OERs as innovative teaching and assessment activities during the pandemic

@#This article discusses the Online Educational Resources (OERs) Movement and why OERs are so highly recommended by international collaborative organizations for the attainment of an inclusive, learner-centered and development-centered open education. The second part recounts how the creation of an OER served as a viable alternative teaching learning and assessment strategy for achieving course outcomes during (but not limited to) pandemic times. It showcases the outputs of students of the Doctor of Health Professions (DrHPEd) program taking a course on Quantitative Data Analysis (HPEd 391) during the first semester of AY 2021-2022. The process of making an OER was challenging. At times, the students felt that they were doing things beyond the scope of a course in quantitative data analysis. But everyone agreed that because of the degree of student engagement involved, the sense of fulfillment at the end was intense. The creation of an OER was a realistic, context-based and relevant final output which most of the students intend to use for their real-life advocacies. It was truly an exercise which demanded integration of all dimensions of technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) and yielded a personal and unique output which exhibited the highest order of learning outcomes - at the level of synthesis. And what may have appeared 'extra-curricular' at first was actually simply a more authentic assessment.

Quality assurance of Nursing Education in the Philippines

@#The Philippines continues to produce globally competitive nursing graduates. However, it performs poorly in international standards for quality education in nursing. This paper investigates the objective parameters of quality assurance: Commission on Higher Education (CHED) accreditation, Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) licensure examinations, and other international and local standards to measure the quality of nursing education inputs and outputs. Results showed an accreditation rate of 3% for nursing programs, less than the national average of 10% for all programs across all professions (CHED 2018; CHED n.d. -a; CHED n.d. -b). Some highly regarded programs have advanced to Level IV (seven baccalaureate programs and two master's programs). Although there is a link between graduates' performance and effective instruction and sound evaluation in university procedures (Amanonce & Maramag, 2020), written board exams cannot assess some performance indicators to determine if a student has met program objectives. Although the country has produced globally competitive nursing graduates, steps must be taken to improve the program's compatibility with the concept of globalization. Strategies should be aimed at performance indicators in a global nursing education and profession landscape.

Students' Perceptions of the Integration of Sexual and Gender Minority Constructs within the Dental Curriculum

Background and Objective@#The sexual and gender minorities (SGMs) are at risk for various health disparities. To address this, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls for the training of healthcare providers who demonstrate cultural competence. To facilitate this, studies have suggested the inclusion of SGM-specific constructs in the curriculum that is complemented with campus climate-related efforts. This study aimed to determine the degree of coverage of cultural competence towards the SGM constructs in the required curriculum and describe the campus climate towards the SGM of a dental school in the Philippines from the students' perspective. @*Methodology@#A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed. A survey questionnaire was developed and administered to determine the coverage of SGM-specific constructs. This was followed by semi-structured interviews to discuss the campus climate towards the SGM. Data collection utilized a twostage stratified random sampling method for the survey while a purposive sampling method was used for interviewing dental students enrolled in a private, non-sectarian school. @*Results and Conclusion@#Survey results show that the most reported covered concepts are the oral manifestations of sexually transmitted diseases and the use of inclusive terminologies. Interview responses reveal instances of inadvertent perpetuation of heteronormative ideologies, however, the campus climate is perceived as neutral towards the SGM. The integration of the two datasets reveals incongruences between the curricular coverage and the perceived campus climate. Nevertheless, findings imply that the dental curriculum remains largely objective and asexual. Additionally, the integration underscores the importance of complementing curricular content with an inclusive campus climate in developing cultural competence among dental students.

Andragogic principles in case-based discussion among medical interns in a tertiary hospital

Background@#Andragogy, the theory of adult learning is relevant to medical education especially in the clinical internship learning context. It focuses on the students, faculty, and patients interacting together while developing competencies as future practitioners. Medical interns are active adult learners, enhancing their development of knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes, and pursuing professionalism as they participate in case-based discussions (CBD).@*Objectives@#The study sought to identify the basic principles of andragogy while medical interns participate in case-based discussions including the end-of-course satisfaction. It also determined the selected demographic factors associated with the andragogic principles. @*Methodology@#Respondents included 80 interns by convenience sampling who rotated at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in a tertiary referral hospital. The study used a combination of descriptive quantitative and qualitative research design. A valid instrument using the Adult Learning Principles Design Elements Questionnaire (ALPDEQ) was used to measure the medical intern's andragogic orientation as well as end-of-course satisfaction. A direct, non-participant observation of case-based discussions conducted at the department was done by the researcher and research associate. @*Results and Conclusion@#The occurrence of andragogic principles specifically motivation, experience, need to know, readiness, and self-directedness was observed during the conduct of case-based discussion. There was no association between principles of andragogy and demographic factors such as age, gender, civil status, medical school, preparatory medical course, and place of origin. CBD is an effective learning strategy, which provides medical interns adequate venues to be self-directed and apply the principles of andragogy in a workplace-based setting.

