The AADDA Program Handbook

Created by AADDA Program Support, Modified on Wed, 6 Nov at 4:17 PM by AADDA Program Support

ASSOCIATE OF ARTS IN DIGITAL DESIGN AND ARTS

Faculty of Information and Communication Studies

University of the Philippines Open University

This article serves as the living Program Handbook for the Associate of Arts of Arts in Digital Design and Art (AADDA). If you are just considering applying to the AADDA program, please also see the information about the AADDA program on the FICS website.

If you have already been admitted to the AADDA program, welcome to the AADDA Program and to UPOU! This handbook will help you get started on your journey through AADDA and UPOU.

What should I know about learning at UPOU?
What is the AADDA program about?
What courses will I be taking?
What courses should I first enroll?
How long will it take me to finish the program?
I previously took university-level courses in the past; can those be used towards my degree?
When can I enroll for classes?
I intend to transfer to another UP campus unit and program as soon as I am able to; can you help me?
I have more questions about the AADDA program or studying at UPOU. Where can I get answers?
Who are the people behind the AADDA program?
Sample Plans of Study

What should I know about learning at UPOU?

UPOU employs the distance education (DE) mode of teaching and learning. The key features of DE as practiced at UPOU are:

Students and teachers are physically separated from each other. They do not meet face-to-face in a physical classroom.
Students undertake guided independent study of carefully selected as well as specially designed learning materials in various media — print, video, and multimedia.

Interaction between teachers and students, and among students, takes place through online tutorials in a virtual classroom. Other forms of communication between teacher and student are email, text, and videoconferencing.
Final examinations are conducted either face-to-face at designated learning centers, or online.

You need to be absolutely self-driven and capable of managing your time and attention to succeed at UPOU.

If you do not consider yourself to possess these skills, then you will need to find ways to develop these. Dr. Alexander Flor, the former Dean of the FICS, has the following to say about the learning experience at UPOU, which, although said in the context of BAMS, also applies to AADDA:

I would like to share with you a few thoughts about open learning. UPOU adopts a specific type of open learning which we call Open and Distance Learning or ODeL. All courses under the BAMS program are conducted online. However, there are certain activities in the program that requires face-to-face interaction and, thus, your physical presence.

As you may know, open learning is based upon educational philosophies that are quite different from those of residential instruction. Open education believes that learning is a cooperative endeavor between the teacher and the learner, in fact, it may adopt circumstances attendant to lifelong learning wherein you can take the teacher out of the equation and the student learns nevertheless. It believes that the main actor in the teacher-learning process is the learner not the teacher. The learner takes the initiative and learns on his own terms. Thus, learning is not determined by a teacher but the learner himself. These philosophies make an open university, not just the adoption of distance and eLearning delivery systems. Without these philosophies embedded in its pedagogy and assessment, an open university becomes a poor substitute of a residential campus.

However, UPOU operates within policies and guidelines set out by the University of the Philippines, some of which may not be entirely consistent with open education. Thus, we are guided by semestral calendars and prerequisites. Nevertheless, UPOU is an open university and this carries some implications for you, the learner.

Firstly, the responsibility for learning falls squarely upon your shoulders. If you succeed, the credit belongs to you exclusively. If you fail, you have no one to blame but yourself. However, this does not mean that learning should be an individual activity. You are fully encouraged to form support groups or online study groups among yourselves, using social media.

Secondly, it means that you require specific qualities to succeed. Paramount among these qualities are discipline, focus, and determination. You should likewise possess an analytical or critical mind.

We realize that to many of you, this open learning style may pose a bit of a culture shock. Three decades of teacher-centered education at the primary, secondary, and higher education levels have made us dependent on a teacher who decides for us and who dictates our learning preferences. Please note that here at UPOU, we recognize that learning decisions and preferences, including scheduling, pacing, sequencing, and focus, reside primarily upon the learner within limits set by the UP system. Thus, take the initiative.

There will be no “hand-holding” from the dean, the secretary, the program chair or your professors. Consider further that you are in an undergraduate program where independent thought is the hallmark of progress. Celebrate your independence.

What is the AADDA program about?

The AADDA program aims to produce graduates who are ethically responsible and inclusive citizens; effective communicators; able to integrate different knowledge domains; able to evaluate information in the context of digital or networked problem domains; able to collaborate with diverse groups; able to determine the most appropriate digital creative skills and competencies required to meet requirements; able to plan for continuous improvement; able to employ critical, independent judgment in content design and production; able to be responsible, ethical use of ways of digital authoring technologies; and able to create creative and novel solutions to design challenges.

