Arab Open University

Arab Open University
General Info.
Established	2002,
Location	Kuwait City, Kuwait Saudi Arabia (Riyadh,Jeddah) Bahrain Amman, Jordan Cairo, Egypt Beirut, Lebanon
Founder	Saudi Prince Talal Bin Abdulaziz
Phone	Bahrain: +97-340-7077. Egypt: +20-2-2671-1862. Jordan: +962-6-551-4851. Kuwait: +965-471-0279. Lebanon: +961-1-392-139. Saudi Arabia: +966-1-274-2277.
E-Mail	Saudi Arabia ([1])
Website	Bahrain Egypt Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Saudi Arabia Oman
Global Membership	None.

Arab Open University (AOU, in Arabic الجامعة العربية المفتوحة) was founded in 2002 in Kuwait, Jordan, and Lebanon. One year later it opened in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egyptand soon in Oman.

The AOU has in place confirmed agreements of cooperation and affiliation with the well-reputed UK Open University (UKOU). Agreements with the UKOU cover three major areas: Licensing of Materials, Consultancies, Accreditation and Validation.

It was established as a private university for Arabic speaking citizens in these countries. It has the following faculties:

• Faculty of Business Studies
• Faculty of Language Studies (English language)
• Faculty of Information Technology & Computing

The Arab Open University

AOU has emphasised the need for credibility and the benefit which would follow from Open University Validation Service accreditation, which was achieved in December 2003.

The AOU is seen as playing a key role in the development of human resources in all fields needed by the job market as well as allowing the exposure to and use of modern technologies. The AOU teaching training programme is seen as a mechanism for upgrading the skills of the many thousands of students and teachers in the Arab World.

Teaching methods

The AOU as a partner of British Open University, it uses the same methods of teaching, and a variety of methods for distance learning, including written and audio materials, the internet, disc-based software and television programmes.

Materials are composed of originally-authored work by in-house(UKOU) and external academic contributors, and from third-party materials licensed for use with OU students. For most courses, students are supported by tutors ('Associate Lecturers') who provide feedback on their work and are generally available to them at face-to-face tutorials, by telephone, and/or on the internet.