WOU is focused on moving forward in 2019 with mindset and attitude shifts, innovation, re-branding and revised action plans to distinguish the University as a leading open distance learning (ODL) and full-time study institution in the country and region.
Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Zoraini Wati Abas highlighted this approach to grow the student population during the townhall session at the main campus today, attended by over 120 staff and streamed live to all regional centres.

PROF ZORAINI HIGHLIGHTS THE HAPPENINGS OF 2018 AND PLANS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD.
She challenged staff to work as a team to improve student enrolment, re-enrolment, graduation rate, revenue, student engagement and to deliver prompt, accurate and respectful service in line with its Client Service Charter.
“We must innovate to improve and re-brand ourselves. We have to more than a typical ODL university, offering very good quality programmes and learning experience,” Prof Zoraini remarked. She also mentioned the need to revised policies to align with transformation plans, adding that all these changes are geared toward success.

BRIEFING STAFF ABOUT THE RE-ORGANISATION OF THE UNIVERSITY.
She highlighted that WOU is moving towards becoming a data-driven organisation by focusing on data analytics. She also presented the revised WOU organisational chart, notably the renamed QA & Government Relations Directorate under Dr Andy Liew, which will act as secretariat for Institute for Research and Innovation (IRI), Centre for Dialogue (C4D), Centre for Fine Arts (C4A) and the George Town Institute for Open and Advanced Studies (GIOAS).
Corporate Communications will now come under the renamed Publishing & Public Relations (PPR) Department under Grace Lau, with the Educational Technology & Publishing Unit (ETP) being divided into PPR and IDeX (Instructional Design for Engaging Experiences).

FESTIVE GREETINGS AND APPRISING STAFF OF THE NEW PROGRAMMES FOR YEAR 2019.
Prof Zoraini mentioned the 6 new academic programmes that are expected to be offered in 2019. They are the ODL programmes of Doctor of Business Administration, Commonwealth Executive MBA (HR), CeMBA (Finance) and Bachelor of Communications (Hons) along with the full-time programmes of Bachelor of Business (Hons) in HR Management and Diploma in Business Management.