OVPREI cites regional research, counter infodemic as two of BukSU’s key collaborative innovations

MALAYBALAY CITY (OP-IPS/January 21, 2022) Two of Bukidnon State University’s key collaborative innovations in 2021 were its completion of a basic education regional research program with five other state universities and colleges and the airing of its very own counter infodemic extension project, the Vice President for Research Extension and Innovations said on January 19, 2022.

Dr. Joy M. Mirasol, VPREI, told the BukSU Updates 2022 program on BukSU’s DXBU 104.5 FM that these two programs, one for research and for extension, have been successfully done amidst the pandemic.

“The challenges brought by the pandemic have opened opportunities, which resulted to the major innovations. (These) allowed us to build more or new collaborations, and it’s a jumpstart in innovations,” she said.

She cited virtual innovations such as Zoom and Google Meet, have been very useful to conduct meetings with partners for the two programs.  

Dr. Mirasol cited BukSU’s completion of the research program entitled, “Multidimensional Analysis of Determinants in the Academic Achievement of Basic Educations Learners in Northern Mindanao: Its Implications to Higher Institutions (HEIs).”

The research program, she added, was sanctioned by the Northern Mindanao Regional Development Council with the National Economic Development Authority as the secretariat.

BukSU collaborated with five other state colleges and universities in region 10 for the program; Central Mindanao University, Camiguin Polytechnic State College, Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology, and University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines.

The research program started in February 2020. The Regional Development Council, through the NEDA, consulted the collaborating state universities and colleges on priority research program of the region.

“We were fortunate because they trust BukSU to be the lead of this research program,” she added.

The research program explored on the low results in the region on the National Achievement Test (NAT). With that, she said, they conducted several series of meetings with their partner SUCs, which was then migrated to virtual platforms.

The research program, she added, has anchored on enabling dimensions of quality education based on the EFA or Education for All 2005 framework.

The quality basic education dimensions, she said, were anchored on governance and management, basic education curricula, teacher’s development, and students’ learner development.

The four dimensions were used as basis for the different research projects, she said. She cited another study focusing on pre-service teacher education curriculum.

Dr. Mirasol said 80 faculty members from collaborating SUCS were involved in this research program.

She said the research program guided recommendations for specific policies in the Regional Development Council, which were adopted for the use of concerned institutions and agencies.

Dr. Mirasol also cited the university-wide “Pag Ambitay Daw Ag Kaulian (Share to Heal) counter infodemic program as BukSU’s collaborated innovation for extension.

This innovation, she said, is from the commitment of the university to serve the community despite the pandemic.

The innovation model used by the program anchored on the three concepts of narrowcasting, radio-based instruction, and digital innovation.

Narrowcasting is the targeted segmentation of media messages to an audience defined by values, preference, demographic attributes and even geographic location, she said in her presentation. 

Radio-based instruction, on the other hand is the use of analog radio to deliver instruction of learning while digital innovation is innovating products and processes using digital technology platforms.

The university used Facebook livestreaming to reach regional and national audiences.

The premise of this innovation, she added, was to migrate extension training or capacity development to radio-based platforms.

The radio program has helped the viewers and listeners including the internal stakeholders, employees, and students of the university, she said.

Dr. Mirasol said the program was designed to address the increasing Infodemic or the spread of fake news or disinformation that makes it difficult for people to respond properly to the pandemic. 

Share to Heal: Pagambitay Daw Agkaulian social innovation covered nine dimensions of life during the pandemic: Education and Advocacy, Health and Wellness, Governance and Management, Culture, Mental Health, Media and Literacy, Spirituality, Legal Aspect, Economics and Food Security.

Dr. Mirasol said the program started on April 6, 2020, and now on its second season.

In the earlier run of the radio program, BukSU extensionists aired 40 episodes and reached 143,000 people with 66,000+ views for two months.

As an impact of this extension program, she said, the group has become one of the three awardees of the Search for Outstanding COVID-19 Volunteers in Northern Mindanao under group category.

Dr. Mirasol said in the desire to make the university’s extension programs research-based, the Extension Unit produced a research paper presented in the National Convention of the Philippine Association of Extension Program Incorporated (PAEPI). The research won third best paper.

Dr. Mirasol said indeed, COVID-19 had pushed the OVPREI with challenges and consequences in doing three of the university’s four-fold functions. But it also opened opportunities for new ways of doing things, she added.  “BukSU is one with the community. We fight together. We heal together. We are one,” she said, ending with her favorite mantra. (Diana Rose B. Lagoy/OP-Information and Publication Services)