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Calvin University International Instritute explores collaborative oppurtunities at WVSU

On August 2, 2023, the esteemed representatives from Calvin University International Institute led by Dr. Incheon Yeou, dean of International Education Institute, paid a significant visit to West Visayas State University in a bid to foster academic collaboration and strengthen international ties.

The delegation, together with Mr. Woo-Jong Lee; Mr. Allan Sweeney, the director of Sta. Clarita International School; and Ms. Prima Buckley-Sweeney, directress of the same school, was warmly welcomed by Prof. Edel Carmela Subong-Csoka, director of International and Local Linkages Office.

During the afternoon visit, the korean university took fruitful discussions with Dr. Alexander Balsomo, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, on various subjects including student exchange programs, and faculty development opportunities. Both parties expressed keen interest in leveraging each other’s expertise to broaden academic horizons and enrich the educational experiences of their students.

In addition to the academic meetings, the delegation from Calvin University had the chance to tour the picturesque campus of West Visayas State University, getting acquainted with its state-of-the-art facilities and witnessing the vibrant campus life.

As the visit concluded, Calvin University International Institute looked forward to formalizing the details of their potential collaboration and enriching the educational journey through Memorandum of Understanding.

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WVSU welcomes US Embassy

Dr. Carleen Velez, Regional English Language Officer (RELO) and Public Affairs Section representative of the US Embassy Ms. Connie Chico at the WVSU Telecon.

In her message, Dr. Velez expressed that being with the US Embassy makes her work—although not with the students, because she was in the academe for years but through the teachers—to develop ‘educational bridges’ and transformational ideas for schools and universities, which is the purpose of today’s visit.

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Simulation-based education seen to up-skill med, nursing, dentistry faculty and students

By Hazel P. Villa, Ph D
Photos by Ma. Antonette D. Aguilar & Joseph Henry Nebres
 
The post-pandemic times and the new normal has made the medical field and its educational system take strategic steps in being responsive to the needs of the field.
This includes the up-skilling of faculty and students, which in the case of the West Visayas State University Colleges of Medicine, Nursing and Dentistry -means collaboration with institutional partners here and overseas.
Thus, the conduct of the “Simulation-Based Education Faculty Development” on July 17, 2023 at the COM’s Roxas Hall Auditorium from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Simulation-based medical education refers to any educational endeavor that employs simulation tools to recreate clinical situations.
A partnership between the WVSU, University of the Philippines Manila and Mindanao State University-General Santos through the CHED LAKAS 2022-001 “Optimising Simulation-based Education (SBE), Training, Collaboration and Research – A Focus on Technology-driven Teaching and Learning Strategies” paved the way for this program which highlights the commitment of these institutions to providing cutting-edge technology in the field of health care.
The facilitators are all from Adelaide Health Simulation. They are Adam Montagu, director; Ellen Davies, research program lead; and Michael Gilmour, simulation technician.
The activities and workshops include a team-based scenario, how to break bad news, Visually Enhanced Medical Simulation (VEMS), and a panel discussion.
The participants numbering 57 are faculty from the WVSU Colleges of Medicine, Nursing & Dentistry, UP Manila, Cebu Normal University, Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology, Mindanao State University- General Santos, University of Southern Mindanao, Iloilo Doctors’ College and Central Philippine University.
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WVSU joins Ge4 Summit 2023, focusing on AI transforming Higher Education

In photo: Ms. Subong, Dr. Dayot, and Prof. Mateo join Dr. Greg Foliente of the University of Melbourne; Ms. Isabella Dufour-Baumgartner, President of Ge4 Network; Dr. Laurene Chua-Garcia, VP for External Affairs, DLSU; Dr. Marcelo Ang of National University of Singapore; and Dr. Guy Fournier of Pforzheim University, Germany.
 
International and Local Linkages (ILLO) Director Ms. Edel Carmela S. Subong-Csoka with faculty from the College of Information and Communications Technology, Dr. Ralph Dayot and Prof. John Mateo were among the delegates to the Ge4 Network Summit 2023, hosted this time in the Philippines, by De La Salle University (DLSU) Manila.
Ge4 network has been connecting competent students with the best universities worldwide, providing the opportunity for their sustainable professional and personal development.
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WVSU STUDENTS’ VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE ISLAND OF PANAY

By Ma. Antonette D. Aguilar
Photos By Joseph Nebres

WVSU Main Campus students attended a virtual tour of the topography of the Island of Panay, presented by Mr. Albert L. Galan, Head of Municipality Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) Lambunao, Iloilo.

