Dr. Melinda dela Pena. Bandalaria, Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), and Dr. Shyue-Ling Wang, President the National University of Kaoshiung (NUK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 18 May 2017 in NUK Campus, Kaoshiung, Taiwan. The partnership between the two universities shall include collaborative programs on faculty exchange, degree or course development for overseas Filipino workers (OFW), NUK as UPOU testing/learning center in Taiwan, development and offering of massive open online courses (MOOCs), resource persons/training program on business analytics, among others. Officials from UPOU and NUK present during the agreement signing were Dr. Jean [...]

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), led by Chancellor Melinda dela Pena Bandalaria, held an orientation on open and distance eLearning (ODeL) and about UPOU with overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan on 16 May 2017. After the orientation, the UPOU team also held discussions with OFWs regarding specific concerns about studying through ODeL. The event, organized by Ms. Irenne Ng of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), was participated in by Filipino engineers and operators. Ms. Ng said that MECO wants to help OFWs pursue higher studies for their career advancement in Kaohsiung. Being a [...]

The UP Open University (UPOU) Health and Wellness (H&W) Committee and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration (OVCFA) jointly organized a half-day forum on 28 April 2017 as part of the celebration of the Head and Neck Cancer Consciousness Week and World Immunization Week . Asst. Prof. Rita Ramos, Chair of the H&W Committee, Registered Nurse and Faculty Secretary of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS), opened the forum and welcomed the participants. She explained UPOU's efforts to improve the holistic wellness of its workforce through the H&W Committee's efforts in line with the [...]

UP Open University (UPOU) Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS) held a Webinar entitled "OER in UPOU" on 09 May 2017 as the second in the Open Educational Resources (OER) Series in support of UPOU's flagship program "Innovation in Teaching and Learning" (Innovate) under the UPOU Strategic Plan 20116-2019. Dr. Sheila Bonito, OASIS Director and Ms. Carmelita Orias, OASIS University Researcher, presented part of the results of a study conducted under the International Development Research Center (IDRC) entitled "Impact of OER on Cost and Quality of Course Materials in Post Graduate Distance Education Courses in the UPOU." Dr. [...]

With the approval of the University of the Philippines' Enhanced Hospitalization Programme (eHOPe) effective 01 January 2017, the UP Open University (UPOU) initiated programs to support its implementation among UPOU employees. This initiative is also part of the Team Approach and Youthful Outlook for UPOU (TAYO) Program under the Strategic Plan 2016-2019, which aims for a streamlined organization compliant with the University of the Philippines (UP) System and UPOU mandate, participatory governance, and healthy workspaces and workforce. The eHOPE is an enhanced version of the Financial Assistance Program for Hospitalization Expenses (FAPHE), UP's assistance to hospitalization set-up in 2010, which [...]

The UP Open University (UPOU) Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Committee in collaboration with the Bureau of Fire Protection - Los Baños (BFP-LB) conducted a Seminar on Fire Prevention and Fire Drill on 28 April 2017 at the Audiovisual Room, Los Baños, Laguna. Although Fire Prevention Month is celebrated in March, UPOU DRRM Committee acknowledges the fact that fire doesn't happen only in March or in Summer time but can actually happen anytime. The event was opened by Dr. Ricardo Bagarinao, Chair of the DRRM Committee and Dean of the UPOU Faculty of Education. He explained that the activity [...]

The UP Open University (UPOU), through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA), released UPOU's Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Policies, Principles and Guidelines to guide the UPOU community in proposing and offering MOOCs. The creation of UPOU's policy on MOOC was conceptualized as part of the MOOCathon: The Conversation Continues, the second of the MOOC Workshop Series organized collaboratively by the OVCAA and Faculty Offices in 2014. Prior to this workshop, UPOU started its involvement in MOOC in 2012 with the birth of the uLearn Project to carry all UPOU's MOOC initiatives, delivered through @ral, a [...]

The Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) of UP Open University (UPOU) conducted a Round Table Discussion on Sustainability Perspectives on 18 April 2017 at the UP Open University Headquarters, Los Baños, Laguna to advance sustainable science as a vital component in achieving sustainable development. In his welcome message, Dr. Primo G. Garcia, Dean of FMDS, said that sustainable development is a "global concept anchored on sustainability which takes into account the well-being of future generations." Given the complexities of sustainability as an area of inquiry as well as a field of endeavor, he added, it is important to [...]

Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, Chancellor of the UP Open University (UPOU) and current President of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU), represented the Philippines to the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) Stakeholder's Meeting on 06 April 2017 at Seoul, Republic of Korea. Dr. Bandalaria was among the 17 overseas participants from 16 institutions in 10 countries. At the meeting, she presented the Asian MOOCs, a portal that integrates the MOOCs offerings in the Asia Pacific, especially those offered by AAOU member institutions. Asian MOOCs was launched in October 2016, during AAOU's 30th Annual Conference in [...]

On 17 April 2017, UP Open University (UPOU) opened two massive open online courses (MOOCs)--ODeL 101: Introduction to ODeL, and Quality Assurance in ODeL -- as part of the Open and Distance eLearning (ODeL) Certification Programs under the MODeL Certification Series. The offering of MOOCs is done in keeping with the University's role to promote open distance learning (ODL) and to democratize access to quality higher education in the country, as designated by RA 10650. UPOU, with the support of the Commission on Higher Education, aims to empower higher education practitioners through the MODeL Certification Series, which lends to the [...]