Today, more than 47,000 students study at the Open University in a variety of bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in the humanities and social sciences, natural and life sciences, and exact sciences.
The differentiation of the Open University is reflected in a variety of learning methods – face-to-face instruction in small groups in 60 study centers throughout the country, learning through online interactive means and self-study – which allow students maximum flexibility of the place of study, the time of study and their pace. The unique approach of the Open University combines the pursuit of high academic quality and scientific excellence with organizational flexibility, innovation in teaching methods and maximum openness towards all those who wish to study within it.
Throughout the study period, the students have at their disposal the counseling and guidance system for academic studies and assistance for students with learning disabilities or with special needs, workshops and personal trainings to improve learning skills and a system of financial assistance through scholarships.
The Open University is founded on two pillars: imparting a rigorous university education to its students and promoting the research excellence of its academic faculty members.
At the core of the academic work at the Open University is the course development process. Most courses are based on books and textual, printed and digital learning materials. The OP’s textbooks serve as a foundation for the courses taught in most institutions of higher education in Israel. Next to the printed materials, the scope of the study materials offered in additional formats has increased year by year: video courses, software and interactive resources. All the materials, textual as well as visual, find their place on the course websites that are renewed and change their face, and are presented to students in a variety of methods that allow them interesting and effective self-study, including optimal adaptation to mobile devices and compliance with digital accessibility regulations.
The Open University is one of the leading bodies in Israel for the development of online courses (MOOC) uploaded to the national platform Campus and the international platform Open-EdX, which make academic education accessible to the general public. The end-to-end development of the courses is carried out through Online Academy Ltd., a subsidiary of the Open University, in cooperation with the Sheham Center, which specializes in the development and implementation of pedagogical solutions and online learning resources.
