German higher education institutions offer insufficient programmes in continuing academic education. Less than 1% of all degrees awarded by HEIs in Germany in 2001 were Master's degrees. Despite the fact that the German economy is among the largest in the world, measured by percentage of GDP the country is investing 35% less in tertiary-level education than the average OECD country. The Bund-Länder Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion concluded that German universities were not fulfilling their task of offering continuing education and recommended reforms including (a) the development of continuing academic education incorporating the use of virtual programmes, (b) the use of new media and (c) refined concepts for teaching methods to impart media skills. This article describes the steps taken to introduce the first programme in continuing academic education leveraging e-learning at the University of Applied Sciences in Furtwangen, and concludes with policy recommendations for the further improvement of the German higher education system.
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