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The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) collaborated with the University of Sains Malaysia (USM) in an Open Distance Learning Forum about the “Challenges of Shifting to Online Mode During the Pandemic”. The virtual event was held on 5 October 2022, and was streamed as a Facebook Live Event. Dr. Joane Serrano, Dean of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies, represented UPOU as one of the panelists at the said forum. The ODL Forum aimed to discuss the challenges of shifting to an online modality during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This type of shift often concerned both students [...]

A study by Arthur J. Lagbas, a candidate for the degree of Diploma in Land Use Planning (DLUP), has been accepted for the April 2022 issue publication of the Ecosystems & Development Journal (EDJ). The study, entitled “Visitation and perception of college students on selected urban parks in the city of Manila,” assessed the frequency of visits, familiarity, and the perceived urban park benefits and urban environment problems of college students from the Technological University of the Philippines (TUP). Five public parks with notable historical and cultural heritage significance in Manila City were used in the study, namely the Arroceros [...]

The upcoming 7th National Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (NCODeL) is ready to trailblaze new research and best practices on distance education. With its plenary sessions, the participants are bound to engage in more learning activities that would expand their knowledge of open and distance eLearning. With the theme “Reimagining Education Futures”, the said activity will comprise three plenary sessions with Dr. Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon Bautista, and Mr. Borhene Chakroun as speakers. For the second plenary session, Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon Bautista will tackle the “Roadmapping for Transitioning to Flexible Modes of [...]

Dr. Ethel Agnes Pascua - Valenzuela, Director of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Secretariat (SEAMEO Secretariat), is lined up as one of the plenary speakers for the upcoming 7th National Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (NCODeL 2022) on 23-25 November 2022. Dr. Valenzuela will be sharing her knowledge and expertise during the first plenary session on 23 November 2022, with the topic "Promoting Inclusion in Education".  Dr. Valenzuela is the 18th Director of SEAMEO Secretariat,the first female SEAMEO Secretariat Director and the first Filipina to lead a regional organization in education, culture and science. Prior to this, [...]

Dr. Roberto Figueroa, Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS), won the best oral presentation award during the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Sports & Exercise Medicine Conference held last 12-14 September 2022 at The Everly Putrajaya, Putrajaya, Malaysia.  His presentation on Prototyping a Blended Physical Education Course on Japanese Mixed Volleyball in the Philippines aimed to identify the challenges, determine the perceived benefits, and investigate the perception of participants in the development and prototyping of the blended PE course. They determined that a blended PE course can be useful to distance learners especially if [...]

The University of the Philippines Open University will hold the 7th National Conference on Open and Distance Learning (NCODeL) on 23-25 November 2022. The conference welcomes applicants for the most prestigious awards – ODeL Best Paper Award 2022 and ODeL Best Practice Award 2022. These two awards focus on different aspects of open and distance learning. The ODeL Best Paper Award recognizes individuals whose research focused on the “advancement of the principles and theories of open learning, distance education, e-learning, and technology-mediated learning”. In comparison, the ODeL Best Practice 2022 is awarded to entities “for their innovative and effective implementation [...]

To help build a resilient community during disasters, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Committee of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), conducted hybrid seminar on disaster preparedness entitled, "Integrating Disaster Consciousness in our Daily Lives" on 29 September 2022, at 10:00 AM. Dr. Joane V. Serrano, PhD., Chair of the UPOU DRRM Committee, also led the launching the “#AlwaysReady” Campaign the UPOU DRRM Dashboard. During the seminar, the speaker, Dr. Ricardo T. Bagarinao, PhD., who was the former Chairperson of the DRRM Committee and also the Dean of the Faculty of Education, covered topics such as [...]

Dr. Sally Gutierez with the Faculty of Bulacan State University during the webinar workshop. Dr. Sally B. Gutierez, an Assistant Professor at the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Education, shared her expertise as Resource Person and as a member of the Panel of Experts at Bulacan State University and Cavite State University, respectively.  The webinar workshop she conducted at Bulacan State University was titled “Multidisciplinary Approaches in Teaching and Learning.” More than 700 faculty members of various campuses participated in the workshop which was held on 18 August 2022. The workshop aimed to enable [...]

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) welcomed visitors from the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI) in a hybrid Benchmarking Activity on 22 September 2022. The visitors were led by Prof. Marlon Gado, Director of the DLSMHSI Center for Innovative Education and Technology Integration (CIETI).  His team was welcomed by Dr. Ricardo Bagarinao, Dean of the Faculty of Education (FEd);  Dr. Myra Almodiel, Director of the Office of Public Affairs (OPA); Ms. Margaret Jarmin-Suarez, UPOU Program Development Associate for International Linkages;  Asst. Professor Marie-Sol Hidalgo, FEd faculty member, and Ms. Rhonna Marie Vereña, FEd University [...]

The University of the Philippines, through the University of the Philippines-Open University (UPOU), in partnership with the Philippine National Police (PNP), launched the Police Open Academy (POA) last 12 September 2022. The Police Open Academy is an online learning platform that promotes open and distance education in law enforcement. Inspired by UPOU’s mode of instruction, POA aims to institutionalize open and distance education in law enforcement. This initiative is a response to the stringent COVID-19 protocols which limit face-to-face interaction in both academic and non-academic institutions. POA is PNP’s effort to incorporate and utilize open distance learning to improve knowledge [...]