The UP Open University (UPOU) featured Open Education: Historical Narrative of Institutional Challenges Encountered by UP Open University in its newest installment of the Research Conversations series held on 4 April 2023. Dr. Alexander G. Flor, Professor Emeritus, and UP Scientist from the UPOU Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) served as the resource speaker.
Dr. Flor defined Open Science as a practice, process, product, and community. He shared that Open Science also often refers to open access, open educational resources, and open source, which is also synonymous with equity, diversity, inclusion, open data, and citizen science.
Dr. Flor accorded some contradiction to Open Science that he experienced, especially when he concluded his doctorate studies. Some of these are about scientific maturity from a scientific perspective – differentiation of casual from systematic observation, reservation of judgment, aversion to generalizations and jumping to conclusions, and skepticism but less dismissive, to name a few. He summarized this: “the higher you progress in the academic ladder, the less certain you become of your truths.”
Some disconcerting trends in science research control (funding priorities and conditions, subtle racism), compliance mechanisms (comparisons, ethics), center-periphery science establishment, and censorship were expounded by Dr. Flor.
Research Conversations on Open Science is focused on the importance and relevance of open science research. The said series is one of the activities of UPOU Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs under Research and Publications. Through its flexible format, it provides different avenues for research collaboration at all levels. You may still watch the recorded virtual event through UPOU Networks Facebook Page.
Contributed by Allessa Shainne Hostalero
Edited by Anna Cañas-Llamas and Myra C. Almodiel
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