BRAND new Acer Aspire laptops were distributed by the Educational Technology Center (EdTech) to fourteen faculty members under its Faculty Laptop Acquisition and Rewards Empowerment (FLARE) program last Sept. 5 at the Tan Yan Kee auditorium.
The recipients of new laptops are the following: (Faculty of Engineering) Alex Santos and Lani Pestaño; (Faculty of Arts and Letters) Consuelo M. Gotauco and Analiza Yanga; (Faculty of Pharmacy) Imelda Marollano and Xandro Alexi Nieto; (College of Rehabilitation Sciences) Rachel Ann Lagman and Anne Marie Aseron; (Alfredo M. Velayo College of Accountancy) Arnold Petalver; (Institute of Religion) Aguedo Jalin and Henelida Onal; (Faculty of Medicine and Surgery) George Lim and Nilo Delos Santos; (Faculty of Pharmacy) Aleth Therese Dacanay and Carol Geraldine Pablo.
Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Prof. Clarita Carillo said that the recipients should prove that FLARE really works for the improvement of class instruction.
“The recipients should prove that the investment made by EdTech through its FLARE program is not a waste,” Carillo said. “The faculty members must translate this investment to better performing students.”
The program is offered to tenured faculty members with teaching load during the loan period, who have undergone the UST e-Learning Access Program (e-LeAP) Blackboard training, and who have developed or deployed a course site through e-LeAP. Successful applicants will be given a 40 percent discount while the rest of the amount to be paid will be deducted from their salaries.
However, the discount will be refunded when the FLARE beneficiary fails to deploy a course site during the loan period, and does not introduce innovative web-based activities. Failure to submit an end-of-semester report will also be a ground for the refunding of discount.
EdTech director Fr. Winston Cabading O.P. believes that the deployment of online course sites can be beneficial to students who are not confident to speak in front of the class.
“Some students can better express their ideas through chatting online that is why course sites can be of great help to them,” Fr. Cabading told the Varsitarian. He added that there is an open challenge for the faculty to use technology and integrate it to effective learning for the students.
EdTech gave away 15 laptops to its first batch of FLARE program awardees last Jan. 31 and Feb. 14.
