About Open University of Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung City Government, with the aim of promoting adult education and implementing the concept of lifelong learning, established the Open University of Kaohsiung in February 1997, and started student recruitment in August 1997. As the University accepts students with any educational background, has no entrance examination, and provides distance learning, it has become an efficient way for adults who wish to obtain academic degrees. As of today, more than 6,000 students have graduated from the University, making it an important center for adult education in southern Taiwan.
The University started off with five departments: Law and Political Science, Foreign Languages and Literature, Industrial and Business Administration, Mass Communication, and Culture and Arts. To be in line with the industrial development in southern Taiwan, the Department of Technology Management was established in 2006 to nurture service and management talents required by the industry. In addition to the six departments, there is also a General Education Center that provides a general education curriculum, with varied learning opportunities catering to the public.
Students may select to learn through distance learning courses via the Internet, television or radio, and face-to-face learning on campus. In addition, in response to the trend of mobile learning, the University established iLMS in 2012 to provide cross-platform and cross-device learning, allowing students to watch (or listen to) distance learning courses. Students may access learning materials through their tablets, personal computers, or smart phones at all times, making it a far-reaching learning environment, completely free from the constraints of space and time.
The University has 1 professors, 6 associate professors, and 15 assistant professors. The 22 full-time teachers are well-versed in both theoretical and practical aspects. We also have more than 100 adjunct teachers to provide varied, flexible courses and teachings. Students can manage their work, education, and family obligations concurrently by making use of face-to-face learning and the digital learning system. This allows them to experience the joy of attending college, enrich and enhance their quality of life, and increase their career competiveness.
Professor Huey-Por Chang became the 5th President of the University in August 2012. President Chang, with his sound and solid experience in education over the years, upholds “transformation, innovation, diversification, cooperation, service” as his philosophy in managing the University. He leads with vitality in promoting the professional development of teachers and enhancing teaching quality, making the University a topnotch incubator for nurturing core talents.