Just4fun

ONLINE or FACE-TO-FACE Learning...Which is Which?

2009-10-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Continuing Education and Knowledge Retention:
A Comparison of Online and Face-to-Face Deliveries
Connie Schardt
Duke University
Julie Garrison
Grand Valley State University

This paper is all about the comparison of online learning and face-to-face learning. In our current situation today it has been said that online learning is more effective than those who still use the old school education which is face-to-face but I hadn’t really found one research that validates the said claim not until I found this research which was posted by my classmate on our discussion thread in research.

Face-to-face discussion also known to us as education 2.0 is a learning style which limits the students learning to the learning of its teachers therefore learning happens in four corners of the classroom. People say that this kind of teaching strategy is obsolete since we are in the age of technology which means sky is the limit. With such claims that stated above I asked myself. If education 2.0 is obsolete then why does almost every teacher that I have known still uses this strategy? Luckily I was able to attend the Philippine youth congress in information technology (y4it 2009) held at the University of the Philippines Diliman campus last September 8-11 2009 and two of the speakers discussed this matters. Mr. Noel Feria discussed the difference of the “obsolete” education 2.0 and education 3.0. He said that education 3.0 is not widely implemented because it has no clear framework yet. He was asked how this education 3.0 works and unfortunately he hasn’t given any clear answer to the question. While the other speaker Prof. Rommel Feria a faculty member of the University of the Philippines Department of Computer Science directly said that “teachers are afraid that their students may surpass them” when asked why education 3.0 is not widely implemented.

Online discussion on the other hand also known as education 3.0 is a learning strategy wherein students are not required to go to school. They are given requirements to be accomplished and given the freedom of how are they going to learn it themselves of course by using the resources that are usually on the net. Teachers do not limit their students to know what they also know. Students may meet their teachers face=to-face only for consultation purposes. Talks about the effectiveness of the online discussion are still on a debate. They said that education 3.0 is more effective than education 2.0 because information nowadays doubles every second and one teacher cannot accommodate all. The main concept of education 3.0 is “search for new knowledge and acquire and share new knowledge in and from your classmates” this may be their way of at list maximizing the knowledge that can be learned. Not limiting the source of knowledge to one person only (the teacher) education 3.0 encourages everyone to search for knowledge and acquire knowledge that their classmate searched in this case everyone is the source of knowledge.

If you try and compare the definitions or overviews given above you’ll most probably say that education 3.0 is more effective over education 2.0 but do you have raw data? Do you have survey result to validate your claims? This study aims to do such thing by comparing the knowledge acquired by those using the education 3.0 and 2.0 or in this paper called DE or distance education and CE for continuing education respectively. The authors have given three assessments namely the Pre-test, Post-test, 6 month Post-test to compare if which of the two educational system is more effective.

This study was designed to determine if there is a difference between learning retention for students taking a continuing education course in the classroom compared to taking the same course through distance education. Students were given three assessments to determine their baseline knowledge of the topic, what they learned immediately after the course, and what they retained six months after the course. Pooled data from those assessments showed that there was no statistical difference in the scores of the two groups of students, leading the authors to conclude that neither delivery method is better than the other.

The result:

Seventy-two professional librarians enrolled in the course during 2004. Fifty-six librarians completed the demographic survey and at least one of the pre- or post-tests. Fourteen librarians completed the course but did not submit any surveys or assessments, despite repeated requests for compliance. Two librarians dropped the course and did not finish the work.

The two groups, continuing education (CE) and distance education (CE), were similar in terms of type of library (academic or hospital) and primary responsibilities (reference or education). The groups differed in terms of age and experience. The CE students were older with more years of experience. All (100%) of the CE students were 36 years old or older, compared to 64% of the distance education students. Eighty two percent of the CE students had 10 years or more of library experience, compared to only 29% of the distance education students. As expected the CE students reported a strong preference (82%) for traditional classroom instruction; while only 61% of distanced education students reported this preference. When asked about reasons for taking an online course, both groups indicated that convenience of not traveling, timeliness of the topic, and working at own pace as the most important factors.

Seventeen students from the traditional face-to-face class and 21 students from the distance education course completed the first post-test. As indicated in Figure 1, there was a significant decline in the number of students completing responses to the subsequent tests. Ultimately, data from all assessments were available for only 10 CE and 11 DE students.

When comparing the scores of only those who completed all assessments, the DE students averaged over 10 points higher than the CE group in each test. Both groups showed a significant improvement from the pre-test to the post-test (CE increased by 57%, DE increased by 21%). As expected, average student scores declined from the first post-test to the second post-test (CE decreased by 14%, DE decreased by 11%.), although they remained higher than pre-test levels. Based on the raw numbers, it appeared that students in the DE group came into the classroom with a greater knowledge of the subject and retained more knowledge six months after the course had ended.

Due to the small number of students who completed all assessments, the data from all the participants was re-analyzed and adjusted for missingness. When the data was recalculated using a mixed model, with fixed effects for time (three levels) and group (classroom and distance) and time/group interaction, the adjusted differences were not statistically significant. Considering all the data, the study showed that the distance education group and face-to-face groups had no difference in level of knowledge retention

Source: http://www.eblip4.unc.edu/papers/Schardt.pdf

Research Work to be Publish

2009-10-11T05:57:00.000-07:00

It is never easy for your research to be published in journals specially those top-tier journals. It is like you are auditioning for some kind of a reality show. Yes, it is hard but the benefits would be great. Some of us want our research to be published to prove that we are a worthy researcher, others for pride purposes and others wants their research to be publish because of the money that comes along with it. As to what are real intentions of why we want our researches to be published, it will all go through tough processes or procedures. Of course publications don’t just choose anybodies research and publish it, it may affect their credibility if they are able to publish researches that are not reliable and are not significant at all.

Submitted researches are reviewed by reviewers before it will be published. Reviewers are the real authors of Computing Reviews. The computing community depends on reviewers for authoritative, unbiased critiques of the essential literature in the field. Reviewers are expected to contribute reviews that demonstrate that they have read the material thoroughly and have considered it in depth, from a critical perspective. Reviewers are prominent persons having attained remarkable achievements in the field of research. Each reviewer has their own perspective of what they are finding in a research before they approve in for publication.

Originality of the research is a big factor for your research to be able to pass the screening made by the reviewers. Having an original research and good output would really give you an edge over the others. Your research should also be relevant for it to be able to be accepted. Reviewers have no specific requirements when reviewing someone’s research work they are most probably concern on the quality of your research work. Their most concern is on how you presented your research and if your research is relevant or would fit to their intended audience. The name of the author would be a great factor too. Even in the research publication world influence is also one factor that affects if your research will be published or not. If you have no remarkable record yet it maybe a lot harder for you to have your research published compared to those experienced authors.

