Education

All courses are taught through the eClass learning platform, a Moodle-based course management system (CMS) that provides access to the thematic units of the Open University of Cyprus (OUC). eClass enables students to get instant access to course organization material, study resources, exercises, discussion forums and eLuminate-based virtual classrooms. eClass was established during the academic year 2007-2008 by the Lecturer of the School of Pure and Applied Sciences Demetris Zeinalipour.

Methodology 

The Open University of Cyprus (OUC) offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as training and vocational programmes, through a teaching methodology called “open and distance education”.  The Open University promotes education opportunity to all, irrespective of age and location. Thus, the OUC is open as it utilizes a system in which the student is free to choose the time and place. Distance education entails that students have the opportunity to study at their own pace without having to attend conventional classes, seminars or labs. It is a teaching methodology used when the student and teacher are separated by time and place. Thus the proximity from the premises of the OUC in Nicosia is irrelevant to the effective delivery of high quality education.

The Open University of Cyprus provides distance education using a range of technologies that range from printed material to fully computerized material:

• Educational material, tailored to the distinct characteristics of distance learning, that students receive either in print or in digital form over the Internet
• Viirtual classrooms are exploited so that students can effectively communicate with the Faculty and fellow students and attend virtual lectures
• The effectiveness of e-mail, chat, telephone as a means of direct communication with the Faculty

The potential of the Electronic Portal which students can use to:

• Identify all relevant information concerning the courses and their modules (or Thematic Units)
• Contact the Faculty using synchronous and asynchronous technologies such as chat and forums
• Exchange ideas, thoughts and opinions with fellow students
   

Once students are registered to the courses, they are placed in groups of 20 people and their supervision is assigned to a particular member of the Faculty of the Open University, whose role is to provide distance learning, constant support and monitoring of the students’ progress.

As face-to-face interaction cannot be entirely eliminated, Group Advisory Meetings take place at regular time intervals and at predetermined places (4-5 times per academic year). Although attendance to these meetings is not mandatory, students are encouraged to attend in order to directly communicate with their tutor, solve enquiries and problems, and discuss the content of the course. The final examination also takes place at a predetermined time and place and requires the physical presence of the student. Where possible, both Group Advisory Meetings and the final examinations take place at the students’ home towns.
  

You can access the eClass system as a guest. In particular, you can browse a subset of the learning material that is available to the students of the thematic unit PLS50. Please follow the following link: http://eclass.ouc.ac.cy/course/view.php?id=30 (login as guest)