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On 22 August 2023, the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) opened the Tri-Conference 2023, its first ever multimode three-conference-in-one. The opening ceremony was held at the UPOU Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, with the theme "Sustainability in Education: Intersection, Ideation, Innovations." Hosted by Asst. Prof. Ria Valerie Cabanes, the Tri-Conference marked the debut of a transformative academic journey. Atty. Angelo A. Jimenez, University of the Philippines President, has a resounding message amidst the volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) of recent times. In his welcome remarks, he emphasized the necessity to strategically strengthening institutions, including the academe, [...]

The International Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (ICODeL), since its inception in 2012, has consistently served as a platform for exploring innovation in the realm of education. On its fifth run, ICODeL featured a Pre-conference Workshop dedicated to tackling Micro-credentials, titled "Opportunities of Micro-Credentials in Higher Institutions." The special session was aimed at exploring the potentials of micro-credentials in reshaping the educational landscape. This was held in-person at the UPOU headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna on 21 August 2023 and was attended by 72 participants from 22 institutions all over the country. As the host and moderator of [...]

Asst. Prof. Queenie Ridulme, Director of Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UPOU, and Dr. Naneth Labrador, principal of Sto. Domingo Elementary School shared their messages of encouragement during the Parents Orientation held on 7 September 2023 In continuing the commitment of the office in developing reading intervention programs, the Ugnayan ng Pahinungód UPOU launched the Bata, Basa Reading Program (BBRP). BBRP aims to assist the teachers and parents/guardians in improving the reading skills of K to 3 learners using their Mother Tongue and develop students' appreciation for reading. For its pilot implementation, 50 identified struggling readers from Grade 3 of [...]

The University of Batangas Distance Education (UBDE) and the UP Open University (UPOU) were engaged in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 11 September 2023 at the University of Batangas, Kumintang Ibaba, Batangas City. The activity highlighted the partnership between two organizations, as well as the launch of the UBDE Distance Learners Application (DLA). The activity was attended by Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, UPOU Chancellor, and Ms. Margaret Jarmin-Suarez, Program Development Associate for Institutional Linkages from UPOU. From UBDE, the attendees were Mrs. Lily Marlene J. Hernandez, UBDE President; Dr. Abegayle Machelle M. Perez-Chua, Vice [...]

The UPOU Information and Communication Technology Development Office (ICTDO) celebrated the successful completion of the 150-hour internship program. The achievement was officially recognized on August 10, 2023, at the UP Open University Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. The OJT program, spanning from July 10 to August 10, 2023, provided participants with an opportunity to immerse themselves in systems and software development. Guided by their mentors – Dr. Reinald Adrian Pugoy, Asst. Prof. Cecille Moldez, Dr . Ria Borromeo, Mr. Nathan Paras, and Mr. Renz Magsino – the OJTs gained valuable insights and experience. The ICTDO hosted eight OJTs from [...]

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Office of Public Affairs (OPA) Director and Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) Associate Professor, Dr. Myra Almodiel, engaged in a webinar entitled “Envisioning Open, Flexible and Distance Learning (OFDL) in Southeast Asia”. The webinar centers on understanding the impact of online learning on student motivation and offers insights into effectively supporting online learners. This was held on 30 August 2023 as a collaboration between the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO). Dr. Almodiel, with her presentation entitled, “Reimagining OFDL [...]

The Quality Assurance Office (QAO) of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), in coordination with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA), organized a Self-Assessment Report (SAR) Orientation on 30 August 2023 via Zoom. This online event served a dual purpose, providing support to the new members of the SAR Writing Teams by acquainting them with the SAR process, while also providing the existing members with a refresher to prepare for the continuous self-evaluation and external review processes of their respective programs. Assistant Professor Mari Anjeli L. Crisanto, Director of UPOU QAO, served as the [...]

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Education (FEd) conducted a benchmarking activity with the Department of Communication (DC), University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB) on 16 August 2023, Wednesday at the Multimedia Center (MC) Theatre, UPOU-Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Building, Diliman, Quezon City. A total of 13 faculty and staff from UPOU and UPB participated in this face-to-face event. The activity was led by FEd Dean, Assistant Professor Charisse T. Reyes, and Associate in Arts (AA) Program Chair, Assistant Professor Roja L. Rivera, who discussed the history, curriculum structure, and current status of [...]

The Immersive Open Pedagogies (IOP) program hosted three interns from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) on July 10 up until August 24, 2023. Elijah Gabriel Malazarte and Joseph Gabriel Sta. Rita, BS Computer Science majors, and Rovie S. de Ramos, BS Applied Physics, took on various collaborative projects showcasing the potential of immersive technologies. The interns gained hands-on experience in 3D scanning, modeling, and the creation of virtual reality (VR) projects using A-Frame, WebXR, and 3DVista. They also presented a final project based on the skills they developed throughout the internship. On August 9, 2023, Mr. Malazarte [...]