UPD QAO holds QA Clinic for Q3 2024
  • Written by: Beau Estepa and Kelvin Mendoza
  • Photo/Video by: Arlyh Hirao & Michael Baguisa

Share:

Facebook
Twitter
SDG 4 - Quality Education
SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
Director Matias, the API Portal Development Team, and QA Officers and QA practitioners from various degree-granting units

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. For this quarter, the QA Clinic aims to revisit the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Framework and Life Cycle of QA Activities, present the revised QA Competency Development Framework, and give the QA Officers a first-look to the Academic Program Improvement (API) Portal.

QAClinic1
QAClinic3
QAClinic21

Speakers of the QA Clinic – Director Matias of the UPD QAO, Kelvin Mendoza of the Internal Quality Assurance Team, and Ms. Sam Solis of the API Portal Development Team

Kelvin Mendoza, University Extension Specialist III of the Internal Quality Assurance Team facilitated the revisit of the Lifecycle of QA Activities framework initially presented during the 1st QA Clinic last April (see article), mapping out QA activities in each stage of the Program Lifecycle (institution, implementation, revision, and abolition). A survey was conducted on the status of fifteen (15) QA-related activities from the framework. Insights were drawn and presented to the participants, highlighting some observations on the implementation of these programs. This led to a discussion on challenges encountered, support needed, and best practices of the DGUs through which UPD QAO Director Aura Matias emphasized the importance of database systems and keeping past data, synchronizing the timing of leadership and the timing of the iAADS, and foresight for the next cycles. To summarize the session, the participants were reminded that consistent performance across all activities is key to reaching our strategic QA targets.

Director Matias then presented the Revised QA Competency Development Framework as a career path for faculty members to develop their competencies, become leaders, and contribute effectively to the University through QA work. She likened the framework to a ladder – each step an advancement in knowledge, skills, experience, and competencies (core, functional, and technical). Starting from being Implementation Partners to becoming Quality Experts, QA officers will eventually be tapped as external reviewers, as part of the QA Committee, or as director of the QA Office. Director Matias also highlighted the importance of mentorship and encouraging younger faculty to take interest and be part of the University’s QA journey.

For the Academic Program Improvement (API) Portal User Training, developer Ms. Sam Solis, together with project team leader Asst. Prof. Pierre Allan Villena, presented the portal’s core features and supplemental features. The portal was developed with the objective of reducing turnaround time of application to release of results, automating project management, and assisting unit heads and project leaders in determining timelines and disbursements. Once officially released, QA Officers will be able to submit their API applications through the portal. Proponents can look forward to the deliberations this November, with target release of application results by December. The project management modules, which constitute the 2nd phase of the API portal development, are underway and will go live next year.

QAClinic7
QAClinic12
QAClinic24

QA officers and QA practitioners sharing practices and insights from their respective units

Other concerns were also raised during the QA Clinic such as the allotment of Administrative Leave Credits (ALCs), validating and saving information in the iAADS portal, and the institutionalization of the QA Officer position and entitlements.

The QA Clinics provide a venue for the QA Office to provide directions, gather feedback, check on the implementation of QA activities in the respective DGUs, and identify action plans to ensure that the University can deliver the QA strategic goals set at the start of the year.

QAClinic30
QAClinic20
QAClinic16
QAClinic13
QAClinic23
QAClinic28
QAClinic27
QAClinic14
QAClinic11
QAClinic10
QAClinic2
QAClinic6
QAClinic34
QAClinic33
QAClinic25
QAClinic22
QAClinic17
QAClinic18
QAClinic19
Facebook
Twitter

