Open universities Australia
	Arab Open University Arab Open University has been established with the primary objective to enable those young men and women in the Arab World, who did not have the chance to attend the University, to pursue their higher education, so that they can become an active member in their society and to improve their living standard through the learning tools and experiences combined with specialized program knowledge acquired at AOU. Furthermore, AOU is a non-profit Higher Education Institution, and in support of its mission, it has a set guiding principle for itself that of making Higher Education affordable, so that those who do not have the financial means to attend private Universities, will have a chance to attend AOU. Four factors have contributed and will continue to contribute to this vision and constitute the mission and the pillars that support the idea of AOU and its existence: “The Arab Open University is Open to people, places, ideas, and methods” The Arab Open University has an action plan that is designed to help implement the equal opportunities policy for both staff and students. Associate lecturers and students, together with the full-time staff, are the University. Collectively, our attitudes, behavior and responses determine the quality of learning that we all share. This is emphasized in an approach to teaching that stresses that all students and staff should be able to participate in the learning process. The aim we all share is to create a learning community that positively values and promotes the practice of equality alongside the principle of openness. For The Arab Open University, this has to be what links it’s past and present with the challenges of a global future. This sentiment is well summed up in the words of Professor Brenda Gourley, who became Vice-Chancellor of UK/OU at the start of 2002: “… it will take all our collective and individual wills to do whatever it is that we are required to do to make a better world, a more peaceful and equitable world. All universities have a social responsibility in this matter. [For] The Open University – which has put social justice at the very heart of what it seeks to do, and does so not just for those fortunate enough to be behind the golden barricades, but for those beyond – it is the very stuff of its mission, and much reflection is necessary … [for] such a task”. AOU/KSA has been accredited by Ministry of Higher Education, Saudi Arabia in Information Technology and Business Administration (‘Business Systems’ and ‘Economics’ fields of study). It is already accredited by United Kingdom Open University (UK/OU) and is a Partner of UK/OU, and thus implements and performs its academic and administrative business in accordance to the UK/OU Academic, Business, and Institutional Practices. The basis for AOU partnership with UK/OU is a result of an extensive independent assessment of a number of Open University Systems throughout the world, as a result of which we have found UK/OU is rated as one of the best, if not the pioneer in Open-Learning gained through more than 30 years experience and continuous improvement. In conclusion, OU, AOU, and in particular AOU, KSA Branch, believe in meeting the highest quality standards pertinent to Higher Education. We at AOU, believe that it is in the implementation of new ideas and methods, that we continue to improve the quality of higher education, and make learning more enjoyable and exciting. Our intent is not to build a static Higher Educational Institution, but to build an institution of learning, that is constantly and continuously evolving and improving to ensure that the young men and women who enter our institution, leave our institution, not only with the base knowledge of their courses, but with the experience of learning how to learn, and how to apply the knowledge set they acquire at AOU, combined with the paradigm that education does not stop when one obtains a degree, but learning is a life experience, which we at AOU call “the Life-Learning” experience. I thank you all for your dedicated and continued support, and contribution to Learning and Education.