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Report of Visit by the Ministry of Education of Kenya
On Monday, December 9, 2024, four members of the Ministry of Education of Kenya visited the Makuhari Headquarters of the Open University of Japan (OUJ) to learn about Japan’s open university education.
Report of the FY 2024 OUJ International Symposium
The Open University of Japan (OUJ) held its International Symposium on Wednesday, December 4 in the AV Hall of the OUJ Library. This year, it was held in a hybrid format with both on-site and online (Zoom) participation.
Visit from Thapar Institute of Technology and Engineering Students
On October 24, 2024, a group of six individuals, including Honorary Professor of Practice Minoru Ohki and students from Thapar Institute of Technology and Engineering, visited the headquarters of the Open University of Japan.
Report on the 37th Asian Association of Open Universities Annual Conference (AAOU 2024)
Representatives of the Open University of Japan (OUJ) participated in the 37th Asian Association of Open Universities Annual Conference (AAOU 2024) held at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in Pakistan. The event was held as follows. The OUJ delegation consisted of four members: President Masaya Iwanaga, Professor Tsuneo Yamada and Professor Yosuke Morimoto from Informatics, and Ms. Kajiwara, Section Chief of International Affairs Section.
Students from the Department of Japanese, Korea National Open University (KNOU), Visit OUJ
On September 24, 2024, a group of 13 students from the Department of Japanese at Korea National Open University (KNOU), accompanied by Professor Lee Kyung-Soo, visited the Open University of Japan (OUJ) as part of an ongoing exchange with the Kanagawa Study Center.
Report of the training for faculty and staff of the National University of Mongolia at the Open University of Japan
From July 25 to August 6, 2024, six faculty members from the National University of Mongolia (NUM), including Vice President for Academic Affairs Batjargal Batdorj, visited the Makuhari headquarters of the Open University of Japan (OUJ). Three staff members from the NUM's Learning Support Center learned about the OUJ's online education environment and video content creation, and compiled the outcomes of the training into a video.
Open Higher Education beyond Borders and Identities
In 1983, The Open University of Japan （OUJ） was established with the mission of being an open university where anyone who wants to learn can learn anytime, anywhere, and began broadcasting programs in 1985. The use of television broadcasting was central to OUJ, as in the cases of other open universities in the world. It also symbolized the innovative education style at that time, making it possible for students to take courses no matter where they were as long as a television set was available.
ICDE Leadership Summit 2024 Participation Report
From June 5th to 7th, 2024, the “ICDE Leadership Summit 2024” was held in Geneva, organized by an NGO. Under the theme of “Ethical Leadership in the Age of AI: Rethinking Futures of Education,” plenary and breakout sessions were conducted.
11th OUC-OUJ-KNOU International Seminar Held at OUC
On June 12-13, 2024, the 11th OUC-OUJ-KNOU International Seminar was held under the overall theme,“Building a Learning Society Through Digitalization of Open Education,” hosted by the Open University of China (OUC) in Beijing, China. Six participants from The Open University of Japan (OUJ), including President Masaya Iwanaga, and six participants from Korea National Open University (KNOU), including President Songhwan Ko attended the conference. Additionally, five distinguished guests, including ICDE President Mark Nicholas, were invited.
Survey Visit to Korea National Open University (KNOU)
On December 14, 2023, delegates from the Open University of Japan (OUJ) visited the Korea National Open University (KNOU), one of the overseas universities with which OUJ has made collaborative agreement and with which OUJ has deepened exchange through the OUJ-OUC-KNOU International Seminar and other events. The delegates are Mr. Fuchigami, Director-General; Mr. Yamamoto, Councilor and Division Head, General Affairs Division; Ms. Kawamura, Section Head, Strategic Planning Division; Ms. Kajiwara, Section Chief, International Affairs Section, General Affairs; Ms. Yamamoto, International Affairs Section, General Affairs; and Ms. Edamitsu, General Affairs Section.
