Abstract:

Indonesia is the fourth largest archipelagic country in the world, with over 17,000 islands. A population of about 280 million inhabits the five main large islands and 6,000 other islands unevenly. The uneven population spread across thousands of islands makes it difficult for the country to equalize access to education, significantly higher education. Universitas Terbuka (UT), with a distance education system, was established as one of the goals to provide access to higher education to residents living in remote areas throughout Indonesia who have less access to conventional universities (face-to-face). Along with the development of technology and information, educational services at UT are increasingly developed and modern. Manual services are turning online with the hope that students from anywhere can easily access them via the Internet. Online student services to date include registration, tutorials, exams, consultations, libraries, and other services. To streamline services, UT has 39 regional offices spread across 33 provinces in Indonesia. It is quite a challenge for regional offices so that students get better services by utilizing online services, especially those living in rural and remote areas. This article summarizes the researcher's experience as the head of the Pangkalpinang Regional Office for more than two years serving students in the Bangka and Belitung Islands Provinces with a population of less than 1.5 million. The researcher obtains qualitative data through observations of student activities, dialogue with students, and visits to provincial areas, including remote islands where UT students reside. A problem for UT uses the Internet as the basis of student learning services for those living in remote areas with limited ICT infrastructure. These students, therefore, need more extensive services. The barriers for students to access online services at UT include inadequate electricity and internet networks, limited knowledge of online services, lack of technical skills, limited ownership of ICT equipment, and lack of computer and internet literacy. Overcoming the obstacles faced by students, the Regional Office conducts in-class training for new students through study orientation to provide knowledge about the distance education system, training on skills to access online services, assignment workshops to provide knowledge on doing, especially online assignments, and exam clinic to prepare students taking online exams, take-home exams, and in-class exams. In addition, the regional office provides a student service center that is accessible through applications, telephone, social media, or direct student visits to regional offices. In short, for people in remote areas to have better access to higher education, Indonesia Open University, through the regional office, provides extra assistance so that the online services provided can be utilized optimally by students in helping to expedite their studies.

Keywords:

Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia, student services, remote area, online learning.