To share best practices in the development and management of open and distance eLearning programs, the UP Open University, facilitated a focus group discussion (FDG) for the second time with the personnel of Ifugao State University (IFSU) on 20 May 2018 at its IFSU Campus in Lamut, Ifugao. The FGD is part of the Cascading Best Practices Program (CBPP).
The UPOU team lead by Chancellor Melinda dela Pena Bandalaria met with 27 faculty and staff members involved in the IFSU distance education programs for a needs assessment and evaluation. They discussed the difficulties they encountered as student-participants in the Open Distance eLearning Massive Open Online Courses (ODeL MOOCs) offered by UPOU. In the same meeting, participants in IFSU also discussed their accomplishments in the delivery of online courses, specifically the development of their learning management system since UPOU’s first visit in November 2017.
Dr. Bandalaria said that she is proposing the offering of a specialized online course called Small Private Open Online Courses (SPOOCs). This course will be offered not only for faculty and staff members of IFSU, but to other stakeholders of the CBPP as well. Chancellor Bandalaria said that SPOOCs shall focus on five subject matters, namely: 1) orientation on Distance Education/Online Learning; 2) development of Instructional Materials; 3) use of Learning Management System; 4) learner support; and 5) assessment.
The UPOU is now developing SPOOCs and will offer it to selected SUCs included in the program by June 13.
Other members of UPOU who participated in the CBBP in IFSU were Asst. Prof. Myra Almodiel of the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies and Ms. Cien Angela Baurile, Research Assistant of the Office of the Chancellor. (CABaurile)
