Samford University’s Brock School of Business is changing the schedule of its evening MBA program.

The graduate program - taken often by working professionals - is being revamped into two semesters that are nine weeks each with a 10-week summer semester, the school reported Thursday.

The program used to have five, nine-week terms in a year.

Under the new schedule, each course will meet for a two-hour class each week, giving students more time to study and learn the material, school officials said.

“We have retained the flexibility and convenience for working professionals through the option of attending one evening a week,” said Larry Harper, director of Graduate and Executive Education Programs at the Brock School of Business in a news release. “In addition, students can complete the degree in as little as 12 months by attending full-time or 22 months by attending part-time.”

The new curriculum covers all business functions and is designed to offer a more complete general management experience. Students also learn to exercise ethical business practices.

“Managers need comprehensive skills and sound values in order to achieve the disparate goals of their investors, customers, employees and the public at large,” said Beck A. Taylor, dean of the Brock School of Business. “At the Brock School, our charge is to help current and aspiring managers to discover solutions that meet these goals.”

The evening MBA program is the oldest in the state of Alabama and takes applications year round. Students can enter the program in January, June and August.

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The Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management-Kerala (IIITM-K) has concluded an agreement with Sun Microsystems for setting up an advanced laboratory information system (AISL), taking charge of his education Grid (EduGrid).

Sun Microsystems provides servers and software for the implementation of EduGrid. A Sun Advanced Computing Laboratory must also be established in the IIITM-K support to higher education and research activities. It contains very configuration of Sun servers, software and content quality for the sake of advanced subjects, students, professionals KR Srivathsan, Director, IIITM-K.

EduGrid The project was designed with the objective development of an education Grid infrastructure in institutions of higher education throughout the state, promoting the design and development of quality courses in various disciplines and development of standards in higher education by providing institutional Course high quality product and services on the network.

Prof. Srivathsan told Business Line here that Sun Microsystems has special relations with key universities worldwide. A large quantity of advanced software applications in engineering and science is, above all, Sun or Linux platforms. Academic Institutions use a heterogeneous computing environment and therefore Sun strict compliance with open standards, is an asset. “In addition, they provide significant discounts for academic institutions for equipment and almost all its software free for academic use. They also take charge of Linux. Our ultimate goal is a Sun Center of Excellence in IIITM-K. Thus, approximately 30 such centers throughout the world. It will spur us on the implementation of the advanced knowledge society, campus initiatives for the future, “he added.

The National Institute for Technology Kochi and Kozhikode University for Science and Technology are among those already included, as resource centres EduGrid. “We will soon, they are content for equipping laboratories and launches Web-based, of course, the content management systems for development and teacher training. IIITM-K EduGrid acts as a centre of operations and is also a resource centre, “says Professor Srivathsan.

The infrastructure of these centres is now completed the first phase. “She is the host of the EduGrid backbone network nodes, is a high-end server EduGrid all serve to ensure that all students and teachers in the institutions of the host. They are also a content server for the development of systems, including content development tools software. ”

The Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, cooperation with the EduGrid a project on the informal level. They are part of the national programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), whose objective is the development of teaching materials for 100 courses. These are more content as “wholesale”. Grid is the formation of such content to pack “Retail” distribution for other equally good content from institutions abroad, give lessons, teachers and help the presentation of content properly adapted to local plans for teaching higher education institutions in their normal course.

On ERNET discussions with India for setting up the network backbone of the grid, “said Professor Srivathsan last was probably the work begins in the next two months for the creation of the backbone. “We must bear in mind that the Union Ministry of Human Resources provides grants for All India Technical Education Council approved by the academic institutions and the library of the Commission Grant’s Indian National Digital Library in science and technology (INDEST) digital library ERNET only by initiatives “. Previously, IIITM-K-library became the first external member of the State in the INDEST consortium, the Ministry of the Union.