What courses will I be taking?

The AADDA program consists of 30 academic units in courses related to media, computation, society, and technology, as well as 8 non-academic units of Physical Education (PE) and 6 non-academic units worth of Civic Welfare and Training Service (CWTS) courses, The AADDA Curriculum also includes elective courses that are offered by the Faculty of Education. Go to the AADDA page and click on the "Curriculum" tab to learn more about the AADDA curriculum. Go to the end of this article to download sample plans of study for both full-time and part-time students.

What courses should I first enroll in?

If this is your first term in AADDA and have not taken any university-level classes in the past, you are advised to enroll in the following:

Full-time students
- ETHICS 1 (Ethics and Moral Reasoning in Everyday Life)
- MMS 100 (Introduction to Multimedia Studies)
- MMS 101 (Introduction to Information Technology)
- MMS 102 (Theories in Multimedia)
- NSTP 1
- PE 1
Part-time students
- MMS 100
- MMS 101
- NSTP 1

How long will it take me to finish the program?

It depends on how much time and attention you can allocate to your studies. We have drafted samples of Plans of Study you can follow depending on whether you are a full-time or part-time student. Full-time students in good academic standing throughout the program can graduate within 2 years. Part-time students will take longer. Go to the AADDA page and click in the "Plan of Study" tab to learn more. You can switch at any time between being a full-time or part-time student. However, there is a limit to the number of terms it takes for you to complete; this is your Maximum Residency.

There is no "typical time" for an AADDA student to graduate; at UPOU, the idea of a "batch" does not apply. Many choose to study at UPOU because it provides them the flexibility to take the time they need with their studies. Students in graduate school think like this; every student pursuing a Master's or PhD takes the time they need to finish their research and study, no more and no less, and the time they need differs between all students. While it may be advantageous for you to finish your studies within four years, as long as you finish within your maximum residency, you will graduate "on time".

Go to the end of this article to download sample Plans of Study (as PDF files) for both full-time and part-time students. Regularly revisiting and updating your Plan of Study will help you gauge how much time you need to finish the program.

I previously took university-level courses in the pasts; can those be used toward my degree?

It depends. See the article Can courses I took from a previous institution or UP campus unit count towards my AADDA degree? and apply for a Transfer of Credits as soon as you can.

When can I enroll in classes?

The enrollment period for each Trimester is listed in the Academic Calendar.

I intend to transfer to another UP campus unit and program as soon as I can, can you help me?

Please see Additional information for students wishing to meet transfer requirements for other UP CUs.

I have more questions about the AADDA program or studying at UPOU. Where can I get answers?

Student orientations: New student orientations are held regularly. If you are a new student, you should have received a notice about an upcoming orientation. Recordings of student orientation talks are also archived on the UPOU Networks site.

You can also access the UPOU-AADDA Freshdesk for any more questions.

Getting Started guides in the AADDA Helpdesk: A set of online resources on getting started with the AADDA program is available in this helpdesk knowledge base. They include guides on the following topics:

Other articles in the AADDA Helpdesk: Because UPOU is a dynamic institution and the AADDA program is always evolving, this site serves as a knowledge base of useful, updated information that can help you throughout your time in the program. To access the knowledge base, click or tap the Sign up link at the top of this page, then follow the directions on the screen to set up your account. Once you have logged in, we recommend that you read the following articles to get started:

These are but suggested articles with which you can start; you can explore the knowledge base at your leisure.

Who are the people behind the AADDA program?

The AADDA Program is under the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS). Asst. Prof. Margaret Suarez is the Program Development Associate of the AADDA Program. Asst. Prof. Joyce M. Vega is the Faculty Secretary, and Dr. Diego S. Maranan is the Dean. Please remember their names as you might need them for requests later on.

Sample Plans of Study

Example Plans of Study can be downloaded below as PDF files. Please note that alternative Plans of Study are possible, and unless you have been explicitly instructed to follow a specific Plan, you should review, updated, and (if needed) revise your Plan at least once a term using the AADDA Planner. The Plans provided here are merely ones that have been optimized for full-time and part-time students.

We hope this introduction to the AADDA program has been helpful!