VSU-DALL partners with RELO to advance English language teaching

VSU's newly created Department of Arts, Languages, and Literature (DALL) has partnered with the Regional English Language Office (RELO) of the United States Department of State to advance English language teaching through different programs.

DALL emerged as an independent department following the division of the former Department of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences (DLABS) into two on July 1, 2023, alongside the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences (DPSS).

Since its inception last year, DALL has been doing its best to create linkages with national and international organizations. One of its successful international linkages is with RELO, an initiative of the US to enhance the quality of English language teaching through curriculum development, assessment, material creation, and teacher training. 

RELO has been working with ministries of education, departments of education, and higher education institutions across the globe, including in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Brunei, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific Islands.

With this partnership, DALL welcomed Dr. Jean Anne Pfautz of RELO to VSU on February 2, 2024. Dr. Pfautz conducted a training workshop with the Bachelor of Arts in English Language Studies students to cater to their language needs.

A research consultation with the VSU faculty members of DALL, the Department of Teacher Education, ViSCA Foundation Elementary School, and VSU Integrated High School followed the workshop with the students.

This partnership was made possible through the recommendation of Dr. Glenn G. Pajares, the concurrent dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. 

To strengthen partnerships, DALL is hosting Ms. Maureen Rooney, an English Language Fellow, for a year to help improve the department’s current and future English programs.

Ms. Rooney is currently handling Purposive Communication and ABELS major courses. She will also conduct a lecture series on English for Specific Purposes: Research Writing for various disciplines in all the colleges of VSU and its component campuses. These lecture series aim to cater to the language needs of both faculty and students.

On top of that, DALL also sent two faculty members, Asst. Prof. Corazon A. Padilla and Ms. Kay T. Juanillo to attend the launching of the American English Alumni Association of the Philippines, Inc. (AEAAP) or AE Alumni PH on April 21 to 22, 2024, at Bayview Park, Manila. 

Asst. Prof. Padilla represented Visayas as one of the panelists in the Alumni Talks. AEAAP is a program under RELO.

The Department of Arts, Languages, and Literature, with the perseverance of its head, Dr. Maria Vanessa E. Gabunada, aspires to have more collaborative activities with other agencies here in the Philippines and abroad.

[This article aligns with Sustainable Development Goals No: 4 (Quality Education) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).]

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