4 UPD Programs Complete Onsite AUN-QA Assessment Visit

Written by: Erick Prynze I. Sazon and Charles Jason C. Ramos
Photo/Video by: Arlyh Hirao & Michael Baguisa
January 8, 2024

UP Diliman geared up for the 364th ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) onsite assessment of four degree programs last November 21-23, 2023 in continuation of its efforts to acquire the AUN-QA certification of its degree programs. The Bachelor of Science in Tourism, Bachelor of Arts (Political Science), Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management, and the Master of Science in Food Science programs underwent the three-day program assessment which consisted of plenary meetings, tours of university- and program-level facilities, document reviews, and stakeholder interviews that served to validate the contents of the self-assessment reports (SAR) of each program. This is the first time that four programs had been assessed simultaneously.

University administrators, faculty members, and staff gathered at the UP Asian Institute of Tourism Lounge last November 21, 2023 to formally open the assessment ceremony. On behalf of UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Maria Vanessa Lusung-Oyzon welcomed the AUN-QA assessment team who is joined by the AUN-QA Secretariat. Leading the team is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kamolwan Lueprasert, Chief Assessor and Lead Assessor for the Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) program. She is joined by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dawisa Sritanyarat (Lead Assessor, Bachelor of Science in Tourism), Dr. Yu Un Oppusunggu (Lead Assessor, Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management), Prof. Dr. Fauza Ab. Ghaffar (Lead Assessor, Master of Science in Food Science), Dr. Luong Thi Hong Gam (Assessor, Bachelor of Science in Tourism), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Normah Maan (Assessor for the Bachelor of Arts (Political Science), Porngarm Virutamasen, PhD., SFHEA (Assessor, Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management), and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dhiyathad Prateeppornnarong (Assessor, Master of Science in Food Science).

The ceremony also featured the showing of institutional videos to orient the assessment team about the University. Also present during the ceremony are UP Diliman Quality Assurance Office Director Aura Matias, Dean Giovanni Legaspi of the Asian Institute of Tourism, Dean Shirley Guevarra of the College of Home Economics, and Dean Ruth Lusterio-Rico of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. They are joined by the SAR teams, department administrators, faculty members, and staff of each of the programs that underwent assessment.

The assessors then went on a tour of the different facilities of the university and interviewed the staff who are at the helm of providing services to students, fellow support staff, and faculty members. The campus tour, organized by the UP Diliman Quality Assurance Office, included the Office of the University Registrar, the College of Engineering Library II (representing the University Library which is under renovation), the University Health Service, University Computer Center, and Office of Student Housing. The assessors then conducted program-level tours, closed-door interviews with the SAR teams, college and department administrators, academic staff, students, alumni, and employers. Laboratories, classrooms, unit libraries, and other spaces formed the itineraries of the program-level tours that the respective SAR teams organized for the program assessors.

The presentation of the preliminary findings was done at the UP Asian Institute of Tourism Lounge on November 23, 2023, the last day of the assessment. Each of the assessors presented the strengths and areas of improvements of the programs they assessed, and Chief Assessor Dr. Kamolwan Lueprasert wrapped up the presentation by acknowledging the efforts of the heads and staff of the programs in preparing for the assessment proper and committing to the culture of quality. She highlighted how the exercise of academic freedom is one of the strengths of the university that provides autonomy and flexibility that can lead to the development of creative solutions towards achieving academic excellence.

In his closing message, Chancellor Vistan lauded the dedication and efforts of the AUN-QA assessment team in meticulously examining the four programs and providing insights on continuous quality improvement. He affirmed the commitment of the University to raise even further the quality of the academic programs that it offers, being the model for the country’s higher education institutions.

To date, six (6) degree programs have been assessed by the AUN-QA, with six (6) more programs lined up for assessment in 2025-2026, namely the Bachelor of Elementary Education, Bachelor of Secondary Education, Bachelor of Library and Information Studies, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Science in Biology (re-assessment) programs. The Master of Science in Food Science program is also the first graduate program in UP Diliman to undergo AUN-QA assessment.