Universitas Terbuka

Universitas Terbuka is the open university of Indonesia. It was established in 1984.

Its web site is at http://www.ut.ac.id/ with a comprehensive English version at http://public.ut.ac.id/english/.

Overview

(Edited from http://public.ut.ac.id/english/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=2&MMN_position=2:2)

Universitas Terbuka is Indonesia's 45th state university, and is the only university dedicated to distance learning in the country, serving students residing in various locations throughout the country. Generally, Universitas Terbuka offers two types of courses, i.e., those designed for prospective participants with high-school level qualifications, and those specifically intended for in-service teachers. Most of the courses require high-school level qualifications. The teacher-education courses are intended for in-service teachers in primary and secondary levels. There is no age limit to enroll in Universitas Terbuka courses. Since 2003 Universitas Terbuka has offered graduate studies in management and public administration. At the initial stage, the graduate study programs is offered to a limited number of students residing in cities which has easy access to internet connections.

Universitas Terbuka students can be categorized into two groups: active and inactive students. The number of active students per semester is on the average about 250,000, living in various parts of Indonesia. Some of them are Indonesian nationals reside outside the country.

The Universitas Terbuka instructional system requires students to study independently using multi-media learning packages, supported by various kinds of tutorials (face-to-face, by correspondence and online). The majority of the students, i.e., 95%, are working adults and teachers; and 48% are women. More than 50% of the in-service teachers are sponsored by their employers (district and provincial governments, government departments, and educational foundations) for their studies. Approximately 80 students are currently studying for UT postgraduate degrees (Master of Public Administration and Master of Management).

It is a member of AAOU, the Asian Association of Open Universities.

Analysis

The PANdora Distance Education Guidebook (1st edition, 25-Apr-08): (http://www.pandora-asia.org) summarises Universitas Terbuka as follows:

Universitas Terbuka's distance education system is an example of how a large and populous country such as Indonesia can adopt and contextualise distance education principles in practice. Its instructional system has been designed in accordance with the students' situations in order to optimise the system’s flexibility, accessibility, and affordability for allIndonesians. The new variety of ICT-enhanced distance education that has developed since the mid-1990s has significantly influenced Universitas Terbuka's development. As at all distance education institutions, Universitas Terbuka has been trying to use increasingly efficient technologies so as to enhance its learning system's interactivity. Nonetheless, ongoing surveys show that students still regard print as the most accessible, affordable and preferred medium, and the instructional system still relies predominantly upon it.

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