THE OPERATIONAL ASPECTS OF OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING AND ITS QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM IN UNIVERSITAS TERBUKA

Universitas Terbuka (UT) telah berfungsi sejak 1984 untuk memperluas kesempatan belajar bagi seluruh warga negara Indonesia dari berbagai lapisan guna menempuh pendidikan tinggi berkualitas. Makalah ini menyajikan aspek operasional pendidikan terbuka dan jarak jauh beserta sistem penjaminan kualitas UT. Deskripsi dan analisis tentang UT disampaikan dalam hal sistem pembelajaran, asesmen pembelajaran, dan sistem pendukung layanan operasional. Beragam layanan pendukung pembelajaran diberikan sesuai kebutuhan mahasiswa meliputi pembelajaran jarak jauh dengan tutorial online, pembelajaran jarak jauh blended dengan tutorial tatap muka dan online, pembelajaran jarak jauh dengan semua matakuliah didukung tutorial tatap muka, dan pembelajaran fully online. Sistem penjaminan kualitas UT meliputi pengembangan budaya kerja berkualitas sebagai tanggung jawab bersama, fokus pada pencegahan, dan pengembangan mekanisme asesmen kualitas secara internal dan eksternal. UT telah mengadopsi Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) Quality Assurance Framework sejak tahun 2001. Asesmen dan review kualitas secara eksternal telah dilakukan melalui sertifikasi ISO 9001 dan ISO 27001, akreditasi Program Studi dan Institusi oleh Badan Akreditasi Nasional Perguruan Tinggi (BAN-PT), dan review kualitas oleh International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE). Arah ke depan UT sebagaimana dinyatakan oleh Menteri Riset, Teknologi, dan Pendidikan Tinggi 2014-2015 adalah tantangan UT sebagai pelopor cyber university di Indonesia serta menyediakan matakuliah online bagi mahasiswa dari perguruan tinggi di Indonesia lain agar memiliki pengalaman pembelajaran online. Universitas Terbuka (UT) has been functioning since 1984 to widen opportunities for the citizens of Indonesia from all geographical, social and economic backgrounds to have access to quality higher education. This paper presents the UT operational aspects of open and distance learning and its quality assurance system. The description and analysis of UT is presented in terms of teaching and learning system, assessment of student learning, and operational support system. The UT modes of learning support to students are provided based on the students’ needs to include distance learning with online tutorials, blended distance learning with face-to-face and online tutorials, distance learning with all courses supported by face-to-face tutorials, and fully online learning courses. Quality assurance is discussed in terms of the development of quality work culture as shared responsibility, focus on prevention, and the establishment of mechanism for internal and external assessment. UT has adopted the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) Quality Assurance Framework since 2001. External quality assessment includes certification for ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, Study Program and Institution accreditations by the National Board of Higher Education Accreditation (BAN-PT), and quality reviews by the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE). Future directions of UT as stated by the former Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education was to be pioneer in cyber university and to provide online courses for students from other universities in Indonesia

A study on Online Interaction Between Tutor and Students In A Public Speaking Course at Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia

Learning support is essential to facilitate students in an online learning environment. At Universitas Terbuka (UT), learning support services are provided in various means, using the face-to-face as well as distance and online modes. Online tutorial is one of the learning support services provided by UT, with the aim of providing opportunities to students to have better understanding of the printed learning materials. Because of its online character, online tutorial has the advantage of allowing for more flexible access to learning through asynchronous means of interaction and communication between tutor and students and peer online tutorials among students themselves in a virtual learning environment. The physical absence of tutor in an online learning environment makes interaction or dialogue become impersonal and pragmatic, and online interactions focus on the learning topics under discussion. The course Public Speaking is intended to develop the students’ capability to express and communicate ideas with the public effectively. The course is equipped with printed and non-printed learning materials to help students in their independent learning activities. Students learn concepts on public speaking from the printed materials and are exposed with examples of public speaking through non-printed or CD-ROM materials. The online tutorials are designed to enhance students’ learning of public speaking concepts through online interactions. This study attempts to look at how the interaction and communication between tutors and students in online learning environment without interpersonal communication aspects such as inclusion, affection and control. A descriptive study has been conducted involving content analysis of online tutorial activities during the semester 2010-1. Findings of this study have revealed that there seems to be lack of politeness, weak communication etiquette, and the need for online tutors to enhance students’ motivation to learn in an online learning environment

Introduction And Conceptual Foundations of Entrepreneurial University

This paper addresses transformational strategies towards becoming an entrepreneurial open university based on the experience of Universitas Terbuka (UT), Indonesia. Open universities have been confronted with the challenge to adopt entrepreneurial values to respond to concerns of stakeholders for improved performance and quality. The entrepreneurial open university must have the capability in dissemination of knowledge and creation of added values to the society, perform teaching a large number of students, meet the needs for lifelong learning, and maintain capacity in research and community services. UT strategies towards becoming an entrepreneurial open university have been built upon its strategic and operational plans focusing on three areas of development, namely academic quality and relevance, student access and participation, and internal management. Recent government policy and legal reform have required UT to transform itself to become legal entity with greater academic and managerial autonomy. The UT operational strategies to become an entrepreneurial open university include accommodating stakeholders’ needs, networking and partnership, diversifying programs and fees, revenue generating programs, improved student learning support, good and corporate governance, systematic planning and open management, quality assurance, and learning organisation. It is important to note that entrepreneurialism is not commercialism