The 29th ICDE World Conference in San Jose, Costa Rica
The 29th International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) World Conference took place from November 6th to 9th at the Costa Rica Convention Center in San Jose, Costa Rica. Over 600 delegates from around the globe, including renowned educational experts and scholars, gathered. Representing the Open University of Japan (OUJ), Professor Kumiko Aoki of Informatics, Department of Liberal Arts, participated in the conference.
Visit of JICA Rwanda Trainees
On October 26th, 2023, a delegation consisting of five trainees of JICA’s project on the ”Improvement of Primary Mathematics and Science Education Using ICT in Rwanda ” headed by SENGATI UWASENGA Diane, Director of Digital Content and Instructional Technology Development Unit, and Acting Head of ICT in Education Department, Rwanda Basic Education Board, visited the Makuhari Headquarters of the Open University of Japan.
The 36th AAOU Annual Conference in Istanbul, Türkiye
The 36th of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) Annual Conference was held at the Istanbul University Faut Sezgin Congress Center in Istanbul, Türkiye, from September 28th to 30th, 2023, organized by Anadolu University. The conference brought together representatives and faculty members from institutions from 20 countries, with a total of 250 participants.
Memorandum of Understanding Signing Ceremony with the Hellenic Open University (Greece)
The Open University of Japan (OUJ) and the Hellenic Open University (HOU) formalized their exchange agreement through an MOU signing ceremony on September 26, 2023, in Athens, Greece. The OUJ delegation, led by President Prof. Masaya Iwanaga, included Vice President Prof. Tooru Hayasi, Secretary-General Mr. Takashi Fuchigami, Professor Naruo Nikoh, and Chief of International Cooperation Ms. Kanako Kajiwara. They received a warm welcome at HOU’s Athens Campus.
10th OUJ-OUC-KNOU International Seminar
The 10th OUJ-OUC-KNOU International Seminar was held at the headquarters of the Open University of Japan (OUJ) on September 13–14, 2023, focusing on the main theme “Distance Education in the Post-COVID Era.” Five delegates from the Open University of China (OUC), led by Vice President Ms. Liu Xuanxuan, and six delegates from Korea National Open University (KNOU), led by President Professor Songhwan Ko, were among the participants.
Delegation from National Open University (Taiwan)
On July 12 and 13, a six-member delegation from the National Open University (NOU) led by Associate Professor Hong Wenting, Head of the Department of Liberal Arts, visited our university. OUJ has had a cooperative agreement with NOU for many years.
Visit of Delegation from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University
On June 9, a delegation from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), with which OUJ has had a collaborative agreement for many years, visited our Makuhari headquarters. The STOU delegation consisted of Acting President and Associate Professor Manit Jumpa, Acting Vice President and Assistant Professor Gan Chanyawudhiwan, and Mrs. Rattip Phukkeson.
OUJ International Conference 2022 Online
“Digital Transformation (DX) in Open, Flexible and Distance Learning (OFDL): The extension of OER definition and OER digital ecosystem”
The purposes of the seminar are (1) to disseminate the new UNESCO OER Recommendation to Japanese stakeholders, and (2) to share the latest OER activities on the globe especially focusing on OER technologies. The seminar is also considered as an event of ICDE Global Advocacy Campaign (GAC).
The conference is consisted of 4 recorded lectures (15 min each) and Online Panel Discussion and Q&A session (max, 90 min). The interactive online session will be scheduled on 20 March 2023.
35th AAOU Annual Conference in Jeju, Korea
Hosted by Korea National Open University, the 35th Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) was held at the International Convention Center in Jeju, Korea on November 2–4, 2022. About 240 university officials and educational experts in the field of open and distance learning from 24 countries participated in the conference.
Paper by President Masaya Iwanaga and Professor Tsuneo Yamada Published on AAOU Website
A collection of papers on “Open and Distance Education in Asia" has been published by the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) and is now available on the AAOU website.
Delegation from Korea National Open University
On November 11 and 15, a delegation consisting of Ms. Hyunju Jang and five technical production staff from the Digital Media Center of Korea National Open University (KNOU) visited OUJ on an overseas training program.
