UPLB reviews General Education Program
For many UP students, one cannot have the full UP experience without taking the required General Education (GE) courses. While major courses focus on specialization, GE courses explore topics in the arts and humanities, social science and philosophy, and natural sciences and mathematics, giving scholars a chance to learn and interact with domains other than their own.
GE has defined UP’s liberal education for decades and has trained generations of Iskolar ng Bayan to be critical, investigate new ideas, and have the openness to collaborate across disciplines.
Over the years, the GE curriculum has been restructured and revised to address new challenges and demands.
With artificial intelligence, accelerated technology turnover, and an interconnected global community, UPLB saw the need for the GE program to be reviewed to ensure its relevance.
This is what several UPLB faculty set out to do at the 1st UPLB General Education Program (GEP) Planning Workshop held from August 22 to 24, 2024 in Tagaytay City. It had the theme “Dalub-Turuan: Dalubhasaan sa Pagtuturo ng GE sa UPLB; Guro sa Kapwa Guro.”
The workshop was composed of several sessions that looked at the various aspects of teaching and implementing GE subjects at UPLB. It also hosted discussions that allowed GE faculty to share their experiences and best practices in teaching GE courses.
The workshop began with talks about the goals and history of the UP GEP led by Dr. Mark Oliver S. Llangco, former UP GEP director, and Dr. Alyssa Peleo-Alampay, assistant vice president for academic affairs in quality assurance in the UP System. Dr. Alampay also supervised the revision of the UP GEP in 2017.
This was followed by a discussion on the best practices of teaching GE led by Dr. Nancy Kimuel-Gabriel, former director of the GE Center in Diliman, and appropriate and effective assessments led by Dr. Edmund G. Centenno, director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning.
The workshop also highlighted mental health matters with the discussion led by Jholyan Francis S. Fornillos of the Department of Social Sciences and president of the Pambansang Samahan sa Sikolohiyang Pilipino.
After the learning sessions, the faculty gathered to create and present their plans for each GE cluster. These were assessed by Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. Agham C. Cuevas, and GE director, Dr. April Hope T. Castro.
In his message, Chancellor Jose V. Camacho, Jr. highlighted how the GE Program is instrumental to the fifth pillar of UPLB’s research and extension agenda, Social Justice and Cultural Flourishing. He also pointed out the potential of a Tatak UP GE course for the curriculum.
This is the first GE conference held after the revision of the program in 2018 following the implementation of the K-12 basic education program. (Jessa Jael S. Arana)
