Flagship Program: PLAZA

Research Conversations featured UPOU’s Flagship Program: PLAZA with Dr. Joane Serrano as the keynote speaker last December 01.

To contextualize the program, Dr. Serrano discussed the roots of plaza as an intentionally-built, multipurpose, open space that is accessible to the public as a center for interaction. From the Greeks’ agora and the Romans’ forum, plaza have been understood as a public place for gathering; athletic, artistic, and spiritual pursuits; and processions, elections, and gladiatorial matches. In the Philippines, plazas are likewise centers for public activities such as sports, local trade and the like.

In this regard, Flagship Program: PLAZA is a venue for interaction between and among UPOU stakeholders (faculty, staff, and communities). It places UPOU in position as one of the leaders in promoting critical digital literacy nationwide. UNESCO promotes Media and Information Literacy (MIL) which emphasizes a critical approach to literacy which is recognizing that people do not only learn in the classroom but also outside of the classroom through information, media, and technological platforms. It enables people to question critically what they have read, heard, and learned.

The primary objective of PLAZA is to provide digital opportunities to the community and venues for discussion of relevant issues in the community/society. Some of the strategies discussed were: 1) Establish information hubs which are contact points where the general public, students, and alumni can get in touch with UPOU, 2) Set up training programs at learning hubs where the priority is the marginalized sectors, students, and the general public, 3) Improve digital library systems and services in collaboration with the library and academicians to be able to develop programs in line with PLAZA, improve library collection, and improve research support, 4) Establish partnerships with other institutions such as LGUs, NGOs, telecomms, DOST, and the like.

Dr. Joane also presented recommendations for the design and management of a public space which focuses on 4 major points: uses and activities, comfort and image, access and linkages, and sociability. A public space must create a focal point where stakeholders gather to develop strategies for community-oriented programs. It must have practical amenities, increased security, upgraded maintenance, and established community-policing program. The space must also be accessible and accommodating of vehicles that the participants will bring.

She also enumerated the existing research-public service initiatives that are anchored on the concepts of digital literacy, open spaces, and leadership.

●           NCODeL

●           UPOU virtual space

●           Open Lib

●           ISMTP

●           Y4IRT

●           Cascading Best Practices Program

●           Infoteach

●           LBSCFI

●           Knowledge sharing thorugh LTIO/Field Visit

●           EDUKussion

Research ideas and/or researchable areas, suggestions, and sharing from the session’s group are as follows:

●   Dealing with public through presentation in national and international conferences

●   Use of social media platform to encourage research among staff

●   Linkedin-type interaction among UPOU staff

●   Use the Faculty portal to engage in research conversations about OERs and to foster the open culture

●   Orientation to high school and college students on OERs; collaborate with other libraries all over the Philippines; take advantage of the network of Chancellor

●   Participants of the NCODeL – can be part of Plaza

●   Learning center vs learning hub

●   Earth ambassadors (we conducted a research forum grades 5-6, they were asked to present their research and oriented them with the blended learning mode)

●   Public initiatives through lecture series and international symposium; use social media to encourage more participation in the upcoming ASEANALE; use of Google drive

●   Researchgate-type for internal purposes so UPOU community can have access to these; microsite where students can share their artworks, poems, etc

●   Research Conversations as venue to practice presentation

●   To increase engagement, existing sites (faculty, networks) link all these to main platform and share these to the public; sites have chat functions, so people can engage with us through that functionality

●   Engagement by partnering with SUCs; go to SUCs in other areas, orientation about use and functions of the platform (helping people around us to become digitally literate; and others to experience to be connected digitally through webstreaming) e.g. MPM experience

●   Engagement – UPOU blog (platform not just to promote flagship programs but venue for students); not too formal but more interactive approach

●   FMDS blog – tips for students for taking comprehensive exam, etc

●   FMDS Facebook page for each programs, DR&DM – Facebook group for alumni where they engage with graduate students

●   Diverse groups of people can talk about anything (organic market every last Friday of the month); good venue to promote the university; talk about the environment etc); come up with digital materials

●   Study on the psychological interaction of those who go organic market; what motivates them to attend; identify behavior of people who interact with other people

●   Lunch and Learn

●   Digital materials played in TV

●   Culture of participating in Research Conversations

●   Invite teachers in the learning center where they can attend the Edukkasyon

●   Venue for people to comments (i.e. chat functionality)

UPOU Connected

by Ma. Rosette San Buenaventura

Research Conversations featured the UPOU Connected Flagship Program last 8 September 2017 with Assistant Professor Al-Francis D. Librero as the resource person. 

