CROS is developing an alternative higher education model. In our view, the mission o education is to help people find happiness through the liberty of choosing what they want to learn and how they want to learn. This presentation is about our mission and how we want to achieve it.

1. Alternative University
Pilot educational model

2. Alternative University Vision
MISSION The mission of the Alternative university is to form people
that are capable of living a happy and fullfiled life by
discovering and growing their talent and passion.
EDUCATION A happy person is one that found his element, the place
where his talents meet his passions, someone that
IDEAL learns and evolves autonomously throughout his life.
Inner balance and self knowledge are as important as
professional success and the role of active citizen in the
comunity.
Values Autonomy, reaching the human potential, colaboration
and mastery are some of the values that this educational
model is based upon.
PRINCIPLES
of the learning model of the Alternative University:
• autonomy in learning - each person decides what, how much and how he learns;
• personalisation - no predefined curricula; each person creates his own path;
• learning is an organic and nonlinear process;
• learning is a social and colaborative process;
• when integrated with reality, learning acquires relevance and autenthic motivation;
• the motivation for learning has to come from within.
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3. THEORETICAL FUNDAMENTS OF
THE “AU” MODEL
The AU educational model is built on a humanist rigid hierarchies to more colaborative practices.
filosophy base, having postmodernist fundaments
at its core. In our view, the mission of education is The AU learning theory is closer to the social
to help people find happiness through the liberty constructivism wich states that learning happens
of choosing what they want to learn and how they while interacting with others, in rich social
want to learn. environments. A theory that relates to this is the
one of the communities of practice, this being
One of the AU aims is the “search of the element” the model from wich UA started. (Lave & Wenger,
- the place where someone’s talent meets his 1991;Wenger, 1998 ). Conectivism is an emerging
passion, thinking model proposed by Sir Ken theory found at the base of this alternative
Robinson (Robinson, 2009) learning model, developed by George Siemens and
Stephen Downes in 2004 (Siemens, 2004; Siemens,
The AU model adopts a student and learning based 2006). Acording to this theory, learning is not
paradigm. A strong inspiration comes from “The necessarly found within us, but in the surrounding
learning paradigm”, a model proposed for the first environments, and learning consists in mastering
time in Change magazine in the year 1995 by the the way to find the right informational ties after
americans Robert Barr and John Tagg. Acording to accessing the social networks. This is considered to
this model that was initially proposed as a method be the learning theory suitted for the digital age
to reform the american colleges, there has to be that we are living right now.
a transition from the current paradigm - in wich
higher learning institutions “deliver instruction ” Self-directed learning is the AU educational
(the instruction paradigm) to a paradigm in wich model’s central axis. The concept was defined
universities exist to produce learning (the learning by Malcolm Knowles in 1975. Self-directed or
paradigm). This transition implies structural autonomous learning is a complex process where a
changes as: change of focus from entries (admitted person takes initiative, with or without the help of
students, proffesors, material and financial others, in order to establish his learning needs and
resources) to exits (emphasizing on learning learning objectives, to identify learning resources,
outcomes); the transition from fragmented to select and implement learning strategies and to
learning to a holistic one, built on the principle of evaluate learning outcomes (Knowles, 1975).
learning experience flexibility;
adopting a learning theory that promotes
autonomy and self knowledge and going from
The self-directed learning has it’s roots in a sistem of intrinsic motivations that
has been explored in numerous scientific studies sintethised by Daniel Pink in his
book Drive - The Surprising Truth Abou What Motivates Us (2009). The studies
demonstrate that in the case of creative tasks and learning processes, the intrinsic
motivations offer better results. In order to cultivate this intrinsic motivations, we
need autonomy, mastery and high purpose.
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4. AU EDUCATIONAL MODEL
elements and structure
Students’ development has three pillars - three different learning environments:
1. The real life practical experience that takes
place in a project and in a students’ NGO is the 3. Each member of these communities is
involved for one year in a program dedicated
first element of the CROS model and its starting to self-directed learning, enhanced by a
point. The Youth NGOs offer an experimental coaching program, a mentoring programe
space and authentic motivation for growth. and workshops for networking and personal
branding. The individual support received by
2. The communities of practices facilitated by
CROS create a space for reflection, collaboration,
every student gives structure and coherence
to each learning journey and develops the
networking and sharing of best practices. students’ capacity for self-directed and lifelong
This space is created by sharing experience learning.
workshops, an online platform, trainings and
courses, social events and more.
