Category: Linkages

Categories
Linkages News

ILLO initiates forum on DagYoung Spirit Intensified: A Talk with an Ambassador

group of people posing for a picture inside a conference room; one row of people standing at the back, one row of people crouching in the front

The heat did not stop the West Visayas State University (WVSU) student ambassadors, or officially known as DagYoung Student Ambassadors (BOR Resolution No. 88-2022) from coming to The DagYoung Spirit Intensified: A Talk with an Ambassador, organized by the International and Local Linkages Office (ILLO) on April 5, 2024.

 

His Excellency Leo Tito L. Ausan, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary at Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Dhakha, Bangladesh, was the guest speaker to talk about what it takes to be representing the Philippines and the challenges in a foreign land, giving the students an overview of a career in foreign service.

 

An alumnus of the WVSU Integrated Laboratory School (ILS), Ambassador Ausan gave out copies of his book, Sleepless in Dhaka, to student attendees who, randomly, had a star under their seat. Ambassador Ausan is a practicing lawyer-turned- career diplomat. H.E. Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos nominated him as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (AEP) to the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, with concurrent jurisdiction over the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Republic of Maldives on 01 September 2022.

 

The WVSU officials who graced the event were University President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz; VP for Research, Extension, and Innovation Dr. Greta Gabinete; Director of International and Local Linkages Office Prof. Edel Carmela Subong-Csoka; and Dean of Students Dr. Ma. Pilar Charmaine Malata.

 

The DagYoung Spirit Intensified: A Talk with an Ambassador is only Part 1 of 3 of the Multiculturalism Training-Workshop that aims to boost morale of the WVSU internationalization frontliners, and will also tteach them the basics , including multicultural etiquettes and group dynamics, with promotion of sustainable development goals 4- Quality Education for All,10—Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, and 17-Partnerships for Goals, and the Ambisyon Natin 2040 of the National Economic and Development Authority.

Categories
Linkages News

JCI Iloilo Ilang-Ilang launches projects with WVSU ILLO, USC

group of people in a covered basketball court posing for a picture; five people are holding a banner in the front and center, three people are holding a banner at the front left, and two people are holding another banner at the right; plastic chairs in rows with an aisle in the middle are facing the group of people

JCI Iloilo Ilang-Ilang with WVSU ILLO and WVSU-USC, two sustainable, environmental projects were launched. Paperfect, which aimed to turn scratch papers into notebooks and Basura Mo, Pulungkoan Ko will provide chairs made out of the plastic bottles.

 

JCI Iloilo Ilang-Ilang 2024 President, Ms. Lara Jeunesse Villaruel, commenced the said project initiative. She stated, “Hopefully, this is the start of our long-term partnership with WVSU”. Followed by a talk on solid waste management by Iloilo City General Services Officer, Engr. Neil Ravena.

 

Ms. Vida Aurora Sy, JCI Iloilo Ilang-Ilang 2024 VP for External Affairs highlighted the objectives of the project. On April 1, specially marked garbage bags will be distributed and the recyclable trash will be collected every Friday of next month.

 

By April 26, JCI Iloilo Ilang-Ilang will gather all the collected garbage and turn it into the said chairs and notebooks.

 

Finally, July 8-14 will be the distribution of the generated items from the clean-up drive to a few chosen schools.

projector screen on the left side, flashing the event title; printer banner on the right side
Categories
International News Linkages News

Dalhousie University, Canada re-visited WVSU for further talks on collabs

eight adults standing in line, facing the camera; two males on both sides, with one foreigner standing on the right side; four females in the center, with two foreigners standing on the right side

David Park-Project & Advancement Coordinator for International (Truro) in the Faculty of Agriculture; Lana Bos-VP for International, and Audrie-Jo McConkey-Faculty met with the WVSU College of Agriculture and Forestry (CAF) represented by Dr. Anthony Leal-Dean of the School of Agriculture, Mr. Leonie Consabo-Faculty, and Mr. Michael Victor Gonzales-Internationalization Coordinator for the campus.

 

WVSU International and Local Linkages Office – ILLO Director Ms. Edel Carmela Subong-Csoka was also there to moderate the meeting and guide the discussion. Dr. Greta Gabinete, VP for Research, Innovation, and Extension, who is also a faculty of CAF, was in full support of the endeavor.

