Page 198 - Open and Distance Education In Asia : Good Practice From AAOU Members

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

Community Services. As a university, other reasons, are not able to further their
community service is one of the three education in face-to-face higher education
pillars of all Indonesian higher education institutions, and (3) to develop academic and
institutions: teaching and learning, research, professional programs to satisfy the national
and community services. UT’s community development needs that are unaddressed by
services can be categorized as nation-wide other universities.
community services and local community
services performed by individual lecturers in As an open university that was conceptualized
various disciplines and programs throughout during the pre-internet era, UT’s delivery
the country. The nation-wide community system was initially based on the independent
service mostly done online by opening up learning approach. Following the model
UT’s various academic products (books, from the United Kingdom Open University
journals, enrichment materials, videos/UT- (UKOU), UT delivery system is relying on the
TV, etc) as open educational resourses (OERs) pre-produced learning material packages,
through a dedicated OER website called face-to-face tutorials, and examination. UT
Sumber Pembelajaran Terbuka (SUAKA) at students are expected to learn independently
https://www.ut.ac.id/OER/, offering MOOCs using the main course materials (modules)
(at http://moocs.ut.ac.id/), and organizing and watch the television programs aired by
open webinar in various subject matters. The the national television broadcast. Students
local community services mostly in the field were also obliged to attend face-to-face
relevant to the lecturer’s field and expertise tutorials, which soon to be found unpopular
and in accordance with the local community for certain courses. The face-to-face tutorials
needs. were then only provided for certain courses
with high difficulty level and on-demand
DELIVERY SYSTEM AND TECHNOLOGY basis. As technology developing and became
USE IN UNIVERSITAS TERBUKA available, other media such as audio, video,
Open education is a concept of opening animation, and later even interactive
educational access to all, which is based digital materials are developed. The main
on the acceptance that education and course materials or modules are gradually
knowledge are public goods and that converted into interactive digital e-books
everyone has the right to access quality that contain text integrative with still images,
education (Belawati, 2014). As previously video, animations, etc. Figure 3 shows the
mentioned, UT was founded to implement milestones of UT’s learning materials in
the open education concept as stated in relation to the technology use evolution.
the objectives of UT’s establishment: (1) to
provide expansive opportunity for Indonesian
citizens and foreigners, wherever their place
of residence, to attain higher education,
(2) to provide higher education services for
those who, because of their work or due to

Universitas Terbuka (UT)