SETTING OUT to enhance communication with the student body, the Office of Student Discipline (OSD) launched a Canvas course for all undergraduate students to make its key documents more visible to the student body.
Released last September 1, the Canvas course currently serves as a portal for documents, such as the Code of Conduct and Code of Decorum and Administrative Rules on Sexual Harassment, Other Forms of Sexual Misconduct, and Inappropriate Behavior (Code and Rules). It also features announcements that reinforce the OSD’s call to exhibit respect and dignity in all aspects of student life.
With hopes of reaching out to more students and becoming an uplifting presence for the Ateneo community, OSD Director Raoul R. Roncal, MA collaborated with the Sanggunian and student volunteers to produce other educational materials on topics related to the Code of Conduct.
Establishing online visibility
To ideate the Canvas course, OSD met with the Sanggunian on July 17 to brainstorm potential initiatives that better communicate the principles of the Code of Conduct.
During the meeting, Sanggunian Department of Administrative Affairs Chairperson Reigne Montalbo suggested that the OSD create a Canvas course, citing the Rizal Library Canvas course as a successful example.
OSD ultimately decided to use Canvas as a platform due to its accessibility and uncompromised privacy, given the sensitive nature of cases handled by OSD.
Elaborating on the rationale behind the OSD’s new initiative, Roncal shared that instead of “waiting for students to make a mistake,” the office explored a way to communicate their services more proactively to prevent these mistakes and cases from happening in the first place.
“We are in constant communication with [the Sanggunian]. They have an important role in helping us know what [are] the right things to bring out, both the positive and the correct information,” Roncal added.
According to Montalbo, the OSD handled the initial creation of the Canvas course, while the Sanggunian stays in contact with the office to provide counsel and feedback. She expressed the Sanggunian’s intent to help the OSD “paint their image” in a more positive light through working together for the Canvas course and other future initiatives.
Strengthening presence
Despite their office’s primary role of promoting awareness and adherence to Ateneo’s Code of Conduct, Roncal stressed that OSD’s goal this year is to shift the perception of their office from a disciplinary body to one focused on education and misconduct prevention.
In line with this, Roncal plans to promote both the “do’s” and “don’ts” of the Code of Conduct by posting infographics on Canvas, encouraging respectful behavior rather than just listing prohibitions.
Moreover, the OSD is also considering other strategies, such as offering reminders on academic integrity during midterms and finals, as well as collaborating with student groups and other offices to help prevent misconduct.
While the Canvas course was primarily intended as an avenue for announcements without requiring active student participation, Roncal mentioned that OSD plans to ask student volunteers or scholars to help brainstorm ways to engage students in Canvas, emphasizing the importance of student input for the office’s upcoming activities.
Sharing his insights on the initiative, John Rex Funtilar (1 BS CH) said that he found OSD’s announcements in the Canvas course helpful and relevant. Meanwhile, Epryll Shnyl Malaya (1 BS PSY) mentioned that the Canvas course has not impacted her, since she already maintains academic integrity on her own accord.
However, both Funtilar and Malaya noted that the OSD Canvas course can be maximized better, with Malaya proposing for the OSD to require students to look through their announcements and apply the office’s principles. On the other hand, Funtilar suggested for the OSD to post about timely issues within and beyond the Ateneo, in line with the values in the Code of Conduct.
Future outlook
In addition to the Canvas course as a platform for spreading awareness regarding the Code of Conduct and Code of Rules, Roncal highlighted that the OSD is continuously finding ways to communicate these documents in a constructive manner.
To advance OSD’s goal of creating more communication and promotional channels, Roncal explained that the OSD is taking an experimental approach this year, with the Canvas course being one of its first initiatives.
“It will be a learning experience for all of us, including the [Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs] to see if Canvas is an effective way of communicating [our initiatives] […] We’ll also gauge the right amount of information [to put out in Canvas] and see if it will last for long so it is not an information overload,” he said.
Moving forward, Roncal expressed OSD’s openness to future collaborations with the Sanggunian and other student groups to improve their services and cater to the needs of the student body.
