by Venus R. Parmisana
One-week of grueling training amazed the 15 faculty members, majority are junior faculty, of the Department of English who attended the JEEP (Job Enabling English Proficiency) Program on May 25-29, 2009 at the newly-installed JEEP Lab at the CASS room 119. Through the auspices of the USAID-Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM), the program was recently launched in six universities in Mindanao that included MSU-IIT and MSU-Marawi. With the able coordination from the JEEP Coordinator – Dr. Melanie Arcillas, the training was successfully facilitated by Ms. Ma.Teresa Asuncion. The trainees navigated on the different coursewares through which they answered, made recordings and marked scores that were interpreted by the software.
The project aims to enhance target students’ English proficiency as they will soon engage in tests such as IELTS, TOEIC, among others. With this program, enrollees from CBAA, HRM, Nursing, BSEEd, AB English, BPO industry and other related programs will have greater chances of getting employed abroad. On its first year (“JEEP-Start”), it aims to build up the foundation of English skills through computer-assisted language learning. Thus, as Prof. Nancy Echavez, Chairperson of English Department, puts it “Aside from its being a learner-friendly software, JEEP is also the latest and effective way in improving one’s English proficiency.”
Of the 15 trainees, 5 were identified to conduct the program in the current school year 2009-2010 and they are : Fatimah Joy Almarez, Sittie Pasandalan, Ma. Teresa Panzo, Peter Jon Mendoza, and Amado Guinto. Witnessed by Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA) Arnulfo Supe and CASS Dean Prof. Geoffrey Salgado, the training ended with an impromptu culmination program and a poem tribute to Teacher “Tactful” Teresa. She admitted to have been humbled by the wit, intelligence, and enthusiasm of the 15 participants. When queried if she had a hard time choosing the Top 5, she enthused, “it was so difficult because all are capable of handling the program.”
Topics : English Job Enabling English Proficiency (JEEP) Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) USAID