Page 191 - Open and Distance Education In Asia : Good Practice From AAOU Members

Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) 171

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT associated with the recognition as a cyber
university. And, as the result of UT’s significant
Establishing Identity contribution to assist the praxis of online
In 1998, UT released the 1998–2008 UT learning by other universities during the
Development Plan, which formulated Covid 19 pandemic, UT has transformed itself
a clear vision to become a center of to become a Center of Innovation (CoI) for
excellence in organizing, researching, distance education. As a CoI, organizational
developing, and disseminating information culture was challenged to become a learning
on ODE in Indonesia. In 2001, UT launched organization that triggered the birth of new
a bureaucratic reform, which included raising ideas and breakthroughs in the concept
the quality of academic products, providing and implementation of distance education
work facilities and infrastructure, and by utilizing the latest developments in
continually strengthening cooperation with information and communication technology.
diverse parties. The mandate compelled UT
to transform into a teaching institution that Enhancing Quality and Positioning
provided academic services to all citizens of UT’s planning and development policies
the Republic of Indonesia, including those are aimed at enhancing quality, which are
residing in the country’s most remote, projected into three main areas, e.g. (1)
underdeveloped, and impoverished areas, improving academic quality, (2) improving
as well as those living abroad. As a teaching internal management, and (3) increasing
institution, UT was required to increase its student participation rates. The latest long-
quality and reputation in all areas, including term plan is formulated at the Business
human resources, community and market- Strategic Plan 2021-2035, which is further
driven educational programs, both degree and elaborated by the annual working plans to
certificate programs, the quality of teaching achieve the stated annual targets articulated
materials, learning processes, research, and in forms of key performance indicators. The
assessment. As a result, UT pushed itself to university annual work plan contains the
become a distance education institution with entire plan of UT’s programs and activities
world-class academic services. for the year. Each Unit/Department is then
required to create its own annual plan in
As a world-class distance teaching university, accordance with its roles and functions. The
UT always strives for innovation taking achievement of UT’s annual key performance
advantage of the latest technological indicators is monitored and evaluated by the
development. It is very important for UT to Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and
establish a reputation as a modern university Technology.
and be recognized as a university that
opens up access to higher education and
lifelong learning to all. In fact, UT’s popular
slogan is “making higher education open to
all”. Recently, UT’s identity has also been

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