LATEST NEWS

Our Newest For you
UPD concludes 2026 INSPIRE Series

UPD concludes 2026 INSPIRE Series

Czarina Arevalo November 13, 2026

Home›Internal Quality Assurance›UPD Concludes 2026 INSPIRE Series UPD concludes 2026 INSPIRE Series To further drive strategic alignment across units, the UP Diliman Quality Assurance Office (UPD QAO) successfully conducted the INSPIRE Series with the theme “Aligning Purpose. Strengthening Systems. Advancing Quality” from May to September 2026. 2026 INSPIRE Program Design Launched on May 11 and 12, 2026 at the Institute of Biology Auditorium, UP Diliman, its first installment, dubbed INSPIRE Part 1: Aligning Purpose, gathered about 200 delegates from the academic and administrative units. The session centered on Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan III’s Vision for UP Diliman: “A dynamic university that leads in sustainable community and nation-building through education and research”, with three (3) Strategic Directions: Fix our House, Pursue Sustainability, and UPD as a Cultural Haven. Chancellor Vistan’s message highlighted re-centering plans on a single idea of the student journey: not outcomes alone, but the whole experience UP Diliman students live through while they are with the University. Chancellor Vistan underscored the importance of the student journey as an anchor in the INSPIRE planning exercise, “I believe our students will bring what they experience in the classroom, in our colleges, in the university, to their homes, to their

University and College administrators, External Quality Reviewers, and representatives of the Master in Population Studies program posed for a group photo during the opening session of the 6th External Quality Review Visit.

UPPI’s Master in Population Studies program finishes first external quality review

Vixey Lema November 10, 2026

Another graduate program of the UP Population Institute (UPPI) successfully underwent the external quality review process on October 19-22, 2026, marking the completion of the first round of external quality assurance (EQA) of both graduate programs of the Institute. The Master in Population Studies (M PopStud) program engaged external quality reviewers from UP Diliman and foreign higher education institutions. Under the UP QA System, the visit is categorized as EQA Type D, and was partly funded through the Visiting Professor Program of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA). University and College administrators, External Quality Reviewers, and representatives of the Master in Population Studies program posed for a group photo during the opening session of the 6th External Quality Review Visit. From left to right: Associate Professor Apryl Mae C. Parcon, Graduate Program Coordinator; Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Mary Ann G. Bacolod; Professor Emeritus Irene Villaseñor; Associate Professor Chalermpol Chamchan; Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Maria Vanessa Lusung-Oyzon; UP Population Institute Director Maria Paz Marquez; and Associate Professor Jake Rom D. Cadag, Officer-in-Charge (OIC), Office of the Associate Dean for Research, Extension, and Publications. The review was led by Professor Emeritus Irene Villaseñor from the UP

Participants of the 5th External Quality Review Visit at UP Diliman posed for a group photo during the opening session.

CSSP, NCPAG degree programs complete External Quality Review

Vixey Lema November 3, 2026

The Master of Science (Geography), Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy), and Bachelor of Public Administration programs of the University of the Philippines Diliman successfully completed the 5th External Quality Review (EQR) Visit held from September 30 to October 2, 2026. The three degree programs serve distinct academic and professional purposes, from advancing geographical research and understanding complex ideas to preparing students for careers in education, private industries, and public service. Reviewing them presented an opportunity to examine how their curricula and learning experiences prepare graduates to apply their knowledge in their respective fields and respond to the needs of the communities and sectors they serve. The External Quality Reviewers, UPD Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II, UPD QAO Director Evangeline C. Amor, CSSP Dean Ruth R. Lusterio-Rico, and NCPAG Dean Kristoffer B. Berse posed for a group photo during the opening session. The review was conducted by an EQR Team composed of academic and quality assurance practitioners from UP Diliman and UP Manila. Professor Emeritus Irene M. Villaseñor of the Institute of Chemistry served as the Lead External Quality Reviewer (EQR) for the MS Geography program, as well as the Chief of the EQR team. She was assisted by Associate Professor

From Compliance to Culture: UP SURP’s Journey to Global Excellence

Vixey Lema October 21, 2026

During the opening ceremony of the inaugural UP Diliman QAhusayan Fair 2026 held on September 7, 2026, Dean Dina C. Magnaye, presented the transformative journey of the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SURP) as a world-class academic unit of the University of the Philippines.