Universitas Terbuka (UT) is the 45th state university and a pioneer in providing Open and Distance Higher Education (PTTJJ) in Indonesia. Currently, UT has an active student population of 525,360, earning it the title of a Mega University. UT aims to have 750,000 students in 2024 and 1 million students in 2025. Managing such a large number of students requires careful planning and efficient administration to ensure quality services for the students, meeting their rights according to the chosen learning service scheme.
Besides UT, there are other universities in Asia that implement a self-learning, open, and distance education system, one of which is The Open University of Japan (OUJ). OUJ currently manages 90,000 students. To understand how to efficiently manage a large number of students, OUJ visited the Operations Room at the Universitas Terbuka Central Office in Pondok Cabe, Tangerang Selatan, on February 23-24, 2024. During this meeting between the leadership of the two universities, the OUJ team received a presentation from the UT team on how UT operates in managing over half a million students.
The OUJ delegation, consisting of 5 members led by the OUJ President, Prof. Iwanaga Masaya, and other OUJ delegations including Prof. Tatsumi Takeo-Professor of informatics, Ms. Satomi Tomoka-Director General, Mr. Yamamoto Manabu-Counselor and Division Head of General Affairs Division, Ms. Kajiwara Kanako-Chief of the Internation Affairs Section, arrived in Indonesia on February 23, 2024. They were welcomed by Fauzy Rahman Kosasih (Head of the International Cooperation and Affairs Sub-Directorate) and were accompanied to Manhattan Hotel, Kuningan, where the delegation stayed during their visit to Indonesia where they were hosted for a dinner as well.
The discussion between the OUJ and UT leadership on February 24, 2024, in the UT Central Operations Room included an overview of the distance education processes at UT. Prof. Ojat Darojat, M. Bus., Ph.D., the Rector of UT, provided an overview of the distance education system to all UT students, both domestically and internationally through self-guided learning system that requires students to read detailed ‘Buku Materi Pokok’ (BMP) or modules to master the learning outcomes for each course. Prof. Ojat added that UT students also receive guided learning assistance through online learning, web tutorials, as well as digital materials such as UT TV, UT Radio, digital libraries, and more.
Regarding UT role as a distance education provider, the Rector explained that UT was established by the government in 1984 as a State University (PTN) for three main reasons: 1) to distribute access to higher education across all regions; 2) to provide a platform for high school graduates or equivalent who could not enroll in limited PTN; 3) to facilitate working people who want to enhance their capabilities without leaving their jobs and social lives.
The OUJ delegation had several questions about how UT students prepare for exams and the UT exam system post the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Timbul, the Head of the UT Testing Center, explained that post-pandemic, UT has started conducting face-to-face exams (UTM) at study centers, in addition to the online exam system (UO) based on web (Internet-Based Testing) after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are still challenges related to personal identification and cheating prevention.
Other topics discussed between UT and OUJ included changes in student services or education systems since the COVID-19 pandemic, admission of international students, copyright processing methods for music and videos used in education, the goals of students at UT in obtaining a bachelor’s degree, and the main jobs of UT graduates.
After the joint discussion, there was an exchange of souvenirs, a group photo session, and a visit to UT operational units. Hopefully, OUJ visitation will inspire mutual progress between the universities in enhancing the quality of distance education services and accessible quality higher education. Future synergy may include the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) after the Memorandum of Agreement was signed during OUJ visitation to UT this time.
