The 4th International Conference on Open and Distance eLearning (ICODeL 2021) dedicated a special session to tackle “Good Practices in Online Public Administration and Governance Education.” On ICODeL’s third and last day, 15 October 2021, the Association of Schools of Public Administration in the Philippines (ASPAP) Inc., and the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) organized the Special Session with three presenters, Prof. Eleazar E. Ricote, Atty. Arlene L. Cosape, and Prof. Juvy Lizette Gervacio, and moderated by President of ASPAP, Dr. Sanjay Claudio.
President of ASPAP, Dr. Sanjay Claudio opened the session and introduced the three presenters.
As the first presenter, Prof. Eleazar E. Ricote presented “‘Online’ Philippine Public Administration and Governance (PA/G) Education: Practices, Innovations and Challenges.” He is the former ASPAP President and current Deputy Executive Director of Philippine Private-Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines, faculty member and research advisor of the Public Management Development Program of the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), and a Professor of Graduate Public Administration (PA) Programs at Jose Rizal University (JRU).
He stated that Public Administration (PA) first started in UP but now has a wide range of permutations in undergraduate and graduate studies. PA is offered in more than a hundred programs in both public and private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
When the pandemic hit, Philippine PA/G Education pivoted mots its courses to online platforms and HEIs utilized web conferencing applications and a mix of synchronous and asynchronous classes setup.
He shared that when classes started last year, ASPAP partnered with UPOU’s MPM Program in assisting member schools in the delivery of PA/G education at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic through a series of webinars such as instructional design, content development of PA/G programs, among others.
He also discussed the realities and challenges of teaching PA/G at the time of the global pandemic. One is the lack of an existing model or template for PA/G education that most HEIs can replicate given the different infrastructure and delivery system among them, especially in non-State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and private HEIs. Another challenge is that PA/G is inherently an applied discipline, thus, online delivery eliminates the needed hands-on practices and real life experiences and immersion in policy process, public sector programs, and service delivery activities among students. Prof. Ricote ended the presentation with a call to action that PA/G programs and institutions need to respond to the challenges and realities brought about by the global health crisis as a community.
Prof. Eleazar E. Ricote presented “‘Online’ Philippine Public Administration and Governance (PAG) Education. Practices, Innovations and Challenges.”
The third presentation was titled “Curriculum Co-Design in Teaching Public Administration” by Atty. Arlene Cosape, a faculty member of the School of Business and Governance of Ateneo de Davao University and School of Law at the University of Southeastern Philippines. She argued that using the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm that contextualizes knowledge and problem solving in Public Administration as a discipline would allow students to co-ideate the best way to deliver the course (Co-Production) and intentionally solve an issue, whether personal or social concerns (Curriculum Integration) that would result in Curriculum Co-Design wherein the curriculum sources are students own concerns.
Atty. Arlene Cosape presented her research study titled “Curriculum Co-Design in Teaching Public Administration.”
Asst. Prof. Juvy Lizette M. Gevacio, Assistant Professor and Program Chair of the MPM Program under the Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) at UPOU, presented “Is Online Public Administration and Governance Education Effective Developing Competencies?” as the last paper for the special session. The study is a result of a survey conducted among UPOU’s MPM program graduates from 2002 to 2020.
Most of the respondents said they have gained competencies after graduating from UPOU’s MPM program such as leading and managing in public governance, articulating and applying a public service perspective, and analyzing, synthesizing, critical thinking, solving problems, and making decisions. Aside from those, they have also learned other essential skills such as time management, digital skills, and online communication and collaboration.
Asst. Prof. Juvy Lizette M. Gevacio presented her paper titled “Is Online Public Administration and Governance Education Effective Developing Competencies”
A question and answer forum concluded the special session where participants were able to chat their questions on ICODeL 2021’s online conference portal. Each question was also answered with direct reply from the speakers.
ICODeL 2021 is the 4th in a series of international biennial conferences organized by UP Open University. It serves as a venue to gather and share best practices and developments in open and distance elearning all over the world. ICODeL 2021 was held on 13-15 October 2021 with the theme “The University of the Future: Sustainability and Agility Among Disruptions.”
Written by the ICODeL 2021 Publicity Committee
Edited by Joane V. Serrano, Anna Cañas-Llamas and Alessa Shainne Hostalero
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