12 October 2020

OVPAA Memorandum No. 2020-117

For:                 The Faculty, Chairpersons, Institute Directors and Deans

                        Through the Chancellors

From:              Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon Bautista

Vice-President for Academic Affairs

Re:                  Mid-Semester Reading Break on 2-6 November 2020

_________________________________________________________________________

One month of remote teaching and learning has passed with two more months to go before the end of classes.  It has been a tough month for our academic community as it faced unprecedented and multiple challenges. 

 To manage the stress of adjusting to the new experience of remote learning in the midst of a pandemic and to allow students to catch up, focus and understand the course learning materials given them, we are scheduling a System-wide Mid-Semester Reading Breakon the week of 2-6 November 2020. 

 For students, this is the time to do advance reading or to simply take a break from grappling with heavy course demands, on the one hand, and a high level of COVID19-induced anxiety, on the other. For faculty members, this break may be a time to further reflect on adjustments to be made in course delivery and assessment, if any, or to rest from close monitoring of learning among students with differential access to Internet connectivity and telecommunication signals. 

 During the Reading Week, we enjoin our faculty to refrain from

• Conducting synchronous sessions and/or asynchronous activities and assessments; and
• Setting deadlines for course requirements on these dates. 

 Thank you for your consideration. Stay safe.

Researches from the Department of Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science were presented as ePosters and earned recognition at the 3rd Madayaw International Multidisciplinary Research Conference on the theme, “Shaping the future research emerging from this COVID-19 pandemic,” organized by San Pedro College Research Publication Innovation Center and held on 1-2 October 2020 in Davao City. 

The titles of the ePosters presented were, as follows: 

ePoster #1: "Temporal projections of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and recoveries in Davao City, Philippines using an Epidemic Model" presented by Ms. El Veena Rosero.

ePoster #2: "Investigating the role of food ration system in controlling COVID-19 at barangay-level in Davao City using agent-based model simulation approach" presented by Ms. Ivy Grace Morales Panogalinog. [THIRD PLACE]

ePoster #3: "The irony of zero rabies reports: Are zeroes really zeroes?" presented by Mr. Zython Paul Lachica [SECOND PLACE]

ePoster #4: "QGIS-generated maps capturing the spatiotemporal distribution of COVID-19 cases among barangays in Davao City, Philippines" presented by Ms. Mia Kristine Quinco [FIRST PLACE]

Among the research co-authors were Mr. Abel Leandro Borja Paras, Ms. Elaine Mae Tibayan, Ms. Alaina Plaza, Ms. Kylah Catherine Nulada, Dr. Aurelio De Los Reyes, and Assoc. Prof. May Anne Mata.