Needs assessment to justify the development of OER for Philippine biodiversity

Aurora V Lacaste
University of the Philippines Open University

Los Baños, the Philippines


Protection and conservation of Philippine biodiversity is influenced by communication, education and public awareness (CEPA) of individuals, communities and institutions. It is critically important that information on Philippine biodiversity is made available to school children, their teachers, families and communities for effective management of native and endemic organisms. In this digital age, open educational resources (OERs), open and distance and e-learning (ODeL) can strongly enhance CEPA on Philippine biodiversity. By creating OERs which fit local contexts and requirements, we can effectively promote conservation of endemic organisms in the Philippines, especially to grade-school students.

As an initial step towards the creation of an OER, we conducted a survey of Grade 3–5 students and their teachers to determine their prior knowledge of Philippine biodiversity and find out their views on the use of online OERs. This paper provides insights on (a) how students perceive Philippine biodiversity; (b) what teachers think should be included in an OER in terms of content and learning activities; and (c) what technology skills and classroom integration strategies are critical for the effective use of the OER.