1 University Road
Raanana
Israel
- Youth and education
As indicated above, the basic social mission of OUI is to extend access to higher education to all Israelis from high school age onwards, irrespective of prior scholastic records, place of residence or occupation, nationality or religion, or economic status. This, in turn is intended to contribute to the overall objective of creating a better educated society among all cross sections of the population. Thus, OUI also invests in student support programs to bridge the gaps that often exist between various populations and completing a university education. This includes accessibility for special needs populations, Hebrew language advancement courses for students whose mother tongue is Arabic, and financial aid to cover tuition for students demonstrating financial need.
The OUI offers 700 courses in Bachelor's and Master's degree programs in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences and Engineering. All courses are developed by foremost experts in their respective fields. They are designed as autodidactic study materials, based on written texts, which have earned a prestigious reputation for academic quality. Advanced technologies are used, including interactive websites for all courses, multimedia courseware, as well as audio and videotapes and other digitized learning aids. Moreover, the OUI operates over 50 study centers throughout Israel where students are provided face-to-face tutorial sessions with other students. This makes it possible for students to study anytime, anywhere, at a pace that suits their lifestyle.
OUI academic departments include: Department of History, Philosophy and Judaic Studies, Department of Literature, Language and the Arts, Department of Education and Psychology, Department of Management and Economics, Department of Sociology, Political Science and Communication, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Department of Natural Sciences. OUI is committed to research. OUI boasts the Shoham Center for Technology in Distance Education which cooperates with OUI's Research Center for Innovation in Technology and Learning. Likewise, OUI has a Research Authority to promote the research on which all academic learning thrives.
In addition to the Hebrew language courses provided by OUI, some courses have been translated into Arabic, Russian, English and Spanish. Distance learning technology has facilitated student registration throughout Europe and the Former Soviet Union for courses in all of the languages in which they are offered.