University officials and academic and non-academic staff from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and Central Mindanao University (CMU) visited the University of the Philippines Diliman last August 9, 2024 to meet with degree-granting units (DGUs) and the Quality Assurance Office (QAO) to know more about QA structures in higher education and best practices for external assessment. The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Quality Assurance Center sought guidance from the Department of English and Comparative Literature (DECL) and Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas (DFPP) of the College of Arts and Letters (CAL) and the Department of Journalism of the College of Mass Communication (CMC) with regard to their designation as Center of Excellence for Literature (English and Filipino) and Center of Excellence in Journalism, respectively, by the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) in 2015. On the other hand, the Central Mindanao University (CMU) Office of Quality Assurance expressed interest in pursuing program assessment through the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA).
L-R (1st Row) Prop. Jocson (CAL-DFPP), Professor Emeritus Dr. Lily Rose Tope (CAL-DECL), L-R (2nd Row) Asst. Prof. Tangi (CMC-DJourn), and Prof. Ick (CAL-DECL) shared best practices with the PUP delegation
In the morning, QAO Director Aura C. Matias and staff welcomed the representatives from PUP, led by Prof. Rebecca E. Palma, the Assistant Director for International and Institutional Quality Assurance of the Quality Assurance Center. Assoc. Prof. Christ Michael C. Atienza, Chief for Institutional Accreditation and Sustainability, Assoc. Prof. Luisito L. Lacatan, Chief for Continuous Quality Improvement, Assoc. Prof. Mary Grace F. Yebra, Chief for International Quality Assurance, Dr. Rafael Michael O. Paz, Dean of College of Arts and Letters, and Ms. Emelie D. Taton, administrative staff, joined the PUP delegation. Representing CAL-DECL were Dr. Judy Celine Ick, the Department Chairperson, and Professor Emeritus Dr. Lily Rose Tope. Prof. Schedar D. Jocson and Prof. Maynard Manansala represented CAL-DFPP, while Asst. Prof. Lucia P. Tangi represented the CMC Department of Journalism as resource persons.
CMU’s purpose for requesting the benchmarking meeting is for its plans to undergo program assessment through the AUN-QA. The delegation was particularly interested in the preparatory activities and experiences of the Institute of Biology and School of Statistics. The delegates from CMU were composed of Mr. Bienvenido M. Butanas, Jr., Director of the Office of Quality Assurance, Mr. Erwin P. Ambasa, Asst. Director, and Ms. Charlyn C. Losaria and Ms. Fatima Grace B. Lagua, the staff from the Office of Quality Assurance. Also with them were Ms. Cheryl C. Cordova, the Director of Office of Admission Scholarships & Placements, Ms. Ruby Española, a faculty member of the College of Engineering, Ms. Marivir M. Ortega, a faculty member of the College of Arts and Sciences-Department of Mathematics, Mr. Zeus S. Elumba, a faculty member of the College of Arts and Sciences-Department of Biology, and Ms. Jenyliza T. Ucang, a faculty member of the College of Education.
Aside from the specific topics that these institutions expressed interest in, Director Matias also shared the quality assurance structure of UP. As the national university, UP has a mandate to welcome and share its knowledge to state universities and colleges (SUCs) and other higher education institutions (HEIs) in their pursuit of academic excellence.
To strengthen UP Diliman’s commitment to quality assurance and integrate risk management principles in facilitating the attainment of the University’s core purpose, the UP Diliman Quality Assurance Office and Macro Vision Consultancy (MVC), launched the Risk Management Training on October 14-16 at the Conference Hall, Balay Kalinaw.
The UP Diliman Quality Assurance Office held the 4th quarter QA Clinic on October 28, 2024, with 24 QA Officers. Discussions included year-end reviews, strategic planning, aligning with UP programs, rankings, and QA tools like PESTEL and SWOT to enhance implementation and improvement.
Following the successful ISO Gap Analysis, the UPD Quality Assurance Office together with Macro Vision Consultancy spearheaded the three-day ISO Awareness Training last October 7-9, 2024 at the E.T. Virata Hall, Institute for Small-Scale Industries (ISSI).
The College of Engineering visited the College of Human Kinetics for a benchmarking session facilitated by the Quality Assurance Office. This initiative explored integrating QA practices and ARTA processes at the COE, aiming to synergize academic and administrative processes in their unit.
As a kick-off activity in the University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD)’s ISO 21001:2018 Educational Organizations Management System (EOMS) certification journey, fifty-six (56) academic and administrative units participated in the remote and onsite Initial Assessment and Gap Analysis last September 23, 24, and 30, 2024 spearheaded by the UPD Quality Assurance Office (QAO).
The UP Diliman Quality Assurance (UPD QAO) brought together 26 Quality Assurance Officers from various degree-granting units (DGUs) of UP Diliman at the recently held QA Clinic at the Training Hall of the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) last September 09, 2024
