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Kiron Open Higher Education

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Kiron Open Higher Education gGmbH (former names: Kiron University, Wings University) is a nonprofit EdTech organization founded in 2015 that provides access to higher education for refugees through scalable digital technology and strategic collaborations with universities and online education providers.[1][2][3]  Kiron’s program consists of tailor-made curricula, a digital collaborative platform and an extensive range of supportive services that enable refugees to begin their studies online while they work towards fulfilling formal requirements to apply to a university. Kiron is made possible through a global network of educational partners and collaborators. Kiron currently has partnerships with 47 Universities.[4]

The name Kiron is derived from Cheiron, a figure from Greek mythology. Cheiron is the eldest and wisest of all the centaurs, famed for his superior knowledge and teaching abilities. Since knowledge and teaching are essential to Kiron, the two founders, Markus and Vincent, soon settled on the name Kiron, derived from Chiron, but easy for people of all origins to pronounce.[5]

Vision: A world where everyone has the opportunity to access and succeed in higher education.

Mission:  Kiron provides access to higher education and successful learning for refugees through digital solutions.

History[edit]

The concept for Kiron emerged at a conference on refugee issues in September of 2014 when Vincent Zimmer and Markus Kreßler first met. At the time, both Zimmer and Kreßler worked as volunteers with refugees: Kreßler was engaged in a psycho-social consultancy for refugees and Zimmer was involved with “Study without borders”, an organization for students in crisis situations. Both shared a vision of accessible and free online education for refugees, which led to initial discussions with universities, providers of online courses, and decision-makers in politics and business.[6][7] By March of 2015 the idea had taken shape and Kiron was founded, initially under the name "Wings University". Shortly thereafter, the founding team, consisting of the members of the gGmbH Vincent Zimmer, Markus Kreßler and Christoph Staudt, received a scholarship from Social Impact GmbH.[8][9] A successful crowdfunding campaign in the autumn of 2015 raised more than half a million euros, making it the most successful campaign for social good in Germany at the time.[10][11] As of August 2017, Kiron had 2,700 students registered on the platform and the first students have applied and been accepted to partner universities.[12][13]

Organization[edit]

Kiron Open Higher Education (gGmbH) is an EdTech nonprofit organization that provides access to higher education for refugees through scalable digital technology and strategic partnerships with universities and online education providers.[14] Kiron’s innovative two-phase educational model is tailored to students’ unique needs. The first study phase is entirely online and suitable for students that do not yet have the required documents to apply to university in their host country. Kiron’s curricula meet internationally agreed upon educational standards and are comprised of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), that are created and provided by external partners. Kiron also provides essential language and preparatory courses to help students succeed in their online studies. The second study phase  is for students who have received the necessary documents and language skills to apply to university. Kiron offers assistance in the university application process and facilitates the recognition of up to 60 eligible Kiron credits.[15][16][17]

Team[edit]

Kiron is supported by approximately 70 core team members and a pool of over 400 volunteers and supporters – social entrepreneurs, refugees, students, practitioners from refugee work, academics and business and political partners. This work is supported by a network of external consultants, through funding programs and an advisory board.[18] In addition to its headquarters in Berlin and an office in Munich, Kiron is actively represented in two other countries, France and Jordan, and has offices there.[19]

Partnerships and Cooperations[edit]

Kiron cooperates with established providers of MOOCs, such as edX and Coursera, who provide Kiron with high quality study content.[20] Kiron also works with partner universities such as RWTH Aachen[21], the Lübeck University of Applied Sciences, the Leuphana University or the SciencesPo Paris. Altogether there are now cooperations with a total of 47 universities in eight countries.[22]

Financial Structure[edit]

Studying on Kiron’s educational platform, Kiron Campus, is free of charge. Kiron is supported through funding from the public sector, foundations, companies and through sponsorship and private donations, and is also developing various sustainable financing models.[23] In its first year, Kiron was able to raise roughly three million euros. The Schöpflin Foundation has secured funding of 1.5 million euros to support operations for the next several years. In September 2016, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research initially provided around 2.1 million euros for a period of 13 months.[24] The Berlin economy supports Kiron and 22 other educational projects in 2016 with a total of 15 million euros.[25] Its sponsors include the Bertelsmann Foundation, BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, Volkswagen, Deutsche Telekom, UBS and Ernst & Young.[26]

Kiron's Academic Model[edit]

Kiron’s academic model, made possible through collaborations with universities and online course providers, gives refugees immediate and unbureaucratic access to higher education. Kiron's team of academic experts designed a two-phase educational model to address students’ unique needs as they make the transition from refugee to residents.[27]

The first study phase is entirely online and suitable for students that are still either seeking asylum or do not yet have the required documents to apply to university in their host country. Leading universities such as MIT develop the online courses, known as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), while providers such as Coursera provide them on their online platforms. Kiron bundles these online courses into curricula, available on Kiron Campus, which are selected based on learning outcomes and meet internationally agreed upon educational standards.[28] Kiron combines self-paced online courses with live tutorials, a model called blended-learning. Students choose from one of five fields of study: business and economics, social work, political science, computer science, and mechanical engineering. Kiron also offers preparatory courses so students can learn or refresh basic skills needed for academic success.[29]

The second study phase is for those students who have received the necessary documents and language skills to apply to university in their host country. For these students, Kiron offers assistance in the university application process and facilitates the recognition of up to 60 eligible Kiron credits obtained during online study to a university. Depending on the amount of online coursework completed, Kiron students may be able to begin their offline studies at a higher semester.

