To capacitate faculty members, other teaching personnel, and new students of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) on the use of learning management system (LMS), the Interactive Learning Center (ILC) of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (OVCAA) conducted a series of virtual training-workshops on CANVAS and Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (MOODLE) in preparation for the opening of the 1st semester, 2021-2022.
According to Dr. Edmund G. Centeno, director of ILC, the training workshops aimed to develop skills and capabilities of the faculty members in using CANVAS and MOODLE in managing their courses under the remote learning set-up and in support of innovative teaching and learning strategies. For the students, it was also a venue to answer the most frequently asked questions on logging-in, creating and managing courses, and impart the different features and advantages of each LMS. Hands-on activities and actual demonstration on navigating and exploring the LMS were conducted.
For the training sessions on Canvas, more than 2,000 new UPLB students from different colleges attended on September 15-16, 2021 while 808 faculty members from August-September, 2021.
On the other hand, a total of 20 UPLB academic personnel including professors and research, extension and professional staff (REPS) with authority to teach attended the MOODLE training sessions on August 31-01 September 2021.
Resource persons for the sessions were Dr. Edmund G. Centeno on CANVAS and Prof. Nelio C. Altoveros from IMSP on MOODLE. Assisting the resource speakers were Beverly R. Pabro, university extension specialist, and Leonilo H. Torio, administrative assistant, both of ILC.
Since 2013, ILC has been regularly offering training-workshops every semester in support of innovative teaching and learning strategies, and to enhance the e-learning knowledge and skills of faculty members. Completion of a relevant ILC training-workshop on the development/ application of interactive learning materials is one of the prerequisites to qualify for grants for the development of interactive instructional materials. (Beverly R. Pabro)