Knowledge Sharing and Co-Creation: the UPOU’s Master of Public Management Program’s Innovation on Quality Assurance for ODeL
Juvy Lizette M. Gervacio1, Larry N. Cruz2, and Joana Marie S. delos Reyes3
1[email protected], 2 [email protected], 3[email protected]Faculty of Management and Development Studies
University of the Philippines Open University
Abstract
Development in information and communications technology (ICT) has brought in new strategies and innovations to improve the quality of online courses and online teaching and learning. Further, it has enhanced institutional networking and collaboration and provided more opportunities for knowledge sharing and co-creation. This paper presents the innovation of the Master of Public Management (MPM) Program of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) on quality assurance through learning visit/externship of MPM faculty members. Specifically, the paper a) discusses knowledge sharing and co-creation innovation for online resources; b) identifies the institutions where the MPM program has collaborated with; c) discusses the output of the innovation in relation to quality assurance; and d) identifies the challenges and prospects of the strategy.
Keywords: Quality assurance, open and distance e-learning, learning visit/externship, knowledge sharing and co- creation
Introduction
Quality assurance (QA) in the context of higher education, as indicated in Article 11 of the World Declaration on Higher Education for the Twenty-First Century (UNESCO, 1998), is a multi- dimensional concept which should embrace all its functions and activities: teaching and academic programs, research and scholarship, staffing, students, buildings, facilities, equipment, services to the community and the academic environment.
In addition, Friend-Pereira, Lutz, and Heerens (2002) defined QA as the means by which an institution can guarantee with confidence and certainty, that the standards and quality of its educational provision are being maintained and enhanced.
As to Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL), QA is an essential aspect because the development of information and communications technology (ICT) brought in new strategies and innovations in developing online course content, online teaching and learning, and enhancing institutional networking and collaboration. It has also provided opportunities for knowledge sharing and co- creation as one of the indicators of QA is the involvement of stakeholders in the development of online content. Collaboration and co-creation is one of the strategies that could improve it.
In terms of online teaching and learning, faculty members who are exposed to the study and practice of the discipline are expected to be more effective in the development of syllabus as well as in online teaching. This is because their knowledge about the subject matter is not only enhanced but they also get to know other perspectives.
The Master of Public Management (MPM) Program of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) was introduced in 1997 through the then UP College of Public Administration (now the National College of Public Administration and Governance or NCPAG) with the support of the Civil Service Commission (CSC). The main objective of the MPM Program was to democratize access to graduate education among government practitioners who could not attend a regular University due to their work and tasks in their offices.
It has been 20 years since the MPM Program was initiated at the UPOU. It currently offers 22 courses with a Program Chair and a number of faculty affiliates and lecturers. The Program Chair is the only full-time faculty member of the UPOU while the rest come from the academe, public, and private sectors. Since they are located in different parts of the country, it is imperative to provide them with capacity development programs that would enhance their online teaching, learning capacity, and skills.
At present, the program has three specializations; Public Policy and Program Administration (PPPA); Local Government and Regional Administration (LGRA); and Voluntary Sector Management (VSM). It consists of 36 units of coursework with five mandatory courses and a comprehensive examination. It is designed for policy-makers, administrators, and managers of public, private, and non-governmental organizations; practitioners in local government and administration; and other individuals interested in good governance, and public policy and administration. The primary goal of the program is to upgrade the professional and management skills of administrators and practitioners at their own pace and time. In particular, the program aims to provide high level of competence in public policy, governance and administration; prepare its students to become better public servants and volunteers; and equip them with necessary skills and knowledge to manage and develop organizations that work for the welfare and interests of the Filipino people. The program produced a total of 239 graduates from 2001 to 2017.
Objectives
One of the challenges of the MPM program is the need to update the printed modules which were developed during the program’s early years. The advent of the use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) has provided opportunity for the MPM Program to revise the modules. However, initial output indicates that only two module writers were able to finish their respective modules. Moreover, the OERs that are being used are based primarily on websites of government offices and reports from international donor agencies. This is because the field of public administration/ management is very much context-based. Hence, there are limited academic journals that could be utilized. The need to have more updated resources will improve the quality of materials that can be provided to students.
This paper presents the innovation of the Master of Public Management (MPM) Program of the University of the Philippines Open University on quality assurance through the learning visit/ externship of MPM faculty members. Specifically, the paper a) discusses knowledge sharing and co-creation innovation for online resources; b) identifies the institutions where the MPM program has collaborated with; c) discusses the output of the innovation in relation to quality assurance; and d) determines the challenges and prospects of the strategy.
