Page 209 - Universitas Terbuka Center of Excellence In Asia 2010 and The World 2020 (A Journey Towards a Leading Open and Distance Education Institution 1984-2008)

Consolidation Period (1990-1999)

During the period of 1990-1999, no significant change took place in the
UT learning materials distribution system . The system was continually

refurbished in order to perform better with gradual changes. The flexibility of the
system was developed in terms of variations in order to accommodate the needs

of the Program for In-service Primary Teacher Education students. This period
was also marked with the drastically increasing number of students

(approximately 400 ,000 students in 1996/1997), as the effect of the opening of
the Diploma II Program for In-service Primary School Teachers (PGSD) beginning

in the academic year 1990/1991 and of other new Study Programs as well.
Learning from the previous experiences, particularly in managing the

registration and distribution of the course materials , the Diploma II PGSD
Program designed differently from the regular programs. In the PGSD Program ,

the courses offered in a semester learning package, initially it offered for 6
semesters, and then shortened into 5 semesters. Every student of the PGSD

Program got the course material , because the course material was included in
the tuition fee.

However, for the students of PGSD Program Project sponsored by the
Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education (Ditjen Dikdasmen) ,

they had to pass the course materials on to the students registering in the
following year. For the first cohort of students of the Project, the learning

materials package was intended for one student. However, for the following
student cohorts, the learning materials package was intended for two to three

students, so that not every student could get the complete learning materials
package. The remaining course materials could then be obtained from the

students of previous cohorts who had passed the examination . This mechanism
was difficult to implement. In terms of operations, the UT had difficulties in

controlling the distribution of the course materials for the sponsored students ,

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