In its commitment to enhance educational services for reaching 1 million students, Universitas Terbuka (UT) needs to continue improving the quality of its services across all areas, including UT regional and international offices. To achieve this target, UT is intensifying collaborations with both national and international partners. UT recently engaged in a comparative study and signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in the fields of Academic Processes, Student Services, Information Systems, and Regional Office Services with The Open University of China (OUC) on November 16-17, 2023. The benchmarking activities included visits to OUC headquarters in Beijing and one of its regional offices in Tianjin, namely The Tianjin Open University (TOU). Established in 1958, TOU operates as a higher education institution under the governance of the Tianjin Municipal Government, with academic guidance from OUC. As a member of ICDE and AAOU, TOU places a strong emphasis on international exchange and collaboration, fostering close relationships with distance education institutions globally.
On the first day, UT team, led by Vice Rector for Information Systems and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Paken Pandiangan, S.Si., M.Si., along with Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business – Dr. Meirani Harsasi, S.E., M.Si., Director of Academic Administration and Graduation – Firmansyah, S.Kom., M.M., Head of Test Processing Center – Drs. Timbul Pardede, M.Si., Expert Staff for Policy – Devi Ayuni, S.E., M.Sc., and Expert Staff for Information Systems – Dr. Mery Noviyanti, S.Si., M.Pd, visited TOU. The visit was warmly received by The President of Tianjin Open University – Zhang Zongwang, Dean of College of Cross-Border E-Commerce – Ping Fan, Dean of College of Digital Economy – Yang Qi, Dean of Project Innovation Center – Yun Chen, dan Vice Manager Tianjin Haihe Education Park University Science Park – Sun Bowen.
In addition to benchmarking with TOU, UT organized an international Community Service (PkM) program attended by TOU students in that great moment. The program, titled “Discovering Indonesia: A Cultural Journey”, introduced Indonesian culture. Beside Indonesian culture explanation, UT team showcased Indonesian traditional attire, including costumes from Batak, Betawi, Madura, Bugis, Dayak, and Bali.
Continuing the visit on the second day, UT team received a warm welcome at OUC headquarters by The President of OUC – Dr. Wang Qiming, Vice President of OUC – Ms. Fan Xianrui, Head of Non-Degree Education and Postgraduate Education Office (The Experimental College of OUC) – Ms. Zhang Yifan, Acting Dean (The Seniors College of OUC) – Dr. Liu Caimei, Deputy Director of The Centre – Dr. Li Jing, Mr. Wang Xuliang, Mr. Zheng Chen, dan Mr. Cai Sibo from the Central Office, and Director of IT Department – Dr. Cheng Gang. In that occasion, OUC introduced The Experimental College of OUC, The Seniors University of China, and The Engineering Research Centre of Integration and Application of Digital Learning Technology.
The Vice Rector for Information Systems and Student Affairs expressed the purpose of the visit was emphasizing the intention to benchmark with OUC as one of the best higher education in the world. Moreover, UT wants to observe the practice in academic fields, learning materials, multimedia, exams, and information systems for future inspiration. The meeting aimed at collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the establishment of a strong relation between UT and OUC in the field of Open and Distance Education. OUC also expressed its goal of the event was to engage collaboration in research and development of digital university and collaboration within the framework of the ASEAN-China Digital Education Alliance.
The visit concluded with the signing of the MoA between OUC and UT on Friday, November 17, 2023, at 1:00 pm, Beijing time. The MoA signing ceremony took place solemnly at Wukesong Campus, OUC, attended by representatives from both institutions. Ms. Fan Xianrui, Vice President of OUC, signed the MoA, expressing the belief that this collaboration would strengthen international cooperation and benefit to both parties. UT Rector, Prof. Ojat Darojat, M.Bus., Ph.D., signed the MoA on behalf of UT, with Prof. Dr. Paken Pandiangan, S.Si., M.Si., Vice Rector for Information Systems and Student Affairs, serving as a witness. By signing the MoA, OUC and UT are committed to achieving their collective goals. The signing marked a significant step for UT in international collaboration in the field of Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi.