Aside from the virtual tour, Mr. Galan also discussed with the students the different weather stations they have and how it operates. During the discussion, Mr. Galan showed the high-risk places where dangers could plausibly occur once the natural disaster attacks.

The WVSU College of Forestry (CAF) proposes building a ‘dome’ in the Municipality of Lambunao. This artificial forest aims to rehabilitate wildlife and breed endemic animals in captivity to later release in the wild.

The activity helped the students from the main campus to get closer to mother nature and value our environment more.

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WVSU Celebrates International Mother Earth Day 2023

By Ma. Antonette D. Aguilar
Photos By Joseph Nebres

International and Local Linkages Office (ILLO) collaborated with the College of Agriculture and Forestry (CAF) and Municipality of Lambunao to celebrate Earth Day 2023.

Headed by Campus Administrator Dr. Dominador Lisao, students from different colleges of WVSU Main Campus and CAF took part in the lecture conducted by Prof. Maria Lea Escantilla-Lebuna, EnP., as well as an orientation for weather monitoring and river clean-up given by Mr. Albert L. Galan, LDRRMO III at Lambunao Campus on April 24, 2023.

Students enjoyed visiting Mariit Wildlife Conservation Park, which hosts endemic species like Visayan Spotted Deer, Visayan Warty Pig, Visayan Writhed Hornbill, etc. The park intends to rescue endangered species that are native to the island of Panay. The conservationists breed these animals with the threat of their numbers declining.

Eventually, students from both campuses, with the help of the Local Government Unit of Lambunao, proceeded to Uli-an River for river clean up and planting the river grass along the bank, which is known to aid in the prevention of landslides.

WVSU supports programs and activities concerning the environment. The internationalization event was beneficial not only for students but as well as for people and mother nature.

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Philippine-European collaboration concludes at WVSU today

By Hazel P. Villa and Antoniette D. Cortez

ILOILO City — The Final Dissemination and Send-off of Project FORTH, a collaboration between Philippine and European universities that aims to empower teachers in challenged areas in the Philippines, concludes today, March 27, 2023, at the Cultural Center and Teleconference Room of the West Visayas State University (WVSU). This event is the second to the last leg of the project.

Project FORTH was launched in WVSU in February 2019 and Iloilo was one of the pilot areas. It succeeded in obtaining the approval of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in 2020 for the offering of the degree Master of Teaching in Challenged Areas (MAEd TCA) which is now available at WVSU, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Manila, and the University of St. La Salle (USLS) in Bacolod City.

Today’s activities, which start at 8:30 a.m., will involve the WVSU College of Education students as the audience. The program will include a Walkthrough of Project FORTH, a presentation of the impact of Project FORTH in Philippine Higher Education, and speeches by two principals and a student who have taken up MAEd Teaching in Challenged Areas. They will talk about the Imprints of Project FORTH in

Philippine Higher Education. WVSU President Joselito Villaruz will also deliver a speech entitled “Ways Forward for WVSU.”

The European partner institutions will share their experiences with their Philippine counterparts, and Project FORTH Designer Julia Gonzales will speak on “Changing the Narrative: Project FORTH Vision and Beyond.”

The second part of the Final Dissemination and Send-off will take place at the Teleconference Room of the WVSU, where the participants will share their experiences of DepEd and University Partners. They will also discuss the outputs of FORTH, such as infusion in the Bachelor of Arts Program, majoring in Teaching in Challenged Areas, and materials developed and publications.

The afternoon session will feature European and WVSU partners speaking on Project FORTH and Beyond,

FORTH’s impact, and “Visioning the Association for Teacher Educators and Teachers in Challenged Areas.” The program will end at 3 p.m., after which the Project FORTH Team will proceed to Davao City for the last leg of the Final Dissemination and Send-off.

On March 23, 2023, implementers, representatives of partner schools, officials of the Department of Education and CHED gathered for the formal send-off at the Savoy Hotel in Pasay City. A series of activities followed, including visits on March 24 to Centro Escolar University and PUP and their Manila partner schools and communities, March 25 in USLS Bacolod, March 26 at an Aeta community in Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental, March 27 in WVSU, and March 28 and 29 in USeP Davao and its partner community for a project called “Education behind bars.”

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PH-EU collab helping teachers in challenged areas close to good reviews

By Hazel P. Villa, Rosemarie Felimon, Anne Cortez

PASAY City – A major collaboration between Philippine and European universities ended on a positive note with good reviews given its various successes on March 23, 2023 at the Savoy Hotel here.

