The study assessed and explored the pedagogical, student performance assessment, and classroom management skills of Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) in their Work-based Learning Environment (WBLE). A sequential-explanatory mixed methods design was employed. Seventy PSTs were purposively selected as participants. To determine the three identified competencies, the study started with quantitative research method (Phase 1) using survey questionnaire containing items from various sources. After this, a qualitative data gathering method (Phase 2) using face-to-face interview and narratives was employed to further explore on the characteristics and challenges experienced by the PSTs. The findings revealed that the PSTs were generally competent in the three sets of competencies but the extent of employing all these in their WBLE says otherwise. Furthermore, their competencies, too, were not significantly related. Moreover, several challenges that beset the PSTs in their WBLE were also identified, hence, the formulation of the Triangle of Pre-Service Teachers' Attributes and Characteristics, and Competencies as basis in helping the PSTs improve their competencies as future members of the teaching workforce. The Higher Education Institutions can benefit from the results to keep improvements in the way their PSTs are being prepared for to provide quality teaching and learning among their target classes.

In educational institutions, a culture of academic honesty is valued. However, while there is much awareness about the consequences of academic dishonesty, this is regarded as an endless academic concern. A sequential-explanatory mixed methods study assessed and explored the perceptions of 121 college students of a private Philippine university about academic dishonesty. Initially, a researcher-constructed questionnaire was administered to measure the perceptions of the respondents about academic dishonesty and correlated to their age, gender and course. A focus group discussion from seven purposively sampled respondents was conducted to extract deeper meanings of the survey results. The quantitative results disclosed that the college students have high perceptions about academic dishonesty. Meanwhile, age and gender were directly linked to academic dishonesty whereas the course did not associate with the college students' perceptions of academic dishonesty. Important information has been elicited and surfaced during the focus group discussions. This created complementarity of the quantitative and qualitative data and eventually resulted in a more profound, reflective analysis. School policy recommendations and interventions are suggested to enable the university to establish and sustain academic honesty as a culture within and among the members of the academic community especially its students, the end-receivers of good education.

Delivering quality instruction is fundamental in any educational institution and, this calls for a teacher sense of responsibility. Teachers create their instructional designs for specific courses and ensure that resources are available to achieve learning objectives. However, some instructional designs of several courses appear to be containing similar components, including contents; hence, this study evaluated three courses. These courses include Understanding the Self (UTS C101), a new general education subject in college is believed to be overlapping in terms of content with Strategies for Personality Development (PD), a course in Senior High School (SHS) and Freshmen Orientation Seminar (FOS 101), a unique course taken by freshmen college students in a private university in the Philippines. Since the courses are reputed to be related and presumed intertwined in terms of curricular content, the researchers embarked on a comparative-document analysis using the syllabus containing lessons, teaching methodologies, and student assessment methods. The findings showed an array of similarities and differences of lessons taught, learning activities, student learning assessment strategies, and other pedagogical methods used. The results have direct implications for the University to be able to foster curricular improvements and ensure complementarity between and among the three courses explored. This is also in response to the challenges brought by outcomes-based education, which was newly integrated as an educational framework in the University. A policy recommendation for the University was initiated based on the results of this study.

This article introduces the Praxis for Accelerated Improvement in Research (PAIR) as a transformative research management paradigm drawn from the participatory action research program focused on research production and publication in a private higher education institution in Manila, Philippines. PAIR mentoring scheme upholds establishing a committed and caring relationship between the mentor and the mentee, thereby developing a shared vision towards research. PAIR mentoring further underscores the need to institute a university research infrastructure to support its research programs and initiatives. This participatory and transformative approach to research management tendered significant (and accelerated) improvement in the Scopus® metrics of the university. Reflecting from the researchers’ and research participants’ journey in implementing and embracing change and improvement in the university research programs, this article argues that researchers need to advance connectedness, conviviality, optimism, shared vision, and prudence in all aspects of research. This article thereby recommends learning and researching within the lens of participatory and transformative paradigm. The authors further recommend to higher education institutions establishment of a sustained mentoring program where mentors and mentees mutually agree and commit to advance the research vision of the university collectively. Finally, this article reasons in favor of an institutional research infrastructure that nurtures not just the knowledge and skills in research, but also the attitude and values of its research stakeholders towards research and the overall research program of the organization.

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Nursing students learn under the responsibility of clinical instructors during their related learning experience (RLE). Generally, nursing students regard their clinical instructors as pivotal sources of foundational knowledge, skills, and values to develop themselves into competent and compassionate nurses. It is usual for them to leverage their expectations of their clinical instructors. The study aimed to uncover and learn from the nursing students’ expectations of their clinical instructors in terms of inductive codes such as teaching strategies, assessment of student learning outcomes, monitoring and evaluating learning progress, recognizing student efforts, professional mastery, and descriptions of ideal clinical instructors. This descriptive qualitative study employed thematic analysis to structured interview transcripts from conveniently sampled nursing students in a private university in the Philippines. During their RLE, the nursing students viewed that i.) clinical instructors utilize various teaching strategies; ii.) variety of assessment techniques are used revealing innate teacher values and some students' undesirable feelings towards their clinical instructors; iii.) limited techniques in monitoring and evaluating students' progress are employed; iv.) students have feelings of being denied of recognition; v.) teacher-student likeness, and some unwanted perceptions on professional mastery are essential; and vi.) caring attributes, cognitive, and clinical competence make up the ideal clinical instructors. The quality of nursing students is as good as the quality of their clinical instructors. Their clinical instructors primarily influence their level of confidence during the RLE. Findings suggest that clinical instructors need to rethink about their practices in ensuring quality instruction and supervision during RLE.

The COVID-19 pandemic provokes higher learning institutions to initiate an agile yet well-planned response in ensuring quality online teaching and learning. In response to the challenges of transitioning from the traditional to online teaching and learning, the researchers explored the lessons uncovered from the (e)mergency Remote Instructional Skills Enhancement (e-RISE), an intervention that comprised series of faculty mentoring sessions towards full adoption of an online platform for professional nursing courses. This action research utilized the Look, Think, Act cycle of Stringer (1996) involving eleven nurse faculty as participants.  Using thematic analysis in data treatment, various themes were revealed ranging from advancing technological knowledge and competence to accepting personal limitations, values acquisition, and teacher empowerment. The technological knowledge and competence of the nurse faculty require further improvement.  The acceptance of personal limitations in terms of putting up online learning modules implies the need to enhance pedagogy and design.  Values acquisition in terms of life skills were dominant in response to the needs to change and adapt. Reverse mentoring is also recommended as this is paramount towards the success of the Project e-RISE. Lastly, teacher empowerment is touted essential to make remote teaching and learning more feasible, effective and efficient. The study findings suggest that Project e-RISE be adopted as a sustainable mechanism to capacitate nurse faculty in their migration from traditional to remote or online teaching.