Tubeclasses — Cloud Campus
Tubeclasses is Calwest University's powerful online video and electronic media learning platform — essentially the university's ‘Cloud Campus’. Easy to use, versatile, and cost effective.
Overview
Tubeclasses is the Calwest University's powerful online video and electronic media learning platform that is very easy to use. Tubeclasses is essentially, Calwest's ‘Cloud Campus’. After students login in Tubeclasses, they enter their personal learning environment at Calwest.
In the university's Catalog, students can find the overview of all programs and courses Calwest offers. Once a student registers for a particular program and a course in that program; Tubeclasses then navigates them through their personalized education at the Calwest.
Students can self-study each course by using the Syllabus, PowerPoint presentations and any selected Videos found in their course. Students must purchase (or have access to) the compulsory Text Book for the course. In all coursework courses, the assessments are also conducted online. Numerous interactive quizzes and/or case studies give a permanent opportunity to check on the individual learning progress until you feel fit to undertake the final online examination.
For the research courses, the assessments are different and often involve a research supervisor.
Alternatively, students can register (for an extra fee) for face-to-face tutorial seminars; which will soon be conducted in key centers around the world, with experts in the field. The seminars are designed to enhance understanding of the learning content found in the online material.
Calwest University's Tubeclasses are the most versatile, cost effective, and yet easy and intuitive learning platform that is unparalleled in the market. Acrobat Reader is all it needs.
Academic Calendar
Calwest University has a standard academic calendar of four intakes for its MBA degree program.
| Intake Period 1 | February 1 – April 30 | (enrollment period 1 Feb – 31 March) |
| Intake Period 2 | May 1 – July 31 | (enrollment period 1 May – 30 June) |
| Intake Period 3 | August 1 – October 31 | (enrollment period 1 Aug – 30 Sept) |
| Intake Period 4 | November 1 – January 31 | (enrollment period 1 Nov – 31 Dec) |
No enrollments will be accepted once an Enrollment Period ends.
Students need special permission from student administration to enroll after Enrollment Period end.
There is no deadline date for starting the DBA degree program.
Course credits will be earned on a semester equivalency basis.
Courses can be started at anytime after a student enrolls in a degree program.
The four compulsory ‘Core Building Blocks’ Tubeclasses courses that are compulsory in the MBA program at Calwest are:
- Business Ethics
- Global Issues
- Critical Thinking
- Philosophy
Students work at their own pace. The method of assessment is via an on-line examination or assignment when the students are confident that they are ready to be assessed. For on-line exams, these will be available automatically once all the Topic Quizzes have been completed.
An MBA degree will be awarded by Calwest University upon the successful completion of 12 Courses (36 Credit points). This is expected to take 2 years (full time) and 4 years (part time) after start date.
A DBA degree will be awarded by Calwest University upon the successful completion of 60 Credit points. This is expected to take 3 years (full time) and 6 years (part time) after start date.
Credits Earned in a Compressed Time Period
Due to the 24 hours per day, 7-days a week nature of a campus in the cloud, it is possible that students may learn at different paces; and some may be able to compress the time period in which they earn a degree. However, Calwest will not permit a program compression that enables students to complete in less than one year for a MBA degree. Special permission on a case by case basis will need to be obtained by students who wish to compress their courses in time periods less than this, and would usually pertain to those coming with significant credit for prior learning in an equivalent program.
Language of Instruction
The language of instruction and assessment of all courses is English. Students who undertake external courses in other languages will be assessed for credit in the English Language.
English Language Requirements
Applicants without appropriate previous academic experience in an English language environment must pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Test of English as an International Communication (TOEIC), the Berlitz Online Proficiency Test, the Pearson Test of English Academic or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Facilities & Equipment
Calwest University's campus is in the “cloud”. This means that physical facilities are limited to an administrative office run at Northridge, California, USA; and a web management office in Melbourne, Australia.
All officers are linked via the internet to the Amazon web-services (in the cloud), with scalable resources and multiple points of presence around the world. The physical locations of the servers are secure and their locations are not publicized even within Amazon. Using Amazon web-services provides Calwest with in-built data disaster recovery as the data is hosted in multiple continents.
Calwest' Tubeclasses uses the Moodle platform and data base and the Moodle Learning Management System to provide a virtual learning environment for all students. The storage of data regarding courses, students, grades and web content is via a SQL database. Calwest also uses Apache web services to host its website; and a secure platform back-up for off-site storage of data. Student fees payment management, including the use of credit card facilities is managed via Bank of America's secure payment gateway system.
Cloud computing, or something being in the cloud, is a colloquial expression used to describe a variety of different types of computing concepts that involve a large number of computers connected through a real-time communication network such as the Internet. A ‘cloud campus’ refers to network-based educational platforms and student services which appear to be provided by real server hardware, which in fact are served up by virtual hardware, simulated by software running on one or more real machines. Such virtual servers do not physically exist and can therefore be moved around and scaled up (or down) on the fly without affecting the end user student—arguably, rather like a cloud.
