BUT E-shop Expands Its Offer with Micro-Credential Courses. The University Is the First in the Czech Republic to Connect the Entire Process
Courses, educational modules completed with a micro-credential, or the University of the Third Age. As of today, those interested can find BUT's continuing education offer in one place and complete the entire process online, from selecting a course and registering to making a payment. The new system connects the BUT E-shop with eApplication, the SAP financial system and the system for managing continuing education. In this comprehensive form, the solution is unique in the Czech context.
Find a course, register and pay straight away. Those interested in continuing education at BUT can now do all this in one environment. The BUT E-shop is expanding its offer to include continuing education and provides a single place where people can choose from courses offered by different faculties and university departments. The range of short-term courses will continue to expand, with further continuing education opportunities gradually being added.
“We want people to be able to benefit from our university's expertise at different stages of their professional and personal lives – whether they need to expand their knowledge for their work or want to pursue an area that interests them. That is why we are systematically developing continuing education at BUT and making the offer from our faculties and departments accessible in one place. A clear offer and simple registration are an important part of helping people find their way to education beyond regular degree studies,” says Vice-Rector for Education and Quality Vítězslav Máša.
“It is not just about offering courses in one place. What is important is that we have connected the entire process – from the offer and registration through payment to the related administration. The process is significantly simpler for applicants, while for BUT it means a high degree of automation,” says Pavel Maxera, who is also involved in the methodological setup of continuing education at BUT.
Unique connection of the offer, registration and payment
Selling courses through an e-shop is not in itself something entirely new at universities. What is unique is the way BUT has connected the individual systems. The e-shop communicates with eApplication, the system for managing and administering continuing education, and the SAP financial system.
This allows individual processes to run automatically in the background. Data on educational courses, modules and programmes are transferred directly to the e-shop from BUT information systems, eliminating the need for duplicate data entry. Once a user has registered and placed an order, payment and invoice generation are also processed automatically. “What is unique above all is the connection of all the relevant systems. For applicants, this means a simple purchase process; for the university, a significant reduction in the administrative burden,” Maxera explains. In this comprehensive form, BUT is the first university in the Czech Republic to offer such a solution.
Choose a course, register and pay
For applicants, the new system primarily means a simpler way to access continuing education. In the e-shop, they can choose from the range of courses and then register using their BUT login or, alternatively, by creating their own account.
Payment can be made by credit card or bank transfer. Once the payment has been made, the customer automatically receives payment information and further instructions related to their order. Thanks to the connection between the individual systems, there is no need to handle registration, payment or administration through several different platforms.
The e-shop also unifies the way in which individual faculties and other BUT departments present their continuing education offer. This makes the offer clearer for applicants while also making individual courses more accessible and visible.
From micro-credentials to MBA
The first phase of the new system focuses on short-term courses, Micro Credential modules and the University of the Third Age. BUT is already working on the second phase, which will expand the offer to include other types of lifelong learning programmes. These will include preparatory courses, long-term educational programmes, Micro Degree programmes and internationally recognised MSc and MBA programmes.
Educational modules and programmes completed with a micro-credential are an important part of the offer. A micro-credential is an electronic record of completing a small-scale learning unit and achieving specifically defined learning outcomes, also expressed in ECTS credits. Micro-credentials are aligned with the European Qualifications Framework, and their authenticity can be verified in the national database.
At BUT, they can take the form of short-term Micro Credential (MC) modules worth 1 to 5 ECTS or more extensive Micro Degree (MD) programmes worth 6 to 60 ECTS. They are designed for continuing education and allow participants to focus on specific knowledge and skills that can be useful, for example, in their professional lives.
What courses are currently on offer?
The offer at launch includes courses from different fields and for different groups of applicants. The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication Technologies (FEEC) offers the course Professional Competence in Electrical Engineering Practice. The Institute of Forensic Engineering (IFE) offers courses focusing, for example, on expert activities, transport and valuation:
- How to Properly Commission and Read an Expert Report in the Field of Transport – for professionals
- How to Properly Commission and Read an Expert Report in the Field of Transport – for public officials
- Low-Speed Control Weighing – for professionals
- Low-Speed Control Weighing – for public officials
- Vehicle Valuation and Property Damage in Practice
- Advanced Real Estate Valuation
- Advanced Valuation of Machinery and Equipment
- Expert Activities under the New Legal Framework
You can find BUT's continuing education offer in the BUT E-shop under the Education category.
Source: vut.cz/en
| Responsible person | Ing. Zdeňka Koubová |
|---|---|
| Date of publication |