About cookies

To enhance your experience on our website, the Open University of Japan uses features called cookies.

1. Our institution uses cookies to protect user privacy, enhance convenience, deliver advertisements, and obtain statistical data. Additionally, by using technologies such as cookies and JavaScript, we may collect non-personally identifiable attribute information (such as age, gender, occupation, and residential area) and device information, as well as user behavior history within this website (such as accessed URLs, content, and reference order). However, cookies and behavior history do not contain any personal information.

2. Cookies enable the improvement of website functionality, the collection of analytical data for website improvement by our institution, and the display of personalized advertisements tailored to user interests and preferences by tracking users on the internet through this website or by advertising distributors.

Teaching and Learning

Credit Courses

Broadcast Lecture Courses - Two Credits per Course

Broadcast Lectures (TV, Radio, and Internet)

OUJ offers broadcast lectures as a series of 15 sessions per semester (45 minutes per lecture) through television, radio, and the Internet. More than 290 courses are available in undergraduate programs and 60 courses in graduate programs, totaling approximately 350 courses. About a fourth of the broadcast lecture courses are renewed each year, as the lectures' lifespan is set at four years in principle.

Textbooks

The OUJ courses are designed to be studied through both broadcast lectures and textbooks, which are specially written for each of the courses by the OUJ academic staff and/or other experts in the given field. Some of the textbooks are highly valued by the general public, even after termination of the courses; some are revised with a fresh look and sold as the "OUJ Book Series."

Student Assessment

  • Mid-Term Assignment

    After the 8th week of the broadcast lecture courses, the students are required to complete the mid-term assignment. The assignment is to be submitted either online or by mail. Completing the assignment is the requirement for taking the final exam at the end of the semester.

  • Final Examination

    At the end of the 15th week of broadcast lecture courses, the students are required to sit on final exams which are carried out in their registered Study Centers. Those students who pass the exams will be granted credits.

Online Courses - One or Two Credits per Course

For the first time in the history of the university, fully online courses were started in 2016. These online courses utilize the learning management system, Moodle, to deliver video lectures as well as reading materials online, so that students can view the lecture videos and read related materials anytime and anywhere.

Online quizzes given at the end of each session test students' understanding of the materials and students can get immediate feedback after taking these quizzes. In addition, students can ask questions directly to the instructors and participate in online forums to discuss materials with other students. These courses are created by course teams that include the instructor(s), instructional designers, production crew members, and a program manager. OUJ is planning to significantly expand the line-up of online courses in coming years. Student learning activities and assessment methods for these online courses will be designed according to the objectives of each course.

Face-to-Face Courses (Schooling) - One Credit per Course

Classroom sessions, known as "schooling," along with broadcast lectures, are pivotal in teaching and learning at OUJ. These sessions cover wide-ranging subjects characteristic of the Faculty of Liberal Arts. In addition to the usual lectures and hands-on experiments, the face-to-face sessions sometimes include a variety of formats such as fieldwork and on-site observation visits.

Classroom sessions are usually designed, planned, and held at the Study Centers throughout the country. The Study Centers in each locale offer not only general courses, but also courses in distinctive subjects unique to the given region, such as local history and culture, industry, nature, and so on. Furthermore, several Study Centers collaborate with nearby universities and research facilities to offer such courses.

Live Web Courses - One or Two Credits per Course

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, OUJ began utilizing a web conferencing tool to substitute face-to-face courses. Learning from the experiences, in 2021 live web courses were started as a regular course format as the format takes advantage of synchronicity as well as the flexibility of places for students to take courses. Live web courses utilize a web conferencing tool along with a learning management system (LMS). Students can take these courses at the places of their convenience with the opportunities of interacting with the teachers and other students.

Academic credits earned at OUJ can be used to fulfill the requirements for certifications/licensure, such as:

  • Eligibility to sit for the National Nursing Exam

  • Bachelor's degree (Nursing)

  • Teaching certificates (advanced certificates, certificates in other subjects, certificates to teach at different levels of schooling)

  • School librarian license

  • Eligibility to sit for the Clinical Psychology Certification test

Eligibility to sit for the National Nursing Exam

Bachelor's degree (Nursing)

Teaching certificates (advanced certificates, certificates in other subjects, certificates to teach at different levels of schooling)

School librarian license

Eligibility to sit for the Clinical Psychology Certification test

* To obtain these certificates, you will be required to meet other requirements set forth by Japanese laws, in addition to earning academic credits at OUJ.

Flow from Admission to Acquisition of Credits

System WAKABA: OUJ's Online Student Administration System

Through OUJ's online student administration system called "System WAKABA", our students are able to manage their own course of study. They can enroll in classes, check their academic records, and access to necessary information such as announcements from OUJ and their registered Study Centers. Students can also view broadcast lectures and take online courses anytime and anywhere. Additionally, students are able to communicate with instructors interactively through "Inquiry Box".

Non-Credit Courses

Channel for lifelong learning

Building on the teaching and research experience of OUJ faculty, while simultaneously breaking away from the traditional framework of higher education, OUJ broadcasts lectures on TV and radio, serving people's diverse needs for lifelong learning. TV and radio broadcasts offer the flexibility to balance work alongside study, giving everyone an opportunity to pursue their passion for lifelong learning.

Webcast Open Lectures: Charged extension courses

OUJ, working in partnership with relevant organizations, provides open access courses designed to develop professional skills that will help accelerate career advancement. Upon successful completion of these courses, OUJ will issue a certificate of completion and a digital badge. These courses are intended to bring flexibility into the learning process and to meet the needs of diverse members of society. Anyone can enroll in these courses, whether OUJ students or non-students.

In 2019, OUJ launched its first open online certification courses, "Programming Education Program," intended primarily for elementary school teachers.