The Faculty of Education (FED) welcomes fellow Dr. Ghanta Pushpa Chakrapani as part of the UPOU Exchange Fellowship Program from November 4 to December 1, 2017, at the UPOU Headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna.
Dr. Chakrapani has 23 years of teaching and research experience and currently a Professor and the Department Head of Physics, and the Director of Prof. G. Ramreddy Research Academy of Distance Education, (GRADE) & Internal Quality Assurance in Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU) in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
This year’s Exchange Fellowship theme, “ASEAN Education in the Era of Openness,” aims to build and establish sustainable partnerships with different universities locally and abroad, and foster knowledge exchange on Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL).
Dr. Chakrapani’s proposal, “Open Educational Resources (OERs) for Equitable Quality Education in the Philippines,” aims to understand and explore the Philippine education system, and identify OER initiatives, and possible strategies for mainstreaming OERs in the Philippines.
Since there are still debates and discussions about OER implementation among countries, this program can give her ideas and insights about the initiatives taken by UPOU in implementing OER and the possible strategies that BRAOU can adopt. Dr. Chakrapani adds that, “though we are the first Open University in India, there is still apprehension regarding open education resources among the faculty and the university.”
She has also recognized internet connectivity, lack of technical trainings of teachers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and the capability to reach rural and remote areas, as the challenges of OER implementation in their country.
However, amidst these challenges, Dr. Chakrapani believes that OER implementation can give great opportunities and wide access to people, “particularly the minorities in remote areas,and women, to pursue their degrees, enhance their skills, and get jobs“.
