The Open University of Cyprus (OUC) is a public Higher Education Institution, specialised in open and distance education, providing adult learners unrestricted access to quality online undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD and lifelong learning programmes, as well as, short-duration executive and professional development courses.
OUC is organised around three Faculties:
The OUC was founded in 2002, welcomed its first students in the academic year 2006-2007, and succeeded in opening new pathways for higher education in the Greek-speaking world. The University utilises the latest technological tools and applications and applies a variety of online and distant learning approaches. It is dually oriented toward both the domestic and international educational communities and their activities and goals. The academic programmes offered by OUC are international, well planned and career-oriented to correspond to the country's needs and meet the demands of its students by upgrading knowledge and expertise, according to their aspirations and ambitions.
The Open University of Cyprus aspires to be recognised as a modern, pioneering, people-centered and exemplary University which, based on its institutional values – i.e. the quality of education and research, extroversion and diverse cultural and social contribution - will contribute effectively towards achieving the country’s objective to transform Cyprus into a regional hub for education, research and innovation. The three pillars of the University’s mission are the following:
The University is guided by the following core values: Creativity, Quality, Respect, Extroversion and Social Contribution. Its aim is for his actions to reflect positively for the benefit of society and the economy. True to its commitment to the effective implementation of the Cypriot labour law and the effective management of its human resources, OUC offers equal employment opportunities and development and promotes healthy working relationships in a modern working environment.
Educational Methodology
The Open University of Cyprus provides programmes in Greek but also in some cases programmes and in English.
At OUC, all educational processes are carried out remotely. The University’s main educational tool is the eLearning Platform eClass that facilitates online teaching and learning through the establishment of virtual classrooms, supports lecture capture, live and video on demand lectures and tutorials, and integrates real-time and asynchronous collaboration and collaboration tools. Concisely, OUC’s eLearning Platform is a comprehensive and constantly evolving eLearning system facilitating the educational process across all its phases. eClass brings together technological and communication tools, enables its renowned and experienced academic staff to leverage pedagogical methods, approaches and state-of-the-art educational applications, and provides students with multimedia and interactive educational materials and access to live and recorded lectures. Pursuing its continuous development, OUC regularly upgrades its distance learning infrastructure and teaching approaches, by integrating, for example, virtual laboratory functions, virtual environment simulations, Internet of Things applications, etc. Indicative of OUC’s expertise in distance education are the awards it secured at the Cyprus Education Leaders Awards in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The physical presence of students is not necessary at any stage of the educational process. Studying is exclusively conducted online, while the final exams are also carried out entirely by electronic means and with procedures in place for electronic surveillance and protection of personal data to ensure their integrity.
The University maintains competitive tuition fees and in line to its public status, it offers discounts for various population groups (e.g. unemployed, single parents, students with large families, people with disabilities, graduates of OUC, etc.).
International Relations and Research
An important pillar of the operation of OUC is to drive basic and applied research, related to the scientific areas of its academic personnel and Faculties. Academic and research staff have significant research activity, funded by national, European and international programmes, the results of which are disseminated at international scientific conferences and workshops and are published in reputable scientific journals for the benefit of the academic community and society.
The University currently has three (3) teaching and research chairs:
To strengthen its growth and academic stature in the European and international higher education area, OUC fosters strategic collaborations with universities and research centers in Cyprus and abroad, develops interdisciplinary joint programmes of study, and joins international university networks to promote its work and activities. At the same time, OUC maintains strong participation in the Erasmus+ programme for the mobility of its students and staff.
Social Contribution
By consistently maintaining active participation in the social and cultural events of Cyprus and Greece primarily, OUC develops initiatives and contributes substantially to the cultural creation and development through (online) open workshops, lectures and other scientific and non-scientific events.
Tasos Anastasiou, Operational Support Unit Cordinator
Telephone: 22 411600
Fax: 22411670
Email: press@ouc.ac.cy
Address: 33 Yiannou Kranidioti Avenue, 2220 Latsia, Nicosia
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oucyprus/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/oucyprus
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/openuniversitycy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/open-university-of-cyprus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/OpenUniversityCyprus/