CC The Journal Vol. 12 Oct. 2016
CCI’s Institutional Research Agenda (2015-2020)
Research and Publications Office
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Overview
The rationale for developing a research agenda for CC is to ensure that there is systematic research in this sector not just to make higher education better, but also to enhance understanding of the contemporary society, its challenges and possible future available to it. With higher education being so central to the development of the country, it is imperative that it plays a key role in shaping and influencing the future. The role that learning and knowledge, enhanced through research have to play in achieving such understanding is critical.
The agenda serves as a framework for articulating research priorities for the institution. It will guide efforts and investments in this regard and therefore, enhance the country’s focus on key issues, coordination and complementarily as opposed to the current situation in which there is duplication in research.
Thus, the purpose of a research agenda is to help organize and prioritize research requests that might otherwise be disjointed or not integrated into college-wide planning and decision making, and to improve the quality of the data and information used on campus.
The process for developing and using a research agenda is equally as valuable as the research agenda itself. It serves as a vehicle for dialog and a way in which to move beyond a culture of evidence to a more integrated culture of inquiry. More importantly, it provides a mechanism for collaborative inquiry which helps build research expertise throughout the college rather than isolated pockets of the college.
The research that is included in the research agenda supports the major activities and initiatives that serve the broader functions on campus (strategic planning, enrollment management, budget development, program review, accreditation, quality assurance and grant development.
Research that is narrow in focus or that responds to a singular interest or one-time event or activity may occur under ad hoc requests which are handled separately using the college’s research request and prioritization process.
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CC The Journal Vol. 12 Oct. 2016
A. Based on the Agenda Set by CHED
1. Quality and Excellence
1.1
A study on the impact on higher education in CC and the legal implications of liberalizing the entry of foreign universities/ colleges in the country.
1.2
Benchmarking and comparative study of Policy, Standards, and
Guidelines in priority disciplines in Asia, Europe and the US.
1.3
Establishment of quality indicators and quality assurance system of the
College.
1.4
Evaluation of graduate programs in Teacher Education, Business and
Public Management.
1.5
Evaluation of undergraduate programs in Teacher Education, Business and Accountancy, Engineering and Architecture, ITE, Nursing and
Sciences, Mathematics and Language.
2. Relevance and Responsiveness
2.1
Study on the manpower situation in key development areas, especially in the fields of energy, science and technology, earth studies and environment, and biotechnology.
2.2
Study on the international competitiveness of Columban professionals.
2.3
Study on the capability of the country’s graduate programs as a venue for continuing education for professionals in a highly competitive labor market.
2.4
Graduate tracer studies.
2.5
Employability and productivity of graduates.
2.6
Relevance of curriculum.
2.7
Internationalization and globalization of education
3. Utilization of Information and Communication Technology
3.1
Development study on establishing national core competencies for
ICT graduates and performance standards for ICT institutions as bases for national accreditation, validation, and certification.
3.2
Impact study of ICT-driven curriculum and learning modalities for student learning and academic performance.
3.3
Evaluative study on the ICT readiness of faculty and administrators.
3.4
Study on the impact of ICT professionals.
4. Access and Equity
4.1
Feasibility study on viable payback schemes for scholars.
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4.2
A study on selective admission and retention policy, and student performance-based assessment system adopted by the College.
4.3
A study on the relevance and effectiveness of open universities/ distance education.
4.4
A study on institutional quality assessments including accreditation and equivalency of certain proficiencies.
4.5
A case study on good practices in bridging measures or programs for mature students.
4.6
Equity impact study on the provision of government subsidy to
PHEIs.
5. Efficiency and Effectiveness
5.1
Comprehensive review of effectiveness and efficiency of the internal governance of the institution/ quality assurance.
5.2
Efficiency and effectiveness study of socialized and full-cost tuition for students.
5.3
Study on emerging and alternative forms of governance of HEIs.
5.4
Study on incentive systems for high performing departments.
5.5
Study on the determinants of quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of programs/ curricula.
B. Policy-oriented researches (Institutional)
1.
Extent of realization of the school’s philosophy (goals, objectives, core values).
2.
Efficacy of institutional processes (management, instruction, research, extension, publication, student leadership, Christian discipleship, faith leadership) in the development of quality human capital.
3.
Governance and/or management policies and practices; Human resources development and/or personnel management.
4.
Effectiveness of employees’ participation in institutional thrusts
(extension, research, Christian discipleship/ leadership).
5.
Effects of organization development interventions in organization identity and performance.
6.
Physical plant and facilities in relation to the delivery of quality education: A basis for policy and program.
7.
Energy conservation and efficiency/ Energy Audit.
8.
Students’ leadership/governance and delivery of student services; impact/effectiveness of services rendered by support offices.
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CC The Journal Vol. 12 Oct. 2016
9.
Relevance and effectiveness of admission and retention policies and practices.
10.
Academic-socio-economic-cultural-religious profile of students as basis for development programs.
11.
