Preparing for the FMDS Comprehensive Exams! by Joane Serrano

If you are a graduate student, one of the most dreaded part of your student life is the COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION. I just had to put that in bold and capital letters to drive my point. When I was still a graduate student, I sometimes have nightmares about the compre exam questions.

My classmates and I often scare ourselves about what possible questions would be asked in the compre exams.

But you know, all these scary talks and dreadful anticipations are really overrated.

Yes comprehensive exams are difficult. They should be difficult. But difficult is good because it forces you to prepare for the exam. It makes you more cautious instead of being too complacent. It makes you think critically and reflect on what you have learned for each course you have taken in the past semesters.

There is really no formula to ace and pass that comprehensive exams. The best advice I can give you is to prepare for it. Here are some tips which we have collated from the Internet and from our interviews with some of FMDS students.

Before the Exam:

1. Read the program guide and find out what is expected from you. If you feel that there are some unclear areas, consult with your Program Chair.

2. Locate your old modules, old notes and readings.

3. Consult with experienced students.

4. Research, research and research.

-Read the recent issues from the top 3 to 5 journals in your field.

-Read the references in your course guides.

-Go to the library or ask for remote accounts.

-Familiarize yourself with all the relevant theories in your field.

-Compare and contrast major schools of thought in your field.

-If you find a concept interesting, explore this further.

-Strategize your reading… be more efficient.

-You should prepare your arguments on the concepts you have read.

-Keep all references. Carefully track your citations and bibliography from the outset. Keep your bibliography updated.

5. Practice on your handwriting!

6. Write notes -- every day. Lots of it.

-Organize your notes.

-Make connections between ideas, texts and concepts.

-Make sure your notes are comprehensive enough to study from.

-Make a packet. Have all the information you gathered in one easily accessible place.

-Take notes on all authors you read and summarize them in 25-50 word paragraphs.

7. Devote time exclusively for studying.

8. Study with other students. Share resources and advice. Form or join group review sessions.

9. Reiterate everything you’ve learned.

10. Take practice compre exam. Talk through it.

11. Take study breaks – long ones.

12. Set realistic and attainable goals and REWARDS!

During the Exam:

1. Focus!!!

2. Pray!

3. Be mentally and physically prepared. Eat and sleep properly.

4. Arrive early at the exam venue if not on time.

5. Make sure you have everything you need. Bring extra pens.

6. Bring food and water. Take plenty of plain refreshing water with you and stay hydrated.

7. Take a deep breath.

8. Read the whole exam carefully and take notes.

9. Underline key terms

10. Make sure that you fully understand what the question is asking for you.

11. Answer the questions. One question at a time. Move on from questions you can’t answer.

12. Ask questions if you need to.

13. Organize your thoughts first before you write them down.

14. Make an argument.

15. In answering, do not just criticize, also present a solution for issues. Do not over analyze.

16. Use a clear structure.

17.  Pay attention to your time management.

18. Take a break.

19. Stay normal and calm but serious.

20. Make sure to review and edit your work on the last part of the exam..

21. Spell-check and proof read. Read and re-read.

22. Don’t leave out any important concepts.

23. Use the last part to edit, review, revise and improve your answers.

24. Watch your grammar!

25. When you submit your final answers, make sure all pages are complete. 

After the Exam:

Celebrate!!

DONTs

Don’t over study.

Don’t review on the exam day.

Don’t panic during the exam.

Don’t focus too much on a specific subject.

Don’t think of other things before and during the exam.

Don’t memorize. Understand.

Collated by Joanna Vinas

Interview with students by Jeniffer De Pasion

Graphics by Christian C. Guevarra 

Project PAGSULONG, for Young Filipinos to engage in innovative business and help solve poverty

Marianna Alfa ‘Hanna’ Fernando-Pacua, a Master of Development Communication (MDC) student of  UPOU, together with few close friends, participated in Project Pagsulong, a unique P1 M youth challenge, last July 2012.  It is a competition among young Filipino budding social entrepreneurs.

She chose the project called ‘Byaheng Bayani Tours and Travel, with environment advocacy in mind, having taken up the ENRM 252 course last semester at UPOU. She is presently enrolled in ENRM 221, a course on Social Cultural Principles of Human-Environment Interactions. As frequent travelers, Hanna and friends saw how tourism could benefit the tourists and the people earning their living from tourism.  Their goal is sustainable tourism. They envision the country as a beautiful yet culturally relevant place to travel, while helping local communities earn, and also protect the environment.

