Page 170 - Open and Distance Education In Asia : Good Practice From AAOU Members

150 OPEN AND DISTANCE EDUCATON IN ASIA
Good Practices from AAOU Members

an impact on the planning and growth of the country’s policies on DE and ensure its
UPOU. Due to these, the educational system quality, Republic Act 10650, also known
has changed to distance elearning (DeL), or as Open Distance Learning Act (https://
online distance learning; the demographics www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2014/12/09/
of its undergraduate students have changed republic-act-no-10650/) was also passed for
due to the enrollment of an increasing implementation in December 2014. The
number of younger and full-time students; law recognized UPOU’s experience in doing
and the opportunity to codify and concretize Open Distance Learning and mandated it to
open education as another articulation of its provide technical assistance to other Higher
mandate to reach the underserved sectors of Education Institutions in the country who are
the Philippine society. planning to offer programs in the distance
mode of education.
The Internet has played a significant role in the
development and transformation of UPOU, MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
especially since it enables the university to The management of DE institutions in the
reach learners even beyond the geographical Philippines has some unique features as
confines of the country. Students outside follows.
the Philippines account for about 24% of the 1. Managing DE programs using the
annual total enrollment. The Internet and policies and procedures adopted from
its associated tools e.g. AI and Data Science residential/conventional context. Most, if
are now shaping the direction of the future not all, DE institutions in the Philippines,
development and direction of UPOU. The particularly the open universities, are
changes on how instructional content is part of conventional or residential
being delivered also resulted on the shift in universities. The UPOU, for instance, is
the focus of research initiatives as well as the a part of the University of the Philippines
strategies or mechanisms of engaging with System while the PUP-OU is part of the
the community and doing public service. Polytechnic University of the Philippines
System.
For the county, in general, the Commission
on Higher Education (CHED) provided some Both open universities started with
guidelines which shaped the planning offering degree programs in the DE mode
and development of DE in the country. In which were adopted or “translations” of
2005, this government agency issued the the residential programs. Because of
Memorandum Order 27 (https://ched.gov. this, the system and requirements for
ph/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/CMO- admission were also adopted from the
No.27-s2005.pdf) which provided specific residential offering and only the mode of
policies and guidelines on DE which included instructional delivery, that is DE, was the
the definition of DE and which institutions difference. Hence, despite the “open”
are qualified to offer academic programs nomenclature attached to the name of
in this mode of instruction. To strengthen the institution, such was not concretized

University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU)