Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Chancellor and current President of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) was among the attendees of the OU5 President and Research Meeting held on 6-9 March 2018 in Pattaya, Thailand. The meeting was hosted by the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU).
The research forum served as a venue for presidents, rectors, and chancellors from OU5 — comprised of open universities from Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines — to discuss both current and proposed initiatives for the advancement of Open Distance eLearning (ODeL) in the region.
As the President of AAOU, Chancellor Bandalaria along with her colleagues from UPOU took the lead in this event. The first day was comprised of a meeting regarding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Journal of Open Distance Learning (AJODL), which has been a collaborative effort of the OU5 member-institutions since 2009. It has since served as the platform for sharing knowledge, ideas and experiences in the field of Open Distance eLearning (ODeL) in the ASEAN region.
Parallel Sessions were also held during the first day — the Presidents' Meeting and the Research Meeting. The second day was a continuation of the meetings and wrapping up of the Research Meeting. (AMFlores)
