As part of the activities lined up for its participation in the 38th Manila International Book Fair, C & E Publishing, Inc. held a faculty training titled “Continuing Education for the New General Education (GE) Curriculum and Outcomes-Based Education (OBE)” with the theme “Empowering 21st Century Learners” on September 14 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

More than 60 educators from 31 higher education institutions (HEIs) attended the faculty training designed to support educators in creating and delivering rigorous and responsive educational experiences for learners in preparing them for higher education, career, and civic life. The program was rooted in C & E Publishing’s commitment to provide quality educational resources and to promote 21st-century skills and lifelong learning through the professional training of teachers and school administrators.

Dr. Amelia Biglete, Director IV of the Office of Programs and Standards Development (OPSD) of the Commission on Higher Education, presented the mission, vision, and guiding values of the implementation of the new GE curriculum, while Ms. Aline Genato-Magalong, OPSD Assistant Chief discussed the new GE curriculum and the academe’s role in equipping students with 21st-century skills.

Aside from the lectures and an open forum, the training included a tour of MakerCE, C & E Publishing’s sample makerspace featured in its MIBF booth to promote awareness on the importance of open creative spaces in fostering innovation among students and meeting the demands of 21st-century learning. A makerspace, as defined by Diana Rendina, a media specialist and creator of the blog RenovatedLearning.com, is any place where students can gather to create, invent, tinker, explore, and discover using a variety of tools and materials.

C & E’s new GE textbooks were also exhibited during the training. The local titles are Art Sense: Sensing the Arts in the Everyday by Gary Devilles, Reagan Maiquez, and Rolando Tolentino; Batis: Sources in Philippine History by Jose Victor Torres and Rene Escalante; Ethics by Marc Oliver Pasco, V. Fullente Suarez, and Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez; Essential Mathematics for the Modern World by Rizaldi Nocon and Ederlina Nocon; Purposive Communication: Using English in Multilingual Contexts by Marilu Rañosa Madrunio and Isabel Pefianco Martin; Science, Technology, and Society by Daniel Joseph McNamara, SJ, Vida Mia Valverde, and Ramon Beleno III; The Contemporary World by Lisandro Claudio and Patricio Abinales; The Life and Works of Jose Rizal by Rhodalyn Wani-Obias, Aaron Abel Mallari, and Janet Reguindin-Estella; and Understanding the Self by Dalisay Brawner and Analiza Arcega. Meanwhile, the international titles included the latest editions of Living with Art by Mark Geitlein; Math in Our World by Dave Sobecki and Allan Bluman; The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics by Nina Rosenstand; The Nature of Mathematics by Karl Smith; Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues by Barbara MacKinnon and Andrew Fiala; Globalization: Prospects and Problems by JoAnn Chirico; Crossing Borders: International Studies for the 21st Century by Harry Chernotsky and Heidi Hobbs; and Communication Matters by Kory Floyd.