We’ve been busy.
Last 25 May 2020, the Ateneo SALT Institute launched a professional certificate course on Adaptive Design for Learning for the faculty and formation professionals of the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University.
Five online classes were opened–one for each school, including a special class for those designing the university’s undergrad core curriculum courses, as well as the formation and athletic programs. A total of 772 faculty and staff signed up for the online training course in the hope of learning how to design and deliver online education.
In a week, seven additional classes were opened to accommodate 449 participants from basic education and 350 from our professional schools. Eventually, we added four classes for 762 more from other Jesuit schools and universities in the country.
A total of 2,333 faculty and formation personnel are currently enrolled in the course, working really hard as they undergo this largely asynchronous course to retool–and reinvent–themselves for this most extraordinary of academic terms ahead of us.
The course work is challenging. But as someone quipped, “Were you expecting Netflix?” The hard work notwithstanding, the online conversations among our colleagues are vigorous and enriching, and even more crucially, morale is high.
To facilitate the sixteen simultaneous online ADL classes, we’ve assembled a stable of 27 online coaches recruited not just from within the university, but also beyond: Rita Atienza, Darren Cabildo, Je Ching-Wu, Denzel Domingo, Jen Ferrer-Ramirez, Fr. Johnny Go SJ, Galvin Ngo, Solvie Nubla-Lee, and Isabel Pefianco-Martin from our own SALT team; Fr. Francis Alvarez SJ (Loyola School of Theology/Ateneo de Manila), Jen Agapito (DISCS), Aimee Apolinario (Xavier School), Fr. Tony Basilio SJ (Ateneo de Davao), Neith Casano (DISCS), Sam Castaneda (ASMPH), Rachel Consunji (AGSB), Bro. Patrick Echeverria SJ (Loyola School of Theology), Miko Galvez (SOH Theology), Jude Liao (Xavier School) Louie Melosantos (ASHS), Michelle Paterno (SOH English), Didith Rodrigo (Arete & ALLS), Gen Sanvitores (AJHS), Gina Serquina (formerly from AGS), Fr. Jonjee Sumpaico SJ (AdMU Basic Education), Obet Tanchangco (ASMPH), and Kervin Torrente (ASHS). We thank them for agreeing to accompany our colleagues in this learning journey!
Adaptive Design for Learning (ADL) is the learning design framework that we have created based on the latest research and best practice we’ve seen. Its big idea is that we should design our academic and formation programs in such a way that they can be repurposed not only to suit different modes of delivery, but also to adapt to different learners’ needs.
ADL is rooted in the emerging philosophy of online Jesuit education that we have come to call AteneoBlueCloud, which also stands for the virtual campus that we are building for our online community of learners and educators.
AteneoBlueCloud makes it unapologetically clear to us that this shift isn’t about technology, but about learning. More, it isn’t just about learning, but also about the faith and values formation of our students.
Moreover, our brand of online education is characterized by inclusivity and empathy, with special personal attention given to those who are at risk of being excluded by this shift to online learning. Hence, every effort will be exerted to make sure that no learner is left behind, that support and assistance will be provided not only for those who may not have regular and reliable Internet access, but also for those who have special learning needs.
Aside from the ADL professional certificate course, Ateneo SALT has been holding three weekly ADL webinars every week to support the ongoing nationwide professional development among our educators:
- MONDAY MEET-UP FOR BASIC EDUCATION
- WEDNESDAY WEBINAR FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
- FRIDAY FORUM ON FAITH AND VALUES FORMATION
If the attendance the past week is any indication, there seems to be a real demand for the webinars. Open to all our Ignatian colleagues in the country, almost 1000 educators attended the first two Wednesday Webinar, with over 600 who joined the first Monday Meet-up and over 500 at the first Friday Forum.
In addition, we are also offering training for the Canvas Learning Management System that, aside from Moodle and Google Classroom, will be used to offer our academic and formation programs. A team of thirty dedicated Ateneo Canvas Coaches led by SALT Assistant Director Galvin Ngo, has been formed to offer their services to faculty in need, even providing “personal training” to those who request it.
Playing a most crucial role are the ADL Project Coordinators from the different schools:, whose task it is not just to manage their respective schools’ efforts to accomplish the task at hand, but more importantly, to take care of the people and the process:
Like everyone else these last couple of months, the Ateneo SALT team has been working hard. What has sustained the team is the generosity of those who have volunteered to help, as well as the openness and eagerness of fellow educators to learn and to support the university as the Ateneo de Manila gears up for the coming term despite all the uncertainties and unanswered questions.
But we’re getting accustomed to living with these uncertainties and unanswered questions. As Fr. Go would say to our faculty, “We’re not being asked just to ‘cross the bridge when we get there’. We have to build the bridge as we cross it.”