#SUWomenLeaders: Asst. Prof. Alfie Q. Arcelo

Asst. Prof. Alfie Q. Arcelo
Information and Quality Support officer, Office of Silliman Online University Learning (SOUL)

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged educational institutions to find a way to continue. A year before the pandemic, mySOUL—short for “Silliman Online University Learning,” Silliman University’s Online Distance Learning (ODL) platform—was relaunched and was being utilized in almost all academic levels to supplement classroom learning. By March 2020, it became clear that mySOUL would have to become more than an accessory to learning: it had to be the key.

To focus on strengthening mySOUL and to accelerate the faculty and staff mySOUL training program, the University set up a designated office to lead the “exodus” from face-to-face learning to online learning.

The Office of SOUL, led by the former dean of the College of Computer Studies, Dr. Dave E. Marcial, aggressively trained faculty and staff beginning March 2020 to equip them for fully online teaching and learning methods for the summer term in April; the Midyear program in June; and eventually, School Year 2020-2021 in August.

Unknown to many, Marcial as the SOUL Office director is not the only one calling the shots. He works together in leading the SOUL Office with Asst. Prof. Alfie Q. Arcelo, former chair of the Educational Technology Department before it was merged with the SOUL Office. Arcelo had already led the retooling of faculty and staff when mySOUL was relaunched in 2019, so she had an integral role in training the faculty and staff.

“I just realized that I was the only woman in the team when we first started with the new SOUL in March 2019 and even training teachers in March of 2020, but it never felt awkward; I felt equally responsible and empowered with the other three men,” said Arcelo.

In a span of just a few months, the SOUL Office conquered the high-pressure task. SU confidently assured students by July that it was ready to ensure continuous learning in the middle of the pandemic because it had mySOUL and, most of all, it had competent, experienced faculty members that know how to utilize the platform. As one of the leaders of the SOUL Office and one of those who took up the task of teaching the teachers, Arcelo was a key figure in this achievement.

This is what happens #WhenWomenLead in Silliman University.

In the following interview with Asst. Prof. Alfie Q. Arcelo, she talked about her role in the SOUL Office and updates on ODL in SU. She also answered questions about herself as a leader, professional, and woman in light of National Women’s Month:

1. Tell us about your role in the SOUL Office and in helping the University prepare for Online Distance Learning. What goals did your office meet? What did you find most challenging and how were you able to overcome it?

Initially, as part of the SOUL team, our main goal was the university’s big task to train all teachers on how to use SOUL as well as prepare them for online distance learning…merely given such short preparation time! Before training the teachers, I was tasked to train the staff of supporting units to use online collaborative apps to facilitate efficient online transactions. The greatest challenge was the big task itself, not to mention the different needs of different teachers and their specialization, and the stress that COVID-19 brought. Countless emergency meetings to strategize a better delivery and endless research and tries to give solution to pending glitches only discovered during the training. Thankfully, we were able to pull it through, and we have not just met the goal of the office but the university’s…never mind the bashing, insults, and whatnot—they all made us stronger and ready to face challenges head-on.

2. Now that the University is on its second semester of full ODL implementation, what are your next steps? What is your office preparing or planning for?

We are in the process of updating the manual (version 3.0) and are continuously offering online sessions to teachers who wish to attend more training especially on new features and those that were not highlighted during the training but are very useful. We are keeping track of data results on teacher and student engagements in SOUL in order to find means of having a better approach for an improved engagement and maximizing the use of our LMS. The bigger step is preparing for another set of training, this time for blended learning, still with the use of SOUL.

3. In your field of work, what motivates you to keep going as a leader and as a professional?

Aside from my family’s full support, the SOUL team just gets me going…really. We have a different kind of collaboration and solidarity that has someone like me moving forward confidently. It’s not just the usual ‘I got your back’ feeling; it’s more of ‘we’re all in this together no matter the results’. I just realized that I was the only woman in the team when we first started with the new SOUL in March 2019 and even training teachers in March of 2020, but it never felt awkward; I felt equally responsible and empowered with the other three men. Also, having a boss who positively pushes me to excel is one big motivation for me to surpass what I have achieved. Most importantly, the smiles of contentment of people who we have facilitated means a lot to keep me going.

4. What do you think is the biggest challenge for women in this “new normal”? How do you think it can be addressed?

Unprecedented challenges have come our way, especially amplified in the working moms. For those who are compelled to go out due to their call of duty which makes them frontliners in every way, it is stressful to think that we could be the source of the virus that could infect our family, at the same time be exposed to it unknowingly. To add to the challenge is being a full-time teacher to the children when at home while simultaneously performing mother duties and household chores. It is a juggling performance that only women can pull through. That challenge could be remedied if our partners could stand up to that word, partner, in all these. Also, if the nature of our work could be done at home, then we might as well grab it in order for us to be able to have a more organized schedule on which we could be effective. Of course, having a vaccine that’s of good quality could greatly help from being worried to execute things outside of the home.

5. Describe your ideal “new normal” for our community (at least one sentence).

Quality vaccine for all for a more COVID-free community; the more COVID-free, the more normal it will be.

6. One woman you look up to and why?

I’ll go local and choose the closest to me—Dahlia Gordoncillo Quinamot, my mother. She’s the exemplar of woman empowerment way before society has highlighted such, and hers is a simple yet inspiring story. Motherhood did not stop her from finishing her college degree. This materfamilias sacrificed being away from us during school days for 32 years to be the mother of her grade 2 pupils, yet she still was able to perform her mother duties to me and my bother; in fact, both of us are still very close and attached to her to this day. She has the discipline and kind heart that I have always wanted to emulate. Up to this day, I could still feel the empowered woman in her, even at the ripe age of 65 years.