The UP Open University (UPOU) Office of Public Affairs (OPA), in collaboration with various offices of the university, has set up an exhibit to showcase the Virtual Reality (VR) Projects developed through the Immersive Open Pedagogies (IOP) Research Program of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA).
The UPOU Exhibit ran from 6 to 17 March 2024, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and was housed at the UPOU Oblation Hall, UPOU Headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna.
The exhibit showcased the UPOU VR Campus Tour, a rendering of the UPOU campus in the virtual world. The VR Campus Tour is part of the university’s initiative to delve into immersive learning environments and integrate immersive technologies to offer new and engaging ways to showcase the UPOU campus, its programs and services, and the range of connections UPOU has with the community in both physical and virtual spaces. The Virtual Reality Campus Tour is accessible online using different devices such as computers, smartphones, and tablets. To explore the UPOU Campus through the Virtual Reality Campus Tour, visit the link: iop.upou.edu.ph/vrtours/upouvr/alpha/.
Another technology that the exhibit featured was the VR Tour of the UPOU Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) Perma G.A.R.D.E.N. (Growing Appreciation toward Resilience, Development, Entrepreneurship, and Nutrition). This initiative is led by FMDS Dean Dr. Joane Serrano in support of sustainable production and consumption and in contributing to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: Zero Hunger. It aims to help communities build home gardens by applying multiple strategies with the end goal of growing appreciation toward resilience, development, entrepreneurship, and nutrition. The FMDS Perma G.A.R.D.E.N. was developed with the help of Dr. Jabez Joshua Flores, an alumnus of UPOU and an expert in Permaculture. This can be accessed online through https://iop.upou.edu.ph/vrtours/permagarden/.
In addition to the VR projects on the interactive panels, these were also available through VR headsets, making the experience more realistic. UPOU has also prepared various information and communication materials for the exhibit, such as brochures about UPOU and its programs, its Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) offerings, and flyers about its advocacies from the Office of Gender Concerns and the UPOU Ugnayan ng Pahinungod. Video materials about the same content were also loop-played for anyone walking in.
UPOU OPA takes advantage of opportunities to promote the university and its services more. This is OPA’s way of contributing to the mission of UPOU to provide access to quality education to all Filipinos and contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 4, which is to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
Written by Anna Cañas-Llamas ♦ Edited by Myra C. Almodiel
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