Open Universities

Almost there. Almost done. Soon, I hope, I will get that long-awaited degree. Soon, everything will pay off.

Learning is fun but doing it from afar is not easy. It’s more demanding than the mainstream. No holidays. No absences. No sick leaves. No excuses for lost projects. The resources are infinite and teeming. Homeworks are twice difficult and thrice the quantity. Study time is unlimited and the virtual classroom is as far as the North and South Poles. But how much more getting a graduate degree through distance learning? Make that demanding to the ⁿth power (dⁿ).

Moodle. Search engines. Open-access journals. Freewares. Research. These are what you will often encounter in distance learning. Thanks to social media, it makes learning a lot easier and interactive. Not to forget the online support group you get from schoolmates that substitute as the school bulletin, corridor, cafeteria, multi-purpose hall, clinic, counseling room, audio-visual room, library, gym and even a registrar’s office. Procrastination is a common disease but perseverance and optimism always give a lift.

Learning provides opportunity for self-improvement. It enriches knowledge and gives an indescribable self-worth. It extends acquaintance and creates camaraderie. Learning is beyond the horizon. Now that the House of Representatives ratified the Open Learning and Distance Education Act of 2011, the more Filipinos should take advantage of using the online media to learn. The said House Bill basically gives accreditation to distance education provided by higher education institutions for post-secondary and tertiary levels.

For the convenience of those wanting to pursue further or continue their studies or just simply curious, I have listed some of the universities who are now offering distance education degree programs. Visit their sites and ponder.

1. University of the Philippines Open University – www.upou.edu.ph
2. Polytechnic University of the Philippines Open University System – www.pup.edu.ph/OUS
3. Mindanao State University Wisdom International – www.msuwint-online.com
4. New Era University Vantage Education Management Online University – www.vem.edu.ph
5. West Visayas State University – www.wvsu.edu.ph
6. Cebu Technological University – http://ctu-online.edu.ph/
7. Central Luzon State University Open University – http://www.openuni-clsu.edu.ph
8. Philippine Women University - http://www.pwuonline.com/

Now, let me go back to my literature review. I just took a five-minute break. 

Why?

I owe myself a breather, so I will blog. I owe myself an indulgence, so I will blog. I owe myself a commitment, so I will blog. This site should be the frame of my beliefs and opinions.  This site should discuss, contend, rationalize and settle all my perceptions and feelings about anything under the sun. It should be short and snappy. It should be extensive and worthy. It should be revealing and witty. So, all that I will get from lurking, gawking and eavesdropping will be here in black and white. This is the journal, the pulpit, the soapbox of my thoughts...