The International Open University (IOU) is a private

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

university headquartered in

Kanifing Kanifing (also Kanifeng) is a town in the Gambia, and lies immediately west of the capital city of Banjul. The Kanifing Local Government Area has the largest population of any of the administrative districts in Gambia. It includes Serrekunda, th ...

The Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

. It was founded as the Islamic Online University by Bilal Philips in 2007 and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Background

Initially established in 2001, the program shut down due to technical difficulties. In April 2007, the IOU reopened under the name Islamic Online University, with a greater offering of completely free short courses. On January 13, 2020, it was announced through the IOU's official Facebook page that the institution's name has been changed to the International Open University.

Ernest Bai Koroma Ernest Bai Koroma (born 2 October 1953) is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018. Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma spent more than 24 ...

, the chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone (USL) welcomed the idea of establishing the IOU type Islamic institution. In 2014, the

Niger State Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. Niger state has three political zones, zone A,B and C. The state's capital is at Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. It was ...

Government paid the International Open University's Bachelor of Arts school fees for 35 students that registered from the state. The International Open University is amongst the most ethnically diverse universities in the world (year 2018). In 2018, the International Open University's programs were ranked among the six best online Middle Eastern Studies programs by Successful Student, although by June 2020 they had been removed from this list. In 2021, the leading online Kenyan newspaper

Tuko TUKO.co.ke is a Kenyan online newspaper and entertainment website that features aggregated, exclusive and users’ generated news content. History and character Founded in 2014, TUKO.co.ke has its headquarters in Nairobi and is a partner of Ge ...

ranked the International Open University as one of the top accredited distance learning universities in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, along with the

University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a public university located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The University of Johannesburg came into existence on 1 January 2005 as the result of a merger between the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU), the ...

, the

University of Zambia The University of Zambia (UNZA) is a public university located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is Zambia's largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. The language of ...

, the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

, the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a collegiate research university based in Nairobi. It is the largest university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dates back to 1956, it did not become an independent univer ...

and the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria ( af, Universiteit van Pretoria, nso, Yunibesithi ya Pretoria) is a multi-campus public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 ...

, in addition to few other universities. In November 2022, the IOU Chancellor Dr. Bilal Philips paid a courtesy visit to

Adama Barrow Adama Barrow ( ff, 𞤀𞥄𞤣𞤢𞤥𞤢 𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤪𞤮, Aadama Baaro, born 15 February 1965) is a Gambian politician and real estate developer who has served as President of the Gambia since 2017. Born in Mankamang Kunda, a village ...

, the

President of the Gambia The president of the Republic of The Gambia is the head of state and head of government of the Gambia. The president leads the executive branch of the government of the Gambia and is the commander-in-chief of the Gambia Armed Forces. The post ...

, and offered scholarships worth USD 4,000,000 for education of underprivileged Gambians at the International Open University.

Affiliations

The International Open University is a full member of Association of African Universities, approved member of

International Council for Open and Distance Education The International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) is a membership-led global organization in the field of online, open, flexible and technology enhanced education. It consists of more than 200 higher education institutions and or ...

, African Quality Assurance Network (AfriQAN), Association of Quality Assurance Agencies of the Islamic World (IQA), associate member of

International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) is an international quality assurance body. It works closely with national accreditation bodies, including the Council for Higher Education Accreditation in t ...

(INQAAHE), Asian Association of Open Universities, as well as a member of International Council of Islamic Finance Educators (ICIFE) and a member of the

Talloires Network The Talloires Network of Engaged Universities is an international association of institutions which aims to foster higher education civic engagement. Its secretariat is based at Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university ...

Research

The International Open University engages in research. The IOU has launched a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal, "

Journal of Integrated Sciences A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

", with the first issue published in 2019. Professor Dr. G. Hussein Rassool, the dean for the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, head of the Department of Psychology, Director of Research and Publications and Professor of Islamic Psychology at the International Open University is

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the journal.

Community service

The International Open University has set a mandatory

community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performe ...

for the students as a part of graduation requirements. In order to graduate, in addition to academic requirements, students are mandated to complete 216 hours of

References

External links

International Open University

Global Qur'an Memorization Center
{{Authority control Islamic universities and colleges Educational institutions established in 2001 Online colleges Distance education institutions based in the Gambia 2001 establishments in the Gambia