February has been a busy month for ASCOT officials, directors, and unit heads as they organized and scheduled consultations with different stakeholders. From the 15th up to the 22nd of the month, the General Education Building’s Accreditation Hall has been filled with different sets of people. All are eager to brainstorm and contribute to the development of ASCOT.
The potential offering of a Juris Doctor Program by 2022 was discussed by college officials, directors, unit heads with some of Aurora’s executive judges and lawyers on the 15th. Stakeholders from various fields were also present. The opening of this program opts to give aspiring lawyers of our province the chance to study closer to home.
The same day talks about offering a new academic program—Liberal Arts ensued. Primary movers of this new program aimed to give incoming freshmen, returning students, and such the opportunity to study BA History and BA Political Science closer to home. Offering such courses gives the students in our province a wider option especially to those that are currently taking HUMSS and GAS strand in their Senior High School.
On the 16th, the Education Department and the Department of Arts and Sciences heads and faculty and staff consulted with several stakeholders. For the Education Department, the program’s curriculum was reviewed to identify areas for improvement. This was done to ensure that the curriculum is always aligned with the needs of the industry. Furthermore, doing this helps ASCOT in producing competent and excellent educators that contribute to nation-building.
The Department of Arts and Sciences’ curriculum for their Hospitality and Tourism Management course was also reviewed and aligned with the needs of the industry. The plan to offer a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration was explored. This is a vital activity in ensuring that ASCOT produces competent and excellent graduates having relevant entrepreneurial and hospitality management skills. These skills are not only useful when they apply for a job at a corporation, they can also use these skills when they decide that they want to open up their own businesses and such.
The Department of Information and Technology conducted its stakeholders’ meeting on the 18th. The Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) with specialization in Application Programming and Digital Design was tackled. The curriculum for this program was reviewed in order to identify the areas that need revisions. This was done to ensure that the curriculum is aligned with the needs of the industry. Its goal is to equip and empower ASCOT BSIT graduates with the necessary and up-to-date skills that they can utilize when they enter the industry. This further shows the commitment of ASCOT in producing graduates who are competent.
The last stakeholders’ meeting was done by the Graduate Studies Program. The purpose is the same—to revisit the curriculum and make necessary changes in order to stay relevant and responsive to the needs of the time. It was a must to do this because upon reviewing, they have seen that some of the courses offered are outdated and repetitive. They plan on creating new subjects, tweaking existing ones, and merging similar subjects. They also plan to require graduate students to publish at least one of their works in peer-reviewed journals. The target implementation of this is August 2021.
Change is necessary. All of these curriculum reviews and consultations is imperative to ensure that the institution is delivering quality education in the province. ASCOT vows to improve the curriculum of its undergraduate and graduate programs, add programs that provide more opportunity for the province’s youth, and continue producing quality graduates.
Health protocols were followed before, during, and after each session.