Methodology
The paper utilized existing documents related to the academic productivity improvement (API) of the MPM Program. Moreover, it also used the schedule of programs that were prepared for the learning visits or externships. Personal experiences of the authors were also mentioned in the study.
Externship and Open Educational Practice
“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it.” (Kolb, 1984, p. 41). This is affirmed by Mezirow and Freire in the early 1980’s when they stressed that the heart of all learning lies in our critical reflection of experience. They characterized learning as a cycle that starts with experience, continues with reflection, and ends with action (Rogers, 1996).
In contrasting experiential learning with traditional learning, Keeton and Tate (1978) explained that the experiential learner is directly in touch with the realities being studied, while the traditional learner reads about, hears about, talks about, or writes about these realities but never comes into contact with them as part of the learning process.
Further, in an article by Eyler (2009), experiential learning was considered beneficial because it builds social skills, learning skills, work ethic, and practical expertise that are required in professionally oriented programs. This results to deeper understanding of the subject matter, more capacity for critical thinking, better application of knowledge, and the ability to engage in lifelong learning.
In terms of faculty externships, they are defined as short term experiential learning opportunities that benefit both university faculty and host industry (“Faculty Externships”, 2018).
Advantages of externships for the faculty include the following: (1) it leads to a better grasp of the business environment related to the course or field the faculty are teaching, including workplace skills and competencies, labor market trends, and new technologies and scientific methods employed; (2) it helps to increase the faculty’s ability to connect theory and practice and bring an understanding from the world of business into the classroom; (3) it facilitates integration of current workplace operations and employment skills into the curriculum; and (4) it becomes a starting point for stronger partnerships with the industry in the future. On the other hand, the advantages for the host are as follows: (1) it obtains an added scientific resource to complement its in-house R&D team at a fraction of the cost; (2) it helps to jumpstart new research projects, or contribute to coming up with fresh solutions to lingering technical problems; and (3) it helps motivate personnel (“Faculty Externships”, 2018).
With the faculty’s better grasp of the environment, increased ability to connect theory and practice, integrated workplace operations and employment skills into the curriculum and stronger partnerships attributed to externships, quality of educational provision is more or less assured.
Aside from the knowledge gained by the faculty from the externship, it is also important to have quality online materials. The use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) is one of the innovations that were pursued by the UPOU in recent years. OERs refer to any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them (Unesco. org, n.d.).
In an article by Krelja Kurelovic (2016, p. 138), she indicated that “OERs and open education will reduce the gap between different strata of society and between countries, improve the quality of education, accelerate knowledge flow, and improve the number of people in the educational process.” They also have a positive impact on a student’s attitude and perception towards learning (de los Arcos, Farrow, Pitt, Weller, and McAndrew, 2016).
There is, however, a new movement from mere course content towards course practices. According to the OPAL Project (Ehlers and Conole, 2011), such movement is needed to fully realize the potential of the materials. It suggests the shift from OER towards adopting Open Educational Practices (OEP).
OEP refers to practices that support the production, use and reuse of high quality open educational resources through institutional policies, which promote innovative pedagogical models, and respect and empower learners as co-producers (“Open Educational Resources”, 2018).
This practice is very important especially for the field of public administration/management and governance which is very context-based. Other partners are also empowered in co-producing course materials.
The MPM’s Externship as Innovation Strategy in ODeL
The need to constantly enhance the capacities of the MPM faculty members in online teaching and learning is crucial for the program to meet its goals. Hence, exposure and interaction with experts and practitioners will improve the quality of its online teaching and learning.
In order to address this need, the MPM Program has embarked on a strategy through the API to conduct a faculty externship for the program. An API funded externship is one of the tools that could be utilized to enhance a program. The API objectives are as follows:
- To develop excellent research-, innovation-, and creative work-enriched academic programs;
- To develop excellent academic programs that will serve as basis for knowledge-based public service and public policies;
- To review and improve the academic content of courses and curricular programs, in relation to the constituent universities (CUs) niches, national priorities, recent discoveries or developments in the discipline, etc.;
- To improve teaching-and-learning or pedagogy of academic degree programs by exploring innovative pedagogical methods; and
- To develop high quality academic degree programs that meet national and international QA (quality assurance) standards (http://oat.upd.edu.ph/academic-program-improvement-api/).