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The innovative model designed by CROS is implemented in partnership with
21 student and youth NGO’s in Bucharest. The communities of practices
developed so far, HRemotion and New Media School, are dedicated to the
outstanding young people from these organisations, passioned about HR and
communication.
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5. LEARNING PROCESSES
The learning processes are designed in yearly cycles and distributed as shown in the calendar below:
LEGEND
Trainings (~11/year)
Summer school(7 days)
Workshops (~12/year)
Experience sharing workshops (~28/year) HRemotion comunity
Social events (~14/year)
NewMedia School
access to external opportunities comunity
through partnerships, trainings and 5
confferences

6. VIRTUAL SOCIAL
INDIVIDUAL SPACE
COUNSELLING
REAL
INDIVIDUAL
FOR MENTORING
Mentoring is a professional relationship based
SELF-DIRECTED on the fact that a more experienced professional
LEARNING shows support, guidance and encouragement to
Self-directed learning is the core feature of the a less experienced person in order to help the last
educational model designed by CROS. During the one develop both his skills and character. Mentors
first year in the communities of practice each new are remarkable professionals with at least 5 years
member has a counselor who accompanies him in of experience in the field of Human Resources or
the journey to self-directed learning. Being a self Communication.
directed learner means being able to set your own
development objectives, choosing appropriate PERMANENT WORKSHOP OF
strategies for your own learning style, finding
available resources, being able to competently use NETWORKING AND PERSONAL
different techniques and methods of learning and BRANDING
self-assessment. In our perspective, at the end of a young person’s
training, he will have a portfolio of real projects
COACHING and will be part of a professional network. To
Coaching is a non-directive approach to support encourage networking and personal branding
people in achieving personal and professional CROS offer to its community members a
development, to meet their challenges and continuous workshop on this subject where we
achieve performance. The program is supported invite experts, provide feedback, support and share
by professional coaches who have gone through experiences.
certified training programmes.
SOCIAL
SOCIAL SPACE
VIRTUAL
CROS CAMP – a systems and tools together. Topics are chosen
REAL
PERSONAL
7-day residential event. by participants and are scheduled in order to
Each academic year provide insight for the following activities of the
begins and ends at members’ organizations or solutions for challenges
CROS Camp - a week encountered in real projects. At these meetings
long summer school. we frequently invite business, HR and media
This is a concentrated experience showing the practitioners who present case studies and are
NewMediaSchool and HRemotion educational involved actively in the discussions.
programmes “in a nutshell”. Its goal is to create a
genuine atmosphere for the following year of the TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS (~ 20
two communities by developing five attitudes: / year)
networking, learning, playing, sharing experience Depending on the learning needs identified at
and dreaming together. the beginning of the year, we invite experienced
professionals in the business environment to
EXPERIENCE SHARING facilitate learning sessions for our community
members. The format of these sessions is adapted
WORKSHOPS (~ 28 / year) to students’ learning objectives; the method can
Within a year, the community members attend vary from workshop to lecture and the duration
sharing meetings where they exchange best can vary from several hours to several days.
practices, find answers to their questions, build
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7. COURSES (7/year) the sharing of resources and ideas through
For a period of 2 to 4 months participants will conversations. The platform consists of a wiki,
create a learning process for studying and solving collaborative documents, a discussion group, a
a professional practical challenge. They are assisted network of blogs, a social system of indexation and
by an expert (teacher) and a more experienced the connections formed on social networks like
NGO volunteer. The teacher’s role is a complex one, Facebook and Twitter.
combining the roles of a facilitator, guide, expert
or consultant. The learning process is tailored to
everyone’s level, taking into consideration both the LIBRARY AND THE “3 BOOKS A
student and the organisation he belongs to. MONTH“ PROGRAM
For at least two years now, CROS has been
INFORMAL MEETINGS, SOCIAL developing a library accessible to students and
partners, containing both specialized books
EVENTS AND “THE GAME” (~15/an) (Human Resources and Communications) and
The close and genuine relations between the personal development books, in two formats:
community members and the sense of belonging paper or electronic ( Kindle). The library has three
will create rich and authentic conversations, electronic devices for reading books (Kindle).
feedback and mutual assistance among them. Each month members of the community make
From cooking and film evenings, board games proposals of books; we vote and we order the
and going to the theater to workshops for creating favourite three. Books are lend to the community,
Christmas gifts, we will make shared from one member to another. As a result,
sure that there are plenty of opportunities of being those who read a book write articles on their
together. blogs. The purpose of this programme is to
For this reason we initiated “The Game” - a social initiate conversations and to develop a “common
game where students gain points as they meet language” within the communities.
various challenges designed to facilitate close and
genuine relations between students.
