The CEDF-IT Model

Much have been said and written about the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF-IT). In fact, it was discussed as a possible model for regions gearing up to be ICT hubs of the Philippine Cyber Corridor during the recent consultative workshop held by the Commission on ICT (CICT) at the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCO) last September 5, 2007. The rise of the ICT sector of Cebu is greatly attributed to the programs of CEDF-IT and other regions are learning from their practices and experiences.

CEDF-IT is an offshoot of the first Cebu IT Summit convened last March 2001. The Cebu IT Summit identified the need to enhance the quality and quantity of human resources in the IT industry and CEDF-IT was the response to this challenge by the major players in the industry, the academe, and government and NGOs.

CEDF-IT was organized to undertake the following six-fold mandate: (1) promote and support the development of IT education in the tertiary level through a Faculty Development & Incentives Program and a Students Scholarship Program; (2) enhance IT education in the tertiary level by assisting member-schools in curriculum development, improvement of equipment, and other related concerns; (3) promote the early acquisition of relevant IT knowledge and skills in the primary and secondary school levels by assisting these schools integrate IT education within their curriculum; (4) assist in the promotion and provision of non-formal IT skills training through short-term certificate courses; (5) guarantee the efficient absorption of qualified IT graduates by industry through an employment mechanism set-up solely for this purpose; and (6) serve as an advocacy group for the formulation of pertinent HR-related IT policies, beneficial national and local laws, and appropriate incentives program by the national and local governments.

The flagship projects are the following: (1) IT Teachers Academy; (2) Professional Certification Center; (3) HR Survey & Monitoring Unit; (4) R&D Center & Institutionalization Unit; (5) Entrepreneurship and Incubation Center; (6) Quality Assurance in IT Education; (7) Cebu is an IT Education Hub; (8) Global Outreach for IT Pinoys.

The Board of Trustees is private sector-led. The officers and directors are a good mix of people from the academe and industry.

It is worthy to note that during the years 2001 to 2003, only 100 to 300 graduates were appropriately employed from a total pool of 2,200 graduates. In year 2006, 600 graduates qualified for entry-level employment with a 1,500 minimum demand industry, from a pool of 2,200 graduates. A very substantial improvement indeed.

Incidentally, CEDF-IT's vision-mission is: the foremost HR development source in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT); and nurturing quality ICT education by establishing high industry standards. Their slogan or mantra is “matching jobs with people and matching education supply with industry demand".

CEDF-IT has a certification program called Philippine IT General Certification Examination (Phil-IT GCE). It may be considered as an overall evaluation of the graduate’s level of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective learning as specified in B.S. Computer Science, B.S. Computer Engineering, B.S. Information Technology, and B.