The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) lost a part of its heart on 15 January 2019 when Prof. Liza Cuevas Carascal breathed her last. She was 63 but her accomplishments and the lives she touched far exceeded the years she spent on Earth. She was one of the pioneers of UPOU. When UPOU was established in 1995, she served as the first University Registrar and established the admissions, registrations, records, graduation, exams and assignment, and electronic data processing sections. She also institutionalized the policies and procedures of the UPOU Office of the University Registrar. In 2000, she was [...]

The University of the Philippines has climbed 79 places to move into the top 100 universities from emerging markets. It is now 87th among 442 institutions from 43 countries, according to the 2019 Times Higher Education (THE) Emerging Economies University Rankings. Its overall score went up to 32.8 from 24.4. The series of positive outcomes for UP kicked off in 2017 when it surfaced for the first time in the rankings and was included in the 201-250 bracket. Last year, it cracked the upper half of the rankings as it ascended to 166th. Only countries classified as advanced emerging, secondary [...]

The University of the Philippines Open University’s (UPOU) semester/trimester starts anew. In coordination with the Information Office, the Office of the University Registrar (OUR), Library, Multimedia Center (MC), Information and Communication Technology Development Office (ICTDO), Office of Gender Concerns (OGC) and Faculty Offices, the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) spearheaded the General Orientation for New Students for the Second Semester/Trimester 2018-2019 on 12 January 2019. The event was held at the Centennial Center for Digital Learning (CCDL) Auditorium, UPOU Headquarters in Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines with about 33 students in attendance and 28 students watching via web streaming through the [...]

As part of the University of the Philippines Open University's (UPOU) objective to contribute toward upgrading the educational system of the country by developing, testing, and utilizing innovative materials and technology, the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) organized a Data Science Workshop on 12-14 December 2018, at Alabang, Muntinlupa City. Dr. Ria Borromeo, Point Person for the Data Science program, spearheaded the event, which was attended by Dr. Melinda Bandalaria, UPOU Chancellor; Dr. Melinda Lumanta, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs; Dr. Alexander Flor, FICS Dean; and FICS faculty members, REPS, administrative staff and research assistants. The three-day workshop [...]

To disseminate information and share the experiences of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) in the use of various technologies for open and distance elearning (ODeL), Ms. Luisa A. Gelisan, Director of the UPOU Multimedia Center, served as one of the resource speakers in the 5th Socioeconomic Research Portal for the Philippines (SERP-P) meeting. Her presentation is titled "Innovations in Education Delivery: Open and Distance eLearning by UP Open University." She presented the different educational technologies as well as information and communication technologies that the UPOU had used and continuously uses in the delivery of academic and student [...]

The UP Open University (UPOU), with the National University of Kaohsiung (NUK), officially inaugurated the Philippines Learning Commons (PLC) at the Main Campus of NUK in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on 28 November 2018. The PLC is a venue and facility established to help Filipinos and other borderless workers based in Kaohsiung to engage in continuing education and acquire new knowledge and skills. The PLC is aimed at furthering their career development, developing their business and entrepreneurial acumen and providing them an avenue for lifelong learning. During the inauguration, Dr. Leon Shyue-Liang Leon Wang, President of NUK, expressed his enthusiasm in opening [...]

Patricia Calora and Yrelle Lleva, Research Assistants of the the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS), were among the finalists for best paper award at the recently held International Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (ICODeL). The ICODeL2018 was held on 26-28 November at the Garden Villa Hotel, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Their paper entitled "Evaluating the Use and Acceptance of eLearning for Tertiary Education among Senior High School Students" examined the acceptance of Senior High School (SHS) students for eLearning technologies. They also examined the factors that could influence SHS students' intention to [...]

Leaders in education from the Philippines and Taiwan teamed up for the conduct of the 3rd International Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (ICODeL2018). This is UPOU's first international conference held outside the Philippines in partnership with foreign universities. ICODeL2018 strengthened Taiwan's support for Filipino borderless workers who wishes to engage in continuing education. The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), with the support of the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), organized the international academic gathering, in partnership with Taiwan universities - National University of Kaohsiung (NUK) and the Open University of [...]

The Faculty of Education, University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU FEd) spearheaded a Workshop on Developing Inclusive Practices with Technologies for Online Learning and Teaching for the UPOU faculty and staff last 12-13 November 2018. Guest speakers and facilitators were academicians hailing from the Department of Educational Research at the Lancaster University, United Kingdom. The two-day event consisted of lecture sessions, open fora and group presentations. The first-day lecture sessions were commenced by Dr. Rebecca Marsden, an online learning support officer. She primarily advocates for distance learners' needs at the departmental and university level committees at Lancaster University. Dr. [...]