VSU OBE FRAMEWORK

The Visayas State University adopts the educational paradigm shift from the traditional teacher-centered to a student-centered system that is a continuous process of education wherein the curriculum, teaching strategies, learning activities, and assessment tools are improved continuously. 

The VSU OBE framework is anchored on the CHED Implementation Handbook for OBE and ISA (2013) and the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) Cycle, which aligns with the VSU Quality Management System.  

1. Plan (Syllabus preparation) – At the start, inputs from the stakeholders are taken into consideration, and the learning outcomes are aligned with the COs, POs, PEOs, and VSU VMG. The syllabus reflects the achievement of all the outcomes. 
2. Do (Delivery of instruction) – Implement the course content and plan, teaching strategies, learning activities, instructional materials, and references for producing the needed outcomes. 
3. Check (Assessment and Evaluation) – Assess and evaluate by collecting data and analyzing it to determine the results. Feedback and comments are also obtained. 

1. Act (Continuous Quality Improvement/Accreditation) – Determine what needs improvement and program monitoring. 

Moreover, the course outcomes (COs) are formulated based on the program outcomes (POs), which are anchored on the program educational objectives (PEOs), which are all aligned to the Vision and Mission of the University. One feature of the framework is the feedback mechanism for continuous quality improvement (CQI) of the program implementation, wherein all stakeholders are consulted to improve program design and implementation.

A variety of mechanisms are employed to continually assess and evaluate the attainment of COs, POs, and PEOs through examinations, projects, portfolios, exit surveys upon graduation, graduate tracer study 3-5 years after graduation, and employer feedback surveys, among others. 

All undergraduate and graduate programs are also assessed by different local and international quality assurance bodies such as the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP), CHED Office of Programs and Standards thru the issuance of Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC), Washington Accord, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Times Higher Education (THE), QS Stars Ratings, among others. The assessment result may serve as input for CQI action to improve the quality of graduates. 

ADOPTION PROCESS

The adoption of the Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) in the Visayas State University started when the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issued CMO 46 s. 2012 entitled “Policy Standards to Enhance Quality Assurance (QA) in Philippine Higher Education through an Outcomes-Based and Typology-Based QA”.

Preparations for OBE implementation started in the College of Engineering in 2012 after its former Dean, Dr. Roberto C. Guarte attended a series of trainings and workshops in relation to their intention to subject their engineering programs to international accreditation.  In-house trainings and workshops were then conducted first attended by the heads of academic departments, and later by the faculty members and student leaders of the College, preparing course syllabi, lecture guides and laboratory manuals following the concept of OBE. The College finally implemented OBE in the 1st Semester 2015-2016.

Thereafter, other colleges followed suit. Dr. Guarte conducted several in-house training-workshops on construction of OBE-compliant course syllabi to the faculty members of other colleges in the main campus. On some occasions, the University likewise invited resource persons from other universities outside VSU to further train the faculty on OBE.

In 2018, the University decided to go for ISO Certification of its Quality Management System. Part of the preparations is the full and strict implementation of OBE in all programs in the VSU system. To fully operationalize the plan, the University created a new office under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs; the Office of the Director for Instruction and Evaluation (ODIE), which supervises the Office of Instructional Materials Development (OIMD).  

A series of OBE seminars and training-workshops were again conducted in the university by the OVPAA, ODIE and OIMD, in addition to sending faculty members to training-workshops in other venues outside the university. OBE-syllabus making and updating has been a regular part of the VSU Faculty Onboarding activity organized by the OVPAA, ODIE and OIMD at the beginning of every school year. 

By 2019, all curricular programs of the Visayas State University are implementing Outcomes-Based Education, and the university is continually improving its systems and procedures, including OBE.