A workshop designed to develop General Education free elective courses was held by the Department of General Education and Mission (GEM) last September 19, 2017 at the Virtual Training Room of the Josef Baumgartner Learning Resource Center in Talamban Campus.

The input-oriented workshop was facilitated by Engr. Luis Cabatingan, Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering. The workshop was designed to assure quality in the Gen Ed free elective courses as required by CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 20, series of 2013.

A total of nine credit units are required to be taken by all undergraduates, regardless of curricular program or major, entering the tertiary level beginning in 2018. Eight other mandated Gen Ed courses are required, namely Purpose Communication, Understanding the Self, Readings in Philippine History, Ethics, Mathematics in the Modern World, Art Appreciation, The Contemporary World, and Science, Technology and Society. One additional course, The Life and Works of Rizal, is mandated by the Philippine Constitution.

An initial primer and orientation conference was held last March 23rd prior to this workshop. Four more workshops are scheduled early next year until the middle of 2019 to ensure that course design meets the standards prescribed by CMO No. 20 s.2013 Section 4, namely (1) conform to the philosophy and goals of General Education as stated in the CMO; (2) apply an inter- or cross-disciplinary perspective, and (2) draw materials, cases, or examples from Philippine realities and experiences, and not just from other countries.

The electives also need to cover at least two domains of knowledge, e.g., arts and humanities, social science and philosophy, or science, technology, and mathematics.

by Elizabeth M. Remedio, Ph.D. (Chair, Department of General Education and Mission)

Tags: General Education, Workshop