Collaboration involving the Wildlife Conservation Park that the College of Agriculture and Forestry is taking care of, will possibly commence in 2025.

Categories
International News Linkages News

WVSU participates in 7th CALOHEA General Meeting in Portugal

group of representatives from 31

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 where 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 three recognition mechanisms.

Categories
Linkages News

CALOHEA Regional Subject-Specific Reference Frameworks as tools for promoting recognition and internationalization

One of the tools created by the CALOHEA Erasmus+ project participants in order to facilitate recognition of degrees and periods of studies both within the ASEAN region and between the ASEAN region and other world regions are Regional Subject-Specific Reference Frameworks.

 

A Qualifications Framework is a structure that allows us to classify different qualifications in a geographical area covered by the framework and establish a broad equivalence of qualifications (e.g. first cycle of higher education/undergraduate, etc.) across the region. This is done through describing what a learner will have developed in terms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, competences, and others upon successfully completing a particular level of studies.

 

Regional Qualifications Reference Frameworks seek to establish broad equivalence among qualifications offered in more than one country. Such frameworks are intended to be used as Reference Documents – facilitating recognition but not overruling National regulations or National Qualifications Frameworks. The ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework (AQRF) and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) could be two good examples here.

 

CALOHEA Subject-Specific Qualifications Reference Frameworks facilitate recognition by allowing the following: Clearly see which key dimensions must be addressed by each program in the subject area; establish equivalence between qualifications offered in different countries in terms of their level, regardless of how the qualifications are referred to in each of the countries; express specialization of a particular program in terms of the sub-dimensions addressed; compare the level of achievement aimed at for each of the sub-dimensions – in terms of knowledge, skills or responsibilities; compare shorter periods of study as well – periods of study during which only particular types of knowledge, specific skills or capacity to perform particular responsibilities can be developed.

 

CALOHEA Regional Subject-Specific Qualifications Reference Frameworks state in a detailed manner what knowledge, skills, attitudes, competences, etc. are expected from graduates of a ARQF Level 6 degrees in Civil Engineering, Medicine and Teacher Education; & allow recognition across all the countries involved in the development of the Frameworks.

 

To see the CALOHEA Reference Frameworks, please visit https://calohea.org/

 

The CALOHEA Erasmus+ project is coordinated by the Tuning Academy of the University of Groningen (the Netherlands) and the ASEAN University Network and is co-funded by the European Commission.

Categories
Linkages

US Embassy partners with ILLO, URDC for a research writing training-workshop

The United States Embassy tapped West Visayas State University for an activity once again, but this time it was not about instruction, but research.

 

Six English Language fellows manned by Ruth Goode, the Regional English Language Officer (RELO) of Jakarta, Indonesia came to the University and discussed research-related topics to aid in WVSU’s vision to be a full=-fledged research university. Jamila Barton, an English Language Coordinator, was also present.

 

Dr. Susan Crosbie Suradejvibul discussed Writing Critiques; Dr. Darcey Gray tackled Chat GPT/AI in Writing; Dr. Arthur E. Schneider talked on How to Structure a Publishable Article;  Mr. Philip Taw delivered tips on Responding to Peer Review Comments; meanwhile Dr. Geoff Starron and Ms. Gina Karlin gave plenary speeches on Transforming into a Research University and the Relevance of Publications and Finding the Right Journal and Conference to Showcase Your Research, respectively.

 

Dr. Joselito Villaruz, WVSU president, took the chance to thank the US Embassy for opening opportunities to the Taga-West faculty researchers.

 

The second day of the training-workshop was spent on one-on-one mentoring and consultation regarding manuscript editing and research publication.

 

It is recalled that November last year, the US Embassy also teamed up with the International and Local Linkages Office to hold a Reading INstruction Seminar among English teachers in the WVSU system.

Categories
Linkages

WVSU gains more IZN prospects thru ‘Making the ICONS 2023’

West Visayas State University has been consistent in developing new partners, as well as identifying priorities and activities as it continues its internationalization (IZN) journey.


On December 11-12, WVSU, represented by WVSU International and Local Linkages Office – ILLO director, Edel Subong-Csoka participated in the year-end workshop organized by the CHED International Affairs Service to strengthen partnerships and camaraderie among state universities and colleges and private higher educational institutions. It was held at Sheraton Hotel, Newport City, Pasay, Manila.


