Page 158 - Open and Distance Education In Asia : Good Practice From AAOU Members

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

In addition to this type of face-to-face
sessions, all the science-based programs of
the university have compulsory laboratory PICTURE
components, and the students are required
to be present at the designated Regional LANDSCAPE
Centre to participate in these laboratory
work. Marks scored for laboratory work are
included into the Continuous Assessment
component of the course.

The RES division of the OUSL provides
extensive support required by the faculties
of the university to conduct their academic
programs and so as to reach the unreached.
The regional network and the facilities
provided by the OUSL has not only helped to
overcome the physical distance between the
teacher and the student but also has removed
language, ethnic, social, and cultural barriers
to higher education. The development of the
regional network has created an ambiance to
improve social equity across the country.

MOOCs AND OTHER OPEN EDUCATION inception, the university has developed its
PRACTICES own self-instructional materials using the
The OUSL has also been at the forefront traditional course team concept. Therefore,
to embrace new technologies and all the course materials developed by the
methodologies such as adopting and university have been written from scratch
adapting Open Education Resource (OER)- by subject specialists, both internal and
based teaching material and e-Learning. external. The university has its own House
Initially, the educational process of the OUSL Style and instructional development process,
is facilitated through especially designed with appropriate check lists to ensure that
self-instructional learning resources with the lesson materials given to the students are
limited face-to-face contacts. These learning truly self-instructional and understandable
resources are predominantly in print. for an average student.
However, they have either enhanced or
supplemented with other technologies. With the open knowledge movement, where
Over the years these technologies have more and more contents are released as
also been upgraded based on the emerging open content, the university took a decision
technological advancements. From the to look at the possibility of adopting available

The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL)