Lualhati S. Angeles II

DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE PHILIPPINES AND BEYOND ITS SHORES A discussion paper on the current status of Development Communication as a discipline and program of study in higher education Submitted by: LUALHATI ANGELES II and CHRYSL NOBLE DEVC 310 Submitted to: DR. PAMELA CUSTODIO College of Development Communication University of the Philippines Los Baños April 7, 2016 Commented [adm1]: I think your use of “beyond” here as preposition must have an object. Otherwise, it appears inaccurate if the purpose of your paper is to cover the state of devcom outside of the Phils. Development Communication in the Philippines Development Communication has gone well from the first time it was defined as a concept in 1971. Dr, Nora Cruz-Quebral , UPLB professor, pioneer of development communication in the Philippines, further expanded its socially oriented model by underscoring it in her paper "Development Communication in a Borderless World"(2001), as “...the art and science of human communication linked to a society's planned transformation from a state of poverty to one dynamic socio-economic growth that makes for greater equality and the larger unfolding of individual potentials.” From its birth in UP Los Baños, Bachelor of Science in Development Communication as a program is now offered in many other universities throughout the country: Pampanga State Agricultural University, Central Luzon State University, Mariano Marcos State University, Batangas State University, Kalinga State University, Benguet State University, Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, Cebu Technological University and University of Southern Mindanao. Other universities offer it as one of their courses under the Communication program. As a discipline, BS Development Communication is a four-year program offered by the College of Agriculture, College of Arts and Sciences, or the College of Communication. In general, the program objective is to develop communication professionals equipped with knowledge and skills needed in teaching, managing and implementing communication programs for development. Development Communication’s scope includes the theoretical base in the sciences and applied arts of human communication; practical skills in Commented [adm2]: Deleted the sentence below-- ??? gibberish interpersonal and mass communication; understanding of issues and problems of development in general and of the subject matter of development area in particular; concepts, principles and skills of communication. The broad range of subject matter interconnects with communication, natural and social sciences and other technical courses such as agriculture, health and environment; and the study of communication in interpersonal relationships, groups, organizations and cultures. The program includes the fields of communication, journalism, broadcasting, digital media, film, communication research and development studies. Besides these, development communication programs also offer courses in related fields, such as anthropology, economics, history, human services, political science, psychology, social work, and sociology. Approaches in learning the different concepts and developing the necessary skills for development communication students include field exposure, partnering with the industry, establishment of radio stations to serve as laboratory, particularly community communication, and the management of community newspapers and community radio stations. These instruments aid development communication students in applying concepts learned in the classroom to acquire the skills necessary for a development communication practitioner. Development communication practices are: community communication, science communication, development journalism, community/development broadcasting, and educational communication. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that offer the program Development Communication have common factors. Firstly, most of the HEIs are agricultural schools. Having its roots from UPLB, the need to have a development program of other universities wherein agriculture is the main program has been identified. Second, the public schools offering development communication outnumber the private HEIs. This may be connected to the first common factor, the agricultural schools. More public schools offer agriculture programs. The third common factor is that the program is structured on a generalist curriculum. The next common feature of the development programs in the Philippines is that applied subjects are offered instead of theoretical. This ensures the development practitioner to be able to be knowledgeable and skilled in a wide range of subjects. This leads to the next feature of development communication program, it is competency-based (skill-based). Their graduates are also trained to be entrepreneurs. Development Communication as a program is bound by policies based on the CHED Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 15, s. 2010 which includes all the necessary information regarding the policies and standards for the Bachelor of Science in Development Communication program. The policies and standards for the Master of Science in Development Communication program are incorporated in the CMO No. 26, s. 2011. Here, it is noted that the HEIs that will offer development communication as a program should be able to abide by the course offerings, the manpower and the other standards that will ensure uniformity in all the HEIs that offer the said program. In the Philippines, BS Development Communication and MS Development Communication are programs that harness its students with the skills and ability to be agents of change, especially in a country wherein it is essential to be able to sustain and improve its current economic state. One issue that the program has encountered is its “being” and its “belongingness” in the HEI. Development Communication has always been categorized as a language program, especially since the word “communication” is used. There has been a continuing debate too, whether it should be included in the College of Agriculture, or the College of Arts and Languages. On a proposed revision on the policies and standards of development communication program, there will be a shift to learning competency-based standards to be in line with the outcomes-based education. Other relevant revisions are the following: the ASEAN integration, K to 12 transition, Development of ICT/Digital Divide and the Ladderized Curriculum in compliance to RA 106471. Development Communication as an academic discipline has been productive and produced graduates who are key players in international/national research and development agencies, NGOs and the academe. The uniqueness of the Development Communication curriculum in other SUCs actually unites the discipline but, this diversity must be from time to time be evaluated to make sure that the concepts, approaches and the very core