UP President Danilo L. Concepcion approved the proposal of UPLB to pilot the expansion of the mandate of the Interactive Learning Center (ILC) through its reorganization into the Center for the Advancement for Teaching and Learning (CATL).
This was after the UP President’s Advisory Council (PAC) endorsed for President Concepcion’s approval of the “Pilot Expansion of the Mandate of the UPLB ILC and its Reorganization as the CATL, consolidating the Functions of Various UPLB Committees to Improve Teaching and Learning.” President Concepcion approved this endorsement on Dec. 13, 2021.
UPLB CATL aims to deliver improved academic practice with a wider mandate than ILC.
It will lead the development and management of knowledge products and instructional materials that adapt to changing education environments, including the expert vetting of course materials and syllabi.
It will recommend related policies, guide the faculty in the use of educational technologies aligned with flexible modes, conduct researches to improve teaching and learning, implement relevant short courses, and provide supportive services for instructional methods and materials production.
Dr. Edmund G. Centeno, the most recent director of ILC, retains his position at CATL. He is an associate professor at the College of Development Communication (CDC), who finished his PhD in Educational Communication and Technology at Kasetsart University in Thailand.
The reorganized center remains under the direct supervision of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.
CATL will have sections on pedagogy and technology, assessment and evaluation, instructional material production, and knowledge management, each to be spearheaded by a chief selected from among qualified faculty members and staff.
Assisting these section chiefs are the Teaching and Learning Excellence Officers across all colleges and schools, who will be CATL’s focal persons in their home units.
The pilot reorganization of ILC into CATL and the expansion of its roles will be implemented for 6 to 8 months, after which it will be reviewed before its formal establishment is endorsed by PAC to the Board of Regents.
Piloting of CATL at UPLB is seen to provide a blueprint for other constituent universities in the UP System to pursue a similar action to their counterpart ILCs in the future.
An Ad Hoc Committee drafted the CATL proposal, chaired by Asst. Prof. Anna Floresca F. Firmalino, director of the Office of International Linkages. Its members are Dr. Centeno; Dr. Benjamina Paula G. Flor, currently officer-in-charge of CDC; Asst. Prof. Jickerson P. Lado, assistant to the vice chancellor for student affairs and director of the Office of Scholarships and Grants; and Dr. Greg T. Pawilen, director of the Office for Institutional Development in Higher Education. (Kyle Ramiel Dalangin)
This article was originally published on the UPLB website.