UBIQUITY AND QUALITY:
UPOU celebrates 11th Foundation Day
On 23 February 2006, the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) will be celebrating its 11th year of providing quality degree and nondegree programs through open and distance modes here and abroad.
As UPOU widens its reach and becomes ubiquitous, it continues to maintain its high quality performance in everything that it does.
When the UPOU started its operations 11 years ago, courses were taught using printed modules, supplemented by audio and video tapes and radio broadcasts. UPOU Learning Centers in various parts of the country made it possible for the university to make its services accessible throughout the country. In addition, students’ learning was continuously enhanced through face-to-face study sessions conducted once a month in the learning centers. Students communicated with their professors through telephone, email and snail mail.
As the demand for distance education programs increased and the range of lifelong learners’ characteristics and needs widened, the UPOU took advantage of the developments in the information and communication technologies to be more effective and efficient in the delivery of its courses. This enables the university to cater to the learning needs of the Filipinos here and abroad as well as learners from other countries. At the same time, UPOU continuously uses old but tested technologies to fulfill its mandate of serving the underserved areas and sectors in the country.
The UPOU will celebrate its 11th Foundation Day on 22 February 2006 at the UPOU Headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna. The highlights of the celebration will include the presentation of the master plan for UPOU’s physical development, a forum on Ubiquity and Quality, and the launching of new UPOU books and distance education seminar series. Commissioner Emmanuel C. Lallana of the Commission on Information and Communication Technology and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Victoria A. Bautista will deliver the main papers at the forum. (L.A. Gelisan, OC)
