Hi, I'm Jana and I've been working at Unicorn University since 2017. Previously, I was the Head of the Department of Economics and now I work as the Vice-Chancellor for Education. With me here is Vojta, who is interested in online learning.

Vojta: Hi, I've already tried studying on both the Bachelor's and Master's programs. I started working at Unicorn during my undergraduate studies. Now I'm interested in how online learning works.

Jana: Right, so you already know about full-time and combined studies, so ask me what you're interested in about online. In the online form, you can study bachelor's programs like Software Development and Business Management, both in Czech and English. You just need to keep an eye on the current offerings on our website, as we have enrolments from February and September.

Vojta: And how does the study itself go?

Jana: You study fully online. A lot of it is based on self-study and then you attend online tutorials. We provide you with a detailed study plan. This is detailed week by week - the semester is 12 weeks long and you know what you have to learn each week. The study is built on online study materials that are already included in your tuition fee, including books, online courses and instructional videos. We encourage you to study continuously and you come to the tutorials, which are usually 4 to 5 times a semester, already prepared and can ask questions about what you are interested in or consult what you are not comfortable with. You will also meet with your teacher and classmates.

Vojta: It sounds quite time consuming, will I have to study every day?

Jana: The ideal is to learn continuously, but we know that not every student can do it every day. In a semester you study 4 to 5 subjects and every week you should complete a certain subject. Obviously, you won't get to it every day, but we recommend scheduling your studies on a weekly basis.

Vojta: So I just need to have internet and connect anytime and anywhere, that sounds great. And what about exams? Or tests.

Jana: Exactly. If you have internet, you can study books, courses from anywhere. Likewise, you can take all the tests and exams completely online. We have tests, oral exams and team projects, for example hackathons. It's just like school, you don't go to a classroom, you go to a virtual classroom. For the oral exam, you meet the teacher, it's one-on-one. You write the tests in online exam rooms, where you log in to an information system, and you get an exam assignment. Of course, this is to ensure that some students don't accidentally cheat. We have software that allows us to spot potential cheating and of course there is a so-called proctor there all the time. That's the person who both gives the test and also gives all the instructions. During the writing of the test, he is able to answer basic questions, watches the time limit and advises you if something is technically wrong.

Vojta: So I don't need anything else for that? I just need the internet, a computer and I can take tests and exams?

Jana: Exactly. Just be careful, when you sign in to the test rooms you need a valid ID or a valid passport to verify that you really came who you should and that you write the test yourself. This is similar to going to school for tests and exams.

Vojta: And the state exam, the defense of the bachelor's degree and the professional practice?

Jana: The state exams are exactly the same as in the case of full-time or combined forms.You don't go to school, you go to a virtual exam room. The exam board sits here at the school. You join, we verify that it's really you with your ID. Then you draw a question, you have some time to prepare, and when you're ready, you go in front of the exam board. When you prepare, it's with a proctor. It's exactly the same for the bachelor's thesis as it is for other forms. You submit the assignment online, you write the thesis, you submit it online. You have a supervisor the whole time. They of course count on the fact that you don't go to the school for consultations, but that everything is done online again.Online you also get the poaus from your opponent. The only difference is that you only go to the virtual exam class. You'll be authenticated, you'll proceed to present and the defense, hopefully successful, will be over. The last obligation that there is in the undergraduate program is the internship. This usually takes place in the last semester. You can choose to go onsite at a company or do it online. You can choose the company where you do the internship or you can draw on the internship opportunities we provide from our corporate partners.

Vojta: And how long will I study like this?

Jana: You should study for 3 and a half years. It's meant that a student studies for six semesters, three years when he or she virtually goes to school and the last semester is an internship. Whereas if he or she were to work in that particular field, which is in line with the graduate's profile, then theoretically he or she can only study for three years and have the professional practice recognized. We have candidates who have studied at another school and they have some subjects recognised and the study can take only 2 and a half years.

Vojta: And is there a difference in the length of study if it's full-time or combined?

Jana: No, the length of study is the same in all forms. Students have to take the same courses, pass the same state exams and defend their bachelor's thesis. What is interesting to mention is that if you get tired of the online form and you want to meet your classmates either in full-time or combined form, you can always change the form before the semester starts.

Vojta: Is there any difference if I get my degree online and if I get it in full-time study?

