Concluding statement

The policy environment for distance education in the Philippines has improved substantially over the last decade. Prior to the creation of the Technical Committee of Reviewers for the Delivery System for Open Learning and Distance Education by the Commission of Higher Education, there was a serious problem of lack of guidelines for those wanting to go into distance education. In fact, many institutions just started offering courses in the distance mode on their own and with little help from government. Even the UP Open University began its distance education courses without benefit of clear policies and guidelines from the government.

The work of the Technical Committee of Reviewers, which was comprised of academics who have had a wide range of teaching experiences and formal training in instructional design and module writing for independent learners, was a landmark policy formulation undertaking in the area of distance education in the Philippines. The Technical Committee of Reviewers, which was elevated to a Technical Panel for Distance Education under the Commission on Higher Education in 2006, continues to do significant work to ensure quality standards for distance education in the Philippines.

With the Commission on Higher Education Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 27 governing the practice of quality distance education in the Philippines, there exists a policy environment that provides for sufficient guidelines for any higher education institution wanting to venture into the offering of courses and academic programs through distance education in the country.