The Council for Higher Education | Branches of Foreign Institutions

The June 7, 2005 decision of the Council: “The Council for Higher Education has decided to adopt the recommendation of the Committee for Branches and it has decided as follows:

1. Studies for an academic degree or for credits toward a degree through video conferencing, is within the definition of “studies” for the purpose of Section 25iii of the Council for Higher Education Law,1958/5718, and obliges receipt of a license.

2. Studies by means of video conferencing will be allowed at branches in the scope of up to 15% of the curriculum. It should be noted that this decision alters the previous decision of the Council which allowed for studies by video conferencing in a scope of up to 30% of the curriculum. The arguments for this decision are as follows:

a. The purpose behind the requirement of the CHE Law is that a significant portion of the curriculum will be taught by lecturers from the mother institution (Section 25iv(ii)7 of the Law) which ensures the direct connection, commitment and involvement of the mother institution and its lecturers in the learning activities in the Israeli institution and ensures the direct exposure of the pupil at the branch to the mother institution, to its character and culture, seeing the branch as “a distant arm” of the mother institution. The Council is of the opinion that realization of this goal is possible only when the lecturers of the mother institution come physically to Israel and come in direct contact with the students, and have office hours and so on.

b. In addition, Section 25iv(ii)13 of the CHE Law requires ways for ensuring that the level of studies is suitable. The Council is of the opinion that instruction via video conferencing is on a lower level than direct frontal instruction, both on the level of interaction between the lecturer and the students and in the control the lecturer can exercise in the classroom.

c. It is the opinion of the Council, that by setting the bar at 15% in this matter, it achieves a suitable balance between the aforementioned arguments and the recognition that video conferencing is an accepted and widespread means of instruction.

3. The above decisions are valid immediately, with the exception of the decision in Section 2 regarding institutions which are using video conferencing now. In regard to these institutions, the decision will become valid at the end of a year from the time the decision was made.

4. Section 5 of the proposed Rules of the Council for Higher Education (an institution in Israel which is a branch or an affiliate of an institution of higher education operating in another country), 2003/5763, will be amended according to the decision.”

Policy of the Council for Higher Education Regarding Admission based on Knowledge of English at Branches.

The Council for Higher Education decision of January 18, 2005:

1. The Council for Higher Education repeats and clarifies that the admission requirements of a branch regarding knowledge of English and any other language must be identical to the same requirements for admission by the mother institution.

2. A student at a branch can be admitted by an institution in Israel based on meeting the admission requirements in the knowledge of English and any other required language, only if this requirement for admission is actually employed as a requirement for admission in relation to foreign students at the mother institution and at a reasonable level. This decision corrects Section 2i of the Council decision of July 13, 2004 in the matter of knowledge of English being a condition for admission at the branches.