The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) celebrated its 23rd founding anniversary on 26 February 2018 at the UPOU Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna. The UPOU's day-long celebration was highlighted by the visit of UP President Danilo "DaniCon" L. Concepcion. In his anniversary message, President Concepcion mentioned several times that UPOU will play a critical role in the teaching function of the university in the decades to come. This is because UPOU is "attuned [to the changing landscape of education] more than any other UP unit," and because of its unique character as an institution of openness and accessibility. [...]

The ASEANnale 2018, which brings together two events: The 1st ASEAN Film and Multimedia Competition and Exhibition and the 2nd International Symposium on ASEAN Studies (ISAS), was held at the Asian Center, UP Diliman in Quezon City, Philippines from February 28 to March 2. With the theme, "Capturing the spirit of ASEAN in the Digital Times," this ASEAN biannale focused on three current concerns shared and addressed by numerous parties in the region—Diaspora, Disasters and Democracy. It aimed to promote collaboration among ASEAN academicians, experts, multimedia artists, filmmakers, and scholars in relation to the use of films and multimedia materials [...]

UP Open University's celebration of its 23rd Anniversary on 26 February 2018 was simply a sweet success. The celebration was planned short and simple, but the event turned out successfully splendid and spirit-binding both for the UPOU family, and its partners and stakeholders. The day started like any other Mondays at UPOU – with a flag ceremony. But on this particular day, employees were clad in the anniversary shirts that the university provided. The university wanted everyone to wear the same shirt to exude a feeling of being one, as a family and as a university. And as a family, [...]

Twelve UP Open University students under the PhD in Education program of the Faculty of Education (FEd), together with their Dean, Dr. Ricardo Bagarinao, and some dissertation advisers participated in the 4th National Research Conference in Science and Mathematics Education held on 27-28 February 2018 at the Philippine International Convention Center, Pasay City. The PhD students are scholars of the Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI). Some of the PhD students also presented their research papers in the conference. They were as follows: Ms. Melanie Junio, a Chemistry Education major, presented her paper titled "Influence of Lesson Study [...]

It has been a long tradition for UP Open University (UPOU) to celebrate "Family Day" as part of the activities for its founding anniversary. On the afternoon of 26 February 2018, UPOU faculty, staff, students and some guests bonded together for a film showing, the recognition of service awardees, and the awarding of 'UPOU Face of the Year'. Before the Family Day program, the UPOU employees, students and some invited teachers were treated to a showing of an indie film titled "Broken Halleluyah" by Mr. Roland Sanchez which exposes the world of human trafficking. Part of the casting was UPOU [...]

On 9 February 2018, University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) faculty and staff presented researches on gender and sustainable development at the 1st Japan Philippines Student Summit Project (JPSS) held in International Christian University (ICU), Tokyo, Japan. The forum was organized by UPOU and the JPSS Project Team led by Dr. Allen Kim, Associate Professor of Sociology at the International Christian University. The Gender, Sustainability, and Indigenous Traditions in the Philippines: A Japan-Philippines Student's Summit Pre-trip Forum was formally opened by Prof. Allen Kim followed by a short introduction of speakers from UP Open University and participating students from [...]

The Faculty of Education (FEd) of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) conducted the 4th installment of its EDUKussion Forum this time focusing on Inclusive Technologies for Education. The forum was held on 20 February 2018 at the Centennial Center for Digital Learning (CCDL), UPOU Headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna. It featured Dr. Don Passey, Professor of Technology Enhanced Learning at the Lancaster University, UK, and the Visiting Professor of FEd. Dr. Passey shared his expertise on inclusive technologies for education. Teachers from the Basic Education sector within Laguna, and UPOU faculty and staff participated in the event. Asst. [...]

Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Chancellor and current President of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU), attended a convening of the Asian MOOCs Steering Committee from 20 to 22 February 2018, in Chiba and Gunma Prefectures, Japan. Hosted by the Open University of Japan, the three-day meeting centered on initiatives and current situations of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in Asia, which continues to be a crucial area of interest to the AAOU. Also present during the meeting of the Asian MOOCs Steering Committee were Dr. Li Kam Cheong, Director of Research [...]

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Education (FEd) organized a Seminar on Inclusive Practices with Technologies for Online Teaching and Learning on 14 February 2018 at the Audio-Visual Room (AVR), UPOU Headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna. The event was participated by the faculty and officials from the UPOU and representatives from the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) within Laguna. Asst. Prof. Rameses A. De Jesus, faculty member of the Faculty of Education and OIC-Director of the Office of Gender Concerns, facilitated the seminar. In her opening remarks, Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, Chancellor of the UPOU, emphasized the [...]