In the recently concluded 5th National Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (NCODeL 2017) organized by the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) gained a deeper understanding of elearning through the pre-conference workshops conducted. One of the three pre-conference workshops organized for the participants was the "Technology in Open and Distance eLearning (ODeL)" spearheaded by the UPOU Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) held on 22 November 2017. The workshop was led by the Faculty Dean, Dr. Alexander G. Flor. He presented an enlightening and informative introduction to ODeL and gave a discussion on [...]

Dr. Chakrapani Pushpa of Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Open University, India and Faculty of Education's exchange fellow presented her exit report on Open Educational Resources for Equitable Quality Education in the Philippines. The presentation was given on November 28, 2017, at Sandbox, Centennial Center for Digital Learning, University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) HQ, Los Baños, Laguna. She enjoyed a one-month stay in the University for being selected as a recipient of UPOU's 2017 exchange fellow program. Her proposal on open educational resources was being selected from among the three applicants of the program. Dr. Pushpa's visit to the University aimed [...]

The three former chancellors of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) shared their perspectives on the development of open and distance eLearning (ODeL) in the Philippines in a special session of the recently held 5th National Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (NCODeL). ) Dr. Melinda dela Pena Bandalaria, current Chancellor of UPOU, moderated the special session held on 22 November 22 at Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria. Dr. Ma. Cristina D. Padolina, Chancellor of UPOU from 1995 to 2001, admitted that establishing UPOU was not that easy. "The apprehensions have a lot to do with the quality of [...]

The 5th National Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (NCODeL2017), a biennial academic forum organized by the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), was a smashing success. Held on 22-23 November 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Metro Manila, Philippines, 333 faculty members, researchers, administrators and policymakers from 123 higher education institutions (HEIs) participated and made the conference a huge success. With the theme "Philippine Education in the Age of Openness," NCODeL2017 treated its participants to three pre-conference workshops on instructional design, technology and data privacy in Open and Distance eLearning (ODeL); three plenary sessions on different [...]

To intensify the implementation of the @ccessUP Flagship Program under the UP Open University (UPOU) 2016 - 2019 Strategic Plan, the UPOU Information Office conducted the "Workshop on Increasing Accessibility, Visibility and Web Presence" on 7-8 November 2017 at the Hive Hotel, Quezon City. The workshop was attended by 24 Designated Information Officers (DIOs) and Social Media administrators representing various offices of UPOU. For the first part of the workshop, Dr. Joane V. Serrano, Director of the Information Office and the Multimedia Center at UPOU, shared a strategy for a successful online marketing. Part of her discussion was the use [...]

Members of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Committee visited Taiwan on 8-10 November to explore possible collaborations on offering a UPOU program on Disaster Preparedness and Management. Dr. Ricardo Bagarinao, Dean of the UPOU Faculty of Education and former Chair of the UPOU DRRM Committee, and Dr. Consuelo Dl. Habito, Program Chair for the UPOU Master of Environment and Natural Resources Management (MENRM) program and the current Chair of the UPOU DRRM Committee, met with Dr. Min-Hao Wu, Director of the Science and Technology Center for Disaster Prevention and Reduction and [...]