Open University of Israel
Encyclopedia
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. , the Open University taught around 39,000 students.
The Open University of Israel has more students than any other academic institution in Israel. The administration is based in the city of Ra'anana
Ra'anana
Ra'anana is a city in the heart of the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel with a population of 68,300, . Ra'anana is bordered by Kfar Sava on the east and Herzliya on the southwest...
. Students from all over the world attend the university. The university awards undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, diplomas and certificates.
History
The Open University of Israel was planned in 1971, modeled after the UK's Open UniversityOpen University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
. The first semester of studies commenced on October 17, 1976. In 1980, the Open University was officially recognized as an institute of higher education in Israel, and was granted the right to award bachelor's degrees (BA). In 1982, 41 graduates received BA diplomas in the university's first diploma ceremony.
In 1987, it had 11,000 students and 180 courses. In 1993, it had 20,000 students, 300 courses, and 405 new graduates. In 2002, it had 36,710 students enrolled. Up to 2003, more than 13,000 people graduated the university with a degree. In 1996, the university started a master's degree program.
In 2010, the Open University began offering online courses taught in Russian. Students may enroll for 24 courses, most of them with Israeli or Jewish content. Examinations will be held at Israeli consulates and Jewish Agency offices around the world.
Undergraduate studies
The Open University is open to anyone who wishes to study towards a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, without any prerequisites or screening process. However, the Open University still has high standards and demands academic achievements from its graduates. Another way in which the Open University is open is in the study path it offers to its students. When enrolling in the university, the student does not need to decide the primary focus of his or her degree, nor to determine in advance the pace of the degree (how many years the studies will take). In fact, it is possible to take only a single course or several courses without receiving a degree, or to take several courses per semester, until finally enough courses relevant to a certain academic area have been taken to be eligible for a degree.
To achieve these goals, the Open University employs distance education. The university has no single central campus, or rigid schedules, making it especially well-suited to those who are preoccupied with a job, army service, or their family.
The most important aspect of studying in the Open University is self-study from books. Each of the university's courses has a specially-prepared book with the course material and exercises, from which the students study on their own. The Open University's books and teaching aids have become quite popular in Israel's other universities and colleges as well.
To supplement the self-study, there are occasional group meetings, where the students can ask the teacher questions about the material, and talk to other students who take the same course. These meetings take place throughout Israel, and are optional to attend. The students can also use the university's Internet site ("TELEM") to communicate with the teachers or with other students. Some courses also feature video cassettes, multimedia CDs, and other audio-visual aids. Recently, video-conferencing technology has also enabled viewing a real-time lecture without the students all coming to a single campus. For each course, students must complete several required assignments, and take a final exam. To obtain a degree, students must participate in one or more seminar courses, depending on the academic program. The examination of seminar papers is carried out by academic staff members of Israel's universities.
Graduate studies
The Open University also has master's degreeMaster's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
programs for some of the areas it teaches, but they are not open to everyone and do have acceptance criteria. At present, the university does not offer doctoral
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
programs.
Affiliation with other universities
The Open University, together with the other Israeli universities, has reached agreements that enable students to begin their undergraduate studies within the flexible framework of the Open University and after taking a cluster of courses, decide whether they would like to complete their degree at the Open University, or transfer to another institution. The courses studied at the Open University will shorten the duration of degree studies at the other academic institution.Since 2007, the transfer options are available to:
- Tel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv UniversityTel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...
: Faculty of Humanities; Faculty of Social Sciences (School of Economics); Faculty of Engineering - Hebrew University of JerusalemHebrew University of JerusalemThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
: Faculty of Social Sciences (Department of Economics, Department of Sociology and Anthropology); Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences in Rehovot; Computer Science Department. - University of HaifaUniversity of HaifaThe University of Haifa is a university in Haifa, Israel.The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi, to operate under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem....
: Faculty of Humanities; Faculty of Social Sciences (Department of Economics) - Ben Gurion University of the Negev: The Faculty of Engineering Sciences (Computer Science); The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Department of Economics, Department of Behavioral Sciences).
- Bar-Ilan UniversityBar-Ilan UniversityBar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
: Faculty of Social Sciences (Department of Economics) - The Technion: 14 faculties
External links
- Open University of Israel Web site