ACCES TO EXTERNAL
ONLINE PLATFORM FOR OPPORTUNITIES
By developing our partnerships we facilitate
COMMUNICATION AND students’ access to learning opportunities outside
COLABORATION the CROS communities: conferences, courses,
Interaction and cooperation in the real world trainings, competitions and projects, internships,
is continued in the virtual one. The community etc..
members use an online platform that facilitates
THE “AU” MODEL BEYOND
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
In the ongoing pilot phase, the model works by having as starting point the volunteering experience in a
student or youth organization. Its architecture allows the replacement of volunteering in NGOS or youth
NGOs with any relevant practical experience for the students’ level and for their learning objectives.
Starting with this academic year (2011-2012) we opened the communities of practice for other young
people interested in their professional development.
CURRICULA
There is no fixed curricula or timetable in the alternative model created by CROS. Our student-centered
educational model is based on the idea of self-directed learning, alowing each student to build his own
learning path. It is a nonlinear path, as each one discovers himself and the world around him. The role of
curriculum designer turns into the one of architect of the learning environment which ensures that the
learning environment is sufficiently rich in resources and experiences in order to help students build an
optimal route.
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8. RAMONA IOANA LACATUȘ
Coach
She graduated the Faculty of
RESOURCES
International Relations at the Academy
of Economic Studies, has more than
9 years of professional experience in
the private field and she is also alumna
AIESEC Bucharest. She started her career
as coach at the age of 22, with a total that exceeds 4000
hours of one-on-one coaching. She has specific coaching
PEOPLE
qualifications achieved in US and the UK and since 2008, The most important roles in the model
she is running her own coaching company. (My Life Coach)
are listed below. Numbers in parentheses
DIANA ROSETKA represent the specific number during the
Human Resources Mentor academic year 2011-2012.
Diana Rosetka graduated the Faculty
of Linguistics at the University of • student (116)
Bucharest (Romanian-Dutch section) • coach (30)
and for four years she has been
teaching there. Subsequently, she • mentor (26)
gained over 10 years of experience in • trainer (25)
the private field (customer relations,
sales, training and management). She • 2.0 training’s teacher (14)
is now general manager of Achieve Global, a multinational • facilitator - sharing workshops (12)
company of training and consulting.
• learning architect (8)
• self-directed learning consultant (38)
• organizer (ex. trainings, social events, “3
CHRISTIAN SCHOLTES
Teacher Trainings 2.0 - Team Management cărţi pe lună”) (10)
He has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at • expert / resource person (~40)
the Babes-Bolay University of Cluj-Napoca
and has over 10 years experience in the • investigator/researcher/curator of
area of consulting in Human Resources, learning resources(~6)
both at a national and regional level
(Austria, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Moldavia,
Serbia). He has numerous national and The roles within communities are dynamic and are
international qualifications in areas such as training, change assumed according to the context. An experienced
management and human resources infrastructure. He is co-
professional can be a mentor in the Mentoring
owner of the company HRMS.
Program, a trainer or a resource person during the
SILVIA PUREL sharing meetings. Some of the sharing meetings
Self-directed Learning Consultant are facilitated by project team members while
She has a bachelor’s degree in others are facilitated by “the second year students”
psychology at the University of from the communities. The second or third year
Bucharest and she is Alumna of the
Association of Psychology Students. students assume for themselves the role of trainer
She was a former student in the or organizer. The role of consultant for self-
first program of the community of directed learning is undertaken by project team
practices HRemotion (2008) and
currently coordinates the Coaching members and students of the second and third
and Mentoring Processes of the educational model. year that have gone through an internal training
programme. The role of coach is for professional
coaches - certified, with experience in life and
HORAŢIU TICĂU business coaching.
