UPOU to offer online courses and webinars to train teachers for online teaching
By Ellalyn de Vera-Ruiz
The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) continues to offer a special set of online courses and webinars that will help train teachers in online teaching.
In fulfillment of the Republic Act (RA) 10650 or the Open and Distance Learning Act of 2014, which mandates UPOU to assist national agencies and educational institutions in developing distance education programs, the online courses and webinars will be offered to the public for free. It aims to capacitate teachers, administrators, and support staff in using open and distance learning (ODeL) as an alternative to the customary classroom-based education.
While it has been fulfilling RA 10650 since its enactment in 2014, UPOU sees the need to level up given the current circumstances. The current crisis, which limited the educational institutions' capability to hold physical classes, has led the country to realize the potentials of incorporating online learning and distance education as part of its education system.
The UPOU pointed out that online learning and remote teaching will likely become part of the "new normal" even when the lockdown is lifted, not just in higher education but including basic education as well.
Its free open and online courses for online teaching include Google classroom and course materials conversion to online teaching, designing learning in online teaching, virtual classrooms, open educational resources for online teaching, assessment in online teaching, learner support in online teaching, and quality assurance in online teaching.
The courses are available at model.upou.edu.ph. The other free online courses on various areas are also available on this platform. The UPOU said completers of the courses will receive a digital certificate. It also noted that all educational institutions who are resorting to e-learning may avail of UPOU's massive open online courses for free.