“Spare your time and take the challenge that you will be the future or the first innovators of the curriculum of the College of Agriculture and Food Science (CAFS). Let us all be catalyst of change for the development of our curriculum”. This was a tall order from Dean Elpidio M. Agbisit, Jr. in his message during the “Seminar Workshop on the Application of Educational Concepts in Curricular Development Towards Future-Proof Agriculture Program” held on July 4 at the Animal Science Lecture Hall 2, Institute of Animal Science, CAFS, UPLB. 

In his message, Dean Agbisit commended the Program Management Chairs (PMC) of the BSA, BSFT and BSABT programs namely Dr. Maria Cynthia R. Oliveros, Dr. Dennis V. Cantre and Dr. Dennis Marvin O. Santiago, respectively for organizing the workshop. Dean Agbisit emphasized that the PMC is the logistic body of CAFS because they will be initiating the development of a curriculum to produce future-ready graduates and the guards of the curriculum as well. Dean Agbisit also put credit to Asian University Network (AUN) for helping CAFS during the last AUN-Quality Assurance accreditation for BSABT and BSFT programs to identify what are lacking in its curriculum. In his closing, he challenged the participants that it is high time for them to take up for the betterment of the curriculum as our neighboring ASEAN universities that once sought the help of CAFS in terms of curriculum development are way ahead or fared better than CAFS based on the benchmarking activities that were conducted in universities in Asia.

Meanwhile, Dr. Oliveros explained that the workshop was conceptualized as an offshoot of the AUN-QN Assessment of the BSABT and BSFT programs where the comments and recognition of the AUN assessors were taken into consideration. The PMC also came up with the realization that they need some training to effectively address criteria 1-4 which included expected learning outcomes; program structure and content; teaching and learning approach; and student assessment. Hence, the seminar workshop was conceptualized. Additionally, she enumerated the following rationale of the day’s activity:

1. The need to level off on the participants’ understanding on the educational concepts that they will be integrating in the course outline, instructional materials, and eventually degree programs that would facilitate uniformity in the materials that they will be preparing.
2. The seminar-workshop will help the BSABT and the BSFT group to address the recommendations of the assessors  in the areas that need improvement. On the other hand, it will also help the BSA team to prepare revised materials that will be used for the Self-Assessment Review (SAR) that is being prepared for a new round of AUN-QA assessment.

Dr. Inero V. Ancho, program coordinator of the UPLB Office for Institutional Development for Higher Education and associate professor of the Department of Human and Family Development Studies, College of Human Ecology, UPLB served as the resource speaker for the event.

The seminar-workshop covered various aspects that included curriculum pedagogy; elements an strategies in measuring learning outcomes; outcomes based education (OBE) and its elements; learning outcomes and its alignment to stakeholders’ needs; course map; competencies; and crafting of educational philosophy.

Dr. Ancho started his presentation by introducing concepts and ideas on curriculum and pedagogy such as outcomes, course outcomes, learning outcomes, philosophy of education, constructive alignment approach, curriculum mapping, and learning goals and objectives.

For the first exercise, Dr. Ancho provided a 15-minute activity where the BSA, BSFT and the BSABT group reviewed a particular course in their assigned program focusing on the learning outcomes. This was later on presented for comments.

Right after the lecture on learning outcomes, another 15-minute group activity was conducted where the participants were required to continue with the review of a particular course in the assigned program outcomes focusing on the learning outcomes. Furthermore, the participants were instructed to examine and check the alignment with stakeholders’ needs including feedback from the stakeholders.

In his topic on course map, Dr. Ancho explained that mapping the course allows the teacher/instructor to identify where students are learning key concepts and skills and to make decisions about formative and summative assessment.

A 20-minute group activity followed where the participants per program were asked to build their course map using the course map template that contain the course learning outcome (what will the students know by the end of the course?); level (at what level is the course designed to address the outcome?); assessment (what assessment will provide evidence of how well students have achieved the outcome?); learning experience (what learning experience/activities will students actively engage in to progress towards the outcome?), and ways of learning (what ways of learning are employed in the learning experiences?).

A take home assignment was also given to the participant where they have to craft their own philosophy of education based on the UP Philosophy of Education and the College’s/institute’s orientation vis-à-vis program outcomes.

In his synthesis, Dr. Santiago stated that with the discussion they got from the workshop, he realized that these are the things that they do in their courses but they have not identified it as ways of learning. “Whatever flaws we encounter in our courses we are willing to change them for the betterment of our courses, our curriculum and our program with the end goal of producing future-ready graduates”, he said. Lastly, he enjoined  the participants to work together in revising the curriculum.

Closing the day’s activity was Dr. Adeliza A. Dorado, associate dean for instruction who considered the need for the faculty to stay not in their comfort zone but rather in their learning zone as key takeaway in the workshop. She stated that since the activity is a dynamic exercise, it must be good if it has an atmosphere of quality assurance where they plan, do, check and act.

The workshop was attended by the faculty staff of the academic units of CAFS.

by Imelda M. Gesmundo