Asst. Prof. Librero started off the talk with an overview of the program’s main goals, which are: 1) to engage in public discussion of critical social issues, 2) ro participate in social mobilization, and 3) ro disseminate research results and knowledge products. Accordingly, the program is a repacking and continuation of the initial efforts of the Multimedia Center, OASIS, ICTDO, and Faculty Offices on public discussion, social mobilization, and knowledge dissemination.  Its performance indicators are the availability of 1) multiple platforms for discussion of issues and knowledge dissemination and 2) network/s of community media and information service providers. 

Asst. Prof. Librero then discussed each of the program’s components and the ongoing efforts for each of these components. Accordingly, For the UPOU Networks website, the ongoing activities are: 1) organizing the materials in UPOU Networks, 2) providing links from UPOU website to all other Web-based assets of the university, 3) creating a mobile app to access UPOU Networks, 4) establishing a content management system, and 5) consolidating microsites. For the establishment of a low-powered FM Station, the target audience has been identified as those who are elderly and those who lack access to other sources of knowledge. It was also noted that there still is much to be done in the development of materials for the FM station and matters concerning the management of the station. Meanwhile, for the use of social media platforms, it was emphasized that there is a need for critical discourse on social issues and dissemination of research and knowledge products. To this day, UPOU has accounts on Facebook (UPOpenUniversity), Twitter (upopenu), Instagram (UPOpenU), and Youtube (UPOU Networks). 

Existing issues on the program, as well as possible researchable areas, are as following: centralization/decentralization of content development, streamlining and consolidation of content and modes of  delivery, and evolution of design and production values.

watch the recording of the conversation at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6fEsbrZobw&index=18&list=PLiqeNUxu5x2HMuySXKnMcHzgTBeIovfH7

Gender in Research: Framework and Methodologies

by Ma. Rosette San Buenaventura

Dr. Odine Maria M. de Guzman, director of the UP Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, talked about Gender-Sensitivity Research at Research Conversations last 25th of August 2017. The event was organized by UPOU’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs in partnership with the Office of Gender Concerns. It was a two-part talk that discussed concepts on gender and gender research. 

The speaker started the talk with determining what the researcher’s disposition should be when doing gender research. The researcher must be open-minded, adaptable, flexible, and most of all, gender-sensitive. Dr. Odine proceeded to define gender as “socially-ascribed and socially-learned sense of what and who we are” and that it is different from sex which is understood to be biologically determined. She also differentiated gender roles from sex roles such that the former are tasks, functions, or characteristics that a society or culture defines as female or male, while the latter are biological or occupational function for which a necessary qualification is to belong to one particular sex category. 

Dr. Odine also defined and discussed gender issues. These issues arise when there is notable gender inequality  in real world situations such as gender relations and roles, gender division of labor, organizational structures, programs and services, and laws and government directives. Sexism and discrimination were mentioned as examples of this. Gender stereotypes were defined as a widely accepted overly simplified judgment or bias about a person or group. These gender issues impact individuals in such a way that “gender roles, expectations, and perceptions categorize and limit women and men into situations that constrain their capacity to do and capacity to be, hindering their potential to attain a full and satisfying life”.

Dr. Odine went on to tackle gender-sensitive research. A common misconception about gender research is that it is solely about women or gender relationships. Also, contrary to traditional research, it does not operate on assumptions of homogeneity. It takes into account gender as a significant variable in the research context and in the whole research process. It recognizes that the sexes have different roles and impact to society, power and power relations among the sexes and genders, and the differences in genders and gives equal value to each. 

Engendering research, as Dr. Odine put it, presents new perspectives, raises new questions, and uses new analytical tools to create a better understanding of a situation. Moreover, it can improve relevance, coverage, and quality of research. Engendering research also contributes to empowering groups through the use of more participatory methodologies, presenting and valuing the experiences of marginalized groups, and better policy formation. Dr. Odine reiterated that an actual research must mainstream gender throughout the research process from identifying the problem down to the dissemination of the research results. She gave important points to consider when doing gender research such as acknowledge own bias, use a conceptual framework that could reflect the experiences of sexes and genders, formulate a gender sensitive research question, among others.

watch the recording of the conversation at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBA7wayHJoI&list=PLiqeNUxu5x2HMuySXKnMcHzgTBeIovfH7&index=20 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UlqMJwSr8w&list=PLiqeNUxu5x2HMuySXKnMcHzgTBeIovfH7&index=19

InnovaTE

by Ma. Rosette San Buenaventura

Research Conversations' featured speaker for the InnovaTE Flagship Program is Dr. Sheila R Bonito. 

InnovaTE promotes the adoption and/or adaption of innovative technology-supported teaching methodologies in support of effective learning. Its performance indicators were enumerated as such: (1) innovative technology-supported teaching methodologies; (2) enhanced capacity in effective online teaching among the faculty; and (3) reduced attrition and improved graduation rates among students. Its initial components consist of: (1) online teaching toolkit available in the Faculty Portal website; (2) faculty seminar-workshop/webinar series; (3) online teaching skills certification program; and (4) FIC and Tutor Congress.

