Page 116 - Reimagining Higher Education : Case Studies On Designing For Inclusion, Equity, And Access In The Buka Project

A. T. Buan et al. · BUKA - REACH Capacity Building on Innovative Flexible Learning -

Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), Philippines

and learning activity occurring online and 30% occuring face-to-face, the uptake
of the hybrid mode of delivery with use of MOLÉ was low among academic sta .

Amid this situation, the BUKA project emerged, driven by a strong

commitment to advancing equity and expanding access to higher education (HE)
through open and distance learning (ODL). The project, starting in February 2020,

perfectly aligned with the MSU-IIT objective of developing programmes for online

and blended learning in order to cater for the diverse needs of students.
Implementing the BUKA project principles is an important move on

embracing the changing educational landscape and the growing demand for
flexible learning options. Its timely inception during the COVID-19 pandemic has

o ered MSU-IIT an opportunity to empower faculty members in designing
inclusive courses to cater for the diverse needs of students, particularly in the

realm of ODL.

To support faculty members in designing inclusive course materials, a peer
mentoring framework was implemented as part of the project. In the initial two

years of the project, the MSU-IIT College of Education (CED), in collaboration with
the Center for Pedagogical Innovations, piloted a capacity building framework for

designing quality e-learning courses. Recently, MSU-IIT expanded the training to

the six colleges within the University and nearby HE institutions in Mindanao. The
BUKA project at MSU-IIT is instrumental in enhancing access to quality e-learning

courses and improving teaching practices through the implementation of
innovative flexible learning modalities.

Methodology

Capacity building at MSU-IIT is grounded on the theory of Technological
Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) by Koehler and Mishra (2005). It is a

theory that explains the set of knowledge, including technology, content, and
pedagogy that teachers need to develop in order to e ciently redesign their

traditional teaching for the online, remote learning context.

The ADDIE model suggested in FAO (2021) was used as a framework in
completing the process for capacity building. The ADDIE model helps in

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