GBSEALD launches learning collaboratories for graduate degree students

On 18 November 2023, the pioneering cohort of the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design’s (GBSEALD) 42 doctoral students completed their second and last Learning Collaboratory for the first semester. This academic year, GBSEALD launched its innovative Learning Collaboratories for its master's and doctoral degree students. The “Learning Collabs,” as they are called, are an innovative mode of course delivery that entails three full days of intensive onsite learning tasks and interactions. They have been conceptualized to offer our students a wide range of possible learning environments, both online and face-to-face, designed to optimize student learning. 

Our doctoral programs offer our students not only all the beneficial affordances of online learning and teaching that we experienced firsthand during the pandemic lockdown, but also—through the Learning Collabs—the added value of face-to-face experiential learning, optimizing elements that are not as ideal online such as ensuring social connection through group work, providing faculty mentoring and guided practice, and eliciting a high level of engagement in discussions. In this sense, GBSEALD students are truly offered the “best of both worlds.” 

Needless to say, the Learning Collabs have the added advantage of being well-suited to our professional part-time students. They are structured to ensure that the student’s time and energy are more focused on learning—by performing the learning tasks and thereby achieving their desired outcomes.

“The onsite Learning Collabs provide us with a unique opportunity to learn with and from our cohort,” said Gen Sanvictores, Principal of the Ateneo de Manila Junior High School. “The cohort also serves as a wonderful support group throughout the learning journey.” 

Lianne Grace Orlina-Gomez, who had just returned from Jakarta, expressed her appreciation for the Learning Collab. “The days were intellectually stretching as we learned and applied new concepts to our respective fields of interest,” she observed. “But it also paved the way for us to be more at ease with the rigors of the program.”

Therese Pelias of Thames International regarded the entire experience as being part of a community of practice in action. The Learning Collab provided for her with “a safe space for sounding off [one’s] academic ruminations with like-minded peers without prejudice or even professional competition.” She expressed her hope that the Learning Collab experience would lead to the formation of a community in practice among them.

However, the Learning Collabs have turned out not only to be an intense and productive learning experience for our doctoral students but also as a great opportunity for community building. Many of them expressed their appreciation for this unexpected development, especially for those who live outside Metro Manila.

Desi Dario Magnaye, Principal of Davao Christian High School, declared that the Learning Collab was very much worth his trip from Davao. “I personally learn a lot from the online sessions,” he quipped, “but the Learning Collabs provide me an opportunity to bond with my classes, learn from my professors, and focus more on our deliverables.”

Ruth Ignacio, School Director of Marywood Academy in Bukidnon couldn’t agree more. When we asked her about her Collab experience, she told us, “Our days are thoughtfully structured to balance intensive academic engagement with relationship building. Lectures, discussions, and consultations with our professors deepen our understanding and sharpen our thinking. Conversations over meals or breaks organically unfold, fostering camaraderie and support. I appreciate the care taken to curate these meaningful gatherings that expand perspectives and nourish spirits.”

Nancy Toledo, Executive Assistant to the School President at Sacred Heart School-Jesuit in Cebu, had this to say: “My professors ensure that the days are maximized for the deepening of learning through intensive and well-prepared lectures, group discussions, and consultations. And being with my cohort just makes the whole experience fun and worthwhile.”

Aside from bonding with the cohort, what Wielson Factolerin liked best about the Learning Collab was how it allowed him and his classmates to attend to his doctoral studies without having to let go of their other responsibilities.

Fr. Johnny Go SJ, GBSEALD Dean, who teaches an introductory course called “Critical Inquiry and Reflection” said that he immediately sensed the palpable community spirit and positive energy of the class the moment he walked in on the first day of the second Learning Collab last 16 November. Thanks to the first Learning Collab last September 14 - 16, and thanks to their group chat, which was hardly silent between the Learning Collabs, the students who had joined the doctoral program from different institutions and cities—many of whom have become friends—have agreed to accompany one another in their doctoral journey.

Dr. Achoot Cuyegkeng, PhD Program Director and Executive Director of GBSEALD’s Lily Gokongwei Ngochua Leadership Academy, has this to say about this first cohort: “In my 40 years of teaching, I’ve always looked for at least one student whose desire to learn would inspire and energize me as a teacher. All the students in this first cohort of doctoral students at GBSEALD have done just that. It was very fulfilling for me to see them grow as doctoral students with their diverse backgrounds.”

The Learning Collabs are still experimental for both the master's and doctoral students, so they are subject to evaluation and improvements based on feedback from both students and faculty.

But one thing is for sure, GBSEALD’s first cohort of doctoral students are both learning and having fun. As Jane Cacacho, Grade School Principal of Xavier School, said, “Never imagined that doctoral studies would be this meaningful and fun!”