AN OFFICIAL of the University of the Philippines Open University participated in the 2023 Asian Association for Open Universities Staff Exchange Fellowship Program.

Lexter Mangubat attended the program as a visiting scholar from May 21 to June 2023 at the Korea National Open University.

Mangubat is the deputy director and Information Systems Researcher of Educational Media Production, Center for Open and Digital Teaching and Learning.

The program aimed to provide a platform for capacity building and establishment of sustainable partnerships and fostering knowledge exchange and promotion of mutual understanding among staff of the open universities in Asia.

While in Korea, Mangubat presented his paper “The Impact of COVID-19 on Multimedia Production Processes in Open Universities: A Comparative Study of Korean National Open University and University of the Philippines Open University.”

The paper explores the effects of the Covid19 pandemic on multimedia production processes in open universities, focusing on the experiences of KNOU and UPOU.

“The study uncovers a multitude of innovative strategies implemented by both universities to address the situation and maintain their functionality. These strategies encompass a diverse range of approaches such as Do-It-Yourself production, capacity-building programs, webinars, live streaming, video-on-demand, online repositories, and effective task distribution and collaboration,” UPOU said.

“These noteworthy findings can serve as a valuable reference for educational institutions globally, offering guidance on how to sustain the continuity and enhance the quality of multimedia production when confronted with similar challenges in the future,” it added.

UPOU’s participation in the AAOU Exchange Fellowship is part of its initiative to boost the capacity of its faculty and staff members.