The 4-year collaboration is Project FORTH (Formation of Teachers in Challenged Areas) which seeks to empower teachers who are working in challenging areas and contexts that are out of the ordinary.

A major achievement of the said Project is the approval of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in 2020 for the offering of the degree Master of Teaching in Challenged Areas (MAEd TCA) in the following universities: In Manila – the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP); and in Western Visayas – University of St. La Salle (USLS) and West Visayas State University (WVSU).

In his speech, WVSU President Joselito Villaruz said, “Project Forth has widened the horizon of what higher institutions stand for and that is to give impetus to the sector that has been left behind so that the gains of development shall be shared to the marginalized sector of this society.”

Also present at the Send Off were representatives of the three European universities leading in educational reform and international organizations in Europe. They are the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain, and the University of Bologna in Bologna, Italy together with the following institutions: Education for an Interdependent World in Brussels, Belgium which is the project co-coordinator and Fundacion Intered in Madrid, Spain that coordinates NGOs’ development work in different parts of the world.

The Final Dissemination and Send Off lasts until March 29, 2023 with key implementers and module coordinators visiting partner schools and communities on the following dates: March 24 in CEU and PUP and their Manila partner schools and communities highlighting their outputs as program in-charge, March 25 in USLS Bacolod, March 26 at an Aeta community in Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental, March 27 in WVSU, March 28 and 29 in USeP Davao and its partner community for a project called “Education behind bars.”

Discussed in the March 23 Send Off were the project’s outputs, the impact of the FORTH partnership with Europe, the envisioning of the project’s future, the Department of Education’s experiences with the participating universities, outreach to the other universities, and “visioning” the Association for Teacher Educators and Teachers in Challenged Areas.

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WVSU-Mohawk meet to activate collab priorities for 2023

Mohawk College, Canada, has recently visited West Visayas State University to discuss the specific priorities of their partnership. Represented by Nathan (Nam) Tran-Business Development Manager for China, East Asia, Southeast Asia; Katie Burrows-Vice President for Students, International and Alumni; Thea Laidman-Director for International Recruitment; and, Jelson Sales – in-market recruiter for the Philippines, Mohawk also toured the main campus and had a taste of Filipino hospitality with treats of Ilonggo delicacies and glimpses of Iloilo City.
 
WVSU President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz acknowledged the sincerity of Mohawk College for they constantly kept contact through the International and Local Linkages Office (ILLO) of the University after ILLO Director Edel Carmela S. Subong-Csoka attended the EduCanada Networking Session in mid-2021. Dr. Villaruz also stressed that WVSU is in full support of the activities with Mohawk College, which will commence in the first quarter of 2023.
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WVSU Contingent Attends Project FORTH in Europe

by Leo Almonte

West Visayas State University representatives are participating in Project FORTH meetings in Europe. As of this writing, WVSU President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz is attending a dissemination session at the University of Bologna, Italy.

Project FORTH, or Formation of Teachers in Emerging Challenged Areas in the Philippines, aims to develop a network of Higher Education Institutions, associations, and stakeholders, creating a system of quality, motivation, and support to teacher training in a number of emerging challenged areas in the Philippines that could serve as a model of teachers training for similar contexts in the world (www.projectforth.org).

“For WVSU, Project FORTH is FOR educating the future through Trailblazing innovations and Honing champions,”  said WVSU President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz during his presentation at the University of Bologna. 

Also in attendance are College of Education Secretary Dr. Rosemarie Felimon, Ms. Joyce Tondo, and Jessica Gegantoca, MAEd major in Teaching in Challenged Areas students and Department of Education project partners. They are scheduled to share action research results in the meeting.

VPAA Dr. Ma. Asuncion Christine Dequilla, Dr. Purita Bilbao, COE Undergraduate Associate Dean Dr. Amabel Siason; COE Graduate School Associate Dean Dr. Baby Rose Robles; and Ms. Rosalie Quicoy are attending FORTH activities in Groningen, Netherlands. Dr. Antoniette Cortez (Program Adviser, MAEd TCA) and Ruby Blando (DepEd teacher) are in Bilbao, Spain, attending the dissemination of the project.

All participants will be in Brussels, Belgium, to meet with the European Commission, which co-funded the project. Project FORTH dissemination meetings in Europe are slated from November 1 to 6, 2022.