Kiron’s academic model follows the following internationally recognized frameworks:

● Bologna Process/European Higher Education Area → EHEA-Tools (ECTS User’s Guide, ESG 2015, European Recognition Manual) ● Lisbon Recognition Convention ● European Qualifications Framework ● KMK (e.g. “Ländergemeinsame Strukturvorgaben”) ● Recommendations of the German Accreditation Council

Kiron also connects students to a variety of different on and offline support services. All students, worldwide, have access to Kiron’s online support services, such as the Student Forum, a vibrant online community that helps to connect, support, and motivate students. In addition to online support services, there are offline services such as the Buddy Program and study centers in select locations.[30]

Areas of Study[edit]

Students may choose from one of the following five areas of study:[31]

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Computer Science
  • Political Science
  • Business and Economics
  • Social Work

Student Services[edit]

The freedom and flexibility of online learning can pose a challenge, particularly in regards to self-organization and motivation. Kiron connects students to a variety of different on and offline support services. All students, worldwide, have access to Kiron’s online support services, such as the Student Forum, a vibrant online community that helps to connect, support, and motivate students. In addition to online support services, there are offline services such as the Buddy Program and study centers in select locations. Kiron’s full student services offerings include:[32]

Help Desk

Student Forum

Buddy Program

Study Centers

Counseling Service

Online Mentoring

Student Guidance and Communications

Blended Learning[edit]

Kiron combines self-paced online courses with live tutorials, a model called blended learning. Traditional, or self-paced, online courses are known as asynchronous Massive Open Online Courses. Live online tutorials, classes, and lectures are known as synchronous Live Tutorials, and they often accompany and complement regular (asynchronous) online coursework.[33]

Literature / Video[edit]

External links[edit]

  • Kiron's website – kiron.ngo#
  • Kiron's crowd-funding campaign – startnext.com


This article "Kiron Open Higher Education" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Kiron Open Higher Education. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

  1. ↑ "Kiron Open Higher Education". Stifterverband (in Deutsch). 2015-11-05. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  2. ↑ "Angela Merkel besucht geflüchtete Studierende in Berlin" (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  3. ↑ Pauli, Ralf (2015-09-11). "Kiron University: Die Pionier-Uni, die nur 400 Euro pro Flüchtling kostet". Die Zeit (in Deutsch). ISSN 0044-2070. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  4. ↑ "Partner Universities – Kiron". Kiron. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  5. ↑ "Our Story – Kiron". Kiron. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  6. ↑ Hofmann, Laura. "Kiron Open Higher Education: Hier können Flüchtlinge ohne Papiere studieren". Berliner Zeitung (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  7. ↑ "Kiron Open Higher Education: Kann ein Onlinestudium die Welt verändern?". ZEIT WISSEN-Preis Mut zur Nachhaltigkeit (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  8. ↑ "Kiron | Open Higher Education for Refugees!". Kiron. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  9. ↑ Community, SOCIAL IMPACT LAB Berlin – Coworking, Eventspace,. "Neues im September von unseren Social Startups". Socialimpact Berlin (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  10. ↑ "Crowdfunding-Kampagne für Flüchtlingsuniversität startet | Politik Digital". politik-digital.de (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  11. ↑ Family, Kiron. "Kiron University – Crowdfunding project – startnext.com". startnext.com. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  12. ↑ Family, Kiron. "Kiron University – Crowdfunding project – startnext.com". startnext.com. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  13. ↑ "Das Startup Kiron bringt den ersten Geflüchteten an die Uni". WIRED Germany (in Deutsch). 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  14. ↑ "Kiron Short Concept" (PDF).
  15. ↑ Entwicklung, Rat für Nachhaltige. "„Die schaffen das": Online-Bildungsplattform für Geflüchtete" (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  16. ↑ "Das Startup Kiron bringt den ersten Geflüchteten an die Uni". WIRED Germany (in Deutsch). 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  17. ↑ "Junge Talente integrieren". sueddeutsche.de (in Deutsch). 2017-07-19. ISSN 0174-4917. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  18. ↑ "Advisory Board – Kiron". Kiron. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  19. ↑ "Junge Talente integrieren". sueddeutsche.de (in Deutsch). 2017-07-19. ISSN 0174-4917. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  20. ↑ "Junge Talente integrieren". sueddeutsche.de (in Deutsch). 2017-07-19. ISSN 0174-4917. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  21. ↑ University, RWTH Aachen. "Akademische Flüchtlingshilfe – RWTH AACHEN UNIVERSITY – Deutsch". www.rwth-aachen.de (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  22. ↑ "Partner Universities – Kiron". Kiron. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  23. ↑ Entwicklung, Rat für Nachhaltige. "„Die schaffen das": Online-Bildungsplattform für Geflüchtete" (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  24. ↑ BMBF-Internetredaktion. "BMBF fördert soziales Start-up "Kiron" für Flüchtlinge – BMBF". Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung – BMBF (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  25. ↑ "15 Millionen Euro für den Nachwuchs" (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  26. ↑ "Corporate Relations" (PDF).
  27. ↑ "The educational model – Kiron". Kiron. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  28. ↑ "RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING – OUTCOME-ORIENTED APPROACHES TO THE RECOGNITION AND ASSESSMENT OF MOOC-BASED DIGITAL LEARNING SCENARIOS (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  29. ↑ "DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE ROUTES INTO HIGHER EDUCATION – POSSIBILITIES AND CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL TEACHING AND LEARNING SCENARIOS FOR REFUGEES: FIRST RESULTS FROM THE INTEGRAL² PROJECT (PDF Download Available)". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  30. ↑ "Student Services – Kiron". Kiron. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  31. ↑ "Kiron Academic Program – Kiron". Kiron. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  32. ↑ "Student Services – Kiron". Kiron. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
  33. ↑ "Short Concept" (PDF).

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