Open Universiteit Nederland - case study

Open Universiteit Nederland (English: Dutch Open University) is an independent government-funded institute for distance learning at university level in the Netherlands.

The Dutch government's purpose in founding Open Universiteit Nederland was to make higher education accessible to anyone with the necessary aptitudes and interests, regardless of formal qualifications. It welcomed its first students in September 1984.

Open Universiteit Nederland goes by many names and abbreviations. Other names include:

• Open University of the Netherlands
• Open Universiteit
• Open universiteit
• Dutch OU

The canonical abbreviation (that is, the we use in Re.ViCa) is OUN.

Other abbreviations include Ou (two-character abbreviations are deprecated as they are easily confused with ISO abbreviations for countries) and OUNL.

It is a member of EADTU.

Institution

The present

Provide a general description of the institution in its current state, putting the e-learning into context.

Working together within networks and alliances, Open Universiteit Nederland develops, provides and promotes higher distance education. The university is a pioneer in the innovation of higher education and aims at the wide-ranging needs of its students, the market and the community at large. Open Universiteit Nederland seeks to be an institution that is strongly anchored in the Dutch higher education system through its educational, research and innovation activities. An Institution that operates in the field of lifelong learning and is also a provider of market-oriented and commercial education. It is a frontrunner in open higher distance education and tries to be a leader in educational innovation, also on an international scope. With a scope of activities that links up with the needs of society, Open Universiteit Nederland can count on broad interest, as reflected in the significant enrolment numbers for its different educational offerings.

What is the institution's annual budget?

budget EUR 62.7 million

How many students does the institution have in total

active students 29,104

student profile

51% female, 49% male age 18-25: 10% age 26-35: 32% 60% of the student body has a full-time job 34% of students choose Open Universiteit Nederland because of the time- and location-independent character of its study programmes 44% are second-chance students, who have never completed a higher professional (HBO) or university-level programme at a Dutch educational institution before (10.542 students)

How many staff does the institution have as full-time equivalents?

staff members 751

What is the institution's "business model"?

Open Universiteit Nederland, founded in 1984, is the youngest university in the Netherlands. It is the only university in the country that provides open higher distance education. In addition to this legally assigned task, Open Universiteit Nederland has two other legal tasks: contributing to the innovation of Dutch higher education and contributing to solving the shortage of teaching staff in Dutch primary and secondary schools.

What percentage of the institution's students are based outside the home country?

710 students live in other parts of the world 9.5% (1,991 students) are enrolled at a Belgian study centre

Describe the institution's approach to virtual mobility.

‘Gaining international experience without having to go abroad.’ that, is the prime potential of virtual mobility. Most students at distance teaching universities don’t have the time for an exchange programme. For them OUNL wants to create rich virtual networks. That way you still get the exchange underway.’ In this area OUNL is not a novice. Since several years the School of Science organizes the European virtual seminar. Students from various countries work and study together in this. Other benefit are virtual networks in which OUNL easily meets the requirement of internationalization. It makes them in their words ‘a more complete university.’

Describe how the institution manages its "brand" (a) in general and (b) in respect of any e-learning aspects

The OUNL manages its brand with slogans as ‘Once a newcomer, now a flexible and innovative university’ and since 2008 with ‘ We’ve got to be open’. Next to this they are proud in their academic stature, solid expertise and quality of learning material.

A short text from their brochure shows this in detail:

Of all the universities in the Netherlands, Open Universiteit Nederland is, at twenty years old, by far the youngest. Ever since its establishment it provides higher distance education for adults. And from the start it does so at academic level, without setting prerequisites regarding the prior education of students. Open Universiteit Nederland offers people who never had the opportunity earlier to attend a school of higher education the chance to do so as yet. Many take advantage of this opportunity. Early in 2004 the 250,000th student was welcomed, and during the past several years total enrolment averaged 24,000. The programme offerings of Open Universiteit Nederland have clearly met a great need all these twenty years. During that time the written course materials and other productions have achieved name and fame. A good name calls for commitment: the educational offering must be of top quality, because students study at long distance and independently. In addition to providing distance education, Open Universiteit Nederland has two other legally assigned tasks. It contributes to the innovation of Dutch higher education and has gained widespread recognition for this; to expand the specific expertise that this requires, it has set up ambitious research and development programmes. The third task is to help address the teacher shortage. Based on its solid expertise in well-considered distance education, Open Universiteit Nederland enthusiastically supports the training and professionalization of teachers.

The past

Give a narrative description of the institution's history since its foundation, concentrating on key dates, recent years and any e-learning issues.

History, Targets and Innovation

The Open University of the Netherlands was founded in 1984. In that year they welcomed their first students. Nevertheless its history goes back to the seventies.

