FICS News (JR) - Faculty of Information and Communication Studies

UPOU to Launch Four-Year Project on Advanced Chatbot Ecosystem for Student Support
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UPOU to Launch Four-Year Project on Advanced Chatbot Ecosystem for Student Support

FICS News (JR)2025-12-17T08:47:10+00:00

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) is set to implement a major four-year research and development initiative titled “Advanced Chatbot Ecosystem for Comprehensive Student Support and Learning Experience in Higher Education.” The project aims to strengthen student and staff support services through a practical, user-centered, and sustainable AI-driven chatbot system. Led by Dr. Reinald Adrian Pugoy from the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) with Dr. Ria Mae Borromeo also from FICS, and Ms. Rhea Subong-Espina from the University of the Philippines Visayas, the research team brings together expertise in artificial intelligence, academic services, and user [...]

UPOU to Launch Four-Year Project on Advanced Chatbot Ecosystem for Student SupportFICS News (JR)2025-12-17T08:47:10+00:00

FICS Honors Graduates at Recognition and Thanksgiving 2025
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FICS Honors Graduates at Recognition and Thanksgiving 2025

FICS News (JR)2025-12-17T02:21:33+00:00

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) celebrated the achievements of its graduating students during the Recognition and Thanksgiving 2025 ceremony held on 5 December 2025 at the UPOU International Convention Center, Los Baños, Laguna. The ceremony brought together graduates, faculty members, and families to mark the end of the Class of 2025’s academic journey at UPOU. The program opened with a warm welcome from UPOU Chancellor Prof. Joane V. Serrano, who congratulated the graduates on their remarkable achievements and emphasized the vital role of the FICS in advancing UPOU’s mission [...]

FICS Honors Graduates at Recognition and Thanksgiving 2025FICS News (JR)2025-12-17T02:21:33+00:00

ISRGA22-2024 Team Discusses Culminating Research Project Plans in Baguio
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ISRGA22-2024 Team Discusses Culminating Research Project Plans in Baguio

FICS News (JR)2025-12-18T05:36:29+00:00

Professor Emeritus Dr. Alexander G. Flor (center left), together with the ISRGA22-2024 research team, closes the 4th Project Coordination Meeting in UP Baguio with a commemorative photo. UPOU-FICS, together with the seven UP constituent units (CU), discussed the research team’s remaining deliverables during its 4th Project Coordination Meeting last 20-23 November 2025 in Baguio as it approached project completion. UP ISC Research Project ISRGA22-2024 explores the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and quantum computing in higher education, especially in terms of curricula, pedagogy, delivery, and assessment. In its routine meeting, Principal Investigator Dr. Alexander G. Flor shared [...]

ISRGA22-2024 Team Discusses Culminating Research Project Plans in BaguioFICS News (JR)2025-12-18T05:36:29+00:00

UPOU MIS Student Leads Team to Global AI Recognition
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UPOU MIS Student Leads Team to Global AI Recognition

FICS News (JR)2025-11-29T05:22:13+00:00

A Master of Information Systems (MIS) student from the UP Open University (UPOU) recently led her team to international recognition at both the APRU Tech Policy Hackathon 2025 in Bangkok and the Huawei Cloud AI Summit 2025 in Hong Kong. As an MIS student applying a balance of technical skills and strategic thinking, Darmae Tan served as team leader, product ideator, and the initiator who formed the team behind CreditPass, an AI-powered credit capacity system designed to make financial assessment more inclusive. Conceived by Tan as part of her growing expertise in MIS, CreditPass uses alternative data and psychometric [...]

UPOU MIS Student Leads Team to Global AI RecognitionFICS News (JR)2025-11-29T05:22:13+00:00

UPOU to Hold 29th Commencement Exercises this December 6
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UPOU to Hold 29th Commencement Exercises this December 6

FICS News (JR)2025-11-25T07:27:26+00:00

The UP Open University (UPOU) will hold the last UP Commencement Exercises of the year on 6 December 2025. More than 700 students from across the Philippines and around the world will gather at UPOU’s headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, marking a milestone that is both personal for the graduates and historic for the university. For many in the Class of 2025—from the associate to doctoral programs—this event will be their first time stepping onto the UPOU campus. Among them are learners earning their first UP degree, as well as alumni completing their second or third, reflecting UPOU’s longstanding [...]