New Media School Student
He is in his second year of the Faculty
of Management at the Academy of
Economic Studies. He is member
of BOS (Business Organization for
Students) and since 2010 he is part of
New Media School Programme.
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9. ORGANIZATIONAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
CROS - The Resource Center of Student INFORMATION AND
Organizations is the organization that started the
UA model and develops it since April 2008. All the
COMUNICATION
activities of the two communities of practice are INFRASTRUCTURE
coordinated by a team of 11 people, members • CROS has developed a communication and
of CROS. CROS members have backgrounds as management system, consisting of some
volunteers in student organizations and are all online tools integrated in order to have a
passionate about education. better performance; The result is an online
platform of communication and collaboration;
Several important ROLES of the project team
• Library of resources both in electronic and
members of CROS:
physical shape.
• Team coordinator
• Sharing meetings coordinator
• Training and 2.0 Courses Coordinator FINANCIAL RESOURCES
• Coordinator Mentoring Program/Coaching/ • partnerships with companies (Ex. Unilever
Self Directed Learning SCE, Coca Cola HBC)
• Facilitator for Sharing meetings • national and European grants (ANST, Youth in
• Graphic Designer Action)
• Fundraiser • grants from private organizations (Dinu
• Communication Responsible Patriciu Foundation)
• Donations (2% Campaign)
SPACES PARTNERS
• Learning House (560 sqm + 600sqm garden); The CROS alternative model is put in practice
• Media Lab - approx. 200sqm space in the together with 21 of the most active student
National Museum of Contemporary Art. It is organizations in Romania and 5 multinational
equipped with graphic station, special photo companies. The model is designed and
and video cameras, lightings, photo making implemented with the support of the Institute
backgrounds, etc for Training and Occupational Learning and
• Partnerships for using other spaces with: the of two prestigious companies for business
students’organizations involved, Achieve education: Achieve Global and Human Invest.
Global, JTI, Romanian American Foundation, CROS model’s main financer is DinuPatriciu
Students’ House of Culture, etc Foundation, which provided a grant for the
2010-2011 academic year, for the HRemotion
Community. We also benefit from the involvement
TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT of proeminent representatives of professional
• photo/video equipment in the Media Lab-
coaching communities, human resources and
MNAC;
communication.
• 3 Kindle (Electronic Book readers) and 2 iPads
for “3 books A month” program.
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10. ACCREDITATION institutes with international reputation such as
ITOL (Institute for Training and Organizational
Learning), CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development) or communities of professionals
The appropriate ways of getting certification, from Romania as HR Club or International
concerning the learning outcomes achieved under Advertising Association.
the alternative model which we consider would
integrate naturally in this model are:
EQUIVALENCE OF NON-FORMAL
PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO EDUCATION WITH ECTS CREDITS
By engaging in learning activities facilitated by The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation
this model, students build and customize in a System philosophy promotes the quantification of
natural way a professional portfolio. Elements of learning experiences based on learning outcomes.
the portfolio: building a personal and professional This system can recognize the alternative learning
brand, having a network of professionals, a gallery experiences of the traditional higher education,
of accumulated work experiences and the products making them comparable and compatible for
that prove their commitment. building a flexible learning path for a student.
There is allready a legal provision in the new
education law for accreditation centers for the
CERTIFICATIONS AWARDED BY certification of prior learning obtained in non-
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS formal and informal settings and we will be among
from the student’s interest field. Certification the first to make use of this.
will be offered by the end of a customized
evaluation process based on the professional
portfolio. Thus, we can speak of professional
“AU” MODEL IN PRESENT AND
PERSPECTIVES OF FUTURE GROWTH
In the 2010-2011 academic year we are going to complete the pilot phase of all components of the
model previously presented.