Evaluating a Good Research

2009-10-11T04:09:00.001-07:00

A researcher has its own way of thinking that is why sometimes researches of the same thing end up with different output. On my own point of view a good research work should be easily understood or else your reader may find it too much complicated and would disregard it. A good research work should be supported by legitimate facts. Researcher doing the research should not be biased especially if the output is not what he/she expects to be or else your research work will not be accurate or reliable. As I search trough the net I found some ways on how you evaluate a research work and this one gives a really short yet easy way to evaluate a research work.

A good contribution to a research area should have most of these qualities:
• address an important problem
• be novel, building on existing good research
• use good scientific methods, and best practices in the research area
• report significant results
• have positive benefits/implications in the research area
• be well communicated in writing and in person

The first two items above talks about the general purpose of the research done. If a research work addresses important problems especially current problems that the society is facing then that would be a good start to know if the research work is of good quality. In short, the research should be timely. The next three items probably talks about how the researcher comes up with the result? What methods or practices that he or she used? Does the practices and methods that he or she used appropriate for the research? This part is really crucial for it is where the results are generated. Even though you have a really good research topic, timely and all, it would all mean useless if your ways of finding solutions to the problems are not right. And the last items talks about the researcher’s way of presenting his or her result. If it is presented in a way that is too complex readers would lose the urge to read your findings. After all who wants to read a research work that you don’t understand. Researchers should present their outputs in a way that readers can easily understand it.

According to Linda Finlay researches can be evaluated in 4 C’s
1) Clarity - Does the research make sense? To what extent is the research systematically worked through, coherent and clearly described?
2) Credibility – To what extent do the findings match the evidence and are they convincing? When the author is arguing evidentially, is the evidence marshaled rigorously and opened up for external audit? Are the researcher’s interpretations plausible and justified? Can readers see what the researcher saw even if they disagree with the conclusions drawn by the researcher?
3) Contribution – To what extent does the research add to knowledge of an issue or aspect of human social life? Does it enrich our understanding of the human condition? Is it empowering and/or growth-enhancing? Does it offer guidance for future action or for changing the social world for the better? Does it offer a interesting basis for future research?
4) Communicative resonance – Are the findings sufficiently vivid or powerful to draw readers in? Do the findings resonate with readers’ own experience/understandings? As meanings are elicited in an interpersonal context, have the knowledge claims been tested and argued in dialogue with others, including participants, research supervisors or the wider academic community?

Henwood and Pidgeon identified 7 attributes which characterize a good research.

1. The importance of fit – The themes or analytical categories offered by the researcher should fit the data. The researcher demonstrates this by writing clear, explicit accounts of how these categories were evolved.
2. Integration of theory - The researcher needs to discuss the relationship between units of analysis and the degree to which they can be integrated or generalized (for instance, exploring how themes might be combined moving towards a theory).
3. Reflexivity – The role of the researcher needs to be acknowledged and accounted for in the documentation of the research.
4. Documentation – The researcher needs to provide an audit trail: a comprehensive account of what was done and why.
5. Theoretical sampling and negative case analysis – The researcher needs to continuously develop and modify any emerging theory, exploring cases that do not fit as well as those which might generate new knowledge.
6. Sensitivity to negotiated realities – While participant validation may be necessary, the researcher needs to demonstrate awareness of the research context, power differentials and participant reactions to the research. It is particularly important to explain any differences between the researcher’s interpretations and those of the participant(s).
7. Transferability - The researcher should suggest how the research may have applicability beyond the particular research context.
Lincoln and Guba propose four criteria for ‘naturalistic’ research.
1) Credibility – This concept replaces the idea of internal validity, by which researchers seek to establish confidence in the ‘truth’ of their findings. Instead, Lincoln and Guba focus on the degree to which findings make sense. For instance, they recommend that qualitative researchers use ‘member checks’. Here participants are given their interview transcripts and the research reports so they can agree/disagree with the researcher’s findings. In addition, credibility is built up through prolonged engagement in the field and persistent observation and triangulation of data.
2) Transferability – Transferability replaces the concept of external validity. Instead of aiming for random sampling and probabilistic reasoning, qualitative researchers are encouraged to provide a detailed portrait of the setting in which the research is conducted. The aim here is to give readers enough information for them to judge the applicability of the findings to other settings.
3) Dependability – This concept replaces the idea of reliability. It encourages researchers to provide an audit trail (the documentation of data, methods and decisions about the research) which can be laid open to external scrutiny.
4) Confirmability – Confirmability, replacing the concept of objectivity, also invokes auditing as a means to demonstrate quality. For example, the researcher can offer a self-critically reflexive analysis of the methodology used in the research. In addition, techniques such as triangulation (of data, researcher, and context) can be useful tools of confirmability.

To summarize everything, researches can be evaluated trough its importance. How important the research work is? Since research main purpose is to find solutions to problem it is essential that a research work should meet that purpose. As I’ve stated above a research work should timely. Another criterion is that a research work should be reliable and dependable. How will the reader know is the research is dependable? The reader may check how the research was done. What did the researcher do to get the information? Is the source of information reliable? Does the method used fit the research problem? Those are some of the questions needed to be asked if you want to check the reliability and dependability of a research work. And lastly, a research should be reader friendly. The complete documentation should be provided and the research work should be presented in a way that users easily understand it especially the conclusion or output part.
For the researchers, I have found something for you to be guided before proceeding in making your research.

1. What’s the problem?
2. Who cares about the problem?
3. What have others done?
4. What would you like to do?
5. What can you really do?
6. How are you going to do it?
7. What results did/will you get?
8. Who would/will care about your results?
9. Where will you share your results?
10. What are you going to do afterwards?

Those questions should be satisfied for you to produce a good research work.

Another guideline that I found on the net entitled 15 steps to a good research which is addressed to the researchers are as follows:

1. Define and articulate a research question (formulate a research hypothesis).
2. Identify possible sources of information in many types and formats.
3. Judge the scope of the project.
4. Reevaluate the research question based on the nature and extent of information available and the parameters of the research project.
5. Select the most appropriate investigative methods (surveys, interviews, experiments) and research tools (periodical indexes, databases, websites).
6. Plan the research project.
7. Retrieve information using a variety of methods (draw on a repertoire of skills).
8. Refine the search strategy as necessary.
9. Write and organize useful notes and keep track of sources.
10. Evaluate sources using appropriate criteria.
11. Synthesize, analyze and integrate information sources and prior knowledge.
12. Revise hypothesis as necessary.
13. Use information effectively for a specific purpose.
14. Understand such issues as plagiarism, ownership of information (implications of copyright to some extent), and costs of information.
15. Cite properly and give credit for sources of ideas.

