The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has been a trailblazer in AI in Teaching and Learning. It released its guidelines on using AI in Teaching and Learning in January 2024, following numerous pioneering initiatives and efforts to institutionalize AI’s proper, ethical, and efficient use in teaching and learning. As the pioneer institution in online teaching and learning and the leader in the study and practice of open learning and distance education in the Philippines, UPOU continues to uphold its mandate of assisting various national agencies, HEIs, and institutions in developing their distance education programs through training, technical assistance, research, and other academic programs based on Republic Act 10650 (Open Distance Learning Law).
UPOU’s AI initiatives are part of its preparation to become the University of the Future, a vision that emphasizes leadership in teaching and learning through digital technologies and catering to the needs of the 21st century. This future-oriented approach is evident in the programs that equip graduates with the skills and knowledge to adapt to changing job markets and lifelong learning. UPOU’s vision for the ‘University of the Future’ revolves around adaptability, technology, and social responsibility in preparing students for the demands of the future. “Sustainability is at the heart of the University of the Future. The UPOU’s future initiatives aim to contribute to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
One of the first initiatives of UPOU related to AI started with the Virtual RTD on the University of the Future, which the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs co-organized with the Faculty of Education, titled “Morphing of the Educational Landscape of the Future.” Then, in October 2021, the 4th International Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (ICODeL 2021), organized by UPOU, featured speakers that tackled AI in education. At ICODeL 2021, a special session from members of the e-Asia Europe Meeting (e-ASEM) Research Network was explicitly dedicated to topics on AI with speakers from India, Malaysia, and Bulgaria. Then, the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE) Secretary General Torrun Gjelsvik presented the challenges and future directions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in online education during the ICODEL 2021 third Plenary Session.
In 2022, more activities were devoted to presenting the results of research studies and exploring the use of AI in teaching and learning. The UPOU Diploma in Computer Science offered courses from June to August of 2022 to make transitioning to DCS easier and supply additional computer science-related skills and knowledge to the interested public. A thousand were availed of and enrolled in these MOOCs, which are offered free to the public through the UPOU MODeL Platform. In September 2022, the UPOU Immersive Open Pedagogies (IOP) Program, Office of Public Affairs and then Multimedia Center, now Educational Media Production Unit of the Center for Open and Digital Teaching and Learning (CODTL) conducted a workshop about “Developing Immersive Learning Programs for Higher Education.”The 7th National Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (NCODeL 2022) was also held in November 2022 with the theme “Reimagining Education Futures.” NCODeL 2022 aims to provide the virtual space and possibilities that Open and Distance eLearning (ODeL) has opened up as the education sector envisions and prepares for future challenges. In the same month, UPOU proudly congratulated its ICT Development Office Director and Faculty Member of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FICS), Dr. Reinald Adrian D. Pugoy, for bagging the Gold Medal for the Young Innovator Award at the 35th Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) Annual Conference held in Jeju, Korea. His paper is titled “ACES: Automated Academic Essay Scoring Utilizing Neural Regression Models.”
With the official launch of ChatGPT, UPOU took a significant step towards reshaping the education landscape. The university’s unwavering stance that ‘AI is here to stay’ was reiterated in numerous forums, underscoring its commitment to AI integration. In 2023, UPOU intensified its efforts to explore and articulate the use of AI in the context of online teaching and learning. Several projects were proposed, forums were held, and numerous knowledge-sharing sessions were conducted. Notable among these were the World Learning Labs Symposium 2023 in Japan, the Forum on Technology-enhanced Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, the International Conference on Open and Innovative Education 2023 in Hongkong, the Open University 5 (OU5) Meeting in Vietnam, and the MoodleMoot Philippines 2023, AAOU 2023 in Turkey where Dr. Roberto B. Figueroa, Jr., UP Open University Associate Professor and Program Director for IOP was awarded the Silver Medal.
The CODTL also dedicated episodes of Open Talk (1,2.3, 4) and TalaSalitaan Online to discuss issues about ChatGPT and the bright and dark sides of AI.
UPOU also held the first TriConference (Tri-Con) on Sustainability in Education in 2023, which consisted of three conferences in one event: ICODEL 2023, the International Symposium on Education and AI Convergence (ISEAC 2023), and the ASEANnale. At the Tri-Con 2023, UPOU launched its Roadmap for Microcredentialing.
Through various knowledge-sharing and academic discussions, UPOU released its Guidelines on the Use of AI for Teaching and Learning in January 2024. To further articulate and concretize this, the ICT Development Office, in collaboration with the CODTL, organized a three-part Roundtable discussion on the use of AI at UPOU from June to August of this year. Furthermore, Dr. Pugoy, ICTDO Director, continually serves as a resource person for many of the higher education institutions seeking support from UPOU about AI and its use.
UPOU continues to be at the forefront of knowledge sharing, especially in providing quality open and distance education and technology-mediated and flexible teaching and learning. This commitment to sharing knowledge and fostering a larger academic community is vital to UPOU’s mission and vision.
Written by Anna Cañas-Llamas ♦ Edited by Dr. Myra C. Almodiel
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