My Classroom's Online

In this Firefox tab is Multiply's blog interface, while in another tab is my classroom. There are around sixty of us taking a common subject - Introductory Economics (Econ 11) - the class being composed of a variety of individuals ranging from the fresh high school graduate, to a paramedic somewhere in Cebu City, to the IT Systems Administrator somewhere abroad. Our professor is literally chillin in the City of Pines that is Baguio.

On the showbiz and celebrity side, some of our schoolmates are actually kapamilyas (ABS-CBN Television Talents) or kapusos (GMA Talents). We were informed that Senator Loren Legarda is also part of the UPOU, taking a degree in Environmental Studies.

We are all part of the University of the Philippines Open University, or UPOU.

The UPOU has been called "Open" because the often-heard UP saying that "learning is not confined in the four walls of a classroom" is literally implemented in this Constituent University of UP. It is truly self-directed study, which is kept in check quality-wise by the structured system of UP. While we are almost 90% of the time not together in a classroom, we are still required to meet ijn online study sessions at least four times for the semester, and in learning centers near us for our proctored/supervised examinations.

I for my part am rather motivated in browsing through the written modules for Introductory Economics. The last time I was taught this subject was in High School, where we never went beyond the Supply and Demand curves in brief in our Social Science subject. My enrollment as a non-degree student seeking nothing more but credit units in Econ 11 is also in season, what with phrases like "Economic Slowdown" or "Upcoming Recession" making their way into our newspaper's front pages.

Of course I don't expect to start talking shop when it comes to the money market, among other things. All I'm doing is trying to gain a fundamental understanding of the world of Economics in all its complexity. :-)