Their project’s aim is to provide socially-responsible tours and activity packages for travelers who wish to expand their social, environmental and cultural awareness. The travel itinerary includes activities that involve cultural immersion and community interaction, as well as promote the Bayanihan spirit.  Young people from the Philippines and Asia can participate in volunteer activities such as GK Bayani Build, Save the Ifugao Terraces, and Habitat for Humanity.

Their project made it to the top 30 semi-finalists, out of 374 entries, in September, and in the top 10 finalists in October 2012.  The criteria in selecting the finalists, and the winner of the challenge later, are:

1.      Social Impact – the project is focused on a specific business/entrepreneurial need, and addresses a concrete social need/issue

2.      Innovation/Invention – it demonstrates a new concept, or a variation of an existing idea

3.      Feasibility – it demonstrates the practicality of the project, and is technologically applicable and can be executed

4.      Team Leadership / Management and Community Participation – it showcases the strengths of the team,  demonstrates the team capability in carrying out the project and exhibits how the team mobilizes stakeholders and communities.

As finalists, they underwent a 9-day innovative boot camp in Antipolo City. The top 10 finalists were mentored by local business leaders on different facets of entrepreneurship. It was an intense, hands-on sessions that taught them the ins and outs of starting a business and how social enterprise plays a role in national building.

Last March 16, 2013, four teams were declared winners and took home grant money for the implementation of their winning entries. The people’s choice received 100,000 pesos; the third prize, 200,000 pesos;  the second prize 300,000 pesos; and the grand prize got 500,000 pesos.

Hanna said “our team did not take home any grant money, but still won with the experience we took home with us! Top 10 was an honor in itself, grabe!”

To be able to execute their project, to Travel with a purpose, Serve the community, and Inspire others, they found sponsors. They had their Pioneer Byaheros' first trip to Mount Pulag with the support of their friends, the Alphabet Warriors and Kuya Pultak. They stayed at Pultaks Lodge at 8118 Teltelpok, Eddet, Kabayan, Benguet from April 26 -28, 2013.  To see what they have done, see their pictures in action at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.457320031022080.1073741828.374397045981046&type=1

The Byaheros had their second batch of Mt Pulag travellers on April 29-30, 2013. They had art attack, photography and art workshops there, and participated in the Bindiyan Festival. See what they have done in https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.467209566699793.1073741829.374397045981046&type=1

Project Pagsulong is a P1Million youth challenge to help alleviate poverty. It  invites young Filipinos,  18 to 30 years old,  to form a team (with 3 to 5 members) and come up with innovative business ideas good enough to stand against proposals from other teams, as well as viable enough to provide real-life solutions for alleviating poverty. For more information on the project, visit http://www.projectpagsulong.ph/

For more details on the Byaheng Bayani Tours and what are their next steps, visit https://www.facebook.com/Byaheros.ph

A Peek at FMDS’ e-Commerce Course

Electronic commerce or e-commerce is so popular in the 90’s when Internet came to be. Everyone is talking about e-commerce. I am sure we have gone through some of its processes. However, it could only be one or two features of e-commerce that we know. What is it exactly? How can we make use of e-commerce in today’s seamless society?

The Introduction to Electronic Commerce course will introduce us to the exciting world of conducting business through the Internet. The concepts, the kinds of businesses that can be established electronically, the marketing strategies to use and more will be taken up in this course.

Are you planning to attend? Expect to learn the basic knowledge of electronic commerce, how to bring a business online, and how to reach potential clients through the Internet. You will learn about the elements that make up e-commerce; how to scan the environment and identify opportunities for an e-commerce business and design a marketing strategy for it; as well as gain knowledge and skills to create a working website for the business venture.

If you are competent in using a computer (able to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations) and have access to Internet (and an email address), why not enroll in this course?  It will be an exciting and challenging course! You will learn about the following topics:

·        Electronic Commerce defined

o   Definition and History of E-Commerce

o   Common Terms

o   Statistics

o   Why go online

o   Levels of Adoption

o   How E-Commerce works

o   Online payments

o   Payment Gateways

o   Security Concerns

o   E-trading rules

·        Starting your own business

o   Forms of Businesses

o   Registering a Business

o   Business models

o   Mission/Vision Statement

·        E-Commerce Business Plan

o   Suitability of a Business to go online

o   SWOT Analysis

o   TOWS Matrix

o   Marketing Mix

o   Making a business plan

·        Going online

o   Domain Name

o   Web Authoring programs

o   Essentials of a website

o   Integrating an E-commerce Facility

o   Choosing a web host server and plan

o   Web management team

o   Search engine optimization

·        Economic and Societal Impact

o   Current State in the Philippines

o   Drivers/Inhibitors

o   Philippine E-Commerce Law

o   Future of E-Commerce

The UP Open University Faculty of Management and Development Studies (FMDS) re-launches the course this July to December 2013.  You can study the course wherever you are.