Praktek Baik Dan Pembelajaran Yang Dipetik Dari Implementasi Prinsip-Prinsip Good Corporate Governance (GCG) dan Total Quality Management (TQM) di Universitas Terbuka

Makalah ini secara khusus membahas praktek baik serta pembelajaran yang dipetik dari implementasi prinsip-prinsip good corporate governance (GCG) dan total quality management (TQM) pada institusi perguruan tinggi jarak jauh, khususnya Universitas Terbuka (UT). Pembahasan dimulai dengan dasar pemikiran GCG dan TQM, diikuti dengan uraian dan diskusi tentang implementasi GCG dan TQM pada institusi perguruan tinggi jarak jauh, khususnya UT. Pembahasan dilanjutkan dengan gambaran praktek baik serta pembelajaran yang dipetik dari implementasi GCG dan TQM di UT. Implementasi GCG dan TQM berdampak positif dan konstruktif dalam pengembangan institusi, perubahan budaya kerja, peningkatan efektifitas dan efisiensi, serta peningkatan layanan berkualitas secara berkelanjutan kepada pengguna jasa. Fokus pada pengguna jasa menjadi tujuan akhir keberhasilan implementasi GCG dan TQM pada instusi perguruan tinggi jarak jau

Online Support for a Distance Learning Course “Research in English Language Teaching”

This paper presents a case study of how an online learning support for the distance learning course “Research in English Language teaching (ELT)” has been designed, developed, and delivered to distance students at Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia. It begins with the context in which the course is offered, followed by discussion on the nature of the distance learning course, its blue print, instructional delivery, learning support, and media used. Online learning support for the course is discussed in terms of its design and delivery, online components of the course, students’ participation, interaction and communication, learning style, and tutoring style. Assessment of student learning for the course is presented in terms of its components, namely participation, assignment, discussion, and examination. This paper concludes that online learning support assists student learning in ways that enhance student learning. This is particularly relevant to the objective of the course to develop student ability to do research in ELT to improve the quality of the English language instruction

The Historical Context, Current Development and Future Challenges of Distance Education In Indonesia

This paper addresses the historical context, current development and future challenges of distance education in helping to create a knowledge-based society in Indonesia. The existing conditions of Indonesia relating to the geography, demography, socio-economy, and culture of its society, as well as the availability of technology have prompted the use of distance education as a realistic choice in providing access to quality education at different levels and in various kinds of educational endeavour. Distance education in Indonesia has been applied in diverse sectors of education and training. Its development has been challenged by advances in the use of information and communication technology, in a society in which computer literacy, access and skills still need to be improved significantly. Distance education in Indonesia has to consider the use of appropriate technology accessible by distance learners who live in various parts of the country with different conditions and different access to technology. Distance education stakeholders are becoming more critical about the quality of services of distance education provision. Distance education in Indonesia needs to adapt to new challenges, changes in the society and new opportunities in the use of information and communication technology and learn from best practices of distance education in other contexts so that it can be used more and more efficiently and effectively

Transformational steps towards becoming an entrepreneurial open university: experience of Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia

Open universities and distance higher education institutions worldwide are under increasing challenges to transform themselves to become more entrepreneurial due to the continuing decrease in public funding and the changing expectations of the stakeholders. This paper addresses recent trends in the shifting of paradigm of the open university towards becoming a more entrepreneurial institution, based on the experience and lessons learnt of Universitas Terbuka (UT), Indonesia. The term “entrepreneurial university” has been introduced in the new millennium and the idea has gained worldwide adoption by higher education institutions because of the growing concerns of stakeholders with improved performance and quality of higher education system. The idea of “entrepreneurial university” relates to the notion of the university’s capability in the dissemination of knowledge and the creation of added values to the society. The conventional university system seems to fit to the traditional notion of entrepreneurial university due to its research capability and its established long-time relations with industries and the community using its services. The idea of an entrepreneurial open university has somewhat different notion because the open university has the teaching and reaching a large number of students as its main function, with limited potential capacity in research and services to the industry. For Indonesia, the UT has been established since 1984 with significant teaching function, and it has consistently moving towards a more entrepreneurial institution with less dependence on government funding. The UT’s entrepreneurial character can be described in the following scenarios. Politics, government policy and recent legal reform have transformed the scenery of higher education system in Indonesia, in which institutions have to “dress” themselves in the new form as legal entity with greater autonomy in academic and managerial matters. Decrease in government funding and rising demand for quality higher education has enforced the UT to re-draw its policies and strategies to become an entrepreneurial open university. These new strategies include establishing mutual partnership and networking with stakeholders, diversification of programs and fee structures, focus on revenue generating programs, and effective management of the revenues to improve a variety of student learning support system. To ensure sustainability, an entrepreneurial open university should be able to meet the requirements for quality assurance, ability to meet stakeholders’ expectations, provision of affordable quality education, good corporate governance cultures, systematic planning, open management system, and establishment of a learning organisation