The strategy of the MPM Program took was entitled: “Planning and training to establish collaboration with the local governance resource institutions through externships of faculty members in relevant sites.”
Generally, the purpose of the externship is for the faculty members of the MPM Program to gain first-hand experience on the programs and projects of the national and local governments; including learning about good practices in local administration and governance. It is perceived that what was learned from these areas will enhance the course materials as well as the knowledge and understanding of faculty members regarding the courses that they handle. For the host universities, it is envisioned that their faculty members and students will benefit from the lecture provided by the MPM Faculty and from the local expert who could either be the governor, mayor or any government official. The combination of theory and practice makes an effective mechanism for co-creation of knowledge.
In addition, the partner university/institution also gains knowledge and understanding on how ODeL is being conducted. This leads to an increase in awareness of the local schools and universities about ODeL.
Another benefit for the host institution is the partnership offered by the UPOU. This is cited when seeking accreditation of their MPM related programs from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Moreover, since they are part of the activity, they are also aware that the resources are uploaded at the UPOU networks and their faculty and students can view the video resources anytime for free.
In choosing partners, one of the advantages of the MPM Program is its membership with the Association of Schools of Public Administration (ASPAP). The ASPAP is composed of various universities, schools and institutions, both, public and private which provide the relevant network for the Program. The Program Chair usually initiates the contact with the member school through a focal person; explain the proposed activities for collaboration through email and phone calls. After the initial discussion, a letter is formally sent to the university president including the prospective speakers from the UPOU and from the local partner. The topic should be related to public administration or management and governance while local programs and projects to visit are identified by the local partners.
There has been three externships that was done by the program in three different regions; namely: a) Ilocos Region (Region I) and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) ; b) Cagayan Valley (Region II); and c) Bicol Region (Region V).
a) Ilocos Region (Region I) and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR)
The first study visit was conducted in May 2016 with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as the host institution for the program. During the visit in the Province of La Union and the City of Baguio, the participants were able to meet and learn more about the various programs in Region I and Cordillera Administrative Region, respectively. It was also able to conduct a program planning workshop to address administrative matters, such as course loading, payment of Faculties-in-Charge (FICs) and other issues related to online teaching. In particular activity, the participants were able to discuss the programs and projects of DENR Region 1; visited La Union Timber Company and San Fernando Landfill; and observe a model barangay in Benguet Province and Baguio City. The program was able to produce online materials about the DENR’s National Greening Program, Region I’s protected areas, the challenges they faced, and the relevance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), all of which are now available for use as case studies in the MPM Program courses.
b) Cagayan Valley (Region 2)
Another externship was conducted in February 2017. The MPM Program decided to partner with the Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU), a member of the ASPAP. The participants interacted with the Provincial Governor’s Office and the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Tourism Office. The three- day activity included a courtesy call and an interview with Gov. Carlos M. Padilla of Nueva Vizcaya; and a visit to the local (provincial) government unit-managed Lower Magat Ecotourism Park. One of the highlights of the externship is the conduct of the “Let’s Talk It Over” cum Public Forum on “Federalism and Local Governance”.
The program invited Dr. Danilo R. Reyes of the UP-National Center of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) and UPOU affiliate faculty to lecture on the Local Government Code of the Philippines, decentralization and federalism. Dr. Benjamin Muego, a federalism expert which was recommended by the host institution, in turn expressed his perspective on how federalism works in the United States of America. Nueva Vizcaya Governor Padilla gave his views as local government official on federalism as well as his experiences in local governance. The forum was participated in by over a hundred NVSU students as well as local government officials and the event was broadcasted live via web stream. It was also accessed by graduate students from the Ateneo de Naga as well as the UPOU faculty members and staff who were based in Los Banos, Laguna through web streaming via the UPOU Networks. Hence, not only did the MPM Program able to share its resources, it was also able to showcase how ODeL is done.
The participants of both live coverage and web streaming contributed essential questions about the topic such as inquiries on personal opinion on federalizing the Philippines; the implication of federalism in foreign relations; and hypothetical questions of laws and policies that might be affected in the pursuance of a federal government. Also, the faculty members of the NVSU were given the opportunity to express their opinions about the issue.
c) Bicol Region (Region V)
Another externship/learning visit was conducted in November 2017 in coordination with Bicol University, City Government of Legazpi, Albay and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region V (DENR V). The activities included courtesy call and meeting with Bicol University officials as well as site visit to its community extension program in Barangay Oma Oma, Ligao City to learn more about contour farming. An interview with the city administrator of Legazpi, Mr. Carlos Ante was also recorded; including an orientation and briefing at DENR V and field visits to its projects and ecotourism sites like the Legazpi Landfill and Sumlang Lake.
