GBSEALD introduces its first undergraduate offering, BS Learning Science and Design

In an ever-evolving world constantly being shaped by technology, the classroom as we know it today has become more than just four walls inside a school or university. A classroom can be an app, happen virtually through video chat, or even be our places of work. The landscape of education is changing rapidly, especially in the Philippines, and the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD) recognizes that.

In response, they have created a new undergraduate program, and the first undergrad Education offering of Ateneo de Manila University: BS Learning Science & Design, or BS LEARN. The four-year undergraduate course is “unlike other traditional teacher undergraduate courses” as it is not only about teaching in traditional spaces like classrooms in schools and universities, but it is also about preparing learning professionals who will design and promote learning in different environments.

Its graduates will not be limited to the teaching profession in basic education or higher education—instead, BS LEARN has been “designed precisely to produce learning professionals in any field.” Graduates will be equipped for alternative careers that involve instructional and learning design beyond formal education, such as online learning, professional development and training. Most of all, BS LEARN aims to produce graduates who can offer technology-empowered, innovatively designed, and science-backed education. 

The curriculum will meld together the core subjects of an Ateneo education, including units in English, Filipino, Mathematics, the Natural Sciences, History, Philosophy, Theology, and more. Major courses include Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Education, Educational Psychology, Social and Emotional Learning, Learning Analytics & Educational Data Mining, and Creative Thinking for Educators, among others. 

BS LEARN will also train students using a deliberately multidisciplinary approach and allow them a wide selection of disciplinary tracks such as Science, Math, English, Filipino, the Social Sciences, Guidance and Counseling, and Religious/Values Education, School Entrepreneurship, Human Resource Training, and Education Technologies.

The newly-created program is aligned with a strategic priority area of the University: Educational Reform and Transformation, as well the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education). 

For more information, visit ateneo.edu/gbseald/academics/bslearn.