OEd

OEd, short for Online Education, is an online school in the Philippines built for working adults. Its home page describes it as "an online education platform offering online courses in the Philippines" that "also offers short courses, bachelor's degree programs, and continuous learning such as master's and doctorate degrees." The About section explains the institution behind it: OEd says its courses are "recognized and accredited by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)" and that "The certificate or degree you earn through OEd is official and granted by AMA University." The site footer is copyrighted to Amauonline, and the student portal sits on an amauonline.com address.

OEd addresses learners first. Its home page names "working professionals such as call center agents who want to go back to earn a college degree" and "people who want to move up in their careers by upgrading their skills and boosting their knowledge." It says it has worked in online education since 2015 and opens "its doors to anyone from the Philippines and abroad".

Short courses

The listing's page is the short course catalog. OEd defines short courses as "certificate courses offered at OEd that can be completed in a short period of time", designed at levels for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners. The catalog is grouped into five areas:

• Sales and business: Manager, Marketing Specialist, Sales Manager, Six Sigma Yellow Belt and Social Media Advertising Specialist.
• Finance and accounting: Corporate Financial Planning Analyst, Finance and Accounting, Philippine Tax System and Income Taxation, Accounting Information System, and an Accounting Review with Qualifying Exam.
• English: a 120-Hour TESOL Certification Training Program, Advance Grammar, an English Enhancement Program, Writing Articles and Writing Email.
• Computer and IT: Excel 2013 Charts In Depth, Excel 2013 Essential Training, Knowledge Work Presentation And Software Skills, Understanding Mail And Web Services, and Network Security.
• Specialized courses: training programs built with experts from various fields for students and working professionals.

How a short course works

The FAQ answers the practical questions. Enrollment is open at any time, since short courses "do not have a fixed duration" the way degree programs do. Registration happens on the OEd portal: a learner creates an account, verifies a mobile number and email address, chooses courses from the list and pays. The FAQ is explicit that "AMA OED does not require a birth certificate, transcripts of records or other requirements for enrollment"; once the payment is verified, learning starts.

Course length depends on the discipline and workload: "Some courses are good for half an hour, while our longest short course takes 120 hours to complete." After paying, the learner sees a minimum training duration in the learning management system, and the syllabus there shows how each course breaks down. Learners can take more than one short course at a time and choose which classes to study each day.

Assessment scales with length. Some short courses ask for online assignments based on the materials and lectures, others end with an online exam, and longer ones require both. On completion, "A certificate of completion will be sent to you", and learners can download and print it. Learning materials are online and included "at no extra cost", so there are no books to buy, and a helpdesk is "available to answer your inquiries at any time of the day."

The FAQ adds that short courses suit "employees, managers, working parents, and more", and that "Most of our students fall under the age range of 25 to 35 years old."

Price

The site publishes no prices for short courses or degrees. The short course page promises courses "at an affordable price" and argues that "many universities that offer online short courses in the Philippines may be way outside your budget… but not anymore", and the About section calls OEd's tuition "reasonable".

Degree programs

Short courses are one part of a much larger school. The academic programs menu lists online bachelor's degrees including BS Accountancy, BS Artificial Intelligence, BS Psychology, BS Real Estate Management, BS Information Technology, BS Computer Engineering, BS Computer Science, BS Hospitality Management, BS Tourism Management, four BSBA majors (marketing, financial, management information systems and human resource management), education degrees in English, mathematics and elementary education, and AB degrees in economics, mass communication, English language, political science and psychology.

Postgraduate study covers a Certificate in Professional Teaching, an MBA in thesis and non-thesis tracks, a Master of Science in Computer Science, a Master of Arts in Computer Education, a Master in Information Technology, a Master in Public Administration, a Doctor in Business Administration and a Doctor in Information Technology. OEd also runs online junior and senior high school, online basic education and a cross enroll program. The home page describes the Online Senior High School as "a two-year program" preparing graduates "for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship."

The home page sums up the model as "Study at your own pace", "Start anytime" and "Extend anytime", with a class schedule a learner personalizes to their own needs. Teaching comes from OEd professors alongside "industry lecturers who are scientists, entrepreneurs, and field experts", who respond to questions "through our forums". A recent blog post reports that OEd graduates have placed among the top scorers in board exams.

What students say

The home page carries testimonials from graduates across programs. Dimah Divine Carillo, AB Psychology: "The mentors are really nice, they really help the students with their concerns and yes, they offer extensions up to 3 times when you're not able to finish the subjects in a semester." Adlei Rockza Bigornia, AB English: "I chose OEd because when the time universities were afraid of me enrolling in their schools because of my sickness, Oed was there with open arms." Julius Empuesto, a Certificate in Professional Teaching completer: "OEd gives me the chance to achieve my dreams of becoming a teacher while working overseas."

Support

New students can reach OEd by SMS, call, Viber, WhatsApp, email or landline, and existing students raise concerns through the OEd ticketing system. The site also runs career guides for people studying while working and for career changers moving into accounting, IT, psychology, real estate management or computer engineering.

Who it suits

OEd suits working Filipinos who want a recognized qualification without attending fixed-schedule classes: a call center agent finishing a degree, a professional adding Excel, tax or Six Sigma skills, a teacher preparing for TESOL work, or an overseas worker earning a teaching certificate. Short courses start any time, need no documents to enroll, and end with a downloadable certificate, while the degree programs carry AMA University's CHED-recognized credentials.

The short course catalog itself is compact, five areas with around twenty named titles, so a learner after a niche professional subject may find more depth in the degree programs than in the short courses.