costs.