AOU: The Beginnings

The concept of the Arab Open University (AOU) has been promoted as a personal initiative by HRH Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz, President of the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND). Although roots of the concept go back to 1976, a more formal call was made, later, by HRH Prince Talal in 1996. Following a feasibility study and a subsequent standing collaboration with the United Kingdom Open University (UKOU), the AOU was established under the umbrella of the AGFUND. It has, since then, been adopted, in principle, as a private Arab institution of higher education with a special status.

Mission Statement

The AOU aims to establish itself as a leading institution of open learning, offering opportunities for independent study and creating a forum of lifelong learning.

The AOU intends to promote human resources development that is compatible with the demands and challenges of current and emerging information technology platforms and international socio-economic developments.

• In particular, the AOU hopes to achieve a number of objectives and goals, including:
• Offering opportunities of higher education to a large population of qualified students.
• Providing a forum of continuing education in various disciplines of knowledge.
• Providing opportunities for professional training in response to market demands.
• Providing special opportunities in higher education to special strata of society, including females and those residing in remote areas.
• Participating, as a contributing partner, in promoting research and scholarly activities deemed useful in development areas of special concern to Arab society.
• Promoting humanistic and Islamic values and ethics.

Open Learning at AOU

It is highly important to recognize that the open learning platform proposed at the AOU is, in large part, a form of distance education with added enhancements for quality education. Unlike education by correspondence, whose main drawback is the lack of lectures and faculty-student interaction, the AOU open learning platform relies heavily on the tutoring process that aims, in turn, at promoting a proactive environment of learning. In addition, course lectures are laid out in a programmed and progressive mode via well-prepared textbooks and supporting notes, besides other supporting forms of delivery media based on audio and video cassettes, CD-ROMs and on-line websites (Internet). Intertwined together, these various components aim to offer an environment of supported open learning. Library and computer-based resources will also be deployed throughout the AOU's various regional branches which are augmented by a number of Learning Centers (LCs) in the subscribing countries.

Media of Learning

The AOU intends to foster a diversified number of appropriate and modern learning media, including: printed material, audio and video tapes, CD-ROMs, and Internet-based support. In addition, further instructional support will be provided by the LCs via an integrated satellite network that includes a host of VSATs.

Therefore, a mixture of independent study and scheduled tutor-assisted sessions is envisaged to comprise the generic format of the learning platform at the AOU.

LCs will be deployed in each participating country as integral components of the University Branch. In particular, these LCs will be well-equipped by local networks of personal computers, multimedia work stations, and multimedia facilities.

Support to the AOU by Arab States

As a result of continued coordination with the Arab Ministers of Higher Education, nine Arab countries offered to approve the establishment of branches of the AOU, five of which offered certain facilities and privileges for hosting the AOU Headquarters.

On December 9, 2000, HRH Prince Talal Bin Abdulaziz announced the choice of Kuwait as the Headquarters for the AOU. Subsequently, on January 9, 2001, HRH Prince Talal signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the State of Kuwait for said purpose, thereby, paving the way for a formal Headquarters' agreement.

Furthermore, it has been agreed with the hosting Arab states to have the AOU operate as a licensed institution of Higher Education, and hence, the AOU intends to meet the national criteria of accreditation in each of these states.

University Branches

The AOU has atticially started its work in October 2002, in the Headquarters in Kuwait and lunched its programs of study in the following branches:

• Bahrain Branch
• Egypt Branch
• Jordan Branch
• Lebanon Branch
• Kuwait
• Saudi Arabia Branch

Other planned University Branches will follow in the remaining Arab countries at later stages.

Programs of Study

In its initial stages, the AOU plans to offer the following programs of study:

• Bachelor's Degree (B.A.) in English Language and Literature
• Bachelor's Degree (B.A.) in Business Administration
• Bachelor's Degree (B.Sc.) in Computer Science/Information Technology
• Bachelor's Degree (B.A.) in Education/Teacher Training
• Higher (Graduate) Diploma in Education

Accreditation and Validation

During the initial years of program offering, the AOU will utilize course materials produced by the UKOU for three of its programs: English Language and Literature, Information Technology and Computing, and Business Administration. Therefore, the AOU intends to uphold quality standards of program implementation and monitoring in accordance with the requirements of validation by the Open University Validation Services (OUVS) of the United Kingdom, throughout the initial and succeeding stages of program development and offering.

As administered by the OUVS, both processes of accreditation and validation are demanding processes. The AOU intends to match the rigor of requirements by a corresponding rigor of commitment and preparation. Naturally, the AOU intends to utilize these processes as further means of quality assurance.

Student Evaluation

The AOU will adopt a continuous mode of student evaluation throughout the semester and/or the academic year concerned. In principle, this mode will comprise a variety of tools of assessment, including: regular assignments and periodic tests, term papers and projects, and a final exam to be administered at the LCs. In turn, tutors are expected to grade the assignments, make their notes on them, and return the same to the students. Final exams will be prepared, and subsequently, graded under the control of the Head Office by qualified faculty members in accordance with strict measures of confidentiality and fairness.

In addition to tutoring sessions and other mechanisms of learning, the evaluation and assessment processes are aimed at creating a useful avenue of interaction between the students and the tutors, on the one hand, and the students themselves, on the other. Furthermore, the assessment process serves as an added quality assurance measure for the University.

Awards for Academic Achievement

The AOU envisages the offering of a range of awards/degrees and certificates on the successful completion of certain academic and practical training requirements. These may include the following types of certification:

• Certification by a B.A./B.Sc. degree, worth 480 points, and equivalent to 128 semester credit hours.
• Certification by a Higher (Graduate) Diploma, worth 90-120 points, equivalent to 24-32 credit hours, and open onto the Master's program.
• Certification by a Master's Degree, worth 120 points, equivalent to 32 credit hours.

In addition to regular degrees, the University will grant awards of certificates against the successful completion of specialized workshops and training sessions.

For some of its programs of study, the AOU intends to offer course contents and associated course materials procured from the UKOU. Successful students of the AOU, enrolled in these programs, will, upon program validation by the OUVS, be awarded B.A./B.Sc. degrees concurrently by both the AOU and the UKOU.

Partnerships in the Making

The AOU has in place confirmed agreements of cooperation and affiliation with the well-reputed UK Open University. In accordance with said agreements, the AOU shall utilize tried and proven course materials produced by the UKOU, and appropriately modified in adherence to AOU's mission and philosophy of education. This collaboration constitutes a major effort of support for the setting up of the AOU on solid grounds.

However, the AOU plans to extend its links of cooperation to other academic institutions in the Arab countries and worldwide. This is in line with the philosophy of promoting the institution as a contributing partner to Arab and international communities of Higher Education.

A Welcome to Prospective Students

As an institution of open learning, the AOU makes a solemn commitment to provide its prospective students with quality programs of study. Furthermore, it will endeavor to create a supportive environment of learning that aims at integrating students as proactive partners in the development and making of the institution.

The AOU welcomes prospective students as they explore their study opportunities with the University, and pledges to strive to serve as a gateway to further opportunities in their future careers.

For more information, contact:
Arab Open University
P.O. Box 18371 Riyadh 11415
Tel.: 966 1 441 8888
Fax: 966 1 441 2963
E-mail: aou@agfund.org
Web site: www.agfund.org