THE MARIANO Marcos State University will establish an Integrated Engineering E-Learning and Multi-Technology Laboratory this year to deliver quality education in the new normal.

The MMSU aims to equip and upgrade the laboratory facilities of its engineering degree programs with a P10.5 million fund from the Commission on Higher Education.

MMSU President Shirley Agrupis said the program is a timely response to address the restrictions because of the Covid19 pandemic.

“In light of the present situation, there is a need to establish an e-learning and multi-technology laboratory in the university which will enable our faculty to deliver technical courses more attractively and effectively to students,” Agrupis said.

She said that the use of virtual laboratories and simulation programs will help ensure that the required skills of students are developed.

The funding for the project came from the agency’s Institutional Development and Innovation Grants for State Universities and Colleges.

“The infrastructure will include electronics, electrical, civil e-learning, ICT and automotive e-learning packages; operating systems, network and security, and data communications laboratories consisting of diverse virtual classroom course wares; and campus-wide ArcGIS (geographic information system) licenses that allow students to do their laboratory offline and online,” MMSU said.

“In this laboratory, the e-learning materials can be easily accessible and customizable. It is also interactive and collaborative, thereby activating students’ curiosity and developing their practical skills,” it added.

The project will reduce labor expenditure in preparing assignments and checking students’ responses, and improve the accuracy of learning outcome measurements by automatic response evaluation.

Dr. Nathaniel R. Alibuyog, college dean, said the integrated e-learning and multi-technology laboratory will serve as a shared facility of the College of Engineering.

“Through the project, MMSU engineering students are expected to become more industry-ready and capable of innovating and contributing to national development in the future,” he added.