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SERVICE LEARNING. Service Learning faculty and formators connect at the SLP In Service Training and collaborate for this school year’s community engagements and social formation. Supplied photo.  

Report by Victoria Melissa Pulido

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — The Service Learning Program (SLP) welcomed another school year of community engagements and social formation. SLP is a hallmark of Xavier Ateneo education through its aim of strengthening social formation among students and forging collaboration with local government to assist in the development of communities.

In the SLP In Service Training (InSeT) participated by formators and faculty of the different schools and colleges of the university, it was discussed how Service Learning would form part of the curriculum of various courses.

The activity was also aimed at developing among formators and faculty a deeper understanding of Outcomes-based Education (OBE) and the skills in evaluating students’ learning using appropriate tools to assess SL courses. 


MILLENNIALS. "Millennials have different motivations; they need to grow, make an impact, to be social. Millennials want to make a real difference," says Development Communication chairperson Evans Yonson at the Service Learning Program - In Service Training. Supplied photo.

The 2-day training, held on June 7 and 8, started with an overview and presentation of objectives by Social Development Office director for SLP Engr Gail dela Rita. The first day involved inputs on the topics, "Understanding the Millennial Youth” and “Service Learning in the light of Jesuit Education and Social Justice” with Evans Yonson and Derrick Pimentel as speakers respectively. The second day covered the topics, “Maximizing E-learn Application” and “Skills Training on Rubrics Setting and Learning Assessment Tools” with formator Jerome Torres and Arrupe Educational Center (AEC) director Maria Victoria Trinidad as facilitators, respectively.

Yonson, chairperson of the Development Communication department led the discussion on the characteristics and profile of a millennial. Considering that majority of Xavier Ateneans are part of the millennial generation, SLP found the relevance of the topic to address gaps and challenges in facilitating learning and formation among young people in this generation.

Pimentel, faculty of the Philosophy department emphasized the significance of Service Learning to Jesuit education and Ignatian spirituality. SLP, as a hallmark of XU Ateneo education, is a call among faculty and formators to be aware of their roles in instilling Ignatian values and ideals. SLP is not only an academic requirement but a tool to advance social formation in the light of our Ignatian identity.


TRUTH AND JUSTICE. “The challenge among faculty is on how Jesuit education and Ignatian spirituality ignite truth and justice in our classrooms and the overall transformation of students,” says Philosophy faculty Derrick Pimentel at the Service Learning Program - In Service Training. Supplied photo.

Torres, a Service Learning formator gave a quick input on how to maximize electronic learning spaces to monitor their student’s progress and organize their outputs. The highlight of the training was the workshop on Rubrics Setting which was facilitated by AEC director Trinidad. Emphasis was given on the relevance of outcomes-based education and how SLP is the ideal tool to appropriate OBE into the college’s or school’s curriculum.

The workshop ended with an open forum to accommodate the insights and reflections of the participants.

The InSeT was the first activity of the SLP for this school year. The activity is an effort to jumpstart the school year’s SLP engagements by bringing together key stakeholders for long-term collaboration and full integration of SLP in their respective curricula.

SLP is an effort to concretize Xavier Ateneo president Fr Roberto "Bobby" Yap’s challenge among Xavier Atenean educators and formators of bringing students to the “peripheries” to cultivate in them the desire to serve the communities, particularly, the poor and the marginalized.∎


RUBRICS SETTING. Arrupe Educational Center director Maria Victoria Trinidad facilitates a session on Rubrics Setting to assess students' learning. Supplied photo.