The Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) Research and Publication Committee (RPC) held its first online Research Forum live-streamed via the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Networks on 22 October 2020, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. 

The Research Forum featured selected studies of students from the different programs of UPOU FMDS. The studies cover a wide range of topics from student mobility in the ASEAN region, nursing work environment, public green spaces, health promotion, and status of research in higher education institutions (HEIs). 

UP Mindanao hosted the online forum and consultation on “Bridging the Health Care Gaps In Mindanao” on 14 October 2020 for some 96 or more public health personnel, guests, and university constituents who attended through teleconferencing and social media platforms. The forum consultation is part of the plan to establish a UP Mindanao College of Medicine.

In celebration of the 31st National Statistics Month, UP Cebu’s Mathematics Program of the College of Science has organized a series of Webinars on Statistics to be held on 15, 16, 19, and 27 October 2020.

The webinar series will have resource speakers from UP Diliman’s School of Statistics, and chief officers from the Community Based Monitoring System Office.

The University of the Philippines serves as the country’s premier community of scholars, experts, academics and researchers, and a rich reservoir of knowledge, information, cutting-edge research, innovations and technologies. In accordance with its mandate as the country’s national university, tasked with taking the lead in the country’s national development as a teaching, graduate, research and public service university, UP makes it a point to open up its repository of knowledge and expertise to all sectors and members of the general public, and make its resources available to all who seek to learn, to do research and to sincerely serve the country and its people.

All UP constituents, students, faculty, administrators, and staff, are dealing with the “uncertain” and “unusual” situation forced by the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching, learning, and operations.

This was acknowledged by the officials of the University of the Philippines in its online welcome ceremony for students on September 9, the day before the first semester of Academic Year 2020-2021 officially started. UP President Danilo Concepcion, Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cynthia Rose Bautista, and Student Regent John Isaac Punzalan all said the event was certainly not the welcome new and returning students expected.

As the country’s leading academic institution in open learning and distance education, the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) adheres to the philosophy of open education and has been a staunch advocate of Open Educational Resources (OERs) and open access courses.  As early as 2012, the UPOU has crafted its OER policies and has put in place strategies to promote, support, contribute and integrate OER values in its institutional processes and practices.