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 Kaohsiung (OUK). The conference aimed to discuss how technology can be tapped for quality education, and promote industry and academe partnership to develop leaders and professionals that can thrive in an open and rapidly changing world.
ICODeL2018 – a biennial gathering of experts and practitioners in open learning from all over the world, was held on 26-28 November 2018 at the Garden Villa Hotel in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. ICODeL2018 was attended by 225 participants from seven (7) countries.
With the theme “Technology-enhanced and Inclusive Education in the Digital Age,” international experts gathered to share their best practices in open learning and digital education. Dr. Curtis Bonk from Indiana University delivered the Keynote Address titled “Technology Today, Technology Tomorrow: Might Learning Evolutions lead to Learning Revolutions?” The first plenary session was about Technology-Enhanced Learning Approaches and Design by Dr. Andrew Law of the Open University, United Kingdom; Dr. Pau Choo-Chung of National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan; and Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso, Professor and Former Chancellor, University of the Philippines Open University, Secretary General of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) and Executive Director, TVUP. The second plenary session tackled the University-Industry Partnership which was discussed by Dr. Melinda dela Pena Bandalaria, Chancellor of UPOU and President of AAOU; and Dr. Ting-Peng Liang, Professor at National Sun Yat-Sen University and Chair Professor at National Chengchi University, Taiwan. The last but not the least plenary session was about Open Education and Quality Assurance which was discussed solely by Dr. Asha Kanwar, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth of Learning.
The conference also featured 97 research papers presented in parallel and panel sessions. Six finalists for the Best Paper Awards were chosen. The Best Paper Award given to the paper “Emerging Reality of Virtual Reality in Maritime Education: Assessing the Impact of VR in Maritime Education and Training Using the Case of BS MT Students of Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific” by Nissi Abigail Buenaobra, Ephrem Dela Cerna Jr., Sergio Ramos III and Christian Noel Go of Seaversity Innovations.
Other finalists for the Best Paper Award included the papers “Evaluating the Use and Acceptance of eLearning for Tertiary Education among Senior High School Students” by Yrelle Mae Lleva and Patricia Calora from the UPOU; “Constraints on the Use of a Learning Management System in a Blended Learning Environment” by Cenie Vilela-Malabanan and Nancy Echavez from the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology; “Exploring Determinants of Academic Achievement among Distance Learners: Towards a Causal Model for Learning Analytics” by Maria Ana Quimbo from University of the Philippines Los Banos; “Open and Distance eLearning Readiness of a State University Graduate Students” by Randy Joy Ventayen from Pangasinan State University, Open University Systems and Caren Orlanda-Ventayen from Pangasinan State University, Lingayen Campus; and “Virtual Instructor Kit for De La Salle University-Dasmarinas” by Azenith Mojica, Regine Danielle Uy, Mary Anne Ramos from De La Salle University – Dasmarinas and Eugene Allen Alvizo from Carbon Digital Inc.
ICODeL2018 also included a Cultural Night/Conference Dinner which featured Filipino and Taiwanese artists based both in the Philippines and Taiwan. The second night was a dinner hosted by the Southern Taiwan Universities Network. Other co-organizers include the UPOU Foundation Inc. (UPOUFI) and Philippine Society for Distance Learning (PSDL). Sponsors include Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association Kaohsiung, AgriGaia, Taiwan Bureau of Foreign Trade, Kindness Hotel and the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO). (ACLlamas)