The guidelines given above are provided for researchers to provide a good research work. Researchers should also have the determination and perseverance especially in finding resources in supporting their claims. Researching is not easy and the world becomes what is it now because of the researches that was done so I guess it’s all worth the difficulties.

FOSS in the Philippines

2009-09-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the net to find any FOSS advocates located here in davao but some article about a Bill in the house of the representative (Bill No. 1716) or FOSS act of 2007 catch my attention. I really didn't know that there was a bill concerning FOSS.

The bill include:

Government’s Principal Obligations

The Philippine government must not only “recognise the legitimacy of FOSS and FOSS licenses,” but will “use only ICT goods and services that comply with open standards,” “encode data intended for public consumption in open standard data format,” and “apply only FOSS or FOSS solutions in all ICT projects and activities, except in extraordinary circumstances.”

“Extraordinary Circumstances”

circumstances” include instances in which there is “no reasonably available ICT good or service supporting open standards and/or FOSS in the field, area, or activity” or a “government agency or office has an existing, widely used and widely implemented proprietary ICT system and there is no reasonably available technology using open standards and/or FOSS.”

Preference to the Philippine ICT Industry

The government must avoid dependence on a single vendor when pursuing ICT investments and preference for procurement must be given to Filipino-owned ICT companies.

There also arise a problem if the government can sustain the said migration from Proprietary standards to FOSS.

Factors frustrating FOSS migration
Notwithstanding the numerous advantages associated with the adoption of FOSS, the following were the factors identified that may frustrate the Philippine government’s migration to FOSS:

(1) Inadequate infrastructure: The Philippines may not yet have sufficient infrastructure, in terms of skilled providers and IT personnel, to sustain the government’s comprehensive migration to FOSS.

(2) Migration costs and resistance: The cost of migrating to FOSS may well exceed the licensing costs of proprietary software, because government users have confidence in existing legacy systems and resist the introduction of new programmes.

(3) Market interference: The government’s adoption of FOSS may deprive the private sector of business opportunities and may in turn distort the market value of software.

(4) Model procurement guidelines: Current government policy indicates that it would prefer to retain a flexible system of software procurement based on the economic standard of total cost of ownership (TOC). If the TOC is less than or equal to that of proprietary software, only then will preference be given to FOSS.

Unfortunately, the said bill was not realized until now. T___T

Source

Enrollment System Evaluation

2009-07-02T00:44:00.000-07:00

As we all know (at least the Institute of Computing students), the University of Southeastern Philippines tapped our two instructors last semester to build a new enrollment system for the university. They both unloaded their subjects to focus on building the new enrollment system. I heard that the said project was quite urgent that is why the two instructors namely Engr. Cagape and Dr. Mercado drop all their subjects and distributed it to other Institute of Computing instructors except for one subject each. They only have one semester to do the said project which I guess not enough for the said system was quite huge but then again I was happy that they were able to do everything on schedule. The system was tested last summer 2009 and as expected lots of problems was encountered during enrollment. Some students have their own share of problems during enrollment period for the summer 2009. Some had their courses wrong, name, subjects and lots of errors found during testing. Though it had given some problems to some students, it was a good move to have those errors fixed in preparation of the enrollment for the school year 2009-2010.

Some of the very evident preparation made by the university is by providing tarpaulins all over the campus illustrating how the enrollment process goes. It was the first time since I entered the university to have a thing like that maybe because of the new enrollment system (I’m talking about the program itself) that is used for this year’s enrollment or maybe they just felt like they have enough money to fund such tarpaulins. Now it’s time to evaluate if the tarpaulins or illustrations provided really did help during the enrollment.

The new enrollment system based on the tarpaulins given has this following flow

Enrollment Procedure for old students

· STEP 1 – STUD ACCTS.

o Check students’ accounts.

o Check balance.

o Clearance signing.

· STEP 2 – COLLEGE

o Advising / Pre- Registration

o Payment of other fees (Local Council fee , Obrero Campus Student Council fee, Collegiate headlight fee and Insurance).

o Encoding.

o Assessment of fees.

o Temporary Certificate of Registration Printing.

· STEP 3 – STUD ACCTS. (Scholars Only)

o Submit Temporary Certificate of Registration.

o Posting of Accounts.

· STEP 3 – CASHIER (Paying Students)

o Submit Temporary Certificate of Registration.

o Payment of Matriculation.

o Official Receipt Printing.

· STEP 4 – REGISTRAR

o Present Clearance.

o Present Official Receipts (Tuition and other fees).

o Printing of Official Certificate of Registration.

Enrollment Procedure for New students and Transferees

· STEP 1 – UNIVERSITY GUIDANCE AND TESTING OFFICE

o Encoding of Student Information.

o Identification No. Assignment.

· STEP 2 – OFFICE OF STUDENT SERVICES (Scholars Only)

o Scholarship Application.

o Releasing of Scholarship Card.

· STEP 3 – ROTC/CWTS

o Registration and Sectioning of ROTC/CWTS.

o Releasing of ROTC/CWTS slip.

· STEP 4 – COLLEGE

o Present enrollment requirements.

o Advising / Pre-Registration.

o Payment of other fees (Local Council fee, Obrero Campus Student Council fee, collegiate headlight fee and Insurance).

o Encoding.

o Assessment of fees.

o Temporary Certificate of Registration Printing.

· STEP 5 – STUD ACCTS. (Scholars Only)

o Submit Temporary Certificate of Registration.

o Posting of Accounts.

· STEP 5 – CASHIER (Paying Students)

o Submit Temporary Certificate of Registration.

o Payment of Matriculation.

o Official Receipt Printing.

· STEP 6 – REGISTRAR

o Submit enrollment requirements.

§ Form 138 (High School Card).

§ Photocopy of NSO Birth Certificate.

§ USEPAT Entrance Exam Result.

§ Admission Slip.

§ Medical Certificate.

§ Certificate of Good Moral (Original).

§ 2 pcs. 2x2 recent ID picture.

§ Prospectus of the enrolled course.

§ 1 pc. Long brown envelop.

§ Official receipt of tuition and other fees.

o Printing of Official Certificate of Registration.

Enrollment Procedure for Shiftees

· STEP 1 – STUD ACCTS.

o Check students’ accounts.

o Check balance.

o Clearance signing.

· STEP 2 – FORMER COLLEGE

o Request to shift.

o Recommendation to shift.

· STEP 3 – NEW COLLEGE

o Acceptance of Shiftee

o Advising / Pre- Registration.