The E-Commerce course will open on 20 July 2013. For more details, please visit http://fmds.upou.edu.ph or email  fmds@upou.edu.ph

Online registration is available at:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/upou.edu.ph/viewform?key=pgWWbmE7uHjITl3SLUHsrTw

FMDS Let's Talk It Over 4 - Radiation Free Campaign

UPOU EARTH AMBASSADORS ORGANIZE HATAW SA KALIKASAN 2

The UPOU Earth Ambassadors from The Learning Place held Hataw sa Kalikasan 2, An Eco-Storytelling Festival, on December 11-12, 2012 at the UP Los Banos Baker Hall. The theme of the event was Hataw sa Kwentuhan, mga kwentong may kwenta para sa kalikasan. The cast of characters for the storytelling were composed of the UPOU Earth Ambassadors from The Learning Place.

UPOU Earth Ambassadors from Dayap Elementary School also attended and participated in the event.

This is the second time that the UPOU Earth Ambassadors organized Hataw sa Kalikasan. The first Hataw sa Kalikasan was a concert for the environment which was held last year (http://www2.upou.edu.ph/component/content/article/78-news-2011/607-upous-fmds-co-organizes-a-concert-for-a-cause).

Dean Inocencio E. Buot, Jr. gave the opening remarks for the event. He expressed his happiness and pride in empowering “the little ones to think creatively and initiate in solving urgent environmental concerns in the community.”

FMDS-UPOU Co-organizes RP-Japan Forum on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems

The Kanazawa University of Japan together with the Faculty of Management and Development Studies, UP Open University (UPOU) and the Ifugao State University (IFSU) organized the RP-Japan Forum on Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS): Current Scenario, Challenges and Future Development. The forum was held at the Ifugao State University, Lamut, Ifugao on January 14, 2012.

The forum served as a venue for discussing research, management, and governance of GIAHS. It also provided a platform for the academe and its stakeholders in sharing and exchanging information on the current state of the Ifugao Rice Terraces (IRT) which is the first GIAHS site in the Philippines, and Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi, and Sados’ crested ibis which are the GIAHS sites in Japan.

The Philippines and Japan are among the seven countries identified by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) GIAHS Initiative as pilot sites in developing and implementing adaptive conservation and management of agricultural systems and their components.

Two Japanese speakers attended the forum: Prof. Koji Nakamura, Deputy President of the Kanazawa University and Chair of the Organizing Committee, who presented a paper on Noto’ssatoyama and satoumi as GIAHS; and Mayor Koichiro Takano, Mayor of Sado, Japan who talked about Sado’ssatoyama in harmony with the Japanese crested ibis (Sado’s GIAHS Project).

Other paper presenters included the following:
• Dr. Mary Jane Dela Cruz of FAO-Rome on GIAHS: Rationale and Future Directions;
• Ms. Maribel Bimohya of the Ifugao Province Local Government Unit on IRT: Current Problems, Issues and Concerns;
• Dr. Dinah Licyayo of IFSU on National Policies and Local Ordinances on IRT;
• Dr. Sylvano Mahiwo of the Asian Center, UP Diliman on Sociocultural Dimension of IRT;
• Ms. Eulalie D. Dulnuan of the Department of Tourism Banaue on IRT Tourism: Status, Problems and Concerns;
• Dr.Inocencio E. Buot, Jr. of  UPOU on GIAHS and the Satoyama-like landscapes in the Philippines;
• Dr. Robert T. Ngidlo of  IFSU on IFSU Researches on IRT: Current Scenario, Gaps and Future Directions;
• Mr. Marlon Martin of the Save theIfugao Terraces Movement (SITMo) on NGO Initiatives in Research and Management of IRT; and
• Dr. Kazem Vafadari Mehrizi of the Asia-Pacific University on  Tourism Applications of GIAHS in Ifugao and Noto.

A total of 90 participants from various institutions and regions attended the forum. Eleven poster papers were presented during the forum. The forum’s proceedings will be published in a scientific journal. (Joane Serrano).

FMDS Let's Talk It Over 3 - "Educating people about better care of their health as a challenge to live a life free from diseases"