EFMD awards CEL global technology-enhanced learning accreditation to University of Maryland University College (UMUC).

    /24-7PressRelease/ - BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - October 03, 2006 - EFMD is pleased to announce that the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Master's Degree in Distance Education has been awarded EFMD CEL accreditation. CEL is the first worldwide accreditation of technology-enhanced learning programs in the field of management education.

Prof. Eric Cornuel, the Director General & CEO of EFMD said, "The EFMD through EQUIS, our quality improvement system for business schools, and CLIP, our corporate learning improvement process, is recognized globally as an accreditation and certification body of quality in management education. CEL was developed by EFMD with the fundamental objective of raising the standards of technology-enhanced learning programs worldwide. The accreditation of UMUC program confirms the importance and relevance of CEL accreditation for ITC-based learning."

Prof. Dieter Euler, the Chair of the CEL Awarding Body said, "CEL represents the state-of-art and helps academic and corporate partners to improve the quality of their technology-enhanced learning. CEL is about more than just technology; the accreditation process looks very carefully at the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process and the UMUC program can certainly be regarded as a best practice case in academia."

"The University of Maryland University College is very proud to receive the distinction of the CEL accreditation for the Master's Degree in Distance Education. The accreditation signifies that the UMUC program is of high quality, recognized by leaders in the field, and has met the highest international standards for accreditation. This program is a result of our partnership with Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (Germany), showcasing a successful internationalization effort, ongoing since 2000. We're very proud of this achievement and the international recognition associated with the CEL accreditation" said Dr. Susan Aldridge, President of the University of Maryland University College. As a state university, UMUC has the largest number of distance education enrollments in the US.

About EFMD
EFMD is recognized globally as an accreditation body of quality in management education and has established accreditation services for business schools and business school programs, corporate universities and technology-enhanced learning programs. With more than 600 member organizations from academia, business, public service and consultancy in 70 countries, EFMD provides a unique forum for information, research, networking and debate on innovation and best practice in management development. www.efmd.org

About UMUC
The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) is an institution dedicated to providing working adults, military personnel, and students worldwide with the opportunity to achieve their academic goals through online instruction, accelerated academic programs, and classroom-based courses taught during the daytime, evenings, and weekends. www.umuc.edu/mde

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