UPOU Chancellor Bandalaria appointed as ICDE Ambassador for OER

Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU),  has been appointed by the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) Secretary General Torunn Gjelsvik as an Ambassador for Open Educational Resources (OER). She  has also been appointed as a member of the ICDE OER Advisory Committee (OERAC). These appointments are valid for two years and until the end of 2022. 

The OERAC was created with the objective of increasing global recognition of OER and to provide policy support for the uptake, use and reuse of OER. The main task of the committee members and ambassadors of OER is to to support the implementation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) OER recommendations as well as  the monitoring and evaluation activities. 

The current advisory committee is constituted by representatives from six different world regions. These are Jane-Frances Obiageli Agbu of the National Open University of Nigeria, Nigeria; Mpine Makoe of the University of South Africa, South Africa; Xiangyang Zhang of the Jiangsu Open University, China; Daniel Burgos of the International University of La Rioja, Spain; Ebba Ossiannilsson of the Swedish Association Distance Education, Sweden; Cengiz Hakan Aydin of the Anadolu University, Turkey; Cristine M G Gusmão of the Rio Grande Do Norte Federal University, Brazil; Rosa Leonor Ulloa Cazarez of the Guadalajara University, Mexico; Constance Blomgren of the Athabasca University, Canada; and Yi Yang of  Franklin University, USA. 

Dr. Bandalaria is an active advocate of open education. She has been engaged in Open Educational Resource and Practices since 2017 and has led various programs and projects on this topic. Chancellor Bandalaria is also known for her leadership in open education initiatives, being the Chair of the Asian MOOCs Steering Committee, and the Co-Chair of the OER Dynamic Coalition Advisory Board on Quality,  Inclusive  Multilingualism.

Written by Anna Cañas-Llamas

Edited by Joane V. Serrano