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Education is a cornerstone of climate and disaster resilience, equipping individuals and communities with the knowledge and skills needed to anticipate, adapt to, and address the impacts of climate change and disasters. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the Paris Agreement emphasize the importance of education in building capacity to respond to climate and disaster challenges and drive meaningful change.

However, despite significant progress in climate and disaster education, efforts remain fragmented, particularly in the face of the escalating climate crisis. The Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 highlighted that while investments have been made in resilient infrastructure, limited efforts have been directed toward “non-structural” measures, such as disaster education, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

In the Philippines, gaps persist in integrating disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation (CCA) into the basic education curriculum. Meanwhile, specialized DRRM and CCAM programs remain scarce in higher education. Opportunities for learning outside formal education—such as training programs and workshops—exist, but many are highly technical and not designed for laypersons in communities.

Geographic limitations and access disparities further exacerbate these challenges. Academic institutions offering degree programs in DRR and CCA are concentrated in highly urbanized areas in Luzon, making it difficult for learners from rural and hazard-prone regions to access formal education in these fields. Many remote communities also lack the necessary infrastructure and resources for climate and disaster education. These barriers highlight the need for more inclusive, flexible, and accessible approaches to climate and disaster education.

This presents an opportunity for open and distance e-learning (ODeL). In recent years, open educational resources (OERs) focused on climate and disaster education have been increasingly shared through social media by NGOs, government agencies, and academic institutions. These OERs—typically in video or infographic formats—allow quick and accessible dissemination of key DRR and CCA concepts.

Another effective ODeL strategy is massive open online courses (MOOCs), which enable large-scale enrollment and self-paced learning.

The Basics of Resilience MOOC Series

To address these challenges, the UP Resilience Institute (UPRI), in partnership with the UP Open University (UPOU), developed and launched the , a set of online courses designed to strengthen climate and disaster resilience knowledge among diverse audiences in the Philippines. The series consists of four courses designed to be taken progressively:

• MOOC 1: Basics of Resilience
• MOOC 2: Hazard and Risk Assessment Fundamentals
• MOOC 3: Overview of Policies and Strategies for Climate and Disaster Resilience
• MOOC 4: Resilience Strategies Across the Four Pillars 

These courses are delivered through UPOU’s Massive Open Distance eLearning (MODeL) platform, ensuring accessibility to a broad range of learners. To accommodate those with limited internet connectivity, students are provided with a downloadable PDF study guide. Learners who complete all activities and assessments offline can submit the completed guide to course coordinators. Once verified, they receive access to the final online assessment, which must be completed to earn a certificate of completion.

MOOC 1 was initially released in February 2024 and has since been offered three more times (July 2024, September 2024, and February 2025). MOOC 2 was launched in September 2024 and has since had one additional offering. MOOC 3 was released in February 2025, and MOOC 4 is currently ongoing and will run until 30th April 2025.

Learner Engagement and Impact

As of writing, the Basics of Resilience MOOC Series has reached 35,879 enrolled learners, with 11,715 (32.65%) successfully completing their courses. 

Based on a survey of course completers:

• Most learners are women, though male participation is not far behind. Notably, the MOOCs have also seen students from the LGBTQIA+ community, reflecting their inclusivity and broad appeal.
• Most are aged 21-30, followed by the 31-40 age group, suggesting strong engagement among young professionals and early- to mid-career individuals.
• A significant portion of learners are full-time employees, indicating that working professionals see value in flexible, self-paced learning on resilience. Notably, participation is not limited to those in academia or directly involved in DRR and CCA work—survey responses revealed enrollees from diverse occupations, including call center agents, healthcare workers, security personnel, custodial staff, and household service workers, among others.
• The majority have at least a bachelor’s degree, demonstrating the MOOCs' effectiveness in complementing higher education and professional development.
• The MOOCs have been accessible to learners from diverse educational backgrounds, including those who have not completed basic education, as well as individuals from alternative learning systems and technical/vocational programs.
• The MOOCs’ reach extended to every province in the Philippines, with the National Capital Region (NCR) registering the highest number of enrollees. There were also enrollees from other countries, mainly overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
• Social media played a crucial role in expanding the reach of the MOOCs.

A Pathway to Graduate Education

A unique feature of the Basics of Resilience MOOC Series is that it serves as a microcredential program. Learners earn units for each completed MOOC. Those who complete all four courses and later enroll in the Master in Climate and Disaster Resilience (MCDR) program, currently being developed by UPRI and UPOU, can have their earned units credited toward one of the program’s major courses.

Upcoming Release of MOOC 4

The final course in the series, MOOC 4: Resilience Strategies Across the Four Pillars, will be launched on 31 March 2025. Following this release, all courses in the Basics of Resilience MOOC Series will be re-released, ensuring continued access to learners who wish to complete the entire series.

For updates and announcements, follow the UPRI Facebook Page or email [email protected].

Further resources