In my capacity as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, I would like to welcome all of you to the College of Internet Distance Education of Assumption University of Thailand. The College is the first educational institution in Thailand to offer complete eLearning degree programs.

In October 2005, the government of Thailand published a decree in the Royal Gazette making it legal to offer eLearning degree programs, learning through the Internet. The College of Internet Distance Education of Assumption University of Thailand announced the offering of two complete degree programs through the Internet: a Masters of Science in Management and a Masters of Science in Information and Communication Technology. Both programs began to accept applications for admission on December 1, 2005.

The programs allow students to complete all requirements for the Master’s Degree in 12 months. This fully accredited degree will be equivalent to a traditional one: as of October 2005, Thai government regulations allows those with eLearning degrees to work in government as well as the private sector and to continue their studies at the Ph.D. level.

The College of Internet Distance Education is housed at the Srisakdi Charmonman IT Center (www.scitBuilding.com), constructed at the cost of about US$ 15 million. The center has 12 floors of 12,000 square meters, more than 1,000 Internet terminals, and a Network Operation Center (NOC) with a diesel generator for power backup. These excellent facilities are complemented by an equally excellent faculty and staff. With its high standards and full accreditation, the College offers “one-stop services for worldwide eEducation for anyone, from anywhere, and at anytime”.

The concept of “for anyone” means no matter who you are, you can take our eLearning courses. A woman who has just given birth and must stay at home to care for her baby can earn her degree by logging onto the Internet and studying while her baby is sleeping. Employees who cannot get permission to take a leave of absence can combine studying with full-time employment, study through eLearning before or after office hours. Those whose alternating day and night shifts prevent them from attending regularly scheduled class can participate in eLearning anytime they are free, day or night.

“Anywhere” means just that. You can take eLearning from any place, be it your office at lunchtime, or your house whenever. If you are in the US, you can also take eLearning classes from our website, www.eLearning.au.edu.

The concept of “anytime” means you can take your classes through the Internet anytime 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep, log on the Internet and continue your study. If you leave work at 5.00 pm, you may get stuck in traffic jams; so why not stay a bit later to catch up on your internet studies.

This is just the beginning. In addition to these two Master’s Degree Programs, Assumption University of Thailand will offer more eLearning programs at all levels of education - Ph.D., Master’s, Bachelor’s, Associate Degree, and short courses. In addition to programs originating at Assumption University, the College will also offer accredited degree programs from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Asian countries. Eventually, we hope to have the honor of serving about 100,000 students per year. The College of Internet Distance Education of Assumption University shall be delighted to provide services to you and/or your relatives and friends. Please accept our best wishes for your success, happiness and prosperities.

Prof. Dr. Srisakdi Charmonman
CEO, College of Internet Distance Education