The Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has endorsed the 5th National Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (NCODeL 2017), set to happen on 22-23 November 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, Manila, Philippines.

The CHED endorsement encourages all officials, employees and students from all higher education institutions in the country for voluntary participation. Officials and employees of state and local colleges and universities are advised to obtain permission from the head of the institution and use government funds properly.

Organized by the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) in collaboration with the UPOU Foundation, Inc. (UPOUFI), and the Philippine Society for Distance Learning (PSDL), NCODeL  provides a venue for administrators, teachers scholars, practitioners and policymakers to learn from each other as they explore spaces and possibilities for ODeL for development.

As part of UPOU’s implementation of RA 10650 or the Open and Distance Learning Act (ODL Act), the NCODeL 2017 aims to introduce participants to the concepts, principles, and methodologies of and recent trends in open learning. With the theme “Philippine Higher Education in the Age of Openness,” NCODeL 2017 hopes to build upon the outcomes of the conference held in 2015.

Submission of abstracts for the conference is open until 15 August 2017. More details about NCODeL 2017 may be found at the conference website, and inquiries may be addressed to ncodelsecretariat@upou.edu.ph.