Tangerang Selatan – 10/03/2024 UT Goes Global! That is the exact expression for Universitas Terbuka (UT). Not only because its students are spread globally but also because UT is committed to enhancing the quality of open and distance higher education services (Pendidikan Tinggi Terbuka Jarak Jauh – PTTJJ), including obtaining international accreditation for its departments.
The 2024 marks a significant milestone for UT. Particularly in March 2024, four departments at UT received international accreditation from the Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA), valid for five years, from March 6, 2024, to March 5, 2029. The accredited departments are as follows:
– Accounting at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB)
– Management at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB)
– Development Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB)
– Law at the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, and Political Sciences (FHISIP)
FIBAA is an international accreditation institution focused on accrediting higher education institutions in the fields of business, economics, management, law, and social sciences. Established in 1994, FIBAA’s track record and expertise are well-recognized. FIBAA is registered with The European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) and recognized by the Directorate General of Higher Education of Indonesian Ministry of Education, Research, and Technology (Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Tinggi Kemendikbudristek RI), in accordance with Decree No. 83/P/2020 regarding International Accreditation Institutions.
International accreditation serves a crucial purpose: to enhance the quality and transparency of education and science by awarding quality certificates to educational programs and institutions in higher education and sustainable professional development. FIBAA pursues this goal by developing suitable methods and equipment and implementing them through peer assessment.
FIBAA establishes quality criteria for each educational program and educational resource provider and forms internationally qualified commissions for the accreditation, certification, and evaluation of educational programs and educational resource providers, both domestically and internationally. Additionally, FIBAA has an international network and collaborates with international institutions to enhance the comparison of quality standards and quality management procedures.
Institutionally, UT is a pioneer in providing Open and Distance Education (PTJJ) through predominantly online learning methods in Indonesia. Moreover, UT has gained international recognition for approximately 20 years from the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), a world association based in Norway for open and distance education. ICDE’s recognition came as a Quality Review Certificate for the fifth in 2024. Aligned with international institutional recognition, UT also aims to enhance the quality of its departments to achieve international-standard recognition through FIBAA accreditation based in Germany.
As an initial step, UT submitted four departments accredited A from two faculties for FIBAA international accreditation, namely the undergraduate programs in Management, Accounting, and Development Economics from the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), as well as the undergraduate program in Law from the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, and Political Sciences (FHISIP). The accreditation dossier development teams from each department commenced their work in 2023 under the coordination of the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs (WR 1) and the Quality Assurance Office (Kantor Penjaminan Mutu – KPM) of UT.
With the acknowledgment of international accreditation by FIBAA, UT, in its strategic plan, gradually develops these four programs into international departments. Besides developing printed teaching materials in English, UT also provides learning support services in the form of online tutorials (Tuton), Tutorial Webinars (Tuweb), Course Assignments (TMK), and English course-based evaluation questions.
Regarding UT’s achievement of international accreditation from FIBAA, Rahmat Budiman, S.S., M.Hum., Ph.D., Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation, Cooperation, and Business, also the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, and Political Sciences (FHISIP) at UT stated, “This accreditation is international recognition of UT’s consistent efforts to deliver high quality in every aspect of its business processes.”
Proud remarks were also conveyed by Dr. Meirani Harsasi, S.E., M.Si., Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) at UT, regarding the international accreditation achievement from FIBAA for the four departments at UT, “This is a concrete step taken by UT in pursuit of international-level higher education service standards and reaching out to prospective foreign students. International departments are not only intended for Indonesian citizens (WNI) but also for foreign students in various countries.”
May this outstanding achievement elevate UT as a globally renowned Open and Distance Learning State Higher Education Institution, increasingly sought after by Indonesian and international communities.
