THE UST Language Center (USTLC) has launched a language-learning website to expand access to its programs and services and support the University’s English proficiency initiatives.
Carine Iries Suacillo, the center’s officer in charge and an instructor at the Department of English, said the website was developed in response to stakeholders’ concerns over the lack of information about its offerings.
“From our interactions with our stakeholders, we realized the lack of current information sources. So why not create something that [would] serve like a one-stop shop,” she told the Varsitarian.
The center plans to expand the website, launched on July 10, into a language repository containing modules and assessments aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, an international standard for measuring language proficiency.
Suacillo said the long-term plan also includes resources for other foreign languages and the use of Google Sites’ built-in translation features to improve accessibility for non-English-speaking users.
The platform had been under development since November 2025 with assistance from two English language studies alumnae, Lindsay Rodrigo and Helaena Candelaria, who worked as student-interns at the center.
“We also saw the need for it (the website) because there was very limited information available about the UST Language Center,” Rodrigo said.
“People did not really know what programs it offered, what activities had been conducted, or who the teachers and student teaching assistants were,” she added.
While formal language programs remain available through paid enrollment, the center eventually hopes to develop the website into an integrated portal similar to MyUSTe, the University’s official student portal, Suacillo said.
Established in 2009, the USTLC offers language programs beyond the University’s curricular offerings to international exchange students and professionals. Prince Cassel O. Trono
