The Univerity of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) Teaching and Learning Resource Center (TLRC) successfully completed its extensive TeachSMART training marathon under the banner TeachSMART: Best Teaching Practices for Effective Learning. With a total of 60 junior and newly-hired faculty members as participants and 19 senior faculty members as resource persons, this milestone iteration marked the 3rd year of the innovative training program, which is dedicated to empowering faculty members and newly hired educators with modern pedagogical tools, teaching philosophies, and essential academic insights.
This year introduced a major structural shift to better serve the University’s educators. Instead of holding one massive, generalized session for all colleges combined, dedicated sessions were customized and held individually for each specific discipline. This targeted approach allowed unique teaching practices to be passed down directly from senior faculty members to both newly hired junior colleagues and seasoned faculty members who were eager to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Each comprehensive session featured the sharing of individual pedagogies, a workshop, a detailed revisiting of institutional academic policies, and a closing recap delivered by a junior faculty member who summarized the key takeaways and reflections of the day.
A vital component of this decentralized format was the specialized administrative guidance provided by leadership across the University, i.e., in each distinct session, the College Secretaries took charge of the revisiting of academic policies and guidelines for their respective constituent units. Specifically, Dr. Dennis C. Ong for SOTECH, Prof. Lhumen A. Tejano for CFOS, Dr. Alice Prieto Carolino along with Ms. Ma. Cristina Molano, Student Record Evaluator I, for CAS, and Prof. Ma. Rhona P. Beriales for CM, led the crucial discussions to ensure all faculty members were aligned with current university standards.
The extensive marathon was strategically distributed across different months and venues to match the locations of the participating units. All TeachSMART legs conducted in the month of March took place at the MILC AVR, CAS, UPV Miagao, Iloilo. This initial block began with the first leg on March 11 for SOTECH, where Engr. Juniper Magallanes-Nava and Engr. Dennis Ong served as resource persons. The second leg followed on March 19 for the CFOS group, with retired faculty member and former TLRC Director Dr. Liah Catedrilla, and Prof. Lhumen Tejano guiding the discussions. The March series concluded with the third leg on March 24 for the Division of Biological Sciences, featuring pedagogical insights from Dr. Eric Zeus Rizo and Dr. Diana Paguntalan.
Moving into April, the training hub shifted to the TLRC AVR, CUB Basement, UPV Miagao, Iloilo, for the remaining Divisions of CAS and the Department of Physical Education. This venue hosted the fourth leg on April 7 for the Division of Humanities, featuring retired pioneer faculty member and former TLRC Director, Prof. Amy Tanoy. The fifth leg took place on April 10 for the Division of Physical Sciences and Mathematics, led by Asst. Prof. Kent Christian A. Castor, Asst. Prof. Ara Abigail Ambita, and Asst. Prof. Jhoanne Marsh C. Gatpatan. On April 24, the sixth leg brought together the Division of Social Sciences and Department of Physical Education, featuring Assoc. Prof. Mary Barby Badayos Jover, PhD, Prof. Jorge Ebay, Asst. Prof. Catherine B. Anecita, and Asst. Prof. Rhoma Grace V. Pandan. The Chemistry Department took its turn for the seventh leg on April 27 with Asst. Prof. Edcyl Lee O. Salac, Asst. Prof. Rnie Shayne G. Gaurana, and Asst. Prof. Dana Villanueva. Concluding the entire marathon, the eighth leg on April 28 for CM was held at the CM AVR, UPV Iloilo, with Asst. Prof. Ysabella P. Cainglet and Asst. Prof. Ma. Rhona P. Beriales serving as resource persons.
For each specific TeachSMART leg, these resource persons generously shared their personal thoughts and secret recipes to success, emphasizing that true educators continue to learn and adapt as they go in their teaching careers. By fostering this collaborative ecosystem of shared knowledge, the TLRC continues to build a more supportive, empathetic, and excellent academic community. Padayon, UPV!
Written by Joanah Faith J. Sanz, UEA I, UPV TLRC
