Universitas Terbuka (UT), as a pioneer of distance higher education in Indonesia, is always sought after by universities worldwide for collaboration in various fields to achieve positive goals for the progress of national education.
From June 11-14, 2023, UT hosted the Better University Knowledge for All (BUKA) Project Meeting. The BUKA Project is a collaborative research initiative led by Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) Finland, spanning three years from 2020. Other partner universities involved include Dublin City University (DCU) Ireland, Open University Malaysia (OUM) and Wawasan Open University (WOU) Malaysia, University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) and Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) Philippines, and Universitas Negeri Padang (UNP) in Indonesia.
The BUKA Project, funded by the European Union and Erasmus+, aims to enhance equal access and quality in higher education in Southeast Asia through open and distance learning, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, using inclusive instructional design, learning analytics, and digital access. The BUKA Project Meeting Phase I is the final meeting to prepare for the BUKA Conference and BUKA Handbook, which are the outcomes of the BUKA PROJECT. The BUKA project meeting activities in 2023 include the BUKA Sharing Session, where representatives from each partner university present research findings to disseminate the research project’s results. Additionally, the BUKA Meeting discusses the preparations for the upcoming BUKA Conference, scheduled to be held in Penang, Malaysia, in October 2023. The objectives of this meeting are to check the progress of the BUKA project, finalize the BUKA Advising handbook, and evaluate the European Union and Erasmus Plus projects.
The BUKA Meeting took place on June 12, 2023, at the UT Central Office and was attended by the UT Rector, represented by the Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Business, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Head of Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM), Deans, Director of Graduate School, Directors of UT Serang, Bogor, and Bandung. The delegations present at the event included Hanna Teras and Esa Kujansuu from Finland, James Brunton from Dublin City, Ireland, Prof. Prakash V. Arumugam, Dr. MD Rosli Ismail, Thirumeni T Subramaniam, Dr. Aliza Ali from Malaysia, Amelia Bulan and Dante Dinawanao from the Philippines, and Dr. Ananda Putra, Bayu MS, and Wiki Lofandri from Padang. The Chairperson of the BUKA Project Meeting, Prof. Daryono, who is also the Head of the Research and Innovation Center at UT, provided an overview of the BUKA project’s progress from 2020 until the conclusion of this meeting in 2023. The internet access points provided for the BUKA project covered the Central Java and West Java regions, specifically five locations.
Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Business, Rahmat Budiman, Ph.D., conveyed greetings from the UT Rector to the delegations and expressed appreciation to the BUKA Project team for their assistance in opening access to education for the Indonesian population by providing adequate internet access. Hanna Teras, representing Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) Finland, which leads the BUKA project, mentioned that UT, as a pioneer in distance higher education in Indonesia with its diverse population, has been given internet access at several locations in Indonesia. The European Union supports equal access to higher education, particularly in Southeast Asia. May this activity contribute to the equalization of higher education access in Southeast Asia.
