Leaders from the College of Economics and Management, namely, CEM Dean Isabelita M. Pabuayon, Associate Dean Karen P. Quilloy, DAME Chair Normito R. Zapata, Jr., ICOPED OIC-Director Jan Danica S. Asma, OVCAA Assistant to the Vice Chancellor Julieta A. delos Reyes, GS Dean Jose V. Camacho, Jr. , and UP PSAE Director Anna Floresca A. Firmalino, attended the two-day orientation on Higher Education Assessment for Relevance Towards Sustained Institutional Excellence (HEARTS) held at the Development Academy of the Philippines, Tagaytay City from June 7 to 8, 2017. The orientation was attended by more than 90 academic and administrative unit heads of UPLB.
Highlighting the quest for excellence, the orientation was organized by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs as a preliminary activity for institutional assessment for quality assurance of the University. The topics discussed in the orientation include UP’s Quest for Excellence: Quality Assurance Challenges and Opportunities, AUN-QA: The UPLB Experience, External Assurance Arrangements in the ASEAN Countries and Experiences on Institutional Assessments, Self-Assessments for Institutional Accreditation and Self-Assessment Activities Mapping Out. Dr. Maria Cynthia Rose B. Bautista, Vice President for Academic Affairs of the UP System set the tone of the orientation and explained the concepts and prospects of QA in higher education and emphasized the importance of being externally reviewed, assessed and accredited. Other speakers were Dir. Conception V. Pijano, Executive Director, Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), Dr. Niña M. Cadiz, Director OSA, Dr. Philip Ian P. Padilla, faculty member at UP Visayas and former UP faculty regent, and Dr. Serlie B. Jamias, Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs.
The Vice Chancellor for Acadamic Affairs, Dr. Portia G. Lapitan accentuated that the education sector should ensure that it is giving the best learning opportunities for its students, thus the call for institutional assessment. The university units and colleges are expected to develop a Self Assessment Report (SAR) for the institutional assessment of UPLB following the guidelines of the European Union Support to Higher Education in ASEAN Region (EU SHARE) using the ASEAN Quality Assurance Framework (AQAF). JSAsma
