Design Decisions of the Virtual University in the Framework of CONED Tempus Project

The objective of this paper is to present Web based e-educational environments and also the design decisions of the Virtual University e-educational component of Tempus Project IB_JEP 13467-98 CONED. The architecture is a three-tier distributed system implemented in Java technology for platform independence. We aim at a flexible educational framework to allow active learning, co-operation and knowledge building. The client tire uses Java Script to enhance client side presentations. The middle tier implements the Web server and the application logic. Client tire - middle tire interaction uses forms and servlets. Back end tire represents the application data in the form of DBMS. Middle tier O Back end tire interaction uses SQL, JDBC and JDBC/ODBC bridge. All functionality of the Virtual University Web server is achieved by Java servlet technology.