Dr. Sheila expounded on the Faculty Portal website, noting that it is still under development but is already up and running. The website is designed to house modules for FICs and Open Educational Resources (OERs) as an effort to collate, organize, and present available content. However, at the moment, only modules for course authors are available and can already be retrieved at faculty.icodel.org. Webinars and workshops on open educational practices, OER in Education, extent of use of OER in UPOU, and OER in Health have been conducted with many more to come. Dr. Sheila provided websites such as roer4d.org and oerhub.com as sample resources on OERs and open education studies, data sets, etc.  

By the end of the conversation, a call for continued research on open education and OERs and for other research topic suggestions was raised. The audience also voiced out their concerns on how resources such as student theses repository and data sets can be made accessible for everyone. It comes as existing policies like the Data Privacy Act limits practitioners to make their work available for all. 

watch the recording of the conversation at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLiqeNUxu5x2HMuySXKnMcHzgTBeIovfH7&v=m-9YeRwBZEM

TAYO

by Ma. Rosette B. San Buenaventura

Professor Rita Ramos (FMDS) was the keynote speaker for the Research Conversation on the Flagship Program: TAYO (Team Approach and Youthful Outlook for UPOU), UPOU’s health and wellness program that aims to provide and/or establish healthy work spaces for a healthier work force.

She started the talk with sharing an integral part of the TAYO program, UPOU’s existing (volleyball, basketball, pilates, dance, photography) and upcoming clubs. These clubs help with fitness, relaxation, and socialization – conditions theoretically ideal for increased work productivity. She also gave a preview of ergonomics and how inviting an expert can be beneficial to the university’s offices.

At the moment, Flagship Program: TAYO’s structure is fluid and flexible for the purposes of recreation and relaxation; however, the health and wellness committee aims for the program to be more empirical and theory-driven as it progresses. Although still open for further suggestions and comments, Prof. Rita discussed possible variables to consider in determining the effectivity of the program such as measuring work productivity, fitness level, and vital signs. In an effort to address the lack of empirical data, the committee conducted an assessment survey of the health and wellness program. With 25 respondents for the initial survey, she hoped that more will participate in both the club activities and assessment survey.

Prof. Rita also lightly grazed on existing studies in health and wellness such as Ammendoila et al’s (2016) inquiry on using the intervention mapping framework for designing a health and wellness program in the workplace, Macdonald and Westover’s (2011) study on decreasing employee obesity and increasing overall health, and Losina et al’s (2017) paper on the relation of physical activity and decreased work absenteeism.

To cap the talk, Prof. Rita raised points to consider in the continuation of the health and wellness program:

• Should the program continue as unstructured/flexible or should it be structured?
• Should the program remain voluntary or should it be obligatory?

watch the recording of the conversation at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLkkhfrA_UA&feature=youtu.be&list=PLiqeNUxu5x2HMuySXKnMcHzgTBeIovfH7

Mission RA 10650

by Jamsie Joy E. Perez

Dean Primo G. Garcia led the research conversation with the topic on Mission R.A 10650 last 16 June at the Sandbox, CCDL, UPOU. 

The session started with a brief introduction on the role of the UP Open University in fulfilling its mandate as the premiere open university in the field of distance and e-learning in the country through the Republic Act 10650 or also known as Open and Distance Learning Law such as providing technical assistance in curricula development for open and distance learning (ODL) program, share innovative ideas and research for other ODL institutions. Moreover, UPOU’s share in the achievement of the act includes the following: development of information and communication technologies for ODL, provide and design quality learning materials for ODL institutions in the Philippines, and capacitate teachers and practitioners in ODL. This year, UPOU is striving to fill in the roles as mandated in the ODL act which led to the conceptualization of the Mission R.A. 10650 together with other flagship programs of the university.

The Research Conversation provided a venue to discuss and share researchable areas on Mission RA 10650 and with that, collaboration among UPOU faculty members and staff surfaced. Some of the researchable areas shared by Dean Garcia were grouped into four, namely, capacity building, technical assistance, instructional models, and innovative research in ODL which all fit into the role the UPOU is taking in the implementation of the ODL act.

The researchable areas shared by Dean Garcia were as follows:

• Capacity building
• Training needs assessment
• Training course evaluation

Technical Assistance

• Quality Assurance (QA) framework
• ICT infrastructure policy
• Accreditation policy

Instructional models

• ODeL-based curriculum research
• Learning materials development and evaluation
• Innovative technology for ODeL

Innovative research in ODL

• Issues and concerns of institutions on DE
• Combining traditional and new media in ODL

CARe-UPOU

by Mary Aizel C. Dolom

Dr. Ricardo T. Bagarinao, Dean of the UP Open University Faculty of Education, conducted a talk on the CARe-UPOU flagship program of the University on 3 March 2017. The guiding principles and possible researchable areas under CARe-UPOU were the main topics of the conversation.

