Mapúa University, the country’s premier engineering and technological school, has taken a significant step towards enhancing student experiences and bridging the learning gap by launching four innovative digital toolkits: Ally, EAC Visual Data, Engage, and MapúaX.
Designed to enhance students’ support, engagement, and access to educational resources, these toolkits leverage technology to create a more inclusive and effective learning environment.
Dr. Dodjie S. Maestrecampo, Mapúa University president and chief executive officer, said that the 100-year-old institution puts a premium on technology to deepen and enhance the academic journey.
“With these toolkits combined, we can facilitate learning for hundreds of thousands of young Filipinos and professionals,” Dr. Maestrecampo added.
Ally addresses the requirements of learners with special needs. Colorblind, dyslexic, vision impaired, or even foreign students who cannot communicate in the local language can effortlessly engage with the educational content.
It ensures that all types of learners have the same learning opportunities and can meet the expected learning outcomes. Ally has been merged into the university’s Cardinal EDGE Learning Management System (LMS), which is powered by Blackboard AI and Anthology.
The EAC Visual Data, combined with Ally, is a dashboard that collects, visualizes, assesses, and analyzes student outcomes. It allows professors to gauge student competencies so they can scaffold or supplement their learning as needed. The dashboard also opens the door to more international accreditations and linkages since learner outcomes can effortlessly be substantiated.
Meanwhile, Engage is a digital solution that aims to improve students’ campus life and experiences. The platform automates the approval procedure that student organizations need to host events on campus. It also allows the university to monitor and evaluate these events. Aside from simplifying the backend, Engage gives students a real-time preview of upcoming extracurricular activities.
The fourth and most comprehensive digital tool is the MapúaX online learning platform.
MapúaX offers a diverse range of content, including Mapúa’s fully online courses, Mapúa Snippets, Mapúa STEM Teach, and online industry micro-credential programs designed for lifelong learners.
As a course catalog, MapuaX houses the fully online courses that can earn credits for Mapua’s fully online programs, which include six undergraduate programs in computer engineering, electrical engineering, electronics engineering, industrial engineering, computer science, and information technology.
MapúaX also features the university’s long-running STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Teach program, a free continuing professional education initiative specifically designed for high school teachers. This program offers STEM educators 32 hours of training or 10 Professional Regulation Commission-recognized continuing professional development (CPD) credit units, equipping them with the latest international pedagogies and instructional strategies.
Mapúa Snippets is also a free online microlearning resource designed for Grade 1 to 3 pupils. It is intended to supplement classroom learning in math and reading courses. At launch, 100 videos will be available on MapúaX, providing young learners with engaging, bite-sized educational content to enhance their foundational skills.
In addition to students and teachers, professionals across various technical fields can benefit from MapúaX’s short courses and micro-credential programs, known as Academies, which are developed in partnership with industry leaders. These programs enable working individuals to pursue lifelong learning by earning stackable credentials or digital badges on various topics. Furthermore, these certificates can be accumulated to earn credits toward undergraduate and graduate degree programs, providing a flexible pathway for career advancement.
Dr. Maestrecampo said that by year-end, Academies on project management, additive manufacturing, Lean Six Sigma, artificial intelligence, analytics and data science, and instructional design and technology would be offered to the public. With Mapúa being an accredited CPD provider, micro-credential courses offered in MapúaX can also be applied for CPD points.
