UNC Academic Affairs Unit Introduces Educational Innovations

Through its brilliant Academic Affairs Unit, the University of Nueva Caceres has proudly pioneered academic innovations and initiatives that are geared toward improving the quality of education and learning experiences of students. UNC’s Academic Affairs Unit is under the stewardship of a master innovator, a history-maker, and a game -changer - Dr. Romy M. Sumayo Jr., the concurrent Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Dean of School of Graduate Studies (SGS) and the College of Education (CED).

After the successful piloting by the UNC School of Graduate Studies, select colleges now embrace the instructional design model called Problem-Research-Outcome-Based-Education (PROBE), which is similar to the practice of internationally renowned academic institutions. With PROBE, our academic expertise, experiences and the knowledge we generate through research are directed toward understanding and addressing the needs of organizations and the broader society, through innovation.

The Academic Affairs Unit has also launched the work-based modality for our Master in Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Arts in Education (MAED) programs, in collaboration with industry partners. New programs offered through the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) are being engineered, while new curricula are being explored to provide educational opportunities for more individuals who are already contributing in their respective industry.

The development of the infrastructure requirements and imperatives for the Hybrid Classrooms is now in full swing. Hybrid learning is a style of teaching and learning that incorporates in-person learning and virtual learning and integrates remote and in-person students in a singular environment. This is done by utilizing tools like learning management systems, video conferencing, and asynchronous (self-paced) learning. This learning offers flexibility, safety, accessibility, and cost-efficiency, without compromising quality of learning experience, while in fact improving learning satisfaction of learners.

With the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) granting the University of Nueva Caceres the authorization and accreditation to deliver continuing professional development services, UNC continues to take the lead in teaching education excellence, outcome-based and professional education in Bicol.

Underway is an innovative course design, Data Analytics for Education, which will equip the next generation of teachers and administrators to strategically use data in improving the operations and functions of schools, universities, education agencies, and any other establishment that interacts with education.

UNC’s Academic Affairs Unit headed by VPAA Sumayo has always persisted and pressed on to uphold our educational vigor and the academic rigor. In all these trailblazing internationalization initiatives and innovations is UNC’s Academic Innovation Officer, who is also the Assistant Dean of both the School of Graduate Studies and College of Education, the phenomenal Prof. Michel P. Basister. With conviction he puts it perfectly: “Innovation is inevitable. It is a way not solely to survive, but to thrive in this ever-evolving educational landscape.”