Establishing an Open University After a period of counseling and report writing in 1977 the Ministery of Education published a first policy on the ‘ Open Universiteit Nederland’ . This policy was the start of a process that lead to ‘ the Law on the Open University ‘ that took action on the 1.Januar 1985. The Open University at that time had already been preparing its start for a considerable amount of time. For example its headquarters in Heerlen opened in 1981. Spread throughout the Netherlands and Belgium over time so called ‘ Study-centers’ were established to support student in the region.

Educational Target

The Open University was founded to offer scientific education to all persons interested (but of course with also the capabilities to do so). Their social task was to give people a second opportunity for a degree in higher education. It was a possibly to study next to, of course, the traditional track in higher education that is also provided in the Netherlands. The Open University makes ‘higher education for everybody’ possible by not having formal entry requirements, freedom in study-time,-place and –pace and a specially developed didactical approach for guided self-study.

Innovation

After the first phase of development, the Open University came in a more mature phase in 1995 and its innovative targets were reformulated and more pinpointed towards innovation of higher education, meaning innovation of its own curriculum but also from other higher educational institutes in the Netherlands. A special focus here is on the innovation, development and implementation of new technologies and new educational insights. For that the OUNL works together with many national and international partners.

External environment

What is the institution's funding from government as a percentage of annual income?

Their institution’s funding from government in 2008 was EUR 35,3 million. Source: http://rijksbegroting.minfin.nl/2008/begrotingsvoorstel_behandeling/begroting,kst108428b_32.html

Describe the external quality assurance and/or accreditation regime affecting the institution, or state that it is the same as for other institutions in the country. Mention any features relevant to e-learning.

Quality is seen as an intrinsic issue to the Open University. They are keen to ensure that their programmes continue to merit their reputation for quality. But there’s always room for improvement. That is why the Open University’s faculties assess the quality of their products, for example with Sein, a tool developed by the Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies that allows students to evaluate the course they have taken just after sitting an examination. They also conduct regular opinion polls about other matters. For example, they conduct a biannual poll among students, graduates and others asking for their opinion of our website, course catalogues, level of contact and loyalty, and tutoring and mentoring. The OUNL uses the results to make improvements and develop new strategies.

Describe the approach to credit transfer with other similar institutions. List the main associations that the institution is a member of, with a note as to the relevance of each to e-learning (if any).

Distance education is a good thing in itself, but society requires more. The Open University wants to help meet those requirements, preferably in cooperation with others. Anyone aiming to develop relevant initiatives will find the necessary “open mindedness” at the Open University of the Netherlands. In their opinion together, we can use the available expertise to solve the problems facing society. They are eager to share their knowledge and expertise in open partnerships. They welcome pioneering innovations, and are keen to openly share expertise and inspiration (according to their brochure).

Strategy

Describe or provide a document describing the current institutional strategy.

The Mission:

Open Universiteit Nederland is a distance teaching university that develops, delivers and promotes outstanding innovative educational programmes and tools in cooperation with its network and alliance partners. As the Netherlands’ main university for lifelong learning, it aims to satisfy today’s wide ranging learning requirements and meet the pressing need to improve the level of knowledge in society.

The OUNL’s educational, research and innovation activities are anchored in the Dutch system of higher education. For almost 25 years, they have been the only university for higher distance education in the Netherlands and Belgian Flanders. They play a leading role in educational innovation and are helping to tackle the labour shortage problem in teaching in the Netherlands. They see themselves as the Netherlands’ main university for lifelong learning, and aim to play a key role on both a national and international scale.

Describe or provide a document describing the current learning and teaching strategy. They market their learning and teaching strategy as ‘ An open path to a knowledge society’ As they see themselves as the Netherlands’ main university for lifelong learning, the Open University opens itself up to students, companies, public authorities and other universities that share their ambitions.’ We’ve got to be open if we are going to work together to boost the level of knowledge in our society’. In other words, the Open University is a university – open to everyone.

Describe or provide a document describing the current e-learning strategy.

Students are at the core of their educational system. Students themselves determine where, when and at what pace they will work through their programme, so that they can find the right balance between studying and their work, their family and their hobbies. The Open University helps by offering students their own space within an advanced electronic learning environment. Course sites and discussion groups, e-mail and conferencing tools ensure that distance education is available to everyone. The Open University has been a pioneer in using e-learning tools for many years now. Its courses and programmes make use of interactive DVDs, multimedia resources and the Internet. Personal contact with students continues to be a vital element of its teaching methods. That is why the Open University has study centres and support centres in both the Netherlands and Belgian Flanders. Here is where students meet their teachers and fellow students during tutoring sessions, examinations, lectures and graduation ceremonies. The study centres are also the Open University’s answer to the growing demand for “blended learning”, which combines distance teaching and face-to-face instruction.

