Cyber-learning appeals to Filipino celebrities
Sharon Cuneta was one of the first celebrities to use the internet to get her higher education. She has been enrolled at the University of the Philippines Open University - UPOU (distance learning) for her AA degree (and later she hopes - a Restaurant and Hotel Management degree). And “she’s doing very well”, says the new chancellor Gigi Alfonso.
Now it looks like self-confessed ‘Sharonian’ Sarah Geronimo is taking her idol’s steps and enrolling at UPOU, after passing the gruelling entrance exam last June 1. Even Jackie Lou Blanco, Rachelle Ann Go and Aldred Gatchalian (of the Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition fame) are now also students of UPOU.
I was able to take part in developing a course for a distance education class in Johns Hopkins (Maryland) and that opened my eyes to the usefulness of this type of learning. The appeal of distance education is really that a student can enrol and participate in a class in the comforts on one’s home (or wherever there’s an internet connection). Classes and assignments are still structured because there are deadlines and course outlines to finish. But one doesn’t have to sit in a physical classroom, so there is more flexibility with schedules. Students can participate in discussions via video or phone conferencing, or sometimes at designated times in-class. So yeah, if you were enrolled in the same class as Sarah, you might still chance a meeting with her.
Not all UPOU’s distance ed is via the internet though. I recall that there are other delivery methods, which may include the traditional pen-and-paper where you mail in your assignments and exams.
[source: sarahGeronimo.com/forums]
Tags: Sharon Cuneta, Sarah Geronimo, school, University of the Philippines, open university, distance education
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POSTED IN: Education and Religion
November 18th, 2008 at 2:08 am
Through cyber-learning, it gives time and opportunities to the celebrities and other busy individuals to continue their education regardless of their busy schedules.