Institutionalized open distance learning

Education Trends

BAGUIO CITY Rep. Nicasio Aliping Jr. is pushing approval of House Bill 4553 – an “Act expanding access to educational services by institutionalizing open distance learning in higher education.”

HB 4553 passed 3rd and final reading in the House of Representatives and is now awaiting approval of the Senate version. Distance education or distance learning is a mode of delivering education and instruction, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional setting such as a classroom.

Distance learning provides "access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, or both,” Aliping said.

Currently, there are several private schools providing open distance learning through correspondence and online courses like the International Correspondence School. Graduates from these schools include people who have no time to attend regular classes such as businessmen and sometimes even senior citizens who want to have a bachelors degree.

However, students who have no means to attend formal schools are skeptical to enrol in unpopular “non-institutionalized” open distance learning programs. Many fear the courses offered through this program will not be acceptable in the standards of today's hiring companies and corporations.

Aliping who is the Congress vice chairperson of the committee on higher and technical education said the bill seeks "institutionalization of the open distance education as mode of delivery of the open learning philosophy."

"It applies to public and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) which have existing open learning and distance education programs, and prospectively, other higher education institutions that will be authorized as qualified implementers of open learning and distance education programs," said Aliping.

Aliping added the bill "also mandates the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to assist HEIs in developing their capability to offer open learning distance education programs."

"The bill mandates the University of the Philippines to lead in the development of the open distance learning and design model curricular programs that will serve as prototype programs to be implemented by other HEIs," he said.

It encourages the broadcast media and telecommunications networks to provide as much assistance and cooperation to HEIs offering the program including the transmission of learning materials for formal and non-formal learners.

"With the passage of the bill, we will have alternative quality programs to educate our countrymen who are seeking for college education that will enable them to get better employment and gain better quality of life," said Aliping.