Effectiveness of scholarship programs.
12.
Effectiveness of guidance programs and services.
13.
Development and effectiveness of instructional materials.
14.
Employees’ ICT utilization for effective teaching and learning.
15.
Efficacy of infrastructure/administrative support for ICT.
16.
Development and effectiveness of ICT tools for program and project monitoring and evaluation.
17.
Development and efficacy of ICT-driven curriculum/instructional devices.
18.
Efficacy of instructional policy on the various disciplines.
19.
Impact of intervention programs to promote learning and national board examination performance.
20.
Competence/Performance of students in various courses as basis for curriculum enrichment.
21.
Innovations in educational management; ex: internationalization/ globalization of courses/ subjects; Initiatives for ASEAN Integration.
22.
Research/ Communication/ Critical Thinking/ Problem-solving
Competence of graduating students enrolled in board programs.
23.
Best practices in student teaching, office practicum, on-the-job training programs.
24.
Impact/Effectiveness of Academe-Industry Partnership/Linkages.
25.
Performance of students in licensure exams/ national assessment/ achievement tests.
26.
Graduate tracer studies; employability of graduates; market relevance and effectiveness of curricular programs.
27.
Transforming thesis and dissertation to refereed journal publication.
28.
Reference Citation in Undergraduate researches.
29.
Research Ethics/ Ethical practices in doing research.
30.
Predictors of research performance of senior students of Accountancy,
Education, Architecture, Nursing, Engineering, etc.
31.
Effectiveness of approaches to pedagogy in Language/ Math/Science,
Accountancy, Engineering, Architecture etc.
32.
Utilization of Research, Extension, and Publication in Instruction.
33.
Marketing practices of school.
34.
Factors associated with the decline of enrollment in all levels.
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CC The Journal Vol. 12 Oct. 2016
35.
Work-life balance of employees towards policy improvement.
36.
Decision-making of students in selecting/ choosing Columban College towards best marketing practices.
37.
Training needs analysis for staff, faculty and administrators.
38.
Personal, academic and social development of students towards policy improvement.
39.
Policy development and implementation related to disaster risk reduction and management.
40.
Environmental management and strategies.
41.
Implementation of outcomes-based education.
42.
Outcomes-based teaching and learning practices.
43.
Outcomes-based assessment practices.
C. Action Researches
Those that involve experimentation on new teaching techniques/ devices, solving problems on students’ low performance and/or inactive participation, indifferent attitude to learning, poor classroom interaction, etc.
D. Extension-Oriented Researches
1.
Barangay/Community/Household needs assessment as basis for extension project proposals.
2.
Impact/Effectiveness of specific extension/community-based projects on the implementers and beneficiary client-partner community.
3.
Sustainability of community extension projects
E. Ethnographic Researches
Those concerned with explaining or describing a phenomenon holistically using multiple data collection techniques.
1.
Those that by their very nature defy simple quantification (ex.: the interaction of students and teachers in classroom discussion)
2.
Those that can best be understood in a natural (as opposed to artificial) setting (ex.: the behavior of students at a school event)
3.
Those that involve the study of individual or group activities over time
(such as the changes that occur in the attitudes of at-risk students as they participate in a specially designed, year-long, reading program)
4.
Those involving the study of the roles that educators play, and the behavior associated with these roles(for example, the behavior of
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CC The Journal Vol. 12 Oct. 2016 classroom teachers, coaches, staff, and other school personnel as they fulfill their various roles and how such behavior changes over time)
5.
Those that involve the study of the activities and behavior of groups as a unit (classes, athletic teams, academic departments, work teams, administrative units, and other groups such as altar servers, catechists, varsity team, chorale, dance troupe, marching band, rondalla, student council, theatre arts, etc.)
6.
Those involving the study of formal organizations in their totality
(schools, school districts, school systems)
F. Research with Linkages
1.
Partnership with the regional line agencies, local government units, non-government organizations in program governance.
2.
Workable and effective LGU/NGO partnership systems: case studies/ best practices.
3.
Effectiveness of participation of NGOs in planning and special projects.
4.
Best practices in managing small and medium scale enterprises; impact of micro-financing on poverty alleviation.
5.
Effectiveness of community-based management programs.
6.
Human rights-based ordinance tracking; impact on human rights education.
7.
The status of education, health, and nutrition of beneficiaries.
8.
Green architecture and engineering; design development of climatechange responsive structures (houses/buildings, roads, seawalls, towers, and bridges); rainwater harvesting design for residential and office buildings.
9.
Community mobilization on climate change, health and sanitation, energy conservation and disaster mitigation.
10.
Environmental management assessment.
11.
Disaster risk and mitigation studies (flooding, erosion, landslides; tsunami, sea surges).
12.
Commodity/product/process development and improvement; technology transfer and commercialization of ethnic food, local fruits, handicraft.
13.
Other researchable topics from priority areas identified by CHED,
NEDA, DepEd, DOST, CHR, DSWD, DENR, DSWD, DPWH, etc.
