SCIENCE 11 SYNTHESIS

The SCI 11 (Living Systems) GE Conversation panel discussion was divided into four sections, namely: the course, the faculty, course activities, and opportunities for going forward.

The Course: ZENAIDA G. BAOANAN

Zenaida G. Baoanan obtained her Ph.D. from the University of the Philippines, Diliman with 25 years of teaching at the University of the Philippines Baguio. She is currently the Head of the Biodiversity Resource Management Program of the Cordillera Studies Center of UP Baguio and is leading the interuniversity and multidisciplinary research funded by CHED-DARE TO entitled, Popularizing Access to Biodiversity Information Data and Conservation Opportunities (PABIDACO). She was a recipient of the Fulbright-Philippine Agriculture Advanced Research Grant in the United States held at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii with her research on the culture and propagation of cone snails to serve as a sustainable source of conotoxin. She has 30 years of experience conducting relevant ecological and conservation researches, particularly on mollusks, with local and international collaborators.

Prof. Baoanan discussed the pre-pandemic and pandemic offering and course content. She mentioned that during the 2nd sem AY 2019-20, SCI 11 activities were reduced to 1-2 modules per week. During the pandemic, course objectives set per module were still followed with 1-2 activities per module implemented. The faculty opted to use more videos to supplement the learning modules (e.g. UP Talks). Also, in place of exams alternative assessments like individual student journals were used. In the following semester, faculty had also created content of their own in terms of recorded videos.  

The Faculty: ANNABELLE U. NOVERO

Annabelle U. Novero is a professor of biology at the Department of Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies, and a former dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, UP Mindanao. She handles classes in Fundamentals of Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Botany, Scientific Research Process, Undergraduate Seminar, and Living Systems.  Dr. Novero also holds the rank of UP Scientist 1. Her research interests include plant conservation and utilization, bioresource assessment, and gene discovery. She is currently involved in two research projects as project leader: Coconut Somatic Embryogenesis Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) and Assessment of Coastal Bioresources in Davao Region (CHED). 

Prof. Novero recounted the experiences of faculty teaching SCI 11. Based on UP Mindanao’s 6th semester of offering she reported the diversity of students enrolled in SCI 11. Prof. Novero discussed faculty views in teaching the different modules of the course, citing ease of teaching certain modules as well as challenges in the conduct of some modules. Hence, she recommended holding a workshop to serve as a platform for reviewing these modules and how the different CU’s have done to modify them during the pandemic.

Course Activities: IVY AMOR F. LAMBIO

Ivy Amor F. Lambio is MNH's curator for mosses. She is at present an Assistant Professor 7 at the Environmental Biology Division of the Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, UPLB. Ivy is currently finishing her Ph.D. in Botany. She obtained her MS Botany major in Plant Ecology and minor in Genetics (2007) and BS Biology major in Genetics (1998) from UPLB. Her specialties include botany, genetics, and conservation biology and describes herself as a "bryologist, plant ecologist, conservation biologist, geneticist, spelunker, and cook" A remarkable teacher, Ivy has won the 2015 UPLB Outstanding Teacher in the Biological Sciences (Senior Faculty category).

Assistant Professor Lambio, described that SCI 11 modules were mostly done asynchronously. As with other CU’s, activities were limited to one activity per week only. She showcased the creative outputs of the students. These were in the form of infographics, posters, vlogs, etc. Particular importance was given to offering activities that are practical to do offline. For example, food listings were made to teach the concept of food webs and food chains. Simply put, care was taken in devising the activities for each module.

Way Forward: ANGEL QUENEE DEQUITO

Angel Quenee Dequito obtained her BS degree in Fisheries (2013) cum laude and MS degree in Aquaculture (2017) in UP Visayas. She ranked 6thplace in the Fisheries Technologist Licensure Exam. She worked as a Technical Assistant in the Fish Health Section of Southeast AsianFisheries and Development Center (SEAFDEC) and Research Assistant in the DOST PCAARD Milkfish Program. At present, she is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences,  University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao. Her work on Aquaculture and Its Impacts on Biodiversity can be viewed in UP Talks.

Assistant Professor Dequito cited the lack of faculty to teach SCI 11 as one of the challenges of handling SCI 11 in UP Visayas. SCI 11 is usually assigned a late assignment; usually during the start of the semester. Hence, she recommends proper coordination on this. In addition, she noted that new faculty teaching the course find the course pack looks "messy.” She also noted that some students are quite unresponsive and very few attend synchronous classes. As a result,  faculty find it a struggle to feel a sense of fulfillment in delivering SCI 11. As a way forward, Assistant Professor Dequito recommended the following: the course pack needs to be reviewed, and there is a need to adjust the content/coverage of the course considering the limited interaction.

Questions to the panel were listed as follows:

• Why is there no more multiplier for GE course?

• Nababanggit ba ninyo sa pagtuturo ng Science 11 sa panahon ng pandemya ang usaping pangkasarian/gender?

• Updates on the module related to online classes?

• How do you teach and assess skills-based science concepts remotely?

• How can one creatively teach hard science?

Active discussion between the panel and the audience threshed out the issue of GE course multipliers.

Each CU shall revisit crediting of these GE course multipliers. Meanwhile, all panelists agreed that gender is not directly discussed in SCI 11 but there is a partial discussion of it in topics like Population Dynamics. Lastly, with regards to teaching skills-based concepts creatively, all panelists agreed that the modules have been revised to take note of aligning the module objectives with the class activities. For example, activities to demonstrate the concept of Natural Selection can make use of newspaper or colored paper cutouts. And the design of each assessment took particular note of connectivity issues of both students and faculty. Lastly, all panelists recommended setting up a workshop for the CU’s offering SCI 11 to meet and review the modifications that have been made for the modules. Such a workshop would help serve as a platform for the exchange and adoption of best practices in teaching SCI 11.

Prepared by Prof. Aimee Lynn Dupo