OUJ Delegates Participate in the 80th Anniversary Conference of the National University of Mongolia (NUM)
From October 4 to 6, 2022, an OUJ delegation consisting of Professor Tsuneo Yamada, Advisor to the OUJ President and Chair of the International Exchange Committee, Professor Yumiko Nara, and Ms. Mai Tanaka, Deputy Head of the General Affairs Division, participated in the NUM 80th anniversary celebration conference.
PRESS RELEASE:
Truly Chiral Phonons Observed in Three-Dimensional Materials for the First Time
Chirality can be true or false, depending on the symmetry of dynamic propagation. Crystal lattice vibrations, called phonons, can also display chirality as has been shown in some two-dimensional structures. However, truly chiral phonons have never been observed in three-dimensional systems—that is, until now. Researchers from Tokyo Tech have identified these for the first time, in bulk cinnabar. Utilizing pseudo-angular momentum, their method can be used to identify the chirality in crystalline structures.
ICDE Leadership Summit 2022
On January 20–21, ICDE hosted its first fully hybrid event, the ICDE Leadership Summit 2022, on the theme of “Leadership for EdTech-Oriented Innovation in Education.” The summit was co-hosted by ICDE and the Korea National Open University (KNOU) and was sponsored by the Ministry of Education (MOE) of the Republic of Korea. The conference program included world-class speakers and panelists, as is customary at ICDE events.
OUJ International Conference 2021 Online"New UNESCO OER Recommendation and OER technologies"
The purposes of the seminar are (1) to disseminate the new UNESCO OER Recommendation to Japanese stakeholders and (2) to share the latest OER activities especially focusing on OER technologies. The seminar title is "New UNESCO OER Recommendation and OER technologies".
The conference is consisted of 4 recorded lectures (15 min each) and Online Panel Discussion and Q&A session (max, 90 min). The interactive online session will be scheduled on 14th March.
The Open University of Japan has renewed the Memorandum of Understanding with the National Open University, Taiwan
The Open University of Japan has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Open University, Taiwan.
ICDE Virtual Global Conference Week 2021
The virtual version of the ICDE World Conference 2021 was held during the week of 25–29 October 2021 under the title “ICDE Virtual Global Conference Week 2021: Upskilling and upscaling for quality open, flexible and distance learning (OFDL).” More than 130 delegates from 53 countries took part, including educational experts mainly from European countries. From OUJ, Vice President Professor Masahiro Kumabe, Professor Tsuneo Yamada, and General Affairs Division staff members participated.
Keynote Speech on “The 20th China International Conference on Distance Education” by Prof. Masaya Iwanaga, President of OUJ
The 20th China International Conference on Distance Education was held by the Open University of China(OUC) on October 14-15, 2021 in Beijing. President Prof. Iwanaga was invited to deliver a 30-minute keynote speech at the conference. The topic of the speech was “Orientation and Role of Open Universities in the New Norm of Post-Covid-19.”
34th AAOU Annual Conference Hosted by OUSL, Sri Lanka
Hosted by the Open University of Sri Lanka, the 34th Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) Annual Conference was held at Cinnamon Grand Colombo on June 1–3, 2021. About 200 university officials and educational experts in the field of open and distance learning from 23 countries participated in the conference. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference was conducted in hybrid form combining onsite and online attendance and presentations, and OUJ participated online.
28th ICDE World Conference in Dublin, Ireland
Hosted by Dublin City University (DCU) and the National Institute of Digital Learning (NIDL), the 28th World Conference of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) was held at the Dublin Convention Center in Dublin, Ireland, from November 3 to 8, 2019. More than 360 people participated, including educational experts mainly from European countries. Attending from OUJ were Professor Kumiko Aoki and Professor Motofumi Suzuki of the Informatics course, Department of Liberal Arts.
OUJ Concludes MOU with National University of Mongolia
On October 15, 2019, OUJ concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National University of Mongolia (NUM).
NUM was established in 1942 as the first national university in Mongolia. Since then, the Medical Department, Science and Technology Department, and Education Department have respectively become independent as universities separate from the original organization. NUM currently has more than 20,000 students in five departments, which is the largest number in the country.
