Page 138 - Open and Distance Education In Asia : Good Practice From AAOU Members

118 OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATON IN ASIA
Good Practices from AAOU Members

5. Internet-Based Testing (IBT) learning centers will be placed where
In the past, the venue, date and time of remote learning alone is insufficient.
credit exams were fixed (the exam could
only be taken at a fixed study center on a 7. Cooperation with other universities
fixed date and time), which reduced the Utilizing the merits of our remote
degree of freedom in choosing subjects education system, we will collaborate
and restricted the admission of overseas with regular universities. By collaborating
residents. The promising solution is to with universities that do not have a
conduct exams using IBT. The OUJ will correspondence course, we will expand
establish effective measures to deal with the use of our classes at other universities.
the following three points: (1) identity We will also actively consider adopting a
verification, (2) misconduct monitoring transfer system (a method of acquiring
during the exam, and (3) preparing a regular university’s bachelor’s degree
students who are unfamiliar with the by studying cheaply at OUJ for the first
Internet, with the aim of conducting two years then studying at the regular
credit exams using IBT by 2022. university for the second two years,
similar to the transfer system at American
6. Conversion of the Study Centers’ function community colleges).
The study centers’ function will also
change due to changes in the educational 8. Enhancement of research functions
system, such as the conversion of Until now, OUJ has not progressed
face-to-face lessons to online and the towards becoming a research university
introduction of IBT exams, as discussed so due to insufficient development of the
far. In the past, the focus of the centers’ research environment. In order to solve
role was the conduct of credit exams and this, a standing council or committee
the provision of face-to-face lessons, will be established to consider matters
but the focus will shift to functioning including (1) conditions for improving
as the core (hub) of lifelong learning the research ability of young faculty
activities within the region. In order to members, (2) measures to enhance
supplement the ties between students research guidance in the doctoral
that are becoming weaker due to the programs and steadily confer degrees,
progress of e-learning, the function as a and (3) the formation of an advanced
physical location for students to gather knowledge platform for doctoral
will become more and more important. students and graduates to participate in
We will improve this function and further undergraduate guidance, and detailed
increase the importance of the learning studies will be conducted to pave the way
center as a location. At the same time, towards becoming a research university.
education on digital skills at the learning
centers will be enhanced. Like first-year
education at a regular university, the

The Open University of Japan (OUJ)