by by Michelle Jeanne C. Caracut, OC
The implementation by the MSU System of the new undergraduate program Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies (BAELS) necessitated the holding of a summit where the different MSU campuses implementing the program could identify and discuss the challenges they have encountered.
MSU English teachers from Marawi, General Santos, Buug, and Tawi-Tawi joined their Iligan counterparts on October 1-2, 2018 at the CED Amphitheater of MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (IIT) for the BAELS Summit that sought to formulate a program of action that will address the needs of the campuses in connection with the new program.
The BAELS program replaces the previous Bachelor of Arts in English program, and is implemented in response to the needs of students and to widen their options for a career after graduation.
The BAELS program – implemented starting August – has two tracks: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and English for BPOs (Business Process and Outsourcing) and Organizations.
Dr. Nelia Balgoa, chairperson of MSU-IIT’s English Department that organized the summit, said that the two-day activity was designed to capacitate the participants in identifying personal and departmental weaknesses and strengths in the implementation of the new program.
Discussions focused on the English Language Studies as a discipline, across other disciplines, and in the MSU context, as well as the outcome-based education framework.
Two professors from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, Dr. Ma. Milagros C. Laurel and Dr. Mary Ann G. Bacolod, were invited to talk on the new English program.
Workshops on discovering strengths, identifying opportunities for development, sketching aspirations, and setting results were conducted. Participants were divided into groups, each presenting their outputs.
During the summit, Ms. Ailannie D. Macagaan, chairperson of the Department of English from MSU-Marawi, presented the draft proposal for another English program – the Bachelor of Arts in Literary and Cultural Studies.