· STEP 4 – UNIVERSITY GUIDANCE AND TESTING OFFICE / OFFICE OF STUDENT SERVICES

o Student Profile Updating

· STEP 5 – NEW COLLEGE

o Payment of other fees (Local Council fee , Obrero Campus Student Council fee, Collegiate headlight fee and Insurance).

o Encoding.

o Assessment of fees.

o Temporary Certificate of Registration Printing.

· STEP 6 – STUD ACCTS. (Scholars Only)

o Submit Temporary Certificate of Registration.

o Posting of Accounts.

· STEP 6 – CASHIER (Paying Students)

o Submit Temporary Certificate of Registration.

o Payment of Matriculation.

o Official Receipt Printing.

· STEP 7 – REGISTRAR

o Present Clearance.

o Present Official Receipts (Tuition and other fees).

o Printing of Official Certificate of Registration.

Enrollment Procedure for old students:

· Honestly speaking, I really don’t think that the tarpaulin provided was really needed. I asked some of my friends in the university that are from different colleges if they even had to look for the illustration provided and I got the same response from them, “NO”. Old students (at least the once that I know) from the university already knows how the enrollment system in the university flows. I, myself don’t even noticed the tarpaulin that was posted near the Engineering comfort room during enrollment. Though the system was new, as students nothing is new, we still do the same as what we did last semester. I mean, we are not the one operating the system though we are the customers we are not the users so I don’t think that the tarpaulin was really needed. And for those who looked at it (I’m talking about the old students) it may confuse you a little bit. As I was looking at the illustration I noticed that the scholarship card validation which takes place at the office of the student’s services was not in it. We (scholars) cannot have our Pre- Registration form encoded not until we can have our scholarship cards validated. Considering that almost half of the students of the university are scholars I guess having an error like that may cause some problems during enrollment.

Enrollment Procedure for New students and Transferees

· It was three years ago when I entered this university as a freshman. I know how it feels when you are in a new environment. On the transferees and new students’ part I guess having this illustration for the enrollment procedure is a very big help to them. It adds to your confidence if you know what to do, I know that and I know you know that too. It is really a must to have an illustration for new students and transferees but then again the illustration given was not accurate enough at least for those transferees. Not all transferees has to take up ROTC/CWTS course, they may have already took it up on their previous school. Transferees I guess (I’m not sure) needs to have their subjects taken from other school validated here if the course or subject description is the same so that he/she don’t have to take it all over again here. And for the requirements in the registrar’s office, the form 138 (High school card) is that really needed for the transferees? I guess they have to submit their TOR or transcript of records from their school though I’m not that sure I guess that’s how things work on transferees. And lastly transferees has to pass a certificate of good standing I guess (not really sure) and unfortunately it was not on the list.

Enrollment Procedure for Shiftees

· First things first, the word “shiftees” or “shiftee” doesn’t exist (I guess it’s a slang word? What do you think?), I tried to search it at dictionary.com and all I got was the word shifter which means “One who, or that which, shifts” I guess it’s the right word but I guess that word is widely used even I myself use it often I just realized it doesn’t exist because Microsoft word don’t recognize it. So much for that, shiftees or shifters are also considered old students in the university. But since they shifted they have to do additional steps to complete their enrollment. The illustration maybe needed but I guess it is not a must if you have bigger budget then I guess you may provide one. Same thing goes for shiftees or shifters they have to have their scholarship cards (for scholars only) validated before the encoder encodes their subjects enrolled.

To summarize everything, the illustration given was a big help for transferees and new students but then again they should have separated the illustrations for the two because new students and transferees has different business or at least made their illustration more versatile and accurate because it is really a big help for transferees and new students. In the case of the old students and shiftees or shifters I guess the illustration provided was not really needed though the system changed the old students still know what to do during enrollments because the steps or procedure doesn’t changed that much. The purpose of the illustrations was to help the students during enrollment especially those who are new and not to confuse them. But then again, it was way better compared to those bond papers posted on walls with very confusing steps which was used for the past years. It is clear, big and understandable compared last semester. I appreciate the efforts of those people who are behind this very big improvement for the betterment of the services that they can offer to the students.

If I were to be tapped by the university to evaluate the new enrollment system I would be very honor to do it. Imagine you’re just a student and you are tasked to do such thing. I would probably base my comments and suggestions on my own experience. I would talk as a student and not as anyone else. As a student my only concern is I can enroll easily. Now, my comment about the system (I’m talking about what Engr. Cagape and Dr. Mercado made) would be nothing. Honestly speaking I haven’t even seen the interface of the program and I don’t know if it is harder or easier to use compared to the previous system.

The only thing change in the new system is that the encoder only gives us two copy of the certificate of registration which is called temporary certificate of registration based on the illustrations above and the other two copies will be printed again in the registrar which is called the official certificate of registration. Now as to the reason why it is done that way don’t ask me because I don’t why but still I have my own little analysis on why it is done that way. The old system needs those papers that have holes on the side, sorry I don’t know what it’s called and I heard that those papers are ordered from a supplier and it costs more than the usual white bond paper. In case that those special kinds of paper runs out, the school will find it hard to print Certificate of Registration forms. Those special kind of papers are printed on a dot matrix printer which takes longer compared to those ink jet printer that are used now. Maybe, they made it like this to save money because of the budget cut on SUCs and I guess to have a faster printing time though you have to wait again while the registrar prints the official Certificate of Registration. Now my only concern is that I am happy I have clearer Certificate of Registration now because the Certificate of Registrations are directly printed on an ink jet printer not like the past Certificate of Registration which are carbon copied only.

To the enrollment system as a whole, I guess this semester’s enrollment system was better compared last year. The university was more prepared comparing it to the previous enrollments. I remembered the university tried to change their system that when you have your documents on the cashier or students account they will be the one to bring your documents to the registrar and all you have to do is to wait when you will be called. But then it was not a successful move because they have to do it by batch which means the documents say student 1 to student 25 will all be passed to the registrar at the same time which is unfair to students 1 because he/she has to wait the same time with student 25 even though he/she passed his/her documents ahead of time. I don’t like that system, I don’t like waiting in vain, you don’t know until when you will be called and I hate it. And again, now they somehow revised their system.They deployed guards on the cashier and registrar’s area. One entrance, one exit wow that was quite cute... (hehehe). They are more organized this semester, and I salute the University for such a Great Improvement. The registrar has new windows; I guess 8 windows (not so sure) open to serve the students. They also made every window available for every college in short no matter from what college, institute or school you are from you may be served by any registrar compared last semesters that each college has its own registrar and take note no windows so we really have to get inside their office to have our Certificate of Registration validated. Yes, it was messy compared this semester, though the new system in the registrar’s area was disadvantageous to us (students of the Institute of Computing) because we have to follow the long line to registrar compared last semester the line for the Institute of Computing was short I am still happy for the changes that was done.