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G. Research in support to instruction in the various disciplines
As an academic institution, the college is ardently conscious that the advancement of the various academic disciplines depends on the large extent on research. Research shall be pursued along the following clusters of priorities.
1.
Mathematics
2.
Environment and Natural Sciences
3.
Health and Medical Sciences
4.
Engineering and Technology
5.
Information Science and Technology
6.
Governance, Civil Society and Social Justice/ Human Rights
7.
Business and Industry
8.
Hospitality and Tourism Management
9.
Humanities, Social Sciences, Public Welfare
10.
Teacher, Values and Religious Education
11.
Community Building and Development
12.
Language Education
13.
Communication Management
14.
Library Management
15.
Social Work and Social Development and Management
It is important to note that research in support to instruction in the area of course offerings, environmental scanning is a great necessity in relation to the above mentioned research clusters.
H. Research to revise and update all their curricular offerings towards outcomes-based curriculum
1.
Studies on outcomes-based curriculum: Identification of the core and peripheral outcomes that all graduates of the college should posses; reflection of these competencies in the curriculum; the corresponding benchmarks of these competencies at various points in the curriculum; and alignment with industry needs and standards will be considered.
2.
Empirical Investigations on innovative pedagogy and use of technology in the classroom: Teaching methodologies and strategies appropriate in developing the identified competencies; academic tasks structured and designed to address these competencies; and research designs most suited to obtain data on these teaching strategies.
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CC The Journal Vol. 12 Oct. 2016
3.
Research dealing on self-management and towards self-directed learning: Beyond content acquisition, students must learn and develop skills on how to learn; likewise, they should be able to adjust their study strategies to attain study goals. The ability to be self-directed and be on task is one of the competencies needed in the work force.
Thus, it is worthwhile that instruction, academic tasks and assessments are designed and structured to develop and reinforced these skills.
Classroom investigations on how these skills are developed can be pursued.
STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE THE AGENDA
1.
Establish linkage with stakeholders
Linkages and networking with other stakeholders having similar objectives with CC shall be established. This is aimed to optimize outputs through the distribution of tasks and assignments. This strategy is also aimed to maximize dissemination and understanding of a program/project since the approach shall be participatory.
2. Internationalize research collaboration
Partnership with international institutes may be in the form of joint research projects, the sharing of research facilities and major infrastructure, allowing access to research data and discoveries, and the linking of research centers and virtual networks. Collaboration can play a key role in the capability building of qualified personnel, for example through the co-supervision of graduate students from other countries. The cost of research, especially in disciplines requiring specialized instrumentation or facilities, tend to make collaboration imperative. Issues, such as climate change transcends national borders and demand international collaboration.
3. Optimize public-private partnership
Research activities are directed to answer technological and information needs and problems of people. Tapping the local government units (LGUs) and the peoples' organizations (POs) working in the locality shortens the period from the generation of technology and/or information to the time these are available for utilization. With cooperation from LGUs and POs, some applicable technologies and/or information can already be utilized even when the research is still ongoing.
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Joint programs allow complementation of services from LGUs, entrepreneurs and private industries and support the creation of technologybased, value-added and diverse products and services.
4. Adopt a multi-disciplinary approach in conducting research
For research activities to respond to problems and technological and/or information needs of society, a multi-disciplinary research shall be adopted.
This approach minimizes the span of time required to address multi-faceted problems, while optimizing the budget to carry out activities of the research project.
5. Encourage newcomers in Research through group research
In the research arena, the principle “No man is an island” shall be adopted.
A team approach in research activities may encourage newcomers while allowing the old researchers to learn new techniques from the new ones. This strategy is also aimed to encourage maximum participation in research activities.
6. Optimize human resource development
Tap scholarship opportunities for national and international sponsors to build/enhance capabilities among faculty and other personnel doing research activities. The RP Office and the research coordinators shall work closely to determine the gaps in human resource capability to prioritize the specialized fields which are wanting. Hiring of faculty members shall also give emphasis on the research background and/or potential for research activities of the applicants. Hiring of personnel who have background in research from universities and research institutions recognized for their prolific research and development outputs can greatly expand the researchers’ pool in CC.
7. Provide support to researcher/s efforts
Support the endeavors and efforts of researchers to keep their interests in research ablaze. Support can be in the form of facilitating procurement of supplies and materials, equipment and other important inputs in the conduct of the research activities. Other forms of support are in terms of travel grants to attend and/or present papers in scientific fora/gatherings, publication support and cash incentives of three loads equivalent for five months.
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CC The Journal Vol. 12 Oct. 2016
8. Create an atmosphere conducive to researchers
Researchers require a place and scientific tools to do some critical thinking and apply the ideas using some tools. Equipped research laboratories connected to the Internet shall be provided to give researchers an atmosphere where they could think critically and act logically. Researchers shall be accorded
'flexi-time' to give them freedom to work in times when the mind is active and full of bright ideas.
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