Brief Info

• Al-Quds Open University (QOU) is a national institution for higher education located in Palestine. It enjoys an independent status in academic, financial and administrative affairs. The University attempts to provide educational services to interested students through adopting Distance Learning, a mode of University Education adopted by other Distance Education Universities. QOU has established its first branch in Al-Quds al-Sharif (Jerusalem) and is taking steps to open other branches and centers in other Arab countries and friendly states by special agreements.

• QOU is a pioneering higher education project in the Arab World arising from the principle of democratizing higher education; providing equal opportunities of higher education and training for all.
• QOU is unique in adopting an unparalleled flexibility in admission policies, time and place of study, and wide range of options available to students. For this reason the University has the ability to serve the needs of quite unlimited numbers of entrants.
• QOU is a member of the:
• Council of Higher Education in Palestine
• Association of Arab Universities
• International Council for Distance Education
• Union of Open Universities in South East Asia

Background

• The QOU project was initiated in 1975 in response to the needs of the Palestinian people for higher education in the present, severe, social, cultural and economic conditions in which they lived under Israeli Occupation or in the diaspora.
• The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), approached UNESCO to prepare a feasibility study for the University project in cooperation with the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD). By 1980 the study was completed and the UNESCO General Conference passed a resolution calling member states to cooperate in implementing the project.
• In 1981 the Palestine National Council (PNC) approved the project of the University but, owning to various circumstances, the project did not materialize until 1985, the date of QOU inauguration, when it started operating from its temporary HQ in Amman.
• In the second half of 1990, QOU started providing its services to Palestinian students in the Occupied Territories through first-established branch in Al-Quds al-Sharif (Jerusalem), with the intention of extending future activities to Palestinians in the diaspora and later to students from other Arab countries.

QOU Philosophy and Objectives

As a national institution for higher education, training and research, QOU philosophy stems from belief in and commitment to playing a role in the education of Arab individuals and the development of Arab community in Palestine and more generally in the Arab World. In the light of this philosophy, the University attempts to attain the following objectives:

• Provide opportunities and facilities for higher education and advanced training in various fields of study, including science and technology, thus meeting the needs of the largest possible number of Palestinians and other Arabs, who otherwise would be deprived of higher education.
• Develop students' characters and prepare them for a useful role in the community through encouraging cooperation and training on self-employment projects.
• Provide Continuous Education and professional preparation in various applied studies to enable students to play a constructive role in their communities.
• Support local pre-university and university education, as well as training systems, through the production of high quality instructional, printed, audio-visual, and computer-oriented materials and encourage research.
• Initiate and develop public-oriented modes of education appropriate for the exceptional and unexpected future conditions.
• Conduct basic and applied research directed to the service of the Arabs, particularly the Palestinian community.
• Initiate and promote cooperation with Palestinian, Arab, and foreign universities, and similar institutions and international bodies.

Distance Education System

Distance Education is, in essence, taking education to place of work or residence of interested students instead of attendance in an educational institution. In this way students can combine study and work, adjust the program of study they choose and can, as a result, study at their own pace in a way suitable to their personal circumstances. The underlying aim is, of course, to make better use of human effort and energy and increase productivity.

Distance Education is, by definition, based on self-learning and learner's autonomy, utilizing printed and audio-visual media made available by recent massive progress in instructional communication and information technologies.

• Distance Education is, by its very nature and by the nature of its media, capable of cutting across regional and geographical barriers. It can overcome social and economic differences to reach students pursuing higher education and consequently can offer services to unlimited numbers of such learners.
• In the light of worldwide experience, distance education is one of the most successful means of quantitative and qualitative means of higher education, as it provides higher education opportunities and training for the largest possible number of students from different socio-economic sectors of the community. The democratization of higher education is thereby achieved. Indeed, distance education has been effectively adopted worldwide in countries so diverse in political and social systems as Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Britain, Thailand, China, Canada, India, Holland, Japan and the Commonwealth of Independent Countries (formerly the USSR).

Functions of Distance Education adopted by QOU

QOU has adopted distance education in order to:

• contribute to solving problems arising from the inability of conventional universities to meet the massive increase in the numbers of students who are qualified for and interested in higher education.
• train students in self-learning mechanisms and enhance their intellectual abilities and critical thinking.
• broaden the scope of graduates' expectations and their interest in job opportunities and their interest in job opportunities beyond clerical work. Through providing students with knowledge and skills, the means of self-reliance, and the ability to establish and manage individual and joint projects, it is hoped to improve their prospects.
• provide opportunities for QOU faculty and students to conduct research.
• Provide study programs that meet the needs of the Palestinian people and the Arab World and support their development plans.
• support the steadfastness of Palestinian people under occupation and reduce the number of Palestinian youth seeking higher education by going abroad.
• secure greater student interaction by providing opportunities of student-student and student-faculty meetings in the established centers, through seminars, summer courses, continuous evaluation and exchange of ideas between the university and its students.