Other parts of the enrollment process like OSS, Cashier (not so sure, I never went to cashier because I’m a scholar), Student Accounts, Colleges and so on seems like no changes happened at least changes that are evident enough for us students to feel it. As usual, the students account area still has a long line but then again more organized because of the guards that are around. The OSS area was still the same, no changes at all. If I would rate this semester’s enrollment it would be a B, there are still rooms for improvement and I hope that every semester we’ll achieve it one by one.

As to my suggestions, the university should have provided more electric fans around the cashier and registrar area. All the students look messy, haggard and look tired. We are all sweating while waiting in the line. The area where the cashier and the registrar were too small for their purpose. Imagine all the students from the seven colleges, school and institute of the university meet there to pay accounts, validate everything or any other transactions that is done there. The area was too small; they should have transferred to a bigger area, more conducive for us students.

One more thing, during the payment of the Local Council, OCSC fee, Headlight fee and other fees I think it was too tiring. First the Local Council Office, Headlight Office and OCSC office are on both ends of the campus, the students have to walk a long distance just to pay and finally to have a piece of paper that are called receipts and we have to walk back again to our respective buildings and then back again to the OSS office for scholarship validation and then go back again to the college for encoding and finally to the cashier and registrar. Imagine those things that the students do in order to enroll himself/herself to the university. I really don’t think that the proper positioning of the offices was planned very well. It gives us lots of stress and makes us tired just by going through each office. The university should have foreseen that and made a move to solve the problem. They may rearrange the offices put it all on one building or rearrange the order of enrollment. We are their clients and like what I always said we deserve to have the best. The OSS, UGTO, OCSC, Clinic, Headlight offices are on the other end of the campus and its very hassle in our part to go back and forth their not just once but thrice in my case just to have myself admitted in the university. I know the construction of a new building for the offices to be all in one building which are not far from the other buildings would cost much and the university doesn’t have the necessary budget to fund it so I guess they have to think of a way to minimize to one the back and forth that we do during enrollment. Like what I said they may rearrange the order of enrollment process.

Lastly, I would just like to say that I’m not discriminating or something; I’m just expressing how I feel about the enrollment system. I guess it’s a healthy practice that the university should sometimes listen to their students because the point is we are not on the same shoes no matter how they analyze how we feel if this thing is implemented they will never feel like what we feel. I am a student and I feel what my co-students feel, we share the same sentiments and I guess at least half of the students of the University of Southeastern Philippines feel the same way as I do about the new enrollment system. I was just hoping that the improvements that are happening now may continue until everything will be close to perfection.

Thank you for reading this very very very long post. I hope I don’t sound like anyone who acts like he/she knows everything. I hope I am not talking crap things and make some sense. Again thank you for giving me your time and for reading the post.

REASON FOR TAPPING IN-HOUSE RESOURCES FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHEASTERN PHILIPPINE’S ENROLLMENT SYSTEM

2009-06-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

The University of Southeastern Philippines recently tapped Engr. Michael Angelo Z. Cagape and Dr. Tamara Cher R. Mercado, both Institute of Computing faculties in the same university to develop a new enrollment system which is planned to be use for this school year 2009-2010. I believe that not all students know the sudden change of enrollment system in the university especially those students who are enrolled in a non-technical college. Since, we are in the Institute of Computing and both assigned faculties has a handled subject in us, Engr. Cagape was supposed to be our Software Engineering 1 Instructor which was replaced by Mr. Jappeht Fortich and Dr. Mercado was supposed to be our System Analysis and Design Instructor which was replaced by Dr. Randy S. Gamboa when both faculties dropped their subjects to focus on developing the new system. The new enrollment system was started to be developed last semester, if I’m not mistaken late November of early December for it was the time when both faculties turn over their loads to other faculties but I’ve heard that the designs and documentations of the new enrollment system were already done which means that implementing the design, testing it and deploying it were the only task left.

At first I didn’t even have any idea why the university decided to change the enrollment system and took advantage of our in-house software developer. My first instinct tells me that they wanted a more customized system and get rid of the rent fee because I’ve heard that the university is just renting the system to a certain software developing company (sorry I don’t know the name) but then one thing bothers me, “Why are they so eager to change the system?”. Our faculties are given less than six months to finish everything and have the system ready for testing by summer 2009. The system should be given ample time to be developed to be ready for testing, I believe such a large system needs a year to develop and as expected lots of bugs were encountered.

I heard gossips ‘bout the new system and why the sudden change and based on what I heard the following reasons may be considered:

MORE CUSTOMIZED SYSTEM. The university wants to have a more customized enrollment system, and I think building a new system especially for University of Southeastern Philippines would acquire that want. Packaged systems are created for the use of every client that they’ll have so customization issues really arises. Even though some customization can be done to packaged system it is really impossible for the packaged system to answer all the customization needs of their clients compared to in-house software. I guess for the past years that the university used the packaged enrollment system they’ve seen the need to have an in-house enrollment system and decided to have it done this school year.

IF YOU HAVE IT, MAKE USE OF IT. I believe that we have programmers that are able to do the job and I also believe that the university also seen that. They make use of the resources that the university has and I believe it’s a smart move from the university.

STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES BUDGET CUT DOWN. I’ve read an article in the internet about the said budget cut down to 21 State Colleges and State Universities proposed by the senate (please read this article http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=427887). And I guess, the said proposal was approved because I’ve seen posts from the schools bulletin that says “WE condemn, SUCs budget cut” by the collegiate headlight. I also heard from the freshmen orientation held at the College of Education Audio Visual Room last June 17, 2009, Tuesday that the university is budgeting or something like that because we are not allowed to charge our cellular phones or laptops on the sockets that are on the corridor or plugs that are in the classrooms. Maybe the university already foreseen that the senate proposal would be approved that is why they decided to tap in-house resources to do the enrollment system. Having your own system and not paying for the rent fee would really help the university save more money. The university made a clever decision out from the State University and Colleges budget cut issue so I hope that the university will survive this school year without any financial problems.

Like what David Truog said “Large companies should stop trying to avoid in-house software development. Packaged apps don't work right out of the box, and relying on them alone gets you mediocrity at best. To break away from the pack, extend applications with custom code.”I guess the university is still on the right track. In-house software development has an advantage over packaged apps especially on customization issues.

