By Niña Christelle M. Sumintac

Correspondent

An associate professor of the MMSU College of Teacher Education (CTE) has qualified to take an online fellowship program from a reputable non-government organization involved in transformative education and digital literacy in the Philippines.

The Kaisipan, Inc. selected Prof. Jeanette G. Dials, the chief of University’s international faculty and student mobility, to take the Open Educational Resource (OER) Fellowship program through the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) this year. 

One of the only 26 participants, Prof. Dials was accepted in the program because of her “impressive credentials and program plans suitable to our [KI] plans for advocating digital literacy, citizenship, and capabilities to Filipino students.”

Prof. Dials said she submitted a project plan proposal to the organization and was evaluated by the Selection Board. Her proposal is about curating instructional materials in the university using digital technologies. 

She expressed joy and gratitude for the scholarship, and she assured to finish her grant and help the education community in Ilocos Norte. She also hopes that more teachers in the province will become recipients of the fellowship program in the future. 

The OER Fellowship program is a course made up of modules about cognitive, technical, and humanizing learning and teaching foundations.

As a Kaisipan fellow, Prof. Dials is expected to complete the course on April 4, 2021. After this, she shall curate OER in the grade level or in her field of specialization and re-echo the workshops in the university before July 2021. Her commitment with Kaisipan is until February 7, 2022. 

Prof. Dials considers the fellowship program as a good engagement of stakeholders for support and collaboration, hoping that she would help the university improve its learning environment and combat the challenges of digital education. 

A nonprofit corporation registered in Florida, United States, Kaisipan aims to transform learning and teaching through enhancing digital capabilities of educators. 

Prof. Dials was also hailed as Most Outstanding Teacher by the Metrobank Foundation in 2008. (StratCom)