UCU Faculty strengthen future-ready Course Design through SMART Syllabus workshop

Urdaneta City University reinforced its commitment to quality, responsive, and outcomes-based education as faculty members joined the SMART Syllabus: Strategic Mapping and Refinement of Teaching Syllabi seminar-workshop on May 19–20, 2026 held at the University Cafeteria. 

The two-day training focused on improving course design through Outcomes-Based Education, flexible learning, sustainability integration, and learner-centered strategies. It also guided faculty members in developing syllabi that are aligned with institutional standards and responsive to the changing demands of higher education.

The workshop featured experts from the University of the Philippines - Los Baños, who shared practical approaches to syllabus development. 

Dr. Greg T. Pawilen discussed the foundations of an OBE syllabus and emphasized constructive alignment, ensuring that learning outcomes, content, teaching methods, and assessments work together to support meaningful student learning.

Faculty members also engaged in hands-on sessions led by Dr. Jenielyn T. Padrones, focusing on syllabus refinement, packaging, peer review, and presentation of outputs.

On the second day, Dr. Christian Leubert C. Milambiling introduced ways to integrate the SDGs and digital tools into course planning. 

Participants enhanced their syllabi by incorporating sustainability-focused topics, technology-supported activities, and assessment strategies aligned with OBE and Outcomes-Based Teaching and Learning principles.

The training concluded with final presentations and feedback sessions, allowing participants to further polish their revised syllabi.

Aligned with SDGs 4, 9, 11, 12, and 17, the SMART Syllabus workshop strengthened UCU’s drive for inclusive, innovative, sustainable, and collaborative learning. It positioned syllabus development as a strategic tool for competency-based, future-ready, and student-centered education.