By 2009 the OUNL wants to be a genuine Internet university. They capitalize on the opportunities that the Internet offers in education and for their students, much more than is now the case. Their aims? Online tutoring, online testing, quality assurance, and multimedia. Wherever possible, tutoring, testing, information and counseling will take place online within just a few year’s time. By 2014 at the latest, they expect their students and staff to have their own personal digital learning and working environment that they can set up to suit their own wishes and requirements. Ultimately, the OUNL wants to be able to describe its selves as a provider of multimedia, interactive distance education in which both the Internet and traditional printed books play an important role. An open channel to flexible and innovative education

Distance education need not be remote. The Open University of the Netherlands tries to show that it can be close by. In fact in their vision they need to be, because this kind of education only works if the university can offer its students flexible and innovative learning tools. And that is precisely what the Open University tries to do, by offering outstanding academic courses and programmes for anyone who wishes to grow or to keep growing. They have an open mind for new educational, didactic and technological models and incorporate them into their own programmes and courses.

Structure

Describe the institutional structure, preferably supplying an organogram.

Open Universiteit Nederland is organised into three departments, seven schools and a network of twelve regional study centres and three support centres in various parts of the country. It also has six study centres in Belgium (Flanders) and one in the Dutch Antilles.

Map of study and support centres in the Netherlands and Flanders

Schools

Open Universiteit Nederland has seven Schools, which develop and provide educational materials and conducts educational programmes:

• School of Management • School of Cultural Sciences • School of Computer Science • School of Science • School of Psychology • School of Law • School of Education.

Each school is headed by a dean of studies, who supervises teams of subject specialists and educational technologists engaged in developing courses and programmes. This often takes place in co-operation with specialists from other educational institutes or from trade and industry.

Departments

Expertise- and trainingcentres: CELSTEC (Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies)

Ruud de Moor Centre (RdMC)

Netherlands Laboratory for Lifelong Learning (NELLL)

Lex, The Learning Experience (LEX)

Department of Educational Support Services; this department provides operational services, ranging from staff administration to the distribution of course materials.

Boards and councils

Furthermore, the Open Universiteit Nederland has several boards and councils. Administration

The universitys day-to-day administrative affairs are handled by the Executive Board, which reports to the Supervisory Board. Educational affairs Examinations are organised and co-ordinated by the Examination Board, which determines exam results and issues certificates and exemptions. The Board of Promotions is responsible for awarding degrees and for drawing up the relevant regulations. Representation Open Universiteit Nederland has a Works Council, with advisory rights and the right of approval in specific areas of policy. A consultative body monitors the rights of the university's employees. Finally, students are represented in an elected Student Council which may advise the Executive Board student matters.

Learning and Teaching processes

Learning and teaching design and delivery

Describe how choice of pedagogies and technologies is made for a typical programme that is envisaged to include significant e-learning.

In the end the choice of pedagogies and technologies is a responsibility of each different school. The faculty is support by a diverse and large offer of instruments and technologies (like WEB 2.0 software) . The faculty combines their own tools in a media-mix. The students have a virtual study place of their own. There they see their courses, content and possibilities to communicate etc. There is no ‘ one’ strategy to the development of materials, teaching online or blended learning approach.

Describe what scope staff have at delivery stage to refine or in some cases override design decisions made earlier.

Within their schools they have their own Freedom. Decisions are based on an agreement between University board and their deans.

Learning and teaching development

How much e-learning content is sourced from outside the institution

Almost no e-learning material is sourced from outside the university. They have guest writers who help developing their learning materials.

Of all e-learning content sourced from outside the institution, what fraction is OER?

Some instructional material that they’ve produced for independent study is now available free of charge. Driving force behind the development of OER is Prof. Fred Mulder, vice-chancellor of the Open University of the Netherlands. Anyone can enroll in interesting short courses via the Internet, without payment. The material is there to be consulted flexibly. Their purpose is it to entice people to learn and closing the gap between informal and formal learning.” The aim is to have 500 out of every 10,000 users enroll in a programme of higher education. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science were so pleased by this initiative that they have agreed to fund it. More than twenty courses are now available on the university’s website, and so far they have attracted more than 50,000 visitors (summer 2008).

When staff in the institution develop content, is the content (a) owned by them and licensed to the institution, (b) owned by the institution but with some licensing back to staff, (c) owned by the institution but with no licensing back to staff, (d) unclear or disputed IPR position?

In general all material that is developed on campus is owned by the university.

When content is sourced for a programme within the institution, how much is sourced from other departments within the institution?

CELSTEC (the former Educational Technology and Expertise Center) used to have a service providing role and helped the schools with the development of their material. Nowadays they mainly conduct research.

What is the role of student-generated content in the institution's programmes?

