By Angle Alyssa G. Pascua & Kaye Nicolex Y. Ubasa
StratCom Interns

One hundred ten students of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) completed the short-term online courses from reputable international universities this year. 

Of this number, 80 sophomore and junior students took Multiculturalism and Global Perspective course given by the Asia University (AU) in Taiwan while 30 junior students underwent credit transfer program (CTP) courses offered by the Ganesha University of Education (UNDIKSHA) in Indonesia from February to June 2021.

The group who took the AU’s online course are composed of 48 second year Bachelor of Arts and Communication students, 31 third year BA English Language students, while one second year BA Sociology student. 

These students were taught on globalization and cultural literacy, and were oriented on the Taiwan’s Southbound Policy and the Belt Road Initiative through asynchronous and synchronous classes. They secured certificates after completing the program. 

“The courses gave us the chance to deepen our understanding about cultures of other countries; and these learnings will surely help us in our future careers, especially when it comes to teaching,” said Keith Roiferio (ABEL III), one of the participants in the Taiwan university’s course.

Meanwhile, of the 30 third year students who took the Indonesian school’s courses, 20 computer science (CS) students took Computer Networks 2.0 course while 10 information technology (IT) students took Software Engineering course. 

The CS students learned the computer networks’ concepts such as of internetworking technology, internet protocol addressing, subnetting, switching, routing, virtual local area network, network security, distributed systems, and cloud computing; while the IT students increased their knowledge on the current trends and best practices of software engineering.

The courses were delivered to the students through lecture sessions, group activities, presentations, and examinations. In turn, they got course credits after finishing the program. 

“The experience in participating in this credit transfer program is really amazing. More than learning the course, we were also able to virtually interact with foreign students and learn their language and culture,” expressed Bryan Advincula (BSCS III), one of the participants in the Indonesian university’s program. 

The college started participating in the credit transfer program last year. It continued to engage its students in the program since its BSCS and BSIT curriculums are suitable with the UNDIKSHA’s Bachelor in Information Education program. 

MMSU has been invited to join the international online courses since it has a dynamic partnership with the foreign universities. Thus, the CAS coordinated with the External Linkages and Partnerships (ELP) directorate to let the students participate in the exchange program.

Ms. Danica Hannah A. Pastor, the college’s planning and development coordinator, said the exchange program will help develop the students’ cultural awareness and will also enable them to effectively communicate with others which are vital on their respective courses.

“These exchange programs are not just educational opportunities, but are also instrumental in developing the capabilities of students,” said Dr. Marivic Alimbuyugen, CAS dean, adding the college will send more students in similar exchange programs in the future. (StratCom)