Those reasons stated above are just based on my own analysis based on what I heard and read for the past months. Honestly speaking I don’t really know what the university purpose is or its reason for changing the system, as a student I don’t know everything so this posts is basically all based on my assessment about this issue. I am just hoping that for every decision that the university made may they always take into considerations their students welfare because after all we are their clients I guess we deserve to get out the best from them.

Lastly I would just like to say that the university should have considered adding new faculty members in the Institute of Computing during the development period, some faculties are over loaded because of the turn-over of loads from Dr. Mercado and Engr. Cagape. Since the development period is already done and I guess both faculties are now handling subjects I guess everything is back to normal. But if ever they decided to tap again a faculty to do a task for the university, hope they’ll consider my suggestion because I guess the students deserves to have what is best.

All of the information stated in this post may not be accurate so please feel free to react or comment if some mistakes have been done and I would really love to respond to your comments.

MY FIRSTS FOR THIS SEMESTER SO FAR…

2009-06-23T04:36:00.001-07:00

- I was late in my first class meeting for Simulation and Modeling theory subject under Mr. Dan Virgel Ratilla.

- I was late in my first class meeting for Software Engineering subject under Mr. Jappeht Fortich.

- My first time to be under the class of our dean Engr. Val Quimno.

- First time to use the Virtual Learning Environment of the university.

MY NEW THINGS…

2009-06-23T04:35:00.001-07:00

- A new bag bought and financed by my older sister. A black body bag with a weird drawing design on front.

- A new shoe which I bought and was financed by my parents. It is a white high-cut shoe with a red design on top.

- Two new small sized polo which I bought and financed it will serve as my uniform for this school year.

- Yellow paper pad, black faber-castell pen, and a green catleya notebook that I will use in my studies were also provided by my older sister.

- A nokia 3120 classic model cellular phone which will be paid by me with the help from a friend (you know who you are… thanks).

BACK TO SCHOOL

2009-06-23T04:34:00.000-07:00

It’s late June and we are already in the second week of our classes. Unfortunately, the fast-spreading a(h1n1) virus caused the delay of the class opening and had it rescheduled last June 15, 2009. The said class delay gave me the chance to visit my parents in our beloved province. I spent my whole week there for it was my only chance to have a vacation because during summer I was doing my internship. The spread of a(h1n1) was a blessing in disguise for me but still I felt sorry for those who are already affected. The first days of school was quite good and so far everything is running smoothly. I hope it continues until the end of the semester. Hopefully we’ll all have a fruitful semester. God bless.

WHAT DID I DO LAST SUMMER???

2009-06-23T04:27:00.000-07:00

This summer was a bit different from the summers that I had. My previous summers were generally all about outing, swimming and more importantly about sleeping. Those things are my common activities if I had a spare time. This summer, I am out there doing my internship. My internship at the Distributed Website Corporation was more than okay. I and some of my classmates were lucky to have a kind and understanding manager, humble employees and a new set of friends which also had their internship there. I also joined a clan which I found on friendster and they were all great, maybe I’ll tell more about them them on my next post because they really made my summer quiet fun.

Data Flow Diagram of USeP's Enrollment System

2009-03-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

THE NOBLE ART OF MAINTENANCE PROGRAMMING.....

2009-03-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Software maintenance is...

Intellectually complex - it requires innovation while placing severe constraints on the innovator
Technically difficult - the maintainer must be able to work with a concept and a design and its code all at the same time
Unfair - the maintainer never gets all the things the maintainer needs, such as documentation
No-win - the maintainer only sees people who have problems
Dirty work - the maintainer must work at the grubby level of detailed coding
Living in the past - the code was probably written by someone else before they got good at it
Conservative - the going motto for maintenance is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

Software maintenance is pretty complex, challenging stuff. In most computing installations, the people who do maintenance tend to be those who are new on the job or not very good at development. There's a reason for that. Most people would rather do original development; maintenance is too constraining to the creative juices for most people to enjoy doing it. And so by default, the least capable and the least in demand are the ones who most often do the maintenance.

The status quo is all wrong. Maintenance is a significant intellectual challenge as well as a solution and not a problem. If we want to maximize our effectiveness at doing it, we need to significantly change the way in which we assign people to it.

Those things are based the book of Robert L. Glass “The art and science of software engineering”. It is very evident that maintenance programmer should have a good people skills as they call it because he/she is going to deal with people, peoples that had problems about the system which requires skills in analyzing because those people don’t talk technical language, therefore maintenance programmer should be able to understand and analyze what those people are referring to because sometimes those people can’t directly explain what the problem really is. Other skills that are needed are already mentioned above.

source : http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000610.html.

Activity Diagram

2009-01-30T23:03:00.000-08:00

Use Case Name: Enrollment System
Scenario: Enrollment Process for Scholars/Non-Scholars studenst in USeP
Brief Description: Students pays for local fees to the treasurers,(if scholar)OSS officer validates the schoalrship card, adviser evaluates subjects taken, encoder encodes PRF, Non-scholar students pay for tuition and misc fee to the cashier, registrar verifies and checks COR, receipt and clearance and librarian validates the lib card
Actors: Student, Treasurer,OSS Officer, Adviser, Encoder, Cashier, Registrar and Librarian
Preconditions: Student must exist.
Clearance, receipts, payment, library card must exist.
Postconditions: Student's record must be updated.
Receipts must be released.
COR must be verified.
Library card must be validated.

Flow of Activities:

1. The student/enrollee pays the local council fee, headlight fee and OSCS fee.
2. The treasurer receives the payment from the student and issues a receipt.
3. The syudents (if scholar) validates his/her schoalrship card.
3. The student approaches his/her adviser for the evaluation of his/her subjects.
4. The adviser checks and evaluates the subjects taken and previous grades acquired and release a pre-registration form (prf).
5. The student fills up the prf and goes back to the adviser for signature.
6. The student goes to the encoder for prf encoding.
7. The encoder encodes the subjects taken and assessments.
8. The students (if not scholar) pays to the cashier.
9. The cashier receives the payment and release a receipt.
10. The student proceeds to the registrar for verification of the enrollment.
11. The registrar checks and verifies the COR, receipts and clearance.
12. The student proceeds to the librarian for validation of lib card.
13. The librarian validates the library card.

Exception Conditions:

1. If student has not completed the clearance, student must finish filling up the clearance.
2. If student has exceed the maximum subject failures, student must shift another college or university.

Use Case Diagram

2009-01-18T10:09:00.001-08:00

Among the data gathering techniques used in systems analysis are interviewing, document review, observation, and use of questionnaires. Considering yo

2009-01-18T10:02:00.001-08:00

Based on the given data gathering techniques given above, I would be most comfortable with the interviewing or the observation. I think it’s what suites me best for some reasons;

· First, I think interviewing, needs less preparations if compared to using questionnaires and document reviews. I prefer techniques that are easy to set up because I have this lazy-like attitude, I hate hassle.