It is depending on the course and study programme. Of course Web 2.0 software changes traditional learning approaches rapidly. Student-generated content is growing rapidly.

Learning and teaching evaluation and quality

Describe the quality procedures (a) in general terms and (b) with respect to e-learning.

The Quality depends heavily on the Dutch accreditation system. All Study programmes are accredited by the NVAO.

Meta Learning and Teaching processes

Communications

Describe how the institution communicates good practice in e-learning within itself, focusing on communications across internal boundaries.

The institute has regular meetings on innovative e-learning issues. They have their own journals in which best practices are published. They organize training sessions for faculty, whenever new software is implemented.

Describe how the institution communicates its good practice in e-learning to organizations outside.

They work together in funded projects with other educational institutes. They provide consultancy and organize commercial training events for others. Describe how the institution communicates good practice in e-learning from outside organizations into its own organization.

They depend heavily on the overview researchers have of their own field of expertise. Whenever interesting things are seen or happen. This will be picked up by them and (hopefully) transferred on to others.

Describe recent occasions on which institutional leaders or managers have made presentations with significant reference to e-learning. The board of the OUNL constantly stresses the importance of innovation and e-learning. They see that as the core business of OUNL.

Staff

Teachers, lecturers, trainers and equivalent support roles

Describe the approach to development of e-learning technical and pedagogic skills among staff, taking account of the different needs of different categories of staff. Set this within the context of staff development generally.

There is a training program in didactical skills for faculty. Next to this quite a lot of training courses are offered to staff for further developing their e-learning and software skills.

Students

Studying at the Open University allows professionals to sharpen their skills. In fact, many of its students already have degrees and take one or more courses to acquire additional know-how or to retrain for a different occupation.

Students enrolled at the Open University are following one of the university's courses or fully accredited Bachelor or Master degree programmes. About 60% of these students remain in paid employment throughout their studies, and nearly 35% have enrolled because it leaves them free to choose their own time and place of study and lets them progress at their own pace (see also Strategy and Students Profile).

Technology

The Open University is an innovative institute where new learning technologies are embedded in their curricula. For that sake they also established the research institute ‘CELSTEC’. The Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies (CELSTEC) is a Centre of Excellence in the fields of Learning Sciences and Technology Enhanced Learning. CELSTEC aims to research, develop and provide sustainable and evidence-based solutions for the advancement of learning at work, at school, at home and on the move. This is accomplished by combining state-of-the-art research in the Learning Sciences with the innovative powers of new media, mobile devices and the Internet. New solutions are extensively tested in our laboratories and in real practice, following the principles of open innovation (www.celstec.org).

Futures

Innovation in Cooperation

The OUNL tries to share their expertise worldwide. Increasingly, they are trying to build long-term relationships with foreign partner institutes and companies, wherever possible in the form of strategic alliances. In fact, they have joined forces in the field of teaching, research and innovation with universities around the world, frequently in projects belonging to European programmes. The Open University of the Netherlands is also a leading member of EADTU (European Association of Distance Teaching Universities), in which open universities and institutions for distance teaching in Europe work together on projects and in task forces to develop business models, quality assurance, lifelong learning, multilingual open resources, cross-border virtual entrepreneurship, and virtual mobility. They play a prominent role during national and international conferences, symposiums and seminars. Education, government and business must join forces, draw mutual inspiration, and encourage partnerships.

Innovation in Research

The OUNL has concentrated expertise in interdisciplinary research on lifelong learning in the Netherlands Laboratory for Lifelong Learning, or NeLLL. This centre of excellence makes all the knowledge acquired in the area of lifelong learning available to other organisations and to anyone who is part of the Netherlands’ knowledge society. They also run a series of research programmes focusing the expertise required to innovate in higher education. The educational research conducted by CELSTEC, the Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies, is classed as “very good” to “excellent”. Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities awarded two of its research programmes the highest marks of any Dutch university. CELSTEC is described as a “major international player”. By focusing on research into lifelong learning and innovative educational, didactic and technological models, the Open University occupies a special place in the “Sampler of Outstanding and Interesting Research”, a booklet describing examples of outstanding research at Dutch universities published by the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU). The Sampler refers to the Open University as a “world leader” when it comes to educational technology.

Innovation in Teaching

The Open University is the first university in the Netherlands to have taken Accreditation of Prior Learning – APL – on boardl. APL emphasises the skills that people have, not the ones they lack. That inspires them to go back to school and to continue to work on their personal development, an attitude entirely in keeping with the Netherlands’ main university for lifelong learning. Students can now also be awarded exemptions and be admitted toprogrammes, based, for example, on their work experience. When possible, the Open University shares the expertise that its Centre for Learning Sciences and Technologies has acquired in assessing and accrediting prior learning.

References and reports

Open Universiteit Nederland

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