Another “Let’s Talk It Over” cum public forum was conducted on “Reengineering Local Government towards Climate Change: The Oragon Model” with Dr. Jocelyn C. Cuaresma, Associate Professor of the UP-NCPAG and affiliate faculty of the UPOU-MPM Program; and Mayor Noel E. Rosal of Legazpi City as resource persons. It was participated in by over 100 graduate students of Bicol University and live streamed through UPOU Networks.
Accomplishments of the MPM Learning Visits/Externships
The innovation that was implemented by the UPOU-MPM Program was able to accomplish several outputs and contributed to quality assurance of ODeL particularly in the learning design, online teaching and learning; and engagement of stakeholders.
The online videos are now utilized in the various courses of the MPM Program. In fact, in some of the forum discussion and paper of the students, one of the sources that was cited is the video that was produced through externship. In the case of Nueva Vizcaya, for example, one of the faculty members reported that she uses the videos in her classes.
The following are the immediate outputs of the externship:
a) Creation of Online Learning Materials
Figure 1 provides a summary of the activities of the faculty externship/learning visit of the MPM Program faculty and staff, including the output which is the open educational resources that are shared openly by UPOU and the Program. They are now being utilized primarily by the FICs of the MPM Program.
Figure 1. Activities and Accomplishments of the MPM Program’s Faculty Externship/Learning Visit
| Date | Place | Activities/Program Accomplishments (Academic and Administrative) |
Output (Open Educational Resources) |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26-28, 2016 | La Union and Baguio City |
|
|
| February 15-17, 2017 | Nueva Vizcaya Province and Nueva Vizacaya State University (NVSU) |
|
|
| November 16 – 18, 2017 | Legazpi City and Bicol University (BU) |
|
|
b) Developed Capacities of the MPM Faculty Members and Staff
The exposure of the MPM faculty members and staff to the lectures and places that were visited is expected to enhance their knowledge on the field of public administration/management and governance. Moreover, based on the informal feedback from the participants, the learning visits gave them more information on how public administration/management and good governance is practiced at the local level. Moreover, the places that were visited made them see the actual situation as well as notice the development that takes place in the area such as solid waste management, disaster risk reduction, management innovation, performance-based mechanism for employees, and contour farming.
c) Fostering Partnership and Collaboration with Other Institutions
The said activities led to the expansion of the networks of the MPM Program as well as of the UPOU. The program was able to establish partnership and collaboration with local government units and sectors, particularly the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region I (DENR I); model barangays in Baguio City and Benguet; Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Government; Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU); City Government of Legazpi; Bicol University; and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region V (DENR V). The collaboration benefitted not only the MPM program but also the partner LGUs and SUCs. The projects that had been initiated by the LGUs were featured and properly documented while the students and faculty of the SUCs were able to enhance their knowledge on contemporary issues through lectures and public fora.
d) Team Building and Program Planning
The learning visit/externship helped the faculty members and staff resolve academic and administrative matters and processes through program planning. Furthermore, they were able to develop and discourse their corresponding courses on face-to-face basis.
e) UPOU Technical Team’s increased awareness on other technical challenges and issues
The UPOU technical team from the Multimedia Center also learned the importance of coordination with the technical team of the partner University in order to minimize technical glitches.
Issues and Challenges
The faculty externship/learning visit also has some issues and challenges.
Online Course Materials. The gathered video materials during the interviews and public forum have to be edited to make sure that the videos are fit as educational resources. Some of the videos are too long and they should be edited so that only the main notes will be included.
Online Teaching and Learning – Not all FICs could attend the learning visit because of geographical constraints and conflict of schedules. This could be addressed by sending invitations at least two months before the event. Another way of addressing this issue is to provide the FICs regular updates as to the status of the program. This way, they can adjust their schedules better.
Field Issues – Some study sites have no stable internet connectivity, hence, it is important to ensure live/web streaming. This is an issue that needs to be addressed through increase in awareness and discussion with the technical team.
