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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.

The 10th OUJ-OUC-KNOU International Seminar (13th to 14th September, 2023)

The 10th OUJ-OUC-KNOU International Seminar was held at the headquarters of the Open University of Japan (OUJ) from September 13th to 14th, 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 the Korea National Open University (KNOU), led by President Prof. Songhwan KO, were among the participants of the seminar.

Delegation from National Open University (Taiwan)

On July 12th and 13th, a delegation of six members led by Associate Professor Hong Wenting, Head of the Department of Liberal Arts, from the National Open University (NOU), with which our university has a cooperative agreement for many years, visited our university.

Visit of the Delegation from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

On June 9th, a delegation from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), with which our university has a collaborative agreement for many years, visited our Makuhari headquarters. The STOU delegation consisted of Acting President Associate Professor Manit Jumpa, Acting Vice President 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.

The 35th AAOU Annual Conference in Jeju, Korea

Being hosted by Korea National Open University, the 35th Annual Conference of Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) was held at International Convention Center in Jeju, Korea from November 2nd to 4th, 2022. About 240 university officials and educational experts in the field of open and distance learning from 24 countries participated in the conference.

President Masaya Iwanaga and Professor Tsuneo Yamada’s paper was published on the AAOU website.

“Open and Distance Education in Asia", a collection of papers on ODE in Asia, was published from the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) and is now available on the AAOU website.

A Delegation from Korea National Open University

On November 11th and 15th, a delegation consisting of Dr. Hyunju Jang and five production technical staff from the Digital Media Center of Korea National Open University (KNOU) visited OUJ as an overseas training program.

OUJ Delegates Participated in the 80th Anniversary Conference of National University of Mongolia

From October 4th to 6th, 2022, the OUJ delegation consisting of Prof. Tsuneo Yamada, Advisor to the OUJ President and Chair of the International Exchange Committee, Prof. Yumiko Nara, and Ms. Mai Tanaka, Deputy Head of General Affairs Division, participated in the 80th anniversary celebration conference of NUM.

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

From 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 Republic of Korea.

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

OUJ, President Prof. Masaya Iwanaga and NOU, President Prof. Sung-Po Chen signed the agreement on Nov.26, 2021. The ceremony for signing the MOU was held online, due to the influence of the Covid-19.

ICDE Virtual Global Conference Week 2021

The “ICDE Virtual Global Conference Week 2021: Upskilling and upscaling for quality Open, Flexible and Distance Learning (OFDL)” was held virtually during the week of 25 - 29 October 2021, as the virtual version of the ICDE World Conference 2021.

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.”

The 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 from the 1st to the 3rd of June 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, it was conducted in the form of a hybrid conference combining onsite and online attendance and presentations, and OUJ participated in it online.

The 28th ICDE World Conference in Dublin, Ireland

Hosted by Dublin City University (DCU) and National Institute of Digital Learning (NIDL), the 28th ICDE World Conference of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) was held at Dublin Convention Center in Dublin, Ireland, from November 3 to 8, 2019. More than 360 people including educational experts mainly from European countries participated. From OUJ Prof. Kumiko Aoki and Prof. Motofumi Suzuki of Informatics, Department of Liberal Arts, took part in it.

OUJ Newly Concluded MOU with National University of Mongolia

On 15th October 2019, OUJ has concluded MOU with National University of Mongolia (NUM). NUM was established in 1942 as the first national university in Mongolia. Thereafter, Medical Department, Science and Technology Department and Education Department have respectively become independent as a university apart from the original organization, and it has currently more than 20,000 students in five departments, which is the largest number in the country.