At the foundation of cloud computing is the broader concept of converged infrastructure and shared services. Calwest's cloud campus also focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of shared resources. A cloud campus is open 24-hours, 7-days a week as resources are usually not only shared by multiple users but are also dynamically re-allocated per demand. This approach should maximize the use of computing powers thus reducing environmental damage as well since less power, air conditioning, lecture theatres, etc. is required for a variety of educational functions usually done in physical campuses.
The term “moving to cloud” also refers to an organization moving away from a traditional CAPEX model (buy the dedicated hardware and depreciate it over a period of time) to the OPEX model (use a shared cloud infrastructure and pay as you use it). This allows Calwest University to avoid upfront infrastructure costs, and focus on a learning experience for students that differentiate their education programs instead of infrastructure. These cost saving are passed on to students, enabling them to get a ‘World-Class’ education at a fraction of the costs that are charged by traditional universities with physical campuses.
The cloud has also enabled the university to get their educational programs and applications up and running faster, with improved manageability and less maintenance, and enables IT to more rapidly adjust resources to meet fluctuating and unpredictable student demand that is the reality of online courses.
Course Design & Delivery
The major rationale of establishing Calwest was to value-add and enable students to take advantage of a world-class program from the USA, available worldwide. Any (traditional or non-traditional) university course has 3 distinct components: (1) Course Content (syllabus; learning outcomes); (2) Course Delivery (face-to-face; distance education; online); and (3) Course Assessment (examination; assignment; credit for prior learning, challenge exams).
The Course Content is solely designed by Calwest faculty, and the syllabus outlines of these courses are listed on the webpage. In designing courses, as benchmarking with other World-class universities is done across most higher education institutions, both traditional and non-traditional; it is very possible that a student's expected learning outcomes from a course listed and offered in by Calwest can be obtained via a similar online or face-to-face course.
In terms of Course Delivery, all courses will be delivered by Calwest, via its Tubeclasses, which sits on a Moodle platform. The online delivery of courses that impart the ‘Core Values’, ‘Core Building Blocks’ and ‘Electives’ will be comprehensive, with Course Syllabuses, PowerPoint presentations and Videos (where relevant). Students are responsible for purchasing (or having access to) the print or electronic text book assigned for the course covering Calwest's syllabus.
All the Course Assessments will be done by Calwest professors. These assessments include proctored traditional and online exams, assignments, challenge exams and credit for prior learning. The learning of students undertaking all modes of assessment is based on the syllabuses of courses offered at Calwest, and listed in its catalog.
Calwest has furnished in its on-line catalog, a detailed description of how each program will be conducted; and the syllabus of each course conducted internally by the university; including course outlines and compulsory text books. The programs will be asynchronous in that students will take courses at each student's own pace. The access to course materials will be via the internet, using a Moodle Learning Management Platform. The grading scheme for all assessments and the evaluation of student work is presented in each course syllabus of the courses taught by Calwest. The timely response to students' questions and comments, record keeping and technical support is also managed via Moodle. There is no equipment or supplies that need to be provided to any student, in any of the courses conducted at the university. Note that Calwest does not provide any courses that require the development of a manual or technical skill, such as the use of equipment or tools. Further, no courses are conducted at Calwest that will require a laboratory experience.
Exams & Assessments
MBA
There are no written exams or assignments in the Calwest MBA program for all courses.
Instead, there is Continuous Assessments done throughout each Topic of each Course; and a Final Assessment; using online Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs).
All topics in each MBA course will have a Topic Quiz that needs to be satisfactorily answered prior to being allowed to access the next topic in the course. You are allowed 3 attempts in each Topic Quiz, so that you can revise the course material and master the topic before proceeding to the next topic in the course. Calwest keeps computer logs of all student activity in terms of accessing the course material and MCQs to ensure that sufficient time is being spent on online studies. Note that negative marks will be attached to wrong answers in the Topic MCQs, and this will affect the final assessment score. Therefore, please study the course material before attempting the Topic MCQs.
After completing all Topics (and Quizzes), your Final Assessment will be available for you to undertake online at a time of your convenience. There will be a time limit of 90 minutes for the final assessment in which you will need to answer 80 multiple-choice questions that will be randomly selected from the questions asked in the topic quizzes.
Please ensure that you have an undisturbed 90-minute time frame to undertake your Final Assessment; as after 90 minutes your work will be automatically submitted and graded.
There will be only one attempt provided for the Final Assessment.
The Final Assessment will form the over 80% of the weight given to your final course grade. The Balance 20% is obtained as an average of the scores you achieve in the Topic Quizzes.
- A student can repeat an assessment, in case s/he failed the first time, by paying an additional assessment fee of USD $275.00 per course.