of Development Communication is still the backbone of the said discipline in the Philippines. Here, Development Communication conferences and gatherings serve as avenue for updates, exchange of ideas and learning from best practices. Development Communication outside the Philippines Development communication as a program is now being offered in numerous HEIs abroad. However, unlike that of the Philippines, development communication is more commonly offered as a course, not a program. In general, it is included in the course offerings for programs under the School of Communication (Simon Fraser University), a post-graduate coursework which credits only two units (University of Queensland), a modular subject (Linnaeus University), a coursework under the Faculty of Culture and Society (Malmo University), a subject in the Radio-Television-Film Department (The University of Texas at Austin), a subject that overviews the important phenomena of development communication (Riphah International University), a post-graduate subject in the Department of Mass Communication (University of Sindh, Jamshoro), a subject offered for the Bachelor of Journalism and Communication (Makerere University Kampala). It is offered as the program Masters of Development Communication in Gujarat University and as a program in the Dhurakij Pundit University’s Asia-Pacific Development and Communication Centre. Being mostly subjects that are offered in another program, development communication is seen to be either part of communication, or as a tool of development. One of the most striking similarities that can be seen from all of these course offerings is the perspective, based on the course description. When the subject offered is from the “developed” and “advanced” countries such as Canada, Australia and the United States, the course focuses on the role of media and communication on development and how it can resolve issues in hunger, health and gender, particularly in developing countries. Thus, the course subjects offered have the mission to require students to actively participate in development projects. It is already implied that the course will transform them to be agents of change and help the impoverished in developing countries. On the other hand, regardless whether the course is a subject offered or program, if certain countries are categorized as “developing”, development communication focuses on the present state of their “have nots”. Moreover, the courses and programs from these “developing” countries include the analysis and study of their society. They are also more focused on the society and behavior change in order to achieve development. The Makerere University in Uganda is an agricultural institution, very much like UPLB. With regards to policies, those that are in the “advanced” countries are not bound by government-issued memoranda for their courses. The HEIs are free to apply their autonomous policies and standards. On the other hand, just like the Philippines, India is bound by policies from the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Policies from the DHE do not specifically define and describe each program in the higher education. However, policies cover subject matters that should be incorporated in HEIs, such as the integration of skills development in higher education, gender and disability issues. Discussion and Conclusion Development communication has come a long way from its birth around forty years ago. Many institutes of higher learning have already identified the need to include the program in their curriculum. Regardless of how it is called as a course or program, its goal is to be able to use development communication in all areas. Scholars have already established that the idea of “developed” and “developing” countries needs to be debunked; all countries are on its own level, in a “developing” stage. The problems in society and the community are not present only on selected places and societies. Education has always been seen as a tool that will guide future generations. With the growing number of higher institutions incorporating development communication, the need to be able to have more practitioners in the area of development communication answers the issue of resolving society’s recurring problems, and new problems as well. Development communication is a program that should be interwoven within the society. Thus, it is just normal and logical that development communication programs and courses have different scopes (local versus global), in order to answer to the immediate need, stand and perspective of the society. References (2016, March 20). Retrieved from Linnaeus University: https://lnu.se (2016, March 20). Retrieved from Simon Fraser University: http://www.sfu.ca (2016, March 24). Retrieved from Uganda National Council for Higher Education: http://www.unche.or.ug (2016, March 20). Retrieved from University of Queensland: http://www.uq.edu.au (2016, March 20). Retrieved from Malmo University: http://www.mah.se (2016, March 20). Retrieved from The University of Texas at Austin: http://www.utexas.edu (2016, March 20). Retrieved from Riphah International University: https://www.riphah.edu.pk (2016, March 20). Retrieved from University of Sindh, Jamshoro: http://usindh.edu.pk (2016, March 20). Retrieved from Makerere University Kampala: http://mak.ac.ug (2016, March 20). Retrieved from Gujarat University: http://www.gujaratuniversity.org.in/web/index.asp (2016, March 20). Retrieved from Dhurakij Pundit University: http://www.dpu.ac.th (2016, March 15). Retrieved from Central Luzon State University: https://clsu.edu.ph (2016, March 15). Retrieved from Pampanga State Agricultural University: http://www.psau.edu.ph (2016, March 15). Retrieved from Batangas State University: http://batstate-u.edu.ph (2016, March 15). Retrieved from Mariano Marcos State University: http://www.mmsu.edu.ph (2016, March 15). Retrieved from Benguet State University: http://www.bsu.edu.ph (2016, March 15). Retrieved from Kalinga State University: http://www.kasc.edu.ph (2016, March 15). Retrieved from Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College: http://www.ispsc.edu.ph/home/ (2016, March 15). Retrieved from University of Southern Mindanao: http://www.usm.edu.ph (2016, March 15). Retrieved from Cebu Technological University: http://www.ctu.edu.ph (2016, March 15). Retrieved from Xavier University: http://www.xu.edu.ph Commission on Higher Education. (2010). Policies and Standards for Bachelor of Science in Development Communication. CHED Memorandum Order No. 11. Philippines. Commission on Higher Education. (2011). Policies and Standards for Master of Science in Development Communication. CHED Memorandum Order No. 26. Philippines. Department of Higher Education. (2016, March 20). Retrieved from Ministry of Human Resource Development: http://mhrd.gov.in/higher_education Quebral, N. C. (2002). Reflections on Development Communication (25 years after). 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