You're Dismissed

“A PEN Student’s words carry weight. He is honest, trustworthy, and has consistency in words and actions.” – Integrity, PEN Values, the PEN Student Handbook Tertiary Level

illustration by Melanilene Balot 

It is examinations season once again, and we students must face tons of schoolwork. To top all this off, there is once again the threat to succumbing to the temptation of every student’s ancient frenemy – cheating.

Understandably, students are distressed by the fact that they must study for practically all their subjects at the same time. It doesn’t help that deadlines for projects, group works, and other academic requirements fall on the same date. Yet, this is no excuse to resort to such devious measures.

Most of the students do not realize the gravity of their actions. Moreover, the lax attitude of the school personnel and the teachers themselves only serve to aggravate this matter. In fact, the whole community’s outlook serves to make the campus a potential breeding ground of cheaters. We do not want this to happen to our Araullo, beloved.

On the other hand, the PHINMA Education Network formulated the PEN Values to guide their students in their day-to-day actions and interactions. These values are Integrity, Professionalism, Commitment, Competence, Teamwork, and Innovativeness. Ironically, some students fail to comply with the very first value.

The List of Offenses and Corresponding Categories (p. 17-19, PEN Student Handbook Tertiary Level) provides very harsh punishments to those who breach the school standard for Academic Integrity.

For Plagiarism, (1.1) or the use of published information without providing proper recognition to the original author, is punishable with outright dismissal or expulsion on the first offense. For Cheating on Any Graded Work, (1.2) the first offense is punishable with Suspension for three (3) academic days, for which he will incur absences. For the second offense, the offending student shall face dismissal or expulsion. In all cases, the student shall receive the lowest possible score in the graded work concerned.

These are very stringent guidelines, indeed. Sadly, no one seems to take these seriously. If we are to preserve PEN’s mission of preparing the students for global competitiveness, this matter must be addressed immediately and cogently.

For us students, on the other hand, we must start taking our schoolwork seriously. This is a way of preparing ourselves for the real world outside of the campus. When you are already an engineer or a computer programmer, you cannot expect to copy a blueprint or a source code and just get away with it: There are very serious consequences for offenses against intellectual property. As an accountant, you cannot rely on others to do your work for you. For a future teacher, you will serve as a role model for your future students. For a future policeman, you are to be an enforcer of the law and a protector of the people. College is simply the preparation for life, and the more you sweat in time of peace, the less you bleed in war.

Examination results will not dictate your success in the future. Your attitude in life will. So the next time you are tempted to cheat, remember that your actions today will resonate in the future. You carry not only your name but the name of your alma mater as well. Years from now, you will be able to pride yourself for not cheating even in the face of temptation. After all, we are PEN Students, and we can face the examinations with Integrity in all our haggard glory! Dan Kevin Roque

Shifting Grounds

Artistic depiction of the Dynamic Learning Program.
(Illustration by Kenneth Garcia)

 "Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

It is yet another brave new school year for Araullians – yet another year to face the challenges of academic life; another year to hone our talents and skills; another year to prove ourselves anew. Some of us will be stepping into new responsibilities; others will be facing new challenges. But now, there is at least one change we must all share – the launch of the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP).

The Dynamic Learning Program is a new approach to education that is student-centered; meaning, the emphasis is given on the ability of the student to learn. It is the University’s countermeasure to the conventional approach to education – one that is teacher/instructor-oriented.

And yet, despite its well-meaning goals and aspirations, DLP is receiving flak from all sides: Some students think that the DLP is a way for the University to cut costs or that they are de[rived of the service they deserve, the professors (lead facilitators) are stressed by trying to fit the discussion of one topic into the twenty-minute timeframe they are given, and some of the assistant facilitators complain that DLP takes so much of their time, or that some of the lead facilitators are abusive of their student assistants.

These complaints are indeed alarming at first, but when one takes a closer look, it is the common flaws that come to light when implementing a new policy or program, especially one on such a large scale.

But before we doubt this new program’s efficacy, we must first look deeper: the DLP is a program that looks into the individual learning capacity of the students (a good example is the reading laboratory employed for the English program on reading). It encourages students to rely on themselves, and not on the spoon-fed ideas of their teachers. Truly, it creates a dynamic atmosphere within the classroom. Moreover, the value of perseverance, responsibility, and hard work instilled in the mind of the learners.

On the other hand, the speaking skills and class participation (i.e. recitation) are not given priority in this approach. If this need is not provided for, the students’ communicative competence can be negatively affected. We must remember that students have different learning preferences; therefore in order to cater the learners’ need, other learning skills should also be considered.

DLP is initially conceived as an answer to the shortage of teachers in the public school system. And while we want to hope for the best for our fellow Araullians, the implementation of this program in a private higher education institution remains doubtful. Dan Kevin Roque