Abstract:

The state of Chiapas, has been recognized in Mexico by its natural and cultural resources; it contrasts with the situation suffered by an important percentage of the population with a low human development rate because of different factors, such as the wide geographical spread which difficult the basic services access, specially education services.
The Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH) in its constant search of offering quality, relevance and equity education services, developed the project named “Virtual University”, aimed at expanding the education coverage with equity and sustainability, through the creation of new educational options, taught through the open and distance modalities. Currently, the University offers two technical programs and eight B.A. programs. The Virtual University, proposes an academic head offices model, because the sum of efforts with the municipal authorities is essential. In this model, the municipality acquires the commitment to manage the economic resources and the use of them in the academic head office; in the other hand, UNACH assumes the commitment of developing educational programs, as well as the payment for the teachers and monitoring the students’ academic development.
To assist on the search of solutions and answers to the population demands, the distance learning modality is considered as an important option to access higher education, which may represent a challenge, even more if the people who demand it seize to continue with traditional face training schemes. This model has been operating for two and a half years and it can be said that have had satisfactory results, however, it is true that it can be improved and it will be modified according to the people’s needs and the dynamic demanded by the education in Mexico.

Keywords:

academic head offices, municipality, virtual university, disperse populations, faculty.