Admission Policy, Fees and Evaluation

• QOU has, in principle, adopted a flexible admission policy accepting applications of students with a secondary school certificate or equivalent, regardless of age, in any of the academic programs.
• In general, QOU fees are lower than conventional universities.
• The University employs various evaluation techniques to assess students performance. These techniques include:
• Student's self-evaluation.
• Formative evaluation in terms of given assignments throughout the course of study and term tests.
• Summative evaluation in terms of final tests in the University study centers.

Academic Degrees

QOU awards the first Degree (B.A. or B.Sc.) in the various specializations, equivalent to its counterpart in conventional universities. The degree is awarded on the completion of the study of the required credit hours in any given specialization.

The requirements of a bachelor's degree in any specialization from the QOU is equivalent to four years of full time study at a conventional university. However, in the light of the philosophy and the strategy of the QOU and due to the fact that a high percentage of the students are employed, standing regulations give students a maximum of 12 years to earn their Bachelor's degree.

Academic Programs

QOU offers academic programs and specializations based on the policy of establishing a close link between higher education and socio-economic and technical development, as well as students' interests. The study plan of a program or a specialization includes a set of courses as follows:

• Foundation Courses, which are a university requirement, aiming at the establishment of a common base of knowledge and skills and must be completed by all degree students. They include courses such as: Arabic, English, Applied technology, Computer Studies, Methods of scientific research, the Palestinian Problem, the Arab Islamic Civilization, Contemporary Challenges and Arab World as well as a host of other courses, all of which are instrumental to students' cultural development and preparation for life.
• Basic courses include a set of academic and professional studies which constitute a solid base for various majors or specializations.
• Specialized Courses containing a set of academic subjects (theoretical and practical) in various fields.

A candidate must successfully complete, according to the program, between 132-137 credit hours to obtain a B.A. or a B.Sc. degree.

University Program

The University offers studies in the following programs:

• Agriculture

The program is intended to upgrade the study of improving land utilization, animal wealth and water resources. It includes rural industries and training students in rural community development. It also prepares students for starting individual or cooperative small production projects in an attempt to foster a sense of belonging and a desire to serve in rural communities.

• Social and Family Development

This program seeks to initiate both female and male students in the management of household affairs in educational and health matters, as well as the community development. The program includes child initiation, family integration, aesthetic and technical skills, social action community service and local community development. It offers the following fields of specializations:

• Family Development
• Social Development
• Social Work

• Applied Sciences and Technology

The program offers courses in the field of Computer Information Systems. It is designed in impart theoretical and analytical knowledge of computers and their functions, and practical experience in computer programming.

• Management and Entrepreneurship

The cornerstone in development projects is professional management and a sense of exploration and innovation. The QOU Management and Entrepreneurship Program offers courses in the principles of administration, economics, guidance, Entrepreneurship, accounting, law and marketing. Graduates are expected to be highly competent in management and Entrepreneurship.

• General Education

The program expects to contribute to increased effectiveness and productivity in education through preparing and training teachers and helping them achieve a high level of professional and academic education. The program is intended for teachers interested in basic and secondary education. For this purpose it offers specializations in Islamic Education, Arabic, English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Social Studies and Elementary Education.

• Continuous Education

In addition to the above-mentioned academic studies, QOU offers Continuous Education and Training programs as a community service. Any interested person, regardless of age or qualification, can attend any of these programs. No university degree, however, is granted at the end of the study.

Preparation of Instructional Materials

• Printed Materials

As an "Open University" QOU has adopted a unique distinct approach, in form and content, to prepare the best possible materials for its students. All materials are prepared in house in accordance with a set of regulations and controls included in QOU's Writing Materials Handbook prepared by the University itself. The handbook includes internationally recognized patterns of material preparation and development, characteristic of distance education, such as presentation, student participation, guided dialogue and student-centered techniques. Indeed, teaching materials are prepared and evaluated by a selected group of highly qualified and experienced educators. Layout is supervised by the University designers and technical staff who pay special attention to format, style, language accuracy and production guided by professional standards.

• Ancillary Instructional Media

The University has adopted an integrated multi-media approach. A special department for the preparation of audio-visual and other instructional media has been established. It produces items, interactive video disks, computer software as well as traditional audio-visual like transparencies, slides wall pictures, maps and 3-D objects.

The department has a group of producers and their assistants specialized in text preparation. It also includes a complete Animation Unit.

The University also has its own studio which contains three units: E.F.B., Editing, and Audio-recording.

Branches

QOU Headquarter was first established in Amman, Jordan, as a temporary base form which the University can operate and serve the net work of study centers established in the Occupied Territories. The University could serve wider Arab needs for higher education and have its core academic and professional staff assisted by panels of experts from local Universities in Amman and distance education institutions overseas, prepare and design self-instructional materials and multi media distance education learning materials for students enrolled in QOU.

Following these intensive efforts and extensive preparations, the QOU was opened in Jerusalem in the second half of 1991. In the wake of the latest political development it was decided to move the QOU headquarters to Jerusalem, with its present office in Amman functioning as a liaison office coordinating all educational matters with the new HQ in JERUSALEM. At present the QOU covers seven educational regions in al-Quds (Jersualem), Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Al-Khalil (Hebron), Gaza and Jericho respectively and two study centers in Tolkarm and Jenin.