2 Pinoys in South Wales feted for contributions to student learning

Two Filipinos in New South Wales in Australia have been feted for their individual outstanding contributions to student learning, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday. An article posted on the DFA website identified the Filipinos as Dr. Renato Andrin Villano and Sandra Seno-Alday, recipients of the annual citations from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC). "These citations are given by the ALTC annually in recognition and as reward for significant contributions made by individuals and teams to the quality of student learning in a specific area of responsibility over a sustained period," the DFA article said. It said Villano and Alday received the awards at ceremonies held at the Sydney Opera House last August 16. Villano is a senior lecturer in Econometrics and course coordinator of the University of New England in Armidale. He shared his citation with a UNE colleague, Pauline Fleming, "for successfully engaging students in statistics by providing a supportive learning environment and utilising assessment as a learning tool." Villano holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics degree and Doctor of Philosophy in Economics degree from the University of New England (UNE) Armidale, the same article said. He joined the University in 2001 and is now a Senior Lecturer in Econometrics at UNE. He is also an active researcher in the areas of applied econometrics, agricultural economics and rural development. He was formerly an assistant scientist and visiting research fellow at the International Rice Research Institute in Los Baños, Laguna. Rene, as he is fondly called by family and friends, is from Balayan, Batangas but grew up in Pili, Camarines Sur. He arrived in Australia in 1990 and now resides in Armidale, New South Wales with his wife and two children. On the other hand, Alday is a course coordinator and lecturer for International Risk Management of the University of Sydney Business School. She is one of seven University of Sydney academics to receive the ALTC citation, being recognized "for effectively designing integrated assessment systems that inspire active and progressive learning, leading to increased dynamic learning capacity." Alday is a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the Ateneo de Manila University. She finished her MBA in International Business at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP) Europe in Paris, France. She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Training and Human Resource Management from the Centre for Labour Market Studies, University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, and is completing her PhD Economics degree at the University of Sydney this year. Currently a lecturer of the University of Sydney Business School, Alday received several awards for her outstanding performance in teaching and is an author of many conference papers, reports and journal articles in the area of business and management, the DFA said. — RSJ, GMA News