In 2011-2012 • we will strengthen the alternative model and its components for HRemotion and
New Media School;
• create the Learning House - a physical space for all our learning activities;
• start the third community dedicated to leadership, management and
entrepreneurship;
In 2012-2013 • we will announce the Alternative University and launch the website;
• we will have the “first student 100% alternative” ;
• the first “graduate” of the communities of practice which gets formal recognition
for his competences;
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11. FINANCING SOURCES
The expenses for a year of study at the Alternative University will be between 1500 and 2000 euros per
student for a volume of approximately 200 students. Funding will be hybrid, having 4 main sources:
• student fees: ~25% [currently ~10%]
• Business Services (recruitment, employer branding, employee training and involvement): ~25%
[currently ~45%]
• individual donations, public and private grants, corporate social responsibility: ~25% [currently
~40%]
• social businesses: ~25% [currently ~5%]
“AU” IN THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
The Alternative University will be a small institution (less than 1000 students), focusing mainly on
learning, having a strong component of personal development. The target audience are young people
with a high degree of autonomy that do not want to choose a fixed specialization fixed, preferring
instead to seek their way in life in an autonomous, nonlinear and interdisciplinary model. The first areas
covered are: human resources, communication, graphic design, management and leadership, education.
Although relatively insignificant concerning the size, the University will be a significant
alternative because it will set a standard in regard to:
• focus on student autonomy, flexibility and customization
• practical experience and connection with the socio-economic environment
• the integration of both personal and professional development
Thinking about an optimistic scenario, other universities, convinced of the attractiveness of the
alternative model and of the fact that it has been already implemented in Romania, will become more
innovative and their learning methods, more flexible, more student-centered, more concerned on the
full development of young people and also more open to practical experiences and to the external
environment.
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12. ANNEX - SELECTIVE REFERENCES
• Ackoff, Russell L.; Greenberg, Daniel. (2008). Turning Learning Right Side Up. Putting Education Back
on Track. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
• Barr, R. B. & Tagg, J. (1995, November/December). From teaching to learning: A new paradigm for
undergraduate education. Change, 27, 12-25. (accesat online la http://ilte.ius.edu/pdf/barrtagg.pdf, în
data de 5 mai 2009);
• Brătianu, Constantin. (2002). Paradigmele managementului universitar. Bucureşti: Editura Economică.
• Clark, R. Burton. (2008). On Higher Education. Selected Writings, 1956-2006. Baltimore: The Johns
Hopkins University Press.
• Cross, Jay. (2007). Informal Learning. Rediscovering the Natural Pathways That Inspire INNOVATION
and PERFORMANCE. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
• Hagel III, John; Brown Sheely, John; Davison, Lang. (2010). The Power of Pull. How Small Moves,
Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion. New York: Basic Books.
• Hammer, Michael; Champy, James. (2003). Reengineering the Corporation. A Manifesto For Business
Revolution. New York: Harper Business Essentials.
• Kamenentz, Anya. (2009). DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs and the Coming Transformation of Higher
Education. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing.
• Knowles, Malcolm Shepherd. (1975). Self-directed learning: a guide for learners and teachers. New
York: Association Press.
• Kuhn, Thomas S. [1962](2008). Structura revoluţiilor ştiinţifice. Bucureşti: Ed. Humanitas.
• Lave, Jean; Wenger, Etienne. (1991). Situated learning. Legitimate peripheral participation. New York:
Cambridge University Press.
• Pink, Daniel H. (2009). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. USA: Penguin Group.
• Robinson, Sir Ken. (2009). The Element - How finding your passion changes everything. New York:
Penguin Publishing.
• Robinson, Sir Ken. (2010). Changing Education Paradigms. http://comment.rsablogs.org.
uk/2010/10/14/rsa-animate-changing-education-paradigms/, accesată pe 14.10.2010)
• Siemens, George (2004). Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Accesat online la http://
www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm, în data de 29 ianuarie 2010).
• Siemens, George. (2006). Knowing Knowledge. Creative Commons Licence. Accesat
• online la http://www.elearnspace.org/KnowingKnowledge_LowRes.pdf în data de 10 iunie 2009.
• Stănciulescu, Elisabeta. (2002). Despre tranziţie şi universitate. Iaşi: Polirom.
• Vlăsceanu, Lazăr. (2007). Sociologie şi modernitate. Tranziţii spre modernitatea reflexivă. Iaşi: Editura
Polirom.
• Wenger, Etienne. (1998). Communities of practice. Learning, meaning and identity. New York:
Cambridge University Press.
• Wenger, Etienne; McDermott, Richard; Snyder, William. (2002). Cultivating communities of practice. A
guide to managing knowledge. Harvard Business School Press.
• www.connectivism.ca
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