The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) held a Capability Building Program on Distance eLearning at Ifugao State University, Nayon, Lamut, Ifugao on 2-3 April 2019 as part of their Cascading Best Practices Program, which aims to help capacitate other higher education institutions (HEIs) in utilizing technology in their mode of instruction. A total of 46 participants, of which 35 are from IFSU, and 11 are from BSU attended the workshop.
UPOU Chancellor Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, along with Asst. Prof. Myra Almodiel, UPOU Faculty Member and Lecture Presenter, and Ms. Keats Grecian Mampusti, Project Assistant, spearheaded the two-day seminar/workshop for the faculty members and staff of Ifugao State University (IFSU) and Benguet State University-Open University (BSU-OU).
The program was formally opened by messages from Chancellor Bandalaria, IFSU President Eva Marie Codamon-Dugyon, and BSU-OU Director Romeo Gomez, Jr. In her message, Chancellor Bandalaria emphasized the importance of Distance eLearning in the future of education, as well as in making education available and accessible to everyone, especially to those who are not capable of attending traditional classroom-based studies. Meanwhile, Dr. Codamon-Dugyon highlighted the significance of collaborating with other state universities and colleges (SUCs) for the success of distance education in the country. Dr. Gomez expressed his appreciation for the conduct of the program, and hopes for this event to help them strengthen their distance education practices.
The seminar/workshop enabled the participants to increase their knowledge on distance education concepts. They were also able to harness their skills in using a learning management system such as Moodle, and in writing study guides by incorporating open educational resources (OERs). Moreover, the event helped them understand better the importance of study centers and learner support systems, and the assessment mechanisms and quality assurance in open distance elearning (ODeL).
In an interview, Dr. Gomez of BSU expressed how they benefited in participating in this program, “Definitely, it is a big help because aside from educating us and training us, it will also help us improve our ODeL System in BSU.” He also revealed their future plans of transitioning to a fully online mode of instruction from a blended mode in the next three years and how this program strengthened their goal, “With this experience and the things that we saw here, it’s really a big help for us to move into that direction.”
Dr. Ivan Baguilat, Dean of the College of Open Distance Education and Transnational Education (CODETE) of IFSU, shared in another interview that the initiatives in this program increased the confidence of the faculty and staff of CODETE.
UPOU is set to conduct another Capability Building Program on Distance eLearning at Cavite State University on 15th to 16th April 2019. This will conclude the Cascading Best Practices Program. (KGAMampusti)
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