UP Open University offers online courses for free for 2025

Photo courtesy of UP Open University

MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) will offer free online courses from January to December 2025.

“We are bringing you 44 FREE MOOCs [Massive Open Online Courses] covering a wide range of topics to spark your curiosity and fuel your growth,” UPOU said in a Facebook post.

The UPOU added that all MOOCs are free, self-paced, and open, where electronic certificates can be earned to be added to resumes as a “16-hour training.”

READ: UP is top Philippine university in Asia, says QS rankings 2025

Here are the courses that will be available from January to December:

January

• Basics of Resilience
• Hazard and Risk Assessment Fundamentals
• Overview of Policies and Strategies for Climate and Disaster Resilience

February

• Social Entrepreneurship
• Principles of Graphic Design
• Creativity and Innovation

March

• Introduction to Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL)
• Strategic Planning in Open Distance eLearning (ODeL)
• Understanding the Child Better
• Resilience Strategies Across the Four Pillars
• Introduction to Biodiversity Mainstreaming and Approaches in the ASEAN Region
• Strategies and Best Practices on Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Agriculture
• Policy Development and Governance Supporting Agrobiodiversity
• AI Essentials: Theory and Practice

April

• Maging Mapanuring Botante at Mamamayan
• Introduction to Technology for Teaching and Learning
• Introductory Course on Contact Center Services
• Quality Assurance in Open Distance eLearning (ODeL)
• Learner Support in Open Distance eLearning (ODeL)
• Legal Instruments for the Protection of Children
• Scriptwriting for Educational Video Materials
• Project Management

May

• Technology in Open Distance eLearning (ODeL)
• Teaching and Learning with Modern ICTs
• Business Analytics Concepts and Frameworks
• Online Mother’s Class on Newborn and Infant Care

June

• Gender Sensitivity Training
• Blended Teaching and Learning Using Open Educational Resources (OERs)
• Institutional Mechanism Towards Child Rights Protection and Promotion
• Creating Educational Materials Using PowToon
• Identifying Red Flags
• AI in Education: Teaching and Learning Strategies

July

• Introduction to Open Distance eLearning (ODeL)
• Strategic Planning to Open Distance eLearning (ODeL)
• Introduction to Technology for Teaching and Learning
• Fundamentals of Marketing
• E-Commerce Essentials: A beginner’s Guide to Online Business
• Introduction to Permaculture: The Ethics of Permaculture Design and Principles

August

• Teaching and Learning with Modern ICTs
• Planning Programs on Child Rights Protection and Promotion
• Developing and Producing an Interactive Educational Video Material
• Quality Assurance in Open Distance eLearning (ODeL)
• Learner Support in Open Distance eLearning (ODeL)

September

• Technology in Open Distance eLearning (ODeL)
• Blended Teaching and Learning Using Open Educational Resources (OERs)
• Implementing and Evaluating Programs for Child Rights

October

• Video Editing Using an Open-Source Video Editing Software
• Business Concepts, Ideation, and the Business Plan
• What Makes an Entrepreneur?

November

• Understanding the Language of Business: Accounting Overview and Basic Financial Statements
• Basic Leadership and Management Competencies in the Workplace

December

• Rights of Nature

Further, UPOU released the steps to access the free courses:
If there is an existing MODeL account, self-enroll in the courses featured on UPOU’s website homepage: https://model.upou.edu.ph/

If there is no MODeL account yet:

1. Fill out the registration form: https://url.upou.edu.ph/upoumodel-signup
   UPOU noted that accounts are created in bulk every Thursday, with a weekly cut-off at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and requests after the cut-off will be processed in the next week.
2. Once login details are received, sign in to your account.
3. Change your password to something secure.

READ: 2025 national budget ‘unlawful’ – Teachers’ Dignity Coalition

The university added that “Openg” or its chatbot can provide assistance through model.upou.edu.ph