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Open University Malaysia

In Malaysia, the provision for education is the biggest challenge for the government as the nation strives to become a fully developed country by the year 2020. One solution is to use technology as an enabler to bring education to the masses. Universities are taking up the challenge by updating the content of their programmes but more importantly utilizing the latest technologies to improve the delivery systems. One of the emerging delivery systems much talked about is Open and Distance Education which is fast becoming the way of providing education to the masses.

As a result of this new phenomenon, in August 1999, the Minister of Education invited Multimedia Technology Enhancement Operations Sdn. Bhd. (METEOR), a consortium of 11 public universities in the country, to set up an open university, The move by the Minister led to the establishment of Open University Malaysia (OUM) in August 2000 followed by its official launching on 26 August 2002.

OUM is the seventh private university in Malaysia. Although incorporated as a private university under the Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996, the University leverages on the quality, prestige and capabilities of its strategic partners - a consortium of 11 public universities. OUM adopts the motto "University for All" which is consistent with its philosophy of democratization of education.

This philosophy underlies the belief that education should be made available to all, regardless of time, place, age and social economic background. The open and distance learning (ODL) mode is specifically targeted at working adults who need to take care of their families as well as manage their careers while pursuing higher education. Under the able stewardship of the then founder and President/Vice-Chancellor, the late Tan Sri Dr. Abdullah Sanusi Ahmad, OUM has positioned itself as an alternative avenue for the public to gain quality tertiary and lifelong education.

Vision
• To be a leader and innovator in open learning

Mission
• To be the leading contributor in democratizing education
• To develop quality education through multimode learning technologies
• To develop and enhance learning experiences towards the development of a knowledge-based society

Shared Values
• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Dedication
• Innovative
• Caring

Brief on Open University Malaysia
It has been seven years since Open University Malaysia (OUM) was established. As we face numerous challenges during our formative years, we will continue to strive to be an excellent Open and Distance Learning provider in the country. The University employs a variety of approaches in the teaching- learning process, especially designed to meet the needs of the ever-changing borderless world. Learners will be exposed and provided with a holistic curriculum which prepares them for the competitive employment market.

As the first provider of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in the country, OUM has no doubt played an important role in making possible people from all walks of life to pursue education to the highest level. In line with our motto, "University for All", we have amongst our learner population; teachers, members of the police and armed forces, civil servants, employees of private companies and many others.

Quality and flexibility are our strengths as indicated by the increasing number of working adults and school leavers embarking on a new learning experience with OUM. With the diligence and commitment of providing quality education by our founding President, the late Tan Sri Dr Abdullah Sanusi Ahmad and the pioneering spirit of our first batch of academics and management staff, OUM now stands tall as its learner enrolment now reaches over 64,969. OUM has thus grown by leaps and bounds in comparison to its first intake of 753 learners in August 2001.

We believe the yearning to learn and acquire knowledge while simultaneously improving one's career is always latent within our society. What it needs is just the right and relevant vehicle. In democratizing higher education, OUM therefore enriches the learning experience within the community, thus positively complementing the Government's objective to inculcate "lifelong learning" as a desirable aspect of human capital development.

Academic Strengths
• Profile of Lecturers (eg. Ph.D, Masters, Researches, etc.)
• Course Content
• Employability of graduates
• OUM's distance learning programmes allow students to graduate with university level qualifications without leaving or jeopardizing their current careers and jobs.
• OUM's flexible schedules enable students to handle their workload at their own pace and time
• OUM provides tutorial sessions twice a month at our Learning Centres located throughout Malaysia.
• Our tuition fees are considerably lower than other distance learning programmes in the market.
• Unlike other local universities, OUM accepts students of all age groups
• All of OUM instructors and lecturers are highly qualified and specially trained to conduct distances learning programmes
• OUM provides a variety of amenities to students that help shape their academic performances as well as their social lives.
• OUM has both physical and digital libraries. The digital library is accessible by registered learners via the internet from all over the world. It has more than 48,462.00 e-books and 17,111 e-journals. Both e- books and e-journals are fully accessible in full-text versions.
• Delivering method through - Face to face tutorials (3 to 5 times per semester). Online forums/discussions, Printed modules, CD and web-based education.
• Qualified tutors appointed by OUM have a Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or PhD, and, at least 3 years teaching experience in the relevant field.
 

Academic Facilities & Resources
• Lecture Theatres: Well equipped to suit the needs of learners/Video Conferencing.
• Digital Library : A limitless resources for both students and tutors.
• Learning Centres : Tutorial sessions are held in these 10 Regional Centres and 27 Local Learning Centres throughout Malaysia including Sabah and Sarawak.
• Computer Labs : Computers and software are updated constantly for the benefit of learners. Besides that, the learners at the Regional Centre can enjoy their own pc at the computer lab.
• Learner Management System : This on- line facility allows interaction among students, on-line discussions with tutors, communication via e-mails, etc.