Selection of Partners – The selection of partners was limited only to regions in Luzon because of limited funding. The MPM Program continues to link with other possible partners in order to conduct site visits in other parts of the country like the Visayas and Mindanao.
Feedback and Evaluation – So far, the feedback from partners regarding willingness to collaborate is very positive. Getting feedbacks from the participants and students will also be relevant in the long run.
Lessons, Recommendations and Prospects
The externship/learning visit will help the MPM faculty and staff improve the syllabus/coverage and subject matter/content of MPM courses through observation tours and field exposures. It is important that the faculty members are able to stay grounded and updated on what is going on in the field through the first-hand insights and experiences.
Some of the lessons include the following:
Quality Assurance. Content co-creation is vital to ensure quality in ODeL. This innovation resulted to the following levels of quality assurance.
- Quality of content and network. In the case of the MPM, it is necessary that the key experts/practitioners could share their own knowledge and experiences about the management of government programs and projects. Moreover, the activity resulted to the establishment of partnerships with other state colleges and universities which could build their portfolio for accreditation of programs by the Commission on Higher Education.
- Knowledge sharing and co-creation ensures the quality of the MPM Programs. As a priority area in the API, externship of faculty members is proving to be an effective strategy in improving teaching performance which is one of the items in the University of the Philippines’ internal Academic Assessment and Development System (iAADS) conducted every three years. This is because the faculty members become grounded and updated on what is going on in the field, thus, gaining a better grasp of the environment relevant to the course they are teaching. The activity also increased the faculty members’ ability to connect theory and practice; they are better able to integrate current workplace situations and employment skills into the course and it develops stronger linkages with the collaborators for future undertakings.
As regards prospects of the learning visit, it is important to note that more institutions are now willing to partner with UPOU in order to host the externship and forum. In terms of the open educational practice, it is envisioned that the MPM will soon develop its own playlist of MPM related videos which anyone can access.
References
de los Arcos, B., Farrow, R., Pitt, R., Weller, M. & McAndrew, P. (2016). Adapting the curriculum: How K-12 teachers perceive the role of Open Educational Resources. Journal of Online Learning Research, 2(1), 23–40.
Ehlers, U. & Conole, G. (2010). Open Educational Practices: Unleashing the Power of OER. Paper presented at UNESCO Workshop on OER, Namibia. 2010: Windhoek.
Eyler, J. (2009). The Power of Experiential Education. Liberal Education, 95(4).
Faculty Externships. 2018. Retrieved from http://www.stride.org.ph/opportunities/externships/.
Friend-Pereira, J., Lutz, K., and Heerens, N. (2002). European Student Handbook on Quality Assurance in Higher Education. [Pamphlet]. Belgium: ESIB: The National Unions of Students in Europe.
Keeton, M. T. & Tate, P. J. (1978). Learning by experience--what, why, how. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.
Kelly, C. (1997). David Kolb, The Theory of Experiential Learning and ESL. Retrieved from http:// iteslj.org/Articles/Kelly-Experiential/.
Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Krelja Kurelovic, E. (2016). Advantages and limitations of usage of open educational resources in small countries. International Journal of Research in Education and Science (IJRES), 2(1), 136- 142.
Open Educational Practices. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.teaching-learning.utas.edu.au/ content-and-resources/open-educational-resources/open-educational-practices.
Rogers, A. (1996). Teaching Adults (2nd ed.). Buckingham: Open University Press.
Sahay, V. (n.d.). Equivalence of Degrees awarded by Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Institutions at par with Conventional Universities/Institutions [Letter written October 14, 2013 to Registrar/Director of all the Indian Universities].
Smith, J. (2013). Externships: What They Are and Why They’re Important. Retrieved from https:// www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/05/30/externships-what-they-are-and-why- theyre-important/#4dcc1b7e5100.
The Academic Program Improvement (API) Fund. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://oat.upd.edu.ph/ academic-program-improvement-api/. http://ovpaa.up.edu.ph/externship-in-industry/.
UNESCO. (1998). World Declaration on Higher Education for the Twenty-First Century, Vision and Action. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/wche/declaration_ eng.htm.
Unesco.org. (n.d.). What are Open Education Resources (OERs)?. [online] Available at: http:// www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-knowledge/open- educational-resources/what-are-open-educational-resources-oers/[Accessed2018].
International Journal on Open and Distance e-Learning, Vol. 4 No. 1, June 2018 Issue