| Institution Name | Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University |
| Contact details | Chaengwattana Rd. Bangpood, Pakkret Nonthaburi 11120 Thailand |
| Website/URL | http://www.stou.ac.th/eng/ |
| Brief Overview | Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) was officially established by Royal Charter on 5 September 1978 as Thailand’s
eleventh state university. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) graciously bestowed the university its name
in honor of King Prajadhipok (King Rama VII), who once held the title “Prince Sukhothai Thammaracha” prior to his accession
to the throne. On 24 October 1978, His Majesty issued royal mandates appointing the first University Council and appointing
Professor Dr. Wichit Srisa-an as the first president, effective from January 1978. After approximately two years of preparation,
STOU received its first academic class on 1 December 1980. STOU began with three schools of study: Educational Studies, Liberal
Arts and Management Science. From 1979 to 1984, STOU had no home campus, so it had to share space with such agencies as the National Education Commission, Thai Airways, the Faculty of Economics of Chulalongkorn University, and the Ministry of University Affairs. In 1981, Mr. Mongkol Kanjanapas donated a 30-rai section of land located in Pakkret district of Nonthaburi province. The university then bought more land, bringing the total to approximately 135 rai. Construction at this site began in 1982, and the university began operating from the new location on 9 December 1984. STOU was the first university in Southeast Asia to use the distance learning system. This new system of learning expanded the role of higher education in Thailand by engaging learners who previously had no opportunity to further their education. Since its establishment, STOU has enabled the development of individuals and communities throughout Thailand and beyond. There are 12 schools of study in the university:
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| Distance Education History | STOU was founded in 1978 and began teaching students in 1980. From its beginnings, the university has been entirely focused
on distance education. The main teaching media are printed materials that are mailed to students. Radio, TV and various other
audiovisual media have always been an important part of STOU’s programs as well, and in 1985, the idea of e-learning arrived,
which at that time was understood as the use of computers in education. A collaboration with the University of Guelph (Canada)
led to the production of CAI packages using VITAL (Videotext Integrated Teaching and Learning system). The production process
proved very time-consuming. Fewer than 20 courses were supplemented with CAI media, and this effort had little lasting tangible
impact. In 1997, STOU started an online learning project called Virtual University, but implementation was limited and certain elements of the project were too specialized for STOU needs. In 2000, STOU Plan 2000, a new master plan for teaching and learning (including e-learning) was adopted. The plan outlines two approaches to delivering STOU courses—online and offline. 2005 marked the first large-scale online learning project at STOU. ATutor was chosen as the Learning Management System (LMS). Over the next four years, it remained supplementary, but grew in significance and relevance to our programs. In 2009, D4L was introduced as another LMS option. In 2010, a decision was made to increase the role of online learning. After this, all graduate courses (which usually have 2-3 weekend seminars during the semester) were required to substitute one seminar with an online seminar. |
- Supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research
- Consultative partner status with UNESCO
- Affiliate member of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization
