Universitas Terbuka (UT) is the 45th state university in Indonesia. UT implements a self-directed, open, and distance learning system. UT aims to have 750,000 students by 2024 and 1 million students by 2025. Surely, Managing and servicing such a large number of students needs effective planning and execution to ensure the student rights are fulfilled according to their chosen services.
Aside from UT, there is other universities that also employing a self-directed, open, and distance learning system in Asia, Namely Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in Pakistan. AIOU currently manages 1.2 million students. To understand the operational processes AIOU applies in managing its current student population, a delegation of 9 people, led by UT Rector Prof. Ojat Darojat, M.Bus., Ph.D., visited AIOU to comprehend the process directly and thoroughly from December 19 to 24, 2023.
Upon arrival in Islamabad on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at 19:00 Pakistan time, the delegation was warmly welcomed by Dr. Zahid Majeed, who presented flower bouquets to all UT delegates. The delegation was then escorted to the AIOU Guest House, where they stayed while in Islamabad, and they were hosted for dinner afterward.
The eight members of the UT delegation to AIOU were as follows: Prof. Dr. Maman Rumanta – Director of the UT Postgraduate School, Dr. Suparti – Director of UT Surabaya, Enang Rusyana, M.Pd. – Director of UT Bogor, Arief Rahman Susila, M.Si. – Head of the Teaching Materials Service Center, Dr. Kartono – Head of the Learning Management Center, Dr. Tuti Purwoningsih – Expert Staff to the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Hendrawan Bayu Wicaksono, M.Ak. – Expert Staff to the Vice Rector for Finance, Resources, and General Affairs, and Nanang Setiawan, S.Kom – Head of the Graduation and Alumni Administration Subdirectorate.
The benchmarking visit involved studying various AIOU directorates, including a visit to the Vice Chancellor’s office. Alongside benchmarking, one of UT agenda, led by Prof. Ojat, was to carry out International Community Service (PkM) as part of the implementation of Tri Dharma of Higher Education.
The International PkM activity at AIOU was the third such event organized by UT abroad, in collaboration with students, lecturers, and leaders of partner universities. The first International PkM was held at Hanoi Open University and the Open University of China in November 2023. The International PkM activity at AIOU was attended by 40 AIOU students, Dr. Syed Ghulam Kazim Ali (Director of Student Affairs at AIOU), and Dr. Zahid Majeed (Director of International Relations at AIOU).
On the second day, the delegation visited several AIOU departments as scheduled by Dr. Zahid Majeed. The first visit was to the Student Affairs Department, where they were received by the Director, Dr. Syed Ghulam Kazim Ali. The activity began with Prof. Ojat introducing the members of the delegation. The department highlighted some interesting best practices, such as maintaining an incredibly low student dropout rate by providing exceptional support services through the Student Services Center and a Call Center. These services are available to address students’ complaints promptly in real time through various communication channels. Additionally, financial aid is provided to students facing difficulties in paying tuition fees, collected from each participating student at 10 Rupees per semester. The department also offers scholarships, provides free internet access to all students at the AIOU central office and its 54 subdivisions, promotes student sports activities, and compiles alumni potential.
The International Community Service program conducted by UT delegation had the theme “Discovering Indonesia: A Cultural Journey.” The participants included students, lecturers, and management staff from AIOU. The UT International PkM was held at the Academic Complex Building, delivering a presentation by Mr. Enang Rusyana, supported by the entire delegation team. The program concluded with a performance of the traditional Sundanese song “Dalingding Asih” by Mr. Enang Rusyana, accompanied by kecapi instrumental, and Prof. Ojat Darojat with a Sundanese pop song titled “Jang.”
After the International PkM activity, in the same venue, a presentation was conducted by Dr. Ghulam Ali, the Director of the Center for Language Translation Studies. Dr. Ghulam Ali proposed collaboration on translating texts from Urdu to Javanese and vice versa. Prof. Ojat, as UT Rector, welcomed the proposal and committed to follow up through the Vice Rector for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Business.
Following a break, the next visit was to the Vice Counsellor’s meeting hall at the AIOU office. In this session, both delegations and hosts were asked to introduce themselves in turn. Subsequently, Prof. Ojat delivered a speech. Besides inviting collaboration in academic matters, the AIOU Vice Chancellor hoped UT would send a delegation to the AAOU Conference in 2024, which AIOU would host. Prof. Ojat Darojat agreed to this proposal and committed to sending a delegation consisting of 40 people.
The next agenda was to visit the Admission & Mailing Department, where welcomed by its Director, Dr. Syed Zia Ul Hasnain. This department is responsible for the admission process for all program levels and the dispatch of printed teaching materials to all students in Pakistan and abroad. They also face challenges in distributing teaching materials, especially via mail. To overcome this, the department provides free digital teaching materials not only to AIOU students but also to the entire Pakistani community and the world.
The second day concluded with a visit to the Examination Department. The delegation was greeted by its Director, Dr. Muhammad Riaz, accompanied by responsible persons in their respective areas. Noteworthy practices from this department include taking attendance at exams with student photos, centralizing the examination answer paper checking at the AIOU central office in Islamabad, and determining student exam scores based on a combination of assignment and essay exam grades. AIOU applies a single type of final semester exam, the face-to-face exam (UTM), except for students abroad or on distant islands.