Student Support Services and Student Development Activities
OUM has started well with an ambitious set of goals for student enrolment and has recognized that creating a student-Centered environment - that is, placing "student success" and "student service" at the Centre of the institution; produces an academic environment that will lead to high academic achievement and hence high retention rates, In line with this, the Centre for Student Affairs (CSA) was created mainly to co- ordinate and administer a variety of student- centered services. These include Advising and Counselling, Student Support Services, Student Activities, Student Development, Student Welfare, Student Discipline, Alumni Relations and Student Retention. CSA also conducts regular dialogue sessions with students and staff at the various learning Centers. This gives us the opportunity to listen to our students, in terms of how satisfied they are, and what we can do better to serve them. CUM believes that in Grafting the future direction of the university, the following three attributes should be given top priority: catering to the needs of the learners; improving the quality of learning experience and using learners' satisfaction results for continuous improvement. This makes research (institutional) as one of the important activities of the CSA.

CSA's other main responsibilities include giving support and co-ordination to all activities run by students and staff of all OUM Learning Centers. These activities may be those organized by OUM, or OUM Centers, or by other organizations in collaboration with OUM. CSA encourages students to form their own informal Clubs at the various Learning Centers as a platform for planning and organizing activities that are of benefit to the learning communities. The counseling service is available free of charge to all registered OUM students. The service aims to provide opportunities for individual students to explore issues of concern, and to discover or clarify ways of learning more effectively and resourcefully in a challenging environment. In short, the service promotes self-development and helps students understand their problems and to grow in awareness so as to make informed choices for the future. We encourage our students to take effective* control of their learning.

The service provides the following:
• A confidential one to one, and group counseling services addressing personal, social and academic issues.
• Resource materials for students i.e." fact sheets, useful forms printed materials, brochures, etc.
• Facilitating external (other units, for eg. Faculties. Admission & Records Unit, Examination Unit, Library, Tutor Management Unit, ODL Pedagogy Unit) referrals if necessary.

Scholarships /Financial Aid
• National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN)
• Employee's Provident Fund (EPF), Account 2 Study Loan
• Easy and flexible installment scheme(0% interest rate)
• 10% discount upon full payment of semester fees
• 75% discounted fees who was born on 31 st August 1957 and below
• 75% discounted fees for physically disadvantage.
 

Recognition & Achievements
• All our courses are recognized and approved by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and the National Accreditation Board.
• 16 programmes accredited by LAN/JPA ( Undergraduate and postgraduate)

In 2006 OUM received several honors for our learning materials and training programmes:

• Best Paper Award at the 20th Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) Annual Conference (11 - 14 October 2006)
A joint paper by Prof Dr Mansor Fadzil (Vice President, Technology) and Assoc Prof Dr Ahmad Hashem (Head, ICTS), entitled Coping with Short-Term Sustained Peak Demands - Several Cost-Effective Strategies, won the Best Paper Award. The paper was deemed the most significant and relevant to the Conference theme Reflections on Future Prospects for Choice and Use of New Technologies in ODL - Strategies, Cost-Effectiveness and Impacts.

• Technology Business Review Award for Excellence in Education Management - Provision of Continuous Education (15 September 2006)
The Technology Business Review (TBR) Awards 2006 was an inaugural event held to honor the outstanding corporate companies in Malaysia. OUM was recognized for excellence in education management,

• Award for Excellence in Distance Education Materials - Learning Skills for Open and Distance Learning, The Commonwealth of Learning (2 November 2006)
The Commonwealth of Learning (COL), which is based in Vancouver, Canada, is an intergovernmental organization created to encourage the development and sharing of open learning/distance education knowledge, resources and technologies. COL awarded OUM for the well-designed, interactive and learner- centered materials as well as activities that facilitate cognitive development at all levels of the taxonomy of educational objectives.

• E-Learning Recognition Award, Eszterhazy Karoly College. Hungary (6 November 2006)
OUM was involved in the organisation and participation of Agria Media 2006, a conference held in Eger, Hungary to discuss the many aspects of e-Learning, digital teaching and its accompanying learning environments. The award was in appreciation of OUM's contribution to e- Learning Multimedia Super Corridor Asia Pacific ICT Awards - Best of Education and Training (7 December 2006)
The Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA), initiated by the Multimedia Development Corporation of Malaysia, aimed at increasing ICT awareness in the community and bridging the Digital Divide. OUM received the merit award for excellence in e-Learning applications.

The following was the old address of OUM, incase you are still keeping the old contact:

The Old Tawau Learning Centre,
Open University Malaysia
Old Address : Wisma Jin Ho, Tingkat 2, Jalan St. Patrick, Tawau, Sabah.

In-charge:
Mr Jefri Onn Hamzah
(Assistant Director)
H/P : 016 – 822 3002
Tel : 089 – 751 300
Fax : 089 – 751 299
E-mail : jeffryonn@oum.edu.my

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