Congratulations to the organizers and participants of the 1st International Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning.

The conference is an opportune occasion for all of us to critically reflect on our practices as educators in today's digital age. Recent advances in information and communication technologies are enabling individuals, communities, and institutions to connect and to share information with one another in heretofore unimaginable ways. These connections have given rise to what we now call the 'network society'. This, coupled with the globalization of markets, has radically altered the world of work. Today's graduates are expected to change careers several times in their work life, and they must have the capacity to learn how to learn in order to maintain the required levels of competence in their chosen careers.

We in the education sector should therefore be able to equip our students with the lifelong learning skills that they need to thrive in the digital age. We should be able to create learning environments that foster flexible and authentic learning, which is essential if our students are to succeed in this rapidly changing world.

The 1st International Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning is an important opportunity for you to exchange ideas and compare notes on how to achieve these educational goals through technology-mediated teaching and learning. I wish all of you an intellectually enriching and socially engaging conference.

ALFREDO E. PASCUAL
President
University of the Philippines System

UP

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 1st International Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning (ICODeL) organized by the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), the UPOU Foundation, Inc. and the Philippine Society for Distance Learning, Inc. (PSDL). We hope you will find this conference a venue for networking with scholars, practitioners and advocates in open and distance e-learning (ODeL) in this digital age of connectivity, interactivity and ubiquity.

Attracting participants from more than 30 academic institutions and e-learning organizations in more than a dozen countries, this conference hopes to speak in multiple voices and analyze using multiple lenses, experiences and best practices in creating and exploring spaces and possibilities for ODeL. It aims to focus attention on the convergence of philosophies, pedagogies and technologies in ODeL, the opportunities opened up by this convergence, as well as challenges and futures arising from the practice of ODeL in various contexts, including among others, education, public service and development.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners and cooperating agencies for helping us make this first ICODeL a reality. I also wish to acknowledge our esteemed speakers from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and all of the paper presenters and conference participants, for contributing to the intellectual discourse on ODeL and sharing international and local perspectives on ODeL in this borderless world.

Thank you and we hope you find this conference meaningful and relevant.

GRACE JAVIER ALFONSO, PhD
Chancellor
UP Open University

UP

The UPOU Foundation, Inc. (UPOUFI) is pleased to co-organize the 1st International Conference in Open and Distance eLearning (ICODeL) with the UP Open University and the Philippine Society for Distance Learning.

As the support arm of the UPOU, the UPOUFI is mandated to conduct programs that promote and propagate the values of open and distance e-learning in the country and around the world. We see ICODeL as an important venue not only to discuss the latest trends in online education but also as an opportunity to share the benefits of open and distance e-learning with the larger community.

As an organization, the Foundation recognizes the value of e-learning in enhancing the competencies of the workforce. The UPOUFI has been involved in equipping professionals through the various online learning projects it has either conducted or administered in the past. The flexibility, accessibility, and ubiquity of e-learning make it an indispensable tool for workplace learning. We believe that open and distance e-learning is key to developing the competencies of our workforce and therefore a vital component in attaining a more globally competitive Philippines.

To the speakers and participants, welcome to ICODeL 2012. Welcome to Manila, Philippines. Mabuhay!

Liza C. Carascal
Executive Director
UPOU Foundation, Inc.

UP

Let me express my warmest welcome to the local and foreign delegates to the 1st International Conference on Open and Distance e-Learning dubbed as ICODeL 2012.

The Philippine Society for Distance Learning (PSDL) is honored to be part of this major gathering of academics, researchers, administrators, policy makers, and students in open and distance education not only in the country but across the globe as well.

Open and distance education is still a relatively new concept in the country. Unlike in our neighboring countries, distance learning has not had much time to take root in our mainstream educational sector. However, more colleges and universities are beginning to either deliver their programs partly through the distance mode or incorporate e-learning approaches into their face-to-face classes. Indeed, traditional institutions of learning can also benefit from the affordances provided by e-learning, particularly its capacity to develop the students' independence, critical and creative thinking skills, and flexibility.

This conference is very significant to us because it opens up possibilities and creates more spaces for new perspectives, methodologies, and technologies in open and distance e-learning. Recent advancements in online technologies have made all these teaching and learning innovations all the more possible. We in the education sector should take up the challenge of preparing the 21st learner for the exciting possibilities in our constantly evolving knowledge society. We hope that the academic discourse that will take place in the conference will lead to more innovations in our respective institutions.

The Philippine Society for Distance Learning (PSDL) is one with the UP Open University and the UPOU Foundation, Inc. in promoting professionalism in the practice of distance learning in the Philippines. Through this conference, we aim to nurture the spirit of community and encourage academic discourse among distance educators.

Thank you and may we have more opportunities for knowledge exchange in the near future.

Zenaida T. Domingo, PhD
Vice President
Philippine Society for Distance Learning

UP