Interview: P-O Lindgren, President UKDAcademy

Q-1. Mr. Lindgren, Please, tell us about your professional background.

I earned my M.A. of Languages Education in Sweden back in 1982, and worked as

a language teacher in High School for many years. I adopted computers in the

learning process very early, and was one of the pioneers in global educational

collaboration. I then transferred to school administration and teacher education.

I also had my own consulting business and wrote text books. I entered the world

of UKD five years ago, managed all their distance education programs in Sweden

as well as international contacts and projects. When UKD decided to expand internationally,

and to set up a new headquarter in San Diego, I was happy to take on this challenge.

Q-2. What is UKD Academy?

UKD Academy is a private online institution, specializing in distance education

and virtual collaboration. UKD has offered distance programs for almost 10 years

in Sweden, and what makes UKD unique is that the organization has been operating

more or less virtually, with home-based staff and faculty. Furthermore, this

virtual knowledge together with all the experience from serving thousands of

online students has been built into our new international “virtual competence”

programs.

Q-3. What are some of the courses and programs you are going to offer this

year?

UKD Academy offers 3 different certificate programs at the moment. A basic certificate

in eWork with focus on telework and decentralized workplaces, a professional

certificate in Global & Online Marketing designed for marketers in all industries

to exploit the potential of new technologies, enabling them to reach more people,

more quickly and at a much lower cost, and finally an advanced certificate in

Distance education & eLearning, designed for teachers who would like to

“go online”, for professionals who would like to manage eLearning

within a corporation; corporate instructors, human resource and training managers,

etc. This program is also offered in partnership with San Diego State University,

College of Extended Studies, which means that students can get course credits

for these courses.

Q-4. Who should apply for these programs?

These programs are designed for both individuals who need to update their computer

skills, and for corporations that are looking for ways to set up telecommuting

programs, to train their workforce to work more efficiently in virtual teams,

to market efficiently online, to arrange corporate elearning, etc. For the basic

program in eWork a High School diploma is all you need, for the professional

and advanced programs you need a BA or BS degree.

Q-5. Where can potential applicants get more information about UKD Academy?

Much information about UKD Academy and the different programs and courses can

be found at our website at http://www.ukdacademy.com.

You can also call our San Diego Headquarters at (760) 918 5566 or send a request

for information to sandiego@ukdacademy.com.

Q- 6. What are some of your plans for the future of this organization?

We hope to be able to expand internationally, and to offer our unique programs

to a global audience. We will continue to update and develop new programs in

the “Virtual Competence” series. The next program, “Virtual Workforce

& Knowledge Management” will soon be launched.

We will also expand our group of strategic partners, apply for degree-granting

status and accreditation as soon as possible.

For more information see
http://www.UKDAdemy.com