OERs as innovative teaching and assessment activities during the pandemic

@#This article discusses the Online Educational Resources (OERs) Movement and why OERs are so highly recommended by international collaborative organizations for the attainment of an inclusive, learner-centered and development-centered open education. The second part recounts how the creation of an OER served as a viable alternative teaching learning and assessment strategy for achieving course outcomes during (but not limited to) pandemic times. It showcases the outputs of students of the Doctor of Health Professions (DrHPEd) program taking a course on Quantitative Data Analysis (HPEd 391) during the first semester of AY 2021-2022. The process of making an OER was challenging. At times, the students felt that they were doing things beyond the scope of a course in quantitative data analysis. But everyone agreed that because of the degree of student engagement involved, the sense of fulfillment at the end was intense. The creation of an OER was a realistic, context-based and relevant final output which most of the students intend to use for their real-life advocacies. It was truly an exercise which demanded integration of all dimensions of technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) and yielded a personal and unique output which exhibited the highest order of learning outcomes - at the level of synthesis. And what may have appeared 'extra-curricular' at first was actually simply a more authentic assessment.

Transformative scale-up of the school of health sciences, University of the Philippines Manila

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> The School of Health Sciences (SHS), University of the Philippines Manila, established in 1976 offers a one-of-its kind ladder-type, community-based curriculum in health sciences.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVE:</strong> This study described the SHS curriculum and how it contributed to the transformative scale-up of the education of health professionals in the Philippines.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>METHODS:</strong> This study is a concurrent transformative mixed method design. Data were collected concurrently through interviews of university officials, faculty, students, alumni, communities, and partners as well as observations of review classes and office activities. Quantitative data were collected from school records and performance ratings of students. From the data emerged the basic principles of primary health care and community-based education and they were juxtaposed to describe transformative learning of SHS students and faculty.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>RESULTS:</strong> All of the 3,481 students admitted from 1976 came from geographically isolated and depressed areas; more than 95% of the graduates are still in the country and chose to serve the communities. The school's ladder-type, community-based curriculum produced competent midwives, nurses, and physicians. SHS did not just transform its students but also the faculty, communities, its partner local, national, and international agencies, and changed the landscape of community-based education in the region.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><strong>CONCLUSION</strong>: SHS produced health professionals who chose to serve the communities. It continues to evolve to institutionalize primary health care and community-based education.</p>

Academic resilience among selected students of the School of Health Sciences- Baler, Philippines

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>BACKGROUND</strong>: Since 1976, the School of Health Sciences (SHS) in the Philippines has produced a broad range of health professionals serving depressed and underserved communities. Most researches about the SHS present the impact of its unique community-based ladder-type curriculum and only a few focus on the lived experiences of its students.<br /><br /><strong>OBJECTIVES</strong>: This study described how the lived experiences of SHS students with their community-based curriculum manifested as academic resilience.<br /><br /><strong>METHODOLOGY</strong>: This is an exploratory social research. Data were obtained from key informant and focus group interviews, observations of purposively chosen students, teachers, and alumni in Baler Campus, and document review. Data were analyzed using iterative terms and concepts describing respondents' patterns of activities that establish norms in SHS. Joint displays of these norms were constructed to describe the students' academic resilience.<br /><br /><strong>RESULTS</strong>: Admission in SHS requires students to undergo a stringent, often political recruitment process. While in the degree program, students go through constant financial constraints, demanding academic requirements, and challenging balance of hospital and community work with their personal and academic lives. The interplay between inner strength and external support promoted academic resilience. Studying in the SHS is a transformative learning experience. Students experienced multi-faceted problems requiring them to resiliently meet academic standards and maintain their own well-being. The culture of 'damayan' was an important source of psychosocial support.<br /><br /><strong>CONCLUSION</strong>: The SHS curriculum and culture are most instrumental in promoting academic resilience among its students.</p>