IN ADDITION to the University’s official roster of undergraduate programs, the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD) welcomed the pioneering students of Bachelor of Science in Learning Science and Design (BS LEARN) for AY 2024–2025.

Formulated “to produce learning professionals in any field,” the BS LEARN program is geared toward preparing students to become instructors who can develop and promote learning in diverse environments. Moreover, it aims to reshape the educational landscape and contribute to the academic sphere at Ateneo, enabling the community to keep up with an ever-evolving education sector.

With this, the first undergraduate open house held by GBSEALD last May 11 marked the introduction of the program in AY 2024–2025. The event provided prospective students with an opportunity to learn about the program’s course offerings and potential career paths.

Welcoming and perceptions

Belonging to the pioneering batch of the new course, GBSEALD freshman Richelle Piedra (1 BS LEARN) shared that all BS LEARN first-years are under one block, consisting of 18 students.

In choosing BS LEARN, Piedra shared that her attendance to the program’s open house solidified her decision to pursue the course. “[The open house] emphasized that [BS LEARN is] not an experimental initiative because they have been researching and preparing [for it for] many years now, and that really lifted our spirits,” she shared.

With the course’s formulation and content, Piedra said she looks forward to learning from various experts how to shape her teaching style according to the students’ needs. “I really want to experience the [teaching] styles of different [professors], since [the GBSEALD faculty] said that Ateneo is a really diverse community,” she remarked.

Setting the program apart from other course offerings, Piedra cited BS LEARN’s innovative program of study to be a defining feature for the course. She expounded that the GBSEALD faculty emphasized their willingness to learn and innovate based on current societal needs.

Meanwhile, Sophie Ti (2 BS LEARN), a shiftee to the course this academic year, expressed her anticipation of discovering more about the psychology behind learning. In discussing the program’s strengths, she cited its emphasis on a “learner-centered approach,” allowing it to go beyond traditional teaching methods and hone skills in communication and psychology.

Representation in the community

In addressing student needs of a new undergraduate school, Sanggunian Vice President Iver Delos Santos revealed that the student government has begun planning how to effectively represent GBSEALD in the Sanggunian.

Delos Santos shared that the Sanggunian hopes for GBSEALD and BS LEARN to have a school representative and a course representative, respectively. He further explained that these positions would embody the same responsibilities as other existing representatives in the student council.

While the Sanggunian has yet to integrate GBSEALD into their organizational structure, Delos Santos noted that the Central Sanggunian can temporarily represent and coordinate with their students. Moreover, the Sanggunian is developing mechanisms to provide subsidies, such as those already offered to other schools, for mental health, research partnerships, and academic needs specific to GBSEALD students.

Supplementing these propositions, Delos Santos also mentioned plans to collaborate with the GBSEALD faculty for a town hall meeting with BS LEARN students to “know their concerns and [know] what they want from the Sanggunian.”

Regarding the creation of a BS LEARN home organization, Piedra disclosed that discussions and processes of its establishment are still ongoing. Nonetheless, she  remarked that the majority of her blockmates are passionate about volunteerism and education, a potential advocacy of the future organization.

As such, Ti calls for proper representation in the Sanggunian and the Higher Education Cluster. Additionally, Piedra hopes for a space where she and her coursemates can highlight their passion for education, especially in reaching minority communities that have little to no access to opportunities for quality education.

Beyond undergraduate GBSEALD

As GBSEALD continues to actualize their mission, “Bago ang lahat, edukasyon (Education before anything else),” the School has both initiated and participated in different projects to promote the science and art of learning design.

In particular, the Ateneo Institute of Science and Art of Learning and Teaching recently finalized the three-month Adaptive Design Learning Course for Higher Education Faculty in Asia last August 2. The project aimed to reflect GBSEALD’s efforts of professionalizing learning in contexts beyond the Philippines.Apart from this, GBSEALD looks forward to equipping educators with innovative teaching methods by hosting the Turo Guro 2024: New Literacies and New Pedagogies for the Future workshop series which will run from September to November.