Forming ideal Lasallian graduates

Eight years ago, De La Salle Philippines (DLSP), formulated the Lasallian Guiding Principles. It is composed of five missions, which are the fundamental principles Lasallian schools need to carry out to their students.  The principles aim to promote Christian development and to form “disciples and citizens, prophets, and professionals.”

In an effort to concretize these principles, the University created the Expected Lasallian Graduate Attributes (ELGA). Implemented in 2009, ELGA emphasizes on four qualities Lasallians should embody upon graduating from the University. Lasallian graduates must be a critical and creative thinker, an effective communicator, a reflective lifelong learner, and a service-driven Citizen.

Teaching with a clear goal

The initiative is based on a tool used for educational planning called Understanding by Design (UbD). It suggests that an academic institution must first have a vision of their ideal graduate. The vision will serve as the framework for curriculum mapping, creation of course contents, methods of assessment, and modes of classroom instruction.

Before the integration of ELGA, course syllabi were based on textbooks and reference materials, says College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Vice Dean Dr. Feorillo Demeterio III.

To accommodate ELGA, all course syllabi have to follow a template that emphasizes the goals of the courses. Aside from basic information such as the course description and coverage, the syllabi must clearly define the courses’ learning outcomes in relation to the four elements of ELGA. These objectives serve as the basis for the required outputs and activities from students.

All four, all relevant?

The aforementioned set of ELGAs is the university-wide framework all departments in the six colleges and the School of Economics (SOE) use.

With the diversity of subject matters covered by different courses, the relevance of ELGA to particular courses is sometimes questioned.

Rodiel Ferrer from the Accountancy Department admits that for a highly technical subject matter such as accountancy, not all of the qualities under ELGA can effectively work with the courses.

With the ongoing ELGA integration, SOE Dean Dr. Winfred Villamil shares that the system still encounters resistance from some faculty members who have already been accustomed to their past delivery of the syllabi.

Economics Professor and University Fellow Dr. Tereso Tullao Jr., furthers that providing professors with a syllabi template may limit their teaching options.

Line of effectiveness

Demeterio notes that there is no system that assesses the success of the program.

Likewise, College of Education (CED) Vice Dean Paolo Valdez and Villamil believe that it is too early to assume that graduates of the University exemplify ELGA.

Nevertheless, an employability study of Lasallians conducted by the Office of Counseling and Career Services (OCCS) found that the common Lasallian qualities employers prefer include creativity and exceptional communication skills, which are developed through ELGA.

DLSU President and Chancellor Br. Jun Erguiza FSC identifies the attribute Service-Driven Citizen as the characteristic least exhibited by Lasallian graduates. He finds that there is a need to calibrate the system to turn students into graduates that will work for the betterment of the society.

The University is still in the process of orienting administration and faculty with the ELGA, followed by its incorporation in the design of the curriculum. Villamil shares that DLSU targets all General Education courses to be ELGA-integrated by the end of the year.