By Faustino M Tarongoy Jr, PhD and Mr Gleford N Lagcao Jr

Fr Mars P Tan SJ, with the CTTL Office headed Mr Milbert Dialogo, and participants who successfully
completed the 3-day workshop at the former XUGS in Macasandig

A comprehensive three-day training workshop on the Fundamentals of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education was conducted for our 30 newly hired faculty and formators. The participants came from the College of Agriculture (Agricultural Science, Development Communication, and Food Technology), College of Arts and Sciences (Chemistry, GE-IDS, DELL, History/IS, Psychology, Economics, and Theology), School of Business Management (Business Administration), College of Engineering (Electronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering), and NSTP Office. The training workshop was held last 5 to 7 September 2024 at the XUGS Macasandig campus with an objective to equip them with essential knowledge, core principles, and practical skills related to teaching and learning in higher education. The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning (CTTL) of the Office of the Vice President for Higher Education initiated this flagship program which incorporates the onboarding of new faculty and formators as they learn more about Xavier Ateneo’s identity as a shared Jesuit mission and the tenets of Jesuit educational philosophy with an introduction to the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm (IPP).

Resource Speakers who shared insights about Teaching and Learning in Xavier Ateneo
L-R: Ms Adeva Esparrago-Kalidas, Fr Ismael Jose III Chan-Gonzaga, SJ, and Dr Charity Rose A Pagara
L-R: Dr Kathleen M Morales, Dr Carthelyn C Adajar, and Fr Frank Dennis B Savadera, SJ

Participants explored evidence-based approaches to enhance their ability to support student learning effectively and gain insights into faculty development at Xavier Ateneo. This was facilitated by core lectures delivered by seasoned resource speakers with years of experience in Higher Education: Fr Ismael Jose III Chan-Gonzaga, SJ (Sharing in the Jesuit Mission), Ms Adeva Esparrago-Kalidas of XU School of Education (SOE) Graduate program and Junior High School (How Knowledge is Constructed and How Learning Works), Dr Charity Rose Absin-Pagara of the XU SOE (Effective Classroom Management, Learner-centered Teaching, and Effective Learning Strategies for Higher Education), Dr Kathleen Morales of XU SOE (Evaluating Student Learning), Dr Carthelyn Adajar of the Department of English Language and Literature (Effective Classroom Communication and Providing Feedback) and Fr Frank Savadera, SJ, Vice President for Mission and Ministry (IPP for Beginners). These lectures were substantiated with reflections and workshop activities to engage the participants with the content and with each other.

Participants sharing insights about Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

The main highlight of the workshop engaged the participants to apply their learned fundamental concepts and skills through a hands-on micro-teaching demonstration involving facilitation (lesson) planning and the delivery of a 10–12-minute teaching to their colleagues as their students. The participants were able to maximize their learning through the feedback they received from each other and the teaching demo facilitators.

Participants delivering their lessons applying teaching strategies they learned from the workshops

The significance of the participants integrating with the faculty community at Xavier Ateneo was given perspective by understanding their roles and responsibilities as XU faculty members as explained by the Vice President for Higher Education, Dr Juliet Dalagan. The support structures and programs available for faculty, professional, spiritual, and personal development of faculty members were elucidated by Mr Don Velez, the Executive Assistant for the VPHE and a faculty of the Department of Sociology.

Dr Juliet Q Dalagan and Mr Don A Velez giving an orientation on faculty responsibilities and resources

Aside from newly hired faculty and formators, the training was available by those who returned to XU for full-time teaching or were former part-time teachers now teaching full-time.