Jana: No, the degree is just as valid as a full-time degree. You will have the same diploma as full-time or combined students. Our Bachelor's degree is fully accredited, which allows you to continue your Master's degree either with us or at another school not only in the Czech Republic, because it is an internationally recognized degree.

Vojta: Well, now I have a bit of a tricky question. What if the studies don't go quite as they should. If I need to extend my studies or if I'm failing a subject? Are there ways to adjust my studies if I'm not keeping up?

Jana: There are certainly several possibilities. If you knew you weren't keeping up at all, you could interrupt your studies. You can interrupt it for one semester or even for a whole year, and it can be up to three years in total.You gain time, you can't fulfil any study obligations and of course you don't pay tuition fees during that time. For example, when you're all done and it just takes you a while to write your bachelor's thesis, you can take a break and finish it in peace. If the situation is such that you are catching up a bit and during the semester you find that it doesn't quite go as it should, it is possible to re-enroll in the unfulfilled course from the semester the next semester. It's not like all is lost. Then it may be that you really only miss a little bit and you don't get to prepare every week, but you make it up for the exam period. You can use up to two dates for a test or oral exam. So if you don't pass the first time, or if you don't show up, you still have a chance to make it up the second time. There is a third term - the so-called individual term. Just be careful, it's a good idea to do it in the first two, because the individual one is then chargeable.

Vojta: And if I don't want to interrupt my studies, but I'm afraid or I find that the timing is not ideal?

Jana: If you don't want to interrupt but things don't go the way you imagined or you want to avoid having to reenroll in classes, it is possible to take the semester off. The student accumulates what are called credits. A student is expected to take 4 to 5 courses during the semester, thus earning 30 credits per semester. In six semesters, he or she will accumulate 180 credits, then receive 30 credits for the internship - a total of 210 credits.
If you knew in advance that you wanted to study at a slower pace, you could take fewer courses at the beginning of the semester. So you wouldn't have 30 credits, you'd only have 15. You can choose to study at your own pace. You could end up studying for up to six and a half years and you'd really slow down a lot. Add to that the 3 years of interruption, but you'd be with us for a really long time. But that's the way it works.

Vojta: And if I were to transfer from, say, another school from another major? What about the recognition of courses or certificates in English?

Jana: Yeah, it's just that if you were studying at another school and then came to us for Software Development, for similar or identical courses you can apply for recognition and actually get the credits recognized. You don't have to write them down and study them again. This will allow you to study for 2 and a half years or you can focus on other courses that are electives. We do accept courses that are from bachelor's degree programmes at other universities or, where appropriate, master's degree programmes. It's not the other way around, we don't accept bachelor's degrees at the master's level.
We recognize various certificates. Most often these are certificates in English, but typically some Business Management students have certificates in Accounting. One thing to keep in mind. That certification exam result or that degree from a previous college cannot have been earned more than five years ago.

Vojta: Well, that all sounds good. What do I have to do to apply?

Jana: I'm glad it sounds good to you. It's very simple, you go to our website to the applicants section, click on the application form, choose whether you want to start in February or September. Then you pay the application fee. Someone from our recruitment department will contact you to arrange an interview. The interview is of course online and it is a short motivational interview. You will then receive a decision about your admission to study, which we expect to be positive. You will sign a contract, pay your tuition fees and then have another online interview. This is an enrolment interview with a coordinator from the study department. She'll explain everything you need to know at the beginning of your studies. She'll test the information system with you, because a lot of it is based on virtual classes. You need to be familiar with the curriculum and be able to take virtual classes. When you're not currently in tutorials, which are four times a semester, you can write to the instructor or interact with other classmates there. We want you to know how it works from the beginning, so we'll try it out together and give you advice if needed.

Vojta: That's great, so I'm glad that I'll probably see you in class because I'll definitely sign up. Well... actually I won't see you if I'm online right.

Jana: We will see each other:) We have our cameras on, we can talk to each other and it's really just like going to class. Everybody's got their cameras on, your classmates are talking to you and I'm interacting with you as the teacher. It's the same in workshops. Except you don't just go to a different room here at school every time, you go to your virtual classroom.

Vojta: So I'm glad that when I'm in Iceland near the volcano I'll be able to learn there :).

Jana: We are happy too that you want to learn with us. Okay, bye.