DBA
DBA — Business Courses
The assessments are the same as for the MBA Courses above. All those already holding an MBA get recognized prior credit for all these courses.
DBA — Research Courses
Research Methods
There is NO completion assessment for this course. Once you have viewed all material, you can self-assess yourself that you are ready to start on the next course; the Research Proposal.
Research Proposal
On enrolment, you will be provided with a Research supervisor. Your course assessment is a completed Research Proposal, that your supervisor assesses and certifies that you are ready to undertake the Research Thesis.
Research Thesis
Your course assessment is a completed Research Thesis between 25,000 and 50,000 words, that will be marked by two independent Examiners.
Instructors
Contact with Instructor: Calwest does not have online courses in its degree programs that require it to give students direct contact with an instructor. Calwest will instead use Indirect Contact Instruction via the Moodle Learning Management Platform as the only means of contact with students. Detailed course information will be accessible to students, via Course Syllabuses, PowerPoint presentations and Video instructions (where available) and online Topic Quizzes.
Return of Assessments and Research: The return of the grades for of Topic Quizzes and Final Exams will be almost instantaneous as the Faculty responsible for developing the course has supplied answers that are programmed into the Moodle learning platform. Student queries of a general nature will be answered as a broadcast via Moodle to all students. Where direct communication with an individual student is required (such in accepting admission documentation), this will usually be in 48 hours, with a maximum time limit of 7-days. In the case of research courses Doctoral degree program, the maximum time limit for return of research proposals and thesis chapters is one-month.
Qualified Instructors and Assessors: The second major rationale for launching an innovative university such as Calwest, is not only to students a framework have courses delivered by the World's best and most qualified instructors but also to provide assessment of the learning outcomes obtained. As such Calwest has adjunct faculty, i.e. PhD and Masters Degree qualified professors in traditional universities, to design its courses to be benchmarked and aligned with similar courses from leading universities; and provide assessments to evaluate student learning (via computer assessments methods) and provide feedback to students in a timely manner.
Library and Other Learning Resources: Calwest has subscribed to the Library and Learning Resources of TopiaU, the online library service. See http://topiau.org/ which includes free Librarian services to students of member universities. More details are provided in this catalog. There may be some minimal charges for complicated searches.
Learning Resources
Calwest University is a full member institution of TopiaU Library Services, which provides students and faculty access to various collections of quality academic resources and services to support the member institutions' academic programs. All a student needs to access these resources is his/her Calwest University, User ID and Password.
All of the MBA and DBA ‘tuition-based’ courses are stand-alone; i.e. the material delivered via Calwest's Tubeclasses, along with the compulsory course text-book, are sufficient to deliver the learning outcomes. The Library and other supplementary learning resources are mainly for students who set themselves personal goals to learn beyond the requirements of the course.
It is in the DBA ‘research’ courses that students will need to do extensive research for their Research Proposals and Research Theses. TopiaU Library services provides a gateway for research students to do such direct research or obtain the services of a Librarian. TopiaU Library services provides the free services of an information professional to all Calwest students and faculty; although there may be a fee involved for advanced and complex librarian help.
Librarian Services
The TopiaU Library Services also provides excellent free Librarian services. There are three types of student research questions that can be asked:
Direct Research
Today research students and faculty have a seamless access to information and resources. With the advent of global search engines such as Google Scholar, the Free Library and others; the ‘library research experience’ is direct; i.e. 99% of searches are done personally by students and faculty in a modern university sitting at their desk in home or campus; without the intervention of a librarian. Once they log-in, students can do such direct research by using any of the links to the free online libraries listed in the TopiaU ‘Direct Research’ Tab.
Free Librarian Services
TopiaU Library services have free Librarian services for most student research queries. If students have a research question that needs the services of a Librarian, once they log-in, they can click on the ‘Librarian’ tab, and ask a question via the ‘My Questions’ link. The maximum response time is three-days.
Advanced Librarian Research
If what the student asks at the ‘My Questions’ link is considered an advanced research request by the Librarian at TopiaU, the student will be told by the TopiaU Librarian that a fee may be involved. The minimum fee for a standard search will be US$25 payable by a student in advance. Payments are collected directly by Calwest on behalf of TopiaU Library Services.
Complex Librarian Services
For more very complex librarian services, that will cost more than US$25; a quote will be provided to students prior to commencement. Students should note that there are also download fees payable to some commercial publishers for copyrighted material.
Student Resource Requirements
Students at Calwest require a Personal Computer or Laptop running Windows 10 or higher with 500 MB of RAM or higher; or an Apple Mac running Mac OS 10 or higher. They will also need access to a reliable high speed Internet connection Kbps/128 Kbps; and a Web browser.
Calwest cannot provide individual support to students personal hardware/software.
Ready to start studying on Tubeclasses?
Apply for the MBA or DBA program and join the Cloud Campus.
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