UPD QAO Celebrates its Third Anniversary with Kasanayan, Kaisahan, and Kahusayan

Written by: Erick Prynze I. Sazon and Charles Jason C. Ramos
Photo/Video by: Arlyh Hirao & Michael Baguisa
August 17, 2023

The UP Diliman Quality Assurance Office (UPD QAO) formally launched its third anniversary last August 2, 2023 with a lineup of virtual and face-to-face activities anchored on the concepts of Kasanayan, Kaisahan, at Kahusayan which aims to capture the state of quality assurance in the University and its initiatives.

UPD QAO Director Dr. Aura C. Matias welcomed more than a hundred attendees composed of heads of degree-granting units, faculty members, administrative staff and REPS, and quality assurance officers of UP Diliman. In her opening message, Director Matias shared the humble beginnings of quality assurance in UP, from the Sustained Academic Excellence (SAE) program which later became the Internal Academic Assessment and Development System (iAADS), until the institutionalization of quality assurance units. She also shared how the UPD QAO has taken on capacity building programs like the INSPIRE and ASPIRE, the creation of the Competency Development Framework, the data collection for university rankings, and the conduct of external program assessments. With Director Matias at the helm, the UPD QAO envisions to implement a sustainable quality management system in the University by 2030.

To discuss best practices under the different components of the quality management system of the University, UPD QAO invited Assistant Vice-President for Academic Affairs-Quality Assurance Prof. Alyssa Peleo-Alampay, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) Prof. Dina C. Magnaye, Ph.D, EnP, UP Los Banos Quality Assurance Office (UPLB QAO) Director Prof. Myra G. Borines, Ph.D, Ms. Karleen C. Reodique, faculty member and quality assurance officer of the College of Social Work and Community Development (CSWCD) Department of Social Work, and Assistant Professor Anna Patricia R. Carranza, LPT, MM, chairperson of the Department of Music Education and former quality assurance officer of the College of Music (CMu).

AVP Alyssa Peleo-Alampay stated that the quality management system of UP “employs a holistic approach in capturing how various aspects of the university can be improved.” Moving forward, AVPAA Peleo-Alampay promised that the OVPAA-QA will strengthen QA systems and structures and continue implementing and supporting QA capacity building activities.

SURP Dean Dina C. Magnaye gave a walkthrough of the three-year strategic plan of SURP. Having participated in UPD QAO’s Institutional Strategic Program for Innovation, Research, and Education (INSPIRE) training, SURP was able to refine its vision and mission,develop its strategic plan, and establish its quality management system.

Ms. Karleen C. Reodique and Asst. Prof. Anna Patricia R. Carranza shared the experience of their respective units as they underwent remote external quality assessment (EQA) last year. Ms. Reodique said that as early as 2019, they have already been planning for the EQA of the BS Social Work program.

In 2022, they were able to undergo external program assessment with two UP Diliman faculty members who are trained in the AUN-QA framework of program assessment with the support of the UPD QAO. Meanwhile, the Bachelor of Music program of the CMu underwent EQA Type D through the Visiting Professor Program of the OVPAA. Asst. Prof. Carranza shared that undergoing EQA is not just for compliance, but is also geared towards promoting efficiency and accountability in the workplace.

UPLB QAO Director Prof. Myra G. Briones shared the UPLB’s milestones in institutional and program assessment. In 2018, UPLB was recognized by the European Union Support for Higher Education in the ASEAN Region (EU-SHARE) which further spurred other units in UPLB to commit to QA and subject their academic programs and administrative operations to external assessment.

To further expound on the elements of the UP Quality System to academic units, the UPD QAO announced that it has organized other activities namely, the Kaisahan: Webinar on Continuous Quality Improvement Mechanisms which will gather heads of degree-granting units and quality assurance officers to discuss QA frameworks and the CQI, and the Kahusayan: Seremonya ng Pagkilala sa Kagalingan sa QA to culminate the anniversary celebration and recognize the academic units and QA stakeholders in the University. Both activities are slated on Thursday, August 10, 2023.