Chancellor Alfonso talks on the 5 generations of ODL
The UP Open University which has been in operation for almost 14 years continues to develop and reinvent itself to answer the ever changing circumstance and varying needs of its learners.
Dr. Grace J. Alfonso, Chancellor of the UP Open University, speaking before the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL) on 19 September 2008 at the Jose Rizal University in Mandaluyong City, presented the five generations of open and distance learning (ODL) that the UPOU had gone through.
The first generation (1G) was what Dr. Alfonso called as the stage of "shedding off some residential traditions and embracing its quality assurance legacy." It this time, the "underlying philosophy still carried the residential mode's linear model of having the expert/specialist create the modules in traditional media, such as print, radio, and television." Registration, distribution of materials, tutorials, and examinations happened in more than 25 learning center all over the country. The UPOU had to fly in tutors from UP units to the learning centers to conduct tutorials.
2G or the second generation was when "Open and distance learning culture mainstream[ed] the alternative." This was the period when the global direction for the UPOU started-- the establishment of a learning center in Hong Kong; the widening use of email; the abolition of Schools for Distance Education and the integration of programs and disciplines under the Faculty offices.
The third generation (3G) is termed as the "digital divide." Many of the UPOU students could not go to the learning center for face-to-face tutorials, thus UPOU migrated to online course delivery. IVLE as a learning platform was used, then the UPOU slowly transferred to the open source, MOODLE. The UPOU also opened more testing centers to complement the capacity of learning centers.
The fourth generation of ODL was the "acceptance of the changing ICT environment in higher education." UPOU fully migrated to the use of MOODLE. This made it necessary for all its teachers and learners to undergo training on exploring the world wide web as the inexhaustible resource for teaching and learning.
Although all courses were fully online by then, the UPOU made available the blended approach for course delivery. This made sure that those who did not have access or have minimum access to the Internet would not be marginalized.
Chancellor Alfonso said that the UPOU is now entering the fifth generation of ODL or what she called as "helping build global communities through open and distance learning in the digital era." This is the phase in which the university has to tread in new directions and face new challenges. These challenges include the development of a quality assurance system in course development and delivery; active production of resource-based course packages; creation of a paradigm shift in theorizing on concepts of education and knowledge; training and retooling of everyone involved in ODL; nonstop development and improvement of the MIS as a platform for course delivery and resource-based course development; multiple entrances and exits for various courses; the need for an accreditation system to combat the proliferation of distance education service providers; the looking into the potential of online delivery and considering the implication of Web 2.0 in ODL; the creation of strong research agenda and a strong association of e-librarians, e-curators, and e-scholars; and the need to study the concepts of intellectual property rights, royalties, and copyrights in an environment of very open and collaborative creation of texts. (Luisa A. Gelisan, OC)
Date posted Oct. 2, 2008