Month: January 2024

West Visayas State University (WVSU), through its representatives, participated in the Seventh General Meeting – GM7 of the CALOHEA (Measuring and Comparing Achievements of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Asia) last Dec. 13 to 15, 2023, in Porto, Portugal.

Dr. Lynette Alcala of the College of Medicine (COM) and Dr. Hilda Montaño of the College of Education (COE) represented WVSU, one of the 31 Higher Education Institutions across eight ASEAN countries, and five European states engaged in the CALOHEA Project. Dr. Alcala is with the Medicine Subject Area Group while Dr. Montaño is with the Teacher Education Subject Area Group.

The Project measures Competences and Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Asia, a Project of the Erasmus+ Programme. It is coordinated by the University of Groningen in the Netherlands with the ASEAN University Network (AUN) partner agency. It operates through three Subject Area Groups: Civil Engineering, Medicine, and Teacher Education.

“The initiatives of the University to conduct a system-wide Workload-Based Curriculum Planning and Development as well as the inclusion of authentic assessment and student workload in the Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) and Teacher Integration Program are tangible outcomes of the CALOHEA project,” said Dr. Montaño, former Dean of the COE.

Welcoming the participants on the first day were Dr. Robert Wagenaar of the University of Groningen who is also the Director of the International Tuning Academy, Dr. Choltis Dhirathiti of the ASEAN University Network, and Mervin Bakker of the University of Groningen.

The 3-day event had the participants discussing the following: On Day One, the “Creation and use of Regional Subject-Specific Qualifications and Assessment Reference Frameworks to permit greater comparability of institutional degree programme profiles”, and “Implementation of authentic assessment of internationally comparable learning outcomes in degree programmes.”

On Day Two, the participants discussed “Implementation of authentic assessment of internationally comparable learning outcomes in degree programmes”, and “Instalment of the culture of student workload measurement as an integral part of curriculum design”.

And finally on Day Three, discussions were by country-specific groups were they focused on the “Guidelines for bridging South East Asian Student Workload with other contexts” and “Dissemination and impact in country-specific groups”.

 

Dr. Alcala and Dr. Montaño returned to Iloilo City on December 19, 2023 and in relation to CALOHEA, will work to ensure the dissemination and sustainability of the theee recognition mechanisms.

The West Visayas State University (WVSU) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the P800-million twin four-story College of Law (COL) building, each valued at P400 million, near the Alumni Center, January 25.

WVSU President Joselito Villaruz said that the funding for these structures will be derived from the 2024 General Appropriations Act.

 

“For the past years, we have had no capital outlay insertion in the budget… And for the first time, she (the First Lady) facilitated the insertion of P400 million for the COL building with the help of Speaker Martin Romualdez,” said Villaruz.

“And just this year for the 2024 budget we have another 400 million insertion for the package 2 of the building. So, there will be two buildings that will be built for the COL,” he added.

 

The planned four-level structure that is set to increase the intake of students has a total floor area of 3,456 square meters with each floor spanning 864 square meters.

 

Commission on Higher Education Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III revealed that the Legal Education Board (LEB) is mandating law schools to establish a dedicated building, as part of new regulations.

“The WVSU-COL building will do two things. [First], it will start complying with the LEB and [second], it will allow the law school to increase its student population,” said de Vera III.

 

Regional Director Sanny Boy Oropel of the Department of Public Works and Highways Region VI disclosed the key features of the upcoming establishment, which will include fully air-conditioned classrooms.

The new building is also set to house an auditorium, a prayer room, designated faculty areas, a conference space, a library, the Journal for Law Advocacy Office, a legal clinic, an arbitration room, and two moot courts.

The facade of the said building will integrate elements from the Quezon Hall, emphasizing its historical significance.

First Lady Marie Louise “Liza” Araneta Marcos served as the guest of honor for the event. She is currently a faculty of the COL and is teaching second-year Juris Doctor students.

 

Among the other key officials of the government present at the ceremony were Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., Cong. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda, Mayor Jerry Treñas, Uswag Ilonggo Rep. Jojo Ang, WVSU administration officials, and higher figures from the Department of Public Works and Highways.

WVSU is the only state university in Western Visayas that offers a Juris Doctor program.

 

Story by Timothy James Sampang

Photos by Franz Chrysler Marie Delgado and Rogie Ken Villarin

Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz formally commenced his second term and took his oath as the 8th President of West Visayas State University (WVSU) during a ceremony at the WVSU Cultural Center on Thursday, Jan. 25.