UPOU Commons: Experiences in Developing and Sustaining an OER Repository

Joane Serrano
University of the Philippines Open University
Los Baños, Laguna, the Philippines

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) is a staunch advocate of open educational resources (OER) and was one of its first adopters in the Philippines. As early as 2012, the UPOU developed its policy on the use of OER for developing and delivering its courses. The UPOU uses the Resource-based Course Package (RBCP) approach to harness the affordances of online resources for content delivery and to enhance the levels of interaction between learners and teachers in this process (Alfonso, 2014). Although OER can be accessed freely, it is acknowledged by academic institutions that it requires significant investment in terms of course development as well as maintaining a culture of openness. This paper aims to share the experiences of the UPOU in developing and sustaining the UPOU Commons, the OER repository of the university. This study also tried to examine both the opportunities and challenges presented by the university’s OER repository, as well as its evolution towards open educational practices (OEP) and an open educational culture (OEC). Faculty members, staff and students were interviewed about their experiences with the UPOU Commons, and data were analyzed through thematic analysis. The results of the study showed that the UPOU Commons needs to be improved in terms of content and for promoting its utilization. Several issues became clear through this study which will serve as a basis for its further improvement.