CARe-UPOU, which stands for “Climate Adaptive and Resilient UPOU”, is considered as a critical program for the University mainly because of the fact that UPOU’s operations are hugely dependent on online systems. With the Internet being vulnerable to climate-related events and other natural disasters, it is imperative for the University to ensure Internet resilience to maintain its integrity as an Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL) institution.

For the University to ensure continuity of its operations amidst disaster occurrence in any of its offices, CARe-UPOU has divided its efforts into two components: the “Green UPOU” which focuses on the University’s sustainability efforts, and the “Disaster Risk and Reduction Management” (DRRM) which focuses on the University’s climate adaptation and disaster resilience. For Green UPOU, Dr. Bagarinao said the committee was able to identify four goals for the years 2016 to 2019 to strengthen climate change mitigation efforts in the University: 1) Resource Conservation, 2) Environmental Education, 3) Ecological Waste Management, and 4) Renewable Energy Use. For DRRM, on the other hand, four areas of concern were laid out to attain climate change adaptation and resilience by the year 2019: 1) Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, 2) Disaster Preparedness, 3) Disaster Response, and 4) Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery.

The following are some of the possible researchable areas that arose from the conversation:

• baseline condition
• criteria and indicators
• modelling
• behaviour and response. 

Some of the potential studies identified were:

• UPOU Disaster Preparedness: A Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Survey
• Institutional Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Efforts among UPOU Offices
• Developing Sustainability Criteria and Indicators for an ODeL Institution
• Risk Reduction Initiatives: Balancing Costs with Benefits
• Modeling Behavioural Responses to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Initiatives

watch the recording of the conversation at: http://networks.upou.edu.ph/care-upou-concepts-and-researchable-areas/

QAlidad

by Louise S. Villanueva

Chancellor Melinda dP. Bandalaria conducted a talk on the QAlidad flagship program of the UP Open University. Faculty and staff attended the event on the guiding principles and researchable areas that cover the goals of QAlidad. The event was held at the Sandbox on 27 January 2017.

As the leading open and distance e-learning (ODeL) institution in the Philippines, it is imperative for the UP Open University to ensure and uphold quality standards in terms of instruction, research, public service, and administration. Hence, QAlidad has been deemed as the overarching flagship program that should permeate all the activities of the university. In line with this, Chancellor Bandalaria emphasized the QAlidad components which should be done and developed by the faculty and staff through scientific research. These are as follows: QA Audit, Development of the QA Framework, and the UP Open University QA System Implementation.

In order to operationalize the aforementioned QAlidad components, Chancellor Bandalaria shared the research plan which included survey research on perception of quality and review of literature that will surface the pillars of quality education in open and distance e-learning. The results of the research will be subjected to five rounds of Delphi and will serve as guides for the Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with the members of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU). The KIIs will compile the open and distance education institution practices that have an impact on quality assurance.

UP Open University as mandated in the Open and Distance Learning Act or Republic Act 10650, is tasked to lead the development and promotion of best practices in open and distance learning, hence, the results of the research on QA will be shared in different conferences and through a publication of the QA ODeL Manual which will be circulated to higher education institutions in the Philippines and the members of the AAOU.



watch the recording of the conversation at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXfZyXMezOc

Saliksik

by Louise S. Villanueva and Jamsie Joy E. Perez

Research Conversations kicked off the year 2017 with the discussion of Saliksik, one of the flagship programs of UP Open University. Dr. Melinda F. Lumanta, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, served as the lead discussant of the conversation. She detailed how the Saliksik team plans to improve the University’s research productivity and impact as well as provide significant contribution to research and innovation in priority social development fields by the year 2019.

Saliksik has laid out four strategic goals which all aim to provide support to faculty members and researchers in producing quality research. These are the: ODeL State of the Art Project, Research Publication Project, Research Preparation Support Project, and Analytical Tools Support Project.

The first project, ODeL State of the Art Project, aims to use the weekly Research Conversations as venue to produce state of the art papers through a system of identifying research interest groups with lead researchers to prepare a research-based paper on aspects of ODeL. For the Research Publication Project, the objective is identify and list the high-impact journals and conferences where faculty and staff can submit their research papers. In addition to this, the process from application of grants to disseminating results would be more streamlined and awards are planned to be given to those who publish in journals that are indexed by Scopus, WoS, and the like. For the Research Preparation Support Project, OVCAA will be holding writeshops for authors of ongoing research to provide needed assistance in having their papers published in reputable journals. Lastly, for the Analytical Tools Support Project, the aim is to further equip UPOU’s faculty and staff in their research efforts by providing useful research software such as SPSS, EndNote, Plagiarism Checker, GIS, UCINET, and Envivo. Statistical clinics will also be established and learning materials for statistical analyses will be created.