An incubation system for online, non-formal and professional continuing education: A case of public-private partnership

Liza C Carascal
UPOUFI and the University of the Philippines Open University
Los Baños, the Philippines

Michael P Lagaya
University of the Philippines Open University
Los Baños, the Philippines

The University of the Philippines Open University Foundation, Inc. (UPOUFI) is a non-stock, non-profit organization established to support the open and distance e-learning (ODeL) initiatives of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU). Apart from providing fund management services to various externally financed projects implemented by the UPOU, the UPOUFI has also established an incubation system for the development and delivery of non-formal and continuing education courses of the University. Compared to formal degree programmes, which are approved by multiple levels of evaluation committees within the University and are targeted to a broader set of learners, non-formal courses are often developed in response to an expressed need of a specific sector, usually in emerging disciplinary areas. Given the unique context in which these courses come about, the UPOUFI has partnered with the UPOU in investing in new non-formal courses, and assessing and testing their acceptability, before they are are eventually turned over to the Faculties of Studies. Drawing on reports, the paper describes the features of this incubation system, traces the development and delivery of the non-formal courses implemented through the UPOUFI, and identifies lessons learned from these experiences as well as further outcomes of such partnerships. The paper can also contribute to our understanding of private-public partnerships in the promotion of ODeL.