QA Week 2024 brings together admin staff and REPS, recognizes QA Kahusayan in UPD
- Written by: Erick Prynze I. Sazon and Charles Jason C. Ramos
- Photo/Video by: Arlyh Hirao & Michael Baguisa
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This year’s QA Week, organized by the UPD Quality Assurance Office, was anchored in two symbolisms: gears in synchronized motion in an efficient operating system. The celebration was marked by four days featuring different activities that engaged QA stakeholders in UP Diliman. A plenary session with top administrators and unit heads and a QA Clinic for quality assurance officers were held in the first two days of the QA Week.
The orientation for university administrative personnel and REPS served as a venue for the UPD QAO to introduce or refresh QA concepts and allow the participants to gain an appreciation of the culture of quality in their workspaces. The orientation also brought out the different best practices of support staff in terms of operations.
Prof. Ivy D. Suan, Director of the Office for the Advancement of Teaching, discussed the role of quality assurance in higher education, its framework, components, and beneficence. She also highlighted the significant contributions of administrative personnel and REPS in internal and external quality assurance activities. Afterward, Prof. Yany P. Lopez of the Department of Geography gave an overview of the external assessment process and discussed the involvement of support staff in the preparations. She led a question-and-answer session to simulate the interview made by the assessors during an external assessment.
To celebrate the QA achievements of different units, offices, and faculty, Kahusayan: Seremonya ng Pagkilala sa Kagalingan sa QA was held on the fourth and last day of the QA Week. Degree-granting units (DGUs) that have accomplished external assessment and accreditation were given due recognition for their commitment to internal and external quality assurance exercises.
Offices that have manifested quality in the delivery of their mandated services were also honored in the ceremony, like the Supply and Property Management Office (SPMO) which received the Government Best Practices Recognition from the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) last year. As the sole and first university-based formal volunteer service program in the country, the Ugnayan ng Pahinungod Diliman was also recognized for being a model to education institutions due to exceptional programs offered to identified clientele.
The Natural Sciences Research Institute and the UP Law Complex were also recognized for receiving ISO 9001:2015 certification, which meant that both units have “put in place effective processes and trained staff to deliver flawless products or services time after time”.
Toward the end of the recognition ceremony, CHE Dean Shirley V. Guevarra and CoE Dean Maria Antonia N. Tanchuling gave brief testimonials about the QA journeys of their respective units. For Dean Guevarra, it was former Assistant Vice President Dr. Malou Nicolas who inspired her to pursue external assessment when she presented the framework of AUN-QA. As early as 2012, Dean Guevarra led the preparation of the Self-Assessment Report as the former chairperson of the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (DHRIM).
For Dean Tanchuling, finishing and submitting the Self-Study Reports (SSRs) of the programs to the PTC-ACBET is already a milestone for the College of Engineering, while the external accreditation experience served as a greater humbling experience. But for the university to sustain its stature, she said that the quality assurance exercise needs to be a crucial part of day-to-day activities of everyone in UP.
On the other hand, Director Rachel A. Locsin is immensely grateful for the recognition of the SPMO, especially for the benchmarking requests that it has accommodated from other government units and the distinction it received from the DAP. In 2020, the Acquisition and Issuance Section of SPMO has also been awarded the Natatanging Galing Award (Group Category). Director Locsin shared that they are continuously developing ways that will help the university in terms of acquisition of common-use supplies and equipment.
The recognition given to the UP Diliman Ugnayan ng Pahinungod was unexpected but sincerely appreciated, according to Director Jowima Ang-Reyes. She said that the university shall “live for the people, live for the nation” as the socio-political issues are rising and the university is expected to lead and drive changes. She acknowledged the support of Chancellor Vistan and the UP administration for the programs that they have planned for the coming months.
Finally, faculty members who participated in various QA trainings (AUN-QA Tier 1, Tier 2, and SAR Writing Workshops, and the UP System External Reviewers Training) were given certificates of appreciation for their role in promoting the culture of quality in their respective units. The training participants are expected to serve in various QA functions, lead pertinent quality assurance activities such as the accomplishment of the iAADS, external assessment, accreditation, and review, benchmarking, and prepare the self-assessment report (SAR) for the degree programs of their units.
The UPD QAO plans to continuously engage with the different stakeholders of the university towards quality assurance to be able to establish a sustainable quality management system by 2030. In her closing message, Director Matias said that activities to mainstream quality assurance in the university are already in the pipeline, such as external review of degree programs and preparations for ISO 21001 certification. She also expressed her gratitude to university administrators, faculty, and staff for their support for quality assurance initiatives and passionate commitment to improve the quality of services the university provides to its stakeholders.
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