As President of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU), Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, Chancellor of the UP Open University (UPOU) was invited to participate in the 1st Asia-Pacific MAssive Open Online Course (MOOC) Stakeholders Summit (2016) on 2-3 March 2017 at the Windsor Suites Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. Three areas were tackled in the discussions in the Summit, namely, sustainability model including policy level, platform level, institution/subject/program level; sharable case studies and best-practices of MOOC educational models; and possible area for cooperation among Asia-Pacific regions and European countries. Chancellor Bandalaria shared about sustainability model in the platform/portal level. [...]

To celebrate World Social Work Day, and the International Women's Day of March, the UP Open University's (UPOU) Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) and the Office of Gender Concerns (OGC) spearheaded the conduct of the Let's Talk It Over (LTIO) on "Kababaihan. Kalikasan. Komunidad." The activity was held on 21 March 2017 at the UPOU Audio-visual Room in Los Baños, Laguna. Prof. Primo Garcia, Dean of FMDS, welcomed the participants who attended including those who joined virtually, as the forum was livestreamed over networks.upou.edu.ph. He mentioned that "UP Open University mainstreams gender and development by celebrating both events [...]

The UP Open University (UPOU) held the launching session for the Round Table Discussion (RTD) Series on Assessment on 17 March 2017 at the UPOU Oblation Hall in Los Baños, Laguna. Dr. Kunchon Jeotee, Assistant Professor at the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU), lecturer for the Master of Environment and Natural Resources Management (MENRM) program and assessment research collaborator at the ASEAN Studies Graduate Program, was the session's lead discussant on "Assessment at STOU." Dr. Kunchon, an expert in statistics, online learning and evaluation in education, shared how evaluation is done at STOU especially at the STOU Office of Registrations, [...]

The UP Open University (UPOU) will be offering once again its Child Rights Promotion and Protection (CRP) Certification Program as massive open online courses (MOOCs) starting April 2017. These courses are free and open to everyone especially for those interested in and advocates of child rights protection and promotion such as those working in non-government organizations and other professions dealing with children. Eight courses under the three clusters of the CRP MOOCs will be offered through Massive Open and Distance e-Learning (MODEL), the UPOU's platform for its MOOCs: Cluster 1: Theoretical and Legal Framework for Children Understanding Better the Child [...]

Speed painter Odette Cagandahan-Monfero Will enrich the Women's Month celebration on March 28, with animo "Kulay, Galaw at Pinta" Gaano man kahirap ang buhay, kababaihan, magtatagumpay ka! Artist and artwork will be visually entertaining Splash of colors will be intellectually stimulating Modern music will be mixed in to create a unique experience It will be a joy to be part of this launch, both wonderful and intense The UPOU Office of Gender Concerns sponsors this pro-women project With the UPOU Foundation and the UPOU Cultural Committee, women's rights protect The Tempo Band, dancers, and surprises will make it great Come [...]

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) joined the annual "Walk for a Cause" as the kick-off program in celebration of Women's Month and International Women's Day last 8 March 2017. Led by the UPOU Office of Gender Concerns (OGC), sixteen (16) faculty and staff members joined the walk. The parade started at 6 o'çlock in the morning from Olivarez Plaza Mall to Paciano Rizal Park in the Old Municipal Compound of Los Baños. Different barangays of Los Baños as well as government and non-government institutions also joined the parade. A short program followed after the parade. Fundraising for [...]

The University of the Philippines Baguio Cordillera Studies Center (UPB CSC) has published a book of readings edited by Dr. Alexander G. Flor, professor and dean of the UPOU Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS), Dr. Alejandro N. Ciencia, Jr., UPB professor of political science and Dr. Cecilia Fe L. Sta. Maria-Abalos, UPB professor of communication. The book "Resilience and Sustainability: Fourteen Narratives," launched by the UPB CSC on 01 March 2017, is a selection of papers covering the entire spectrum of disciplines involved in the climate change and disaster risk management discourse. These papers were presented at the [...]

Through lines, curves and strokesBanhay Kulay artists revealed their souls Life lessons carved on wood Oil on canvas as soul food Eleven members from the Paete Artist Guild Showcased their works-of-heart to build A lasting legacy at Galeria SinAg "SINing at AGham na nagbibigay liwanag" Graced by UPOU Chancellor Bandalaria Supported by the UPOU Foundation and administrators in full regalia Sponsored by the UPOU Cultural Committee February 24-25, 2017 twin launch was held successfully It was an honor to interview the Maestros Trace how their ideas fueled their gustos Made one proud to be a Filipino citizen Like them think [...]

The Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) renewed its annual institutional membership to the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) last 15 February 2017 as part of its efforts to widen UP Open University's network through partnerships and linkages. Membership to the organization is seen as beneficial in learning about the current professional practice and trends in social work education thus enriching the faculty's Diploma in and Master of Social Work curriculum. The IASSW office is located at the Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Milano- Bicocca, Italy and is the global association of social [...]