· Second, I think questionnaires are quite static, which means coming back again if the desired information is lacking, I think it means an additional work to do, and I really hate doing things over and over again (especially if that thing can be done once).

· Third, I believe in my oral capabilities and I think I can keep a conversation running especially if the person interviewed is quite friendly.

· Fourth, I believe that interviewing can improve self-esteem and I know it would do me good.

· Lastly, there are more things you’ll know about the company if you gather information through the use of interview technique, compared to questionnaires which I think is boring especially if there are lots of items to be answered there is a big possibility that they will not answer its seriously.

Those reasons are just how I see things. It’s plainly me, its how my mindset works. So that’s basically the way I want things to be done, but when you’re working on a project you are working with a team. In a team, you need to consider others opinions, and respect them and of course work hand in hand with them and not against them. If you believe in two different things then let those believes combine, like they say, “Same charges repel, opposite charges attract”.

Following the SDLC model, please discuss the acitvities/steps that you will undertake in order to achieve your objective/s in life. what approach(es)

2009-01-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

I have a very simple goal in my life, finish study, marry and then have kids and may grandchildren later. Now to acquire those goals I think I need to go through this simple

Planning

This is the phase where everything is planned. How to finish my study? What course to take up? Marry who? When to marry? How many children? And etc. I’ve been through this phase of my life, I’ve already planned everything, basically my life is already well planned and my mind is already set to follow those plans.

Reflecting

I always reflect every time I get one step closer to fulfilling those goals. I balance things, and carefully reflect to what happened in order to be ready when taking a new step forward. For example, after I graduate high school, that’s one step closer to fulfilling my goal of finishing my studies, I reflected and assess myself. Did I done enough? Am I ready to take another step? That’s basically it, it just helps my mind at ease and it’s really a big help.

Trying /Testing

This is I think the most important phase of my life, trying and testing. In this phase I am able to try and test things before engaging to it. I am the kind of person who needs to be sure of something before engaging into it.

Engaging

This is the last phase of my SDLC, the engaging. This is where I get my dreams or take actions to get into that goal. After taking that action I’ll be back in planning my next step and then reflecting, testing and engaging again.

So that’s basically how I work towards my goal. My original plan technically uses the predictive approach. Everything is planned, everything is predicted. Like what Sir Gamboa said there’s no pure adaptive or predictive in an SDLC. The same applies to life, I was so sure then I would take up BSA but then as I reflected and tested myself, I am not the BSA guy, I am the comsci guy. So here I am, the comsci thing is not part of my original plan, but this is this where life takes me, so I have to go with the flow. After all, comsci is still a good course and it’s still part of the scope of my finishing study goal.

JUST ME!!!

2008-12-20T02:16:00.000-08:00

I’m Jonel Decano Amora, 18 years old and currently a 3rd year Computer Science student at the University of Southeastern Philippines. I am actually a newbie in blogging environment, I never really liked blogging, I thought its boring and time consuming, but then one of my subject at school obliged as to do blogging and it became a part of the subject requirement.

More things about me, I am one of the so called “promdi” or from the province. I lived there since birth until after my high school graduation and moved into the city to pursue a college education. I lived with my older sibling while I’m in the city. I have three (3) siblings and I am the youngest among the four (4). I started and finished my elementary education at Lambajon Central Elementary School and continued my secondary education at Maryknoll School of Lambajon. Both schools were located at our small barrio.

So that is basically the things about me. If you have any questions, suggestions or any violent reactions feel free to express your self and I would gladly accommodate it and surely give you a positive response. Lastly hope you’ll enjoy reading my blog, thank you. I would really appreciate if you’ll drop some comments as you pass by. Have a Blessed and Merry Christmas to all.

WHY COMSCI??? WHY USEP??? WHY DID I LIE??

2008-12-20T02:13:00.000-08:00

Why Comsci? Why USeP?

I can still remember the first person who asked me those million dollar questions. It was Engr. Ariel Roy Reyes, during the interview for my admission to the University.

When asked, why comsci? I answered… ”because I wanna be a programmer someday.” It’s actually not true, I just heard it while I was eavesdropping to the conversation of the a student and her friend after she had her interview. It is not an accident that I heard their conversation; I did it on purpose, of course to have a glimpsed of what to expect when I’ll step in the faculty room. I didn’t even know what that time what a programmer is or do. I only had it as an answer for defense purposes. I don’t want the interviewer to make a stupid impression out of me.

When asked, why USeP? I answered...”because I know someone from our province who is studying here and she recommended the university to me.” I just made another lie, the truth is that we hadn’t seen each other for years, the last time was when she graduated from our high school.

Why did I lie? Simply because I don’t know the answer, even now. My first choice was Accountancy and BS Math is my second choice. Maybe its my scholarship that triggers me to be here. Every time I ask myself those questions, I always with these invalid and some stupid reasons:

I had no choice.
My scholarship only gives Php. 6000 to there scholars as tuition and USeP is the only university that has less than Php. 6000 for the tuition.
It is near to my siblings’ house and I can have the choice to walk to and from school every time I have no money to pay for jeepney/motorcycle fair.
I have to budget the monthly allowance given by my scholarship because my parents are currently paying for my older sibling’ studies in other college, that is why I chose USeP because they have cheaper “carenderias” around and they give cheaper projects.
I think computer technology based courses are in demand compared to business courses like accountancy.
My three (3) older siblings already took up accountancy and I had to be different.

Even though my other reasons are not stupid I still consider them invalid. I should have pursued accountancy and be happy but I did not. I just considered everything to be to be a blessing in disguise (pampalubag loob… why do blessings have to disguise??hahaha!!!) Because these past years, I have been happy here, the IC professors, students, classmates and specially my new found friends are here… and theyre just amazing that I can’t resist (hehehehe)… In a way, I am happy and maybe I just needed to be contented of what I have.

I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS???

2008-12-20T02:12:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, No!!!

I only have three (3) chances of going back home to the province for the whole year. Summer break, Semestral break and the Christmas break. Our barrio is 8-10 hours away from the city that is why I really treasure these 3 chances of going back home away from the noisy and complicated life at the city. Besides, I don’t have the luxury of money to pay for the bus’ fee. I keep on saving my money to be able to go back home.

Unfortunately, the allowance from my scholarship which I have been expecting since last week of November is still not available until the last week of December. Second, is that I still have lots of projects and assignments to be submitted and there is no internet connection in the province so I have to do and submit it here.