The two-day event featured different consulates/embassies , organizations and industries such as IBM, Dell, OrangeApps, Coursera, and ADEC for possible networking and projects relevant to the different institutions’ unique needs.

WVSU is eyeing a few industry partners for students’ skills and readiness, not just for training and a possible addition to the programs offered at the University Distance Education headed by Dr. Daisy Rosano.


ILLO Director @Edel Subong-Csoka emphasized that it is not the number of linkages that the colleges and campuses must be eager about for this can earn points for promotion “…but they must assess and ensure the quality of projects and feasibility of execution at the target timeline.”


Institutionalization of WVSU Internationalization is one of the priorities of the current administration led by University President Dr. Joselito F. Villaruz.

Categories
Linkages

Allyn Navarra, Vice Chairperson of the Senior Curriculum Council and Von Ashley Chichirita, Chairperson of the CICT Student Council, both from the College of Information and Communications Technology are in Davao for the International Volunteerism Symposium and Volunteer Fair held at University of Mindanao, Matina Campus, Davao City

The event aims to provide a venue for international and local volunteers for network building, highlight the role and contributions in fostering international cooperation, and as a means towards achieving the country’s sustainable development goals. This also opens doors for institutionalization of volunteerism in the academe.


The event will also be joined by international volunteer service organizations and local government units.

Categories
Linkages

First Taga-West In Canada

When the WVSU International and Local Linkages Office – ILLO was established as a separate unit in December 2021, we were looking at different possibilities of student exposure to international events. But one is priority: the Taga-West must be able to travel abroad!

 

As the Taga-West in internationalization thread past the half of 2023, we claim what we thought was just a dream, when we were looking at other state universities and colleges in the Philippines send exchange students to Canada.

We’ve gone through pains for all these, through the process—from the application, to the screening, to the visa processing and biometrics, to the air ticket purchasing, and a lot more to enumerate. There was a point where things seemed hopeless. But thanks be to God, it was granted to us.

 

We are ever grateful to those who applied but never made it—you still have next year, so please arm yourselves with your passport and determination.

 

Two of our students, Hershey Geline Sumpay and Jeanne Michaella Anthonette Andong-Nanquil made it to the Canada-ASEAN Scholarships and Educational Exchanges for Development (SEED) , funded by the Canadian Government. They are in Mohawk College, Hamilton right now for the September to December 2023 study. They are granted a certain amount in Canadian dollars to finance their air tickets, accommodation, visa, and other expenses.

 

Hershey is taking up Broadcasting – Television and Communications Media, while Jeanne is taking up Advertising and Marketing Communications Management.

 

We are indebted to our University President, Dr. Joselito Bebong Villaruz, who said, “Happy happy gid ako” when we told him the news. After all, he rallied for the internationalization of WVSU to be institutionalized; and to our university officials who made all things less difficult for us. Also to the Canadian Government, the Commission on Higher Education(CHED) headed by Chair J. Prospero Popoy De Vera, Commission on Higher Education International Affairs Services led by Atty. @Lily Freida Macabangon Milla, and Ms. @Angel Cachuela of the Canadian Education and Trade. Also, to Jels Sales and to our friends at Sun-Cor Unlimited Inc, who are helping to look after the students in Canada, thank you.

 

May Hershey and Jeanne serve as inspiration to the WVSU students: dare to take the challenge!

 

We thank the families and friends of these students who are with us from the very start.

 

Oh yes, we repeat: This is it! It’s the first for Taga-West in Canada. And we are just beginning.

Categories
Linkages

Bukidnon State University initiates benchmarking activity with WVSU

To learn the best practices of WVSU in the area of culture and the arts and physical education, BukSU visited the WVSU College of Pescar took part in the exchange of knowledge about the academic affairs and curriculum under the said college.


The Department Head of Bachelor in Physical Education at BukSU, Dr. Regina B. Dumdumaya, together with some faculty members and administrators joined the said activity.


The meeting-discussion was led by Pescar Secretary Prof. Ryan Puljanan, WVSU Director for Culture and Dance, Prof. Liberty Porras, and Pescar faculty Prof. Jemuel Garcia.