Copyright

Patricia Arinto, Primo Garcia, Ana Katrina Marcial

Published On

2023-10-25

Page Range

pp. 555–574

Language

  • English

Print Length

20 pages

24. Cultivating sustainable blended and open learning ecosystems

Chapter of: Higher Education for Good: Teaching and Learning Futures(pp. 555–574)
Blended, online, and open learning (BOL) has been heralded as the future of higher education. Achieving quality higher education for all through BOL requires a robust, resilient BOL ecosystem comprising institutions interacting at different levels as a community of providers in an environment with the resources and support mechanisms necessary for growth. This chapter explores the idea of a BOL ecosystem in the Philippines, and describes a program called Sustainable Institution Building for Open Learning (SIBOL, the Filipino word for “to sprout” or “to grow”) that aims to foster effective BOL practice within institutions and across the BOL ecosystem. While the chapter focuses on the Philippines, the challenges of systemic change in a postdigital world pertain to higher education systems everywhere. An ecosystems perspective is a catalyst for thinking about how a healthy BOL ecosystem might be fostered amidst the complexities of digital education in varied and unequal contexts.

Contributors

Patricia Arinto

(author)
Dean at University of the Philippines Tacloban College
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4452-9283

Patricia Arinto is a former dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of the Philippines (UP) Open University, and currently dean of UP Tacloban College (Philippines). Her research interests include teacher professional development in blended and online learning, learning design, and open educational practices. She has a doctorate in education from the Institute of Education at the University of London; a postgraduate certificate in Technology-Based Distributed Learning from the University of British Columbia; an MA in Comparative Literature from UP Diliman; and a BA in Communication Arts from UP Visayas Tacloban College.

Primo G. Garcia

(author)
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Professor of Research and Development Management at University of the Philippines Open University
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8693-3746

Primo G. Garcia is the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and a professor of Research and Development Management at the University of the Philippines Open University. He holds a PhD in Organization Studies from the University of Melbourne. His research interests include organisation and management, e-learning, and management of distance education.

Ana Katrina Marcial

(author)
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education at University of the Philippines Open University
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6744-3023

Ana Katrina Marcial is an assistant professor teaching in the undergraduate and graduate programs at the Faculty of Education, University of the Philippines Open University. She is currently the chair of the graduate certificate and MA in Distance Education programs at UPOU. She also served as chair of the graduate diploma and MA in Language and Literacy Education programs and head of the Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services. Her current interests relate to language teaching, learning design, and continuing professional development for teachers.