Its sad that I’ll miss the company of my parents this Christmas and I’ll also miss my mother’s birthday as well. But I think I’ll have to sacrifice and do well at school. In that way, I think I can make my family happy. Have a blessed Christmas everyone…

PSITS…SIMPLY MEANS FRIENDSHIP…

2008-12-20T02:10:00.000-08:00

PSITS (Philippine Society of Information Technology Students) is an inter-school organization of different IT schools where ITE students can develop their talents. I never really expected myself to be a part of the PSITS core group (a group of different representatives of each school who is a member of PSITS). When I’m still a freshman, I only see PSITS festival as a study break for ITE students, for them to have fun and forget school for a while. I thought that PSITS festival is only done to develop camaraderie among students.

Guess what, there’s more into PSITS than meets the eye. I think it is more of making friends, learning, sharing and laughing than winning or losing. It’s the time where ITE students get to talk and share knowledge while enjoying each others company. I mean not all students think the way we do. Its like me in our house, because all of my colleagues there are accountancy and commerce students and I cant really relate when their talking about the debit-credit stuffs. It’s a place where we feel comfortable and at ease while making new friends from other schools. It’s a great break, school away from school and home away from home where you may find your bestest companion in your entire college life.

To other core group members and friends from PSITS, thank you for making my third year in PSITS worthwhile. Each of you deserves a clap (hahahaha!!!!) for doing a great job. May we continue this thread of friendship forever (hehehe). Have a Merry Christmas.

HOW I FEEL?....

2008-12-20T02:07:00.000-08:00

Towards the subject…(SAD-System Analysis and Design)

I thought the subject was boring (first impression… but doesn’t really meant it..), but it turns out to be the other way around (maybe because of the instructor..hehehe). There is more it than I had imagined. Looks like I’ll be in superb action for the next three (3) months.

Towards the Instructor…(Dr. Randy S. Gamboa)

I always knew that sir Gamboa makes things complicated (that thought is based on the students who had been under his supervision). But guess what I discovered, NO!! his not complicated at all, students (which includes me) just makes themselves too simple, considering that we are enrolled in a technical course. When he started his words of wisdom (sermon…) last Thursday, I think he hit my mark (bulls’ eye!!!), which left me thinking since last Thursday. I think we are privileged to have one of the best professors not just in town but I think in the whole country as well to be our subject instructor. He is frank, full of sense and full of authority especially when he starts talking. I think I need to work harder to pass his standards. To be honest, I am sure scared (not that he looks scary or horrible…hehehe) and challenged by him. I cant afford to fail his subject because it would cause me my education and I don’t want that to happen. I think I need a little prayer and good luck and a lot of hard work (hahaha!!!). GOOD LUCK TO ME…

Towards my classmates…

To the CS (computer science) people, I’ve been with them for the last two years because my real classmates already shifted and transferred to other schools. Actually there are only five (5…out of 40 original CS-day students) of us left, unfortunately the other four (4) students failed some subject/s that is why I am quite ahead of them which lead me to be with the “suppose to be 4th year CS students”(but are still 3rd year..). I really enjoy their company and really appreciate them so much for welcoming me to their circle of friends. But in this subject we are mixed with the IT (information technology) people.

My IT classmates are noisy, funny and very energetic and I really like them for that. One thing that I hated is that you can still feel that there is a thick wall between the IT and CS people even though we are in the same room. IT and CS people look like they are living in two different worlds. I don’t know why, but I love to see these two groups compliment each other.

There’s this one incident that happened at NODAL when Ms. Fai Alim asked “Close ba ang CS ug IT? (are CS and IT students close?),” nobody answered except for me and I proudly said “YES.” Both groups were shocked, looks like they are against my answer and its quite depressing and disappointing at the same time, I really hope these two (2) groups do get along together. I hope its too soon…hehehe

A REFLECTION…(SAD DISCUSSION)

2008-12-20T02:00:00.000-08:00

To the topics reported…

I was really amazed that we are able to finish all our topics in just a span of one and a half days. It’s like a roller coaster ride. We’ve learned a lot in less than two days. It makes me dizzy.

I could only say that SAD subject is really not that complicated. All the topics presented were just simple, leaves us with choices on how to analyze and design a system. As I reflected, I think traditional teaching is not really that effective. We learned lots of things but if we are not going to practice it in the real world it would still be useless. The books gave us the different methodologies, tools, approaches and etc. So now what? Books can’t give as experience, it’s all based on theories and theories don’t really matter in a real world scenario. Books can’t teach us anything that we have to know, because life is constantly changing everyday and books are only revised every year. It’s the experience that actually matters; experience is the most updated reference that a student can find in any library. After learning all of those theories, I think we just needed to go out of our safe zone and try to explore the outer world. It would benefit us a lot, I know it will.

To the reporters…

I think all the reporters did well. To the IT and CS people I would like to extend my warmest congratulations for job well done. Special mention to Mr. George Duran, Mr. Jade Mijares, Mr. Jonard Laganzon, Ms. Kristine Adlaon, Mr. Ashbury Alcordo and Mr. Ace Andrion Sandoval; these students really caught my attention and keeps me listening to their topic. Jonard, Jade, Kristine and Ace are great; they looked confident in front of their audience and delivered their topics intelligently. It’s like they know everything about their topic and gives valid reasons even to the littlest details of their report. I am very much satisfied to their reports. While Ash and George caught my attention because of their funny and energetic approach. They made the whole class laughs despite the boring long hours of lecture. They made us awake and kicking, which made their topic easy to remember because of their funny ways of explaining things to us.

I am just expressing my opinions, that is how I find the reporters, though lots are really good but these guys has something that made me remember them.

To the demonstration…

I think interview demonstration was very lame, I don’t even consider it a demonstration. I not being mean, I totally understand the demonstrator because of the short time given to him to prepare the demonstration. I am just expressing myself of how I feel about it. I think when you are going to conduct an interview, first you need to be polite by greeting and giving your respondent the sweetest smile that you give. You also need to be confident in approaching your respondent for you to have a good first impression from your respondent. Considering that we are students, and like what Sir Gamboa said we should expect rejection when we conduct an interview but we could actually do something to avoid it. We need to impress our respondent, look confident, knowledgeable and sure of anything that we ask them. In that way maybe we can earn their respect and eventually be properly accommodated. But never intimidate your respondent, over confidence is bad, you should be sensitive, choose the right words and always try to appreciate everything that you get out from them. And before leaving the room a simple “Thanks” will be enough to show your appreciation to them.

That’s how I think interviewing should be. I know its not that easy but I think we can do it. I know we can. Hehehe…