UPOU to Hold 29th Commencement Exercises this December 6FICS News (JR)2025-11-25T07:27:26+00:00

UPOU’s “Ka Sora” MOOC Highlights the Legacy of Melchora Aquino
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UPOU’s “Ka Sora” MOOC Highlights the Legacy of Melchora Aquino

FICS News (JR)2025-11-13T02:55:40+00:00

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) continues to offer the “Ka Sora” Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) through its Massive Open Distance eLearning (MODeL) platform. Currently underway from November 1 to December 15, 2025, the course has engaged a growing number of learners exploring the life and contributions of Melchora Aquino, widely known as the Mother of the Philippine Revolution. The “Ka Sora” MOOC, based on the graphic novel by Dr. Grace J. Alfonso, examines Melchora Aquino’s historical role and situates it within broader discussions on women’s heroism, civic participation, and the continuing relevance of these values [...]

UPOU’s “Ka Sora” MOOC Highlights the Legacy of Melchora AquinoFICS News (JR)2025-11-13T02:55:40+00:00

UPOU Highlights Microcredentialing at Regional Roundtable Discussion
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UPOU Highlights Microcredentialing at Regional Roundtable Discussion

FICS News (JR)2025-11-14T05:06:39+00:00

Dr. Melinda dela Peña Bandalaria, Professor at UPOU’s Faculty of Information and Communication Studies, served as one of the speakers at the Roundtable Discussion (RTD) on Microcredentials in Southeast Asia: Lessons for the Philippines, organized by the Southeast Asian Center for Graduate Studies and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) on 30 October 2025. The event was held at the Ortigas Center, Pasig City, and was also streamed online. In her presentation, “UPOU’s Microcredentialing Program: Reframing and Elevating Lifelong Learning Engagements,” Dr. Bandalaria outlined the key features and models of microcredential development at UPOU, along with the quality assurance indicators that [...]

UPOU Highlights Microcredentialing at Regional Roundtable DiscussionFICS News (JR)2025-11-14T05:06:39+00:00

Building a Sustainable Future: UPOU’s Commitment Highlighted at the Japanese Speakers’ Forum
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Building a Sustainable Future: UPOU’s Commitment Highlighted at the Japanese Speakers’ Forum

FICS News (JR)2025-11-14T03:10:32+00:00

The Japan Foundation Manila (JFM) and Kamenori Foundation, in partnership with the UP Open University (UPOU), held the Japanese Speakers’ Forum in the Philippines at the UPOU Headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna from 26-29 October 2025. During the opening program on Day 1, UPOU Chancellor, Dr. Joane V. Serrano, shared how UPOU has been working towards a sustainable university as one of its visions. In her presentation, she answered the question, How can an open university, one that primarily operates online and without the usual physical campus, meaningfully contribute to sustainable development? She shared how little by little, the [...]

Building a Sustainable Future: UPOU’s Commitment Highlighted at the Japanese Speakers’ ForumFICS News (JR)2025-11-14T03:10:32+00:00

FICS Faculty Members Recognized in International Academic Conferences
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FICS Faculty Members Recognized in International Academic Conferences

FICS News (JR)2025-10-27T22:31:09+00:00

Faculty members from the University of the Philippines Open University’s Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) received distinctions for their research at two international academic gatherings held in October 2025. Awards at the 38th Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) UPOU Chancellor Dr. Joane Serrano (in striped dress) proudly poses with the awardees of the Best Paper and Young Innovator Awards and selected UPOU faculty and staff on stage at the 38th Annual Conference of the Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU) in Beijing, China. From left, Mr. Renz Jemil Magsino, Mr. Adriane [...]

FICS Faculty Members Recognized in International Academic ConferencesFICS News (JR)2025-10-27T22:31:09+00:00

FICS Faculty Share Insights on Digital Pedagogy and Online Learning at the Speech Communication Conference 2025
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FICS Faculty Share Insights on Digital Pedagogy and Online Learning at the Speech Communication Conference 2025

FICS News (JR)2025-10-10T15:12:21+00:00

L-R: Asst. Prof. Lei Kristoffer Lactuan, Asst. Prof. Roda Tajon, Asst. Prof. Shaira Tanay, Asst. Prof. Luisa Gelisan, Dr. Myra Almodiel, and Dr. Benigno Agapito, Jr. Faculty members from the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) presented their research at the Speech Communication Conference 2025, held from 9-10 October 2025 at the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Auditorium, University of the Philippines Los Baños. With the theme “On Speaking Terms: Enabling Encounters, Engaging Communities,” the conference brought together scholars, practitioners, and educators to explore how communication evolves across disciplines, technologies, [...]

FICS Faculty Share Insights on Digital Pedagogy and Online Learning at the Speech Communication Conference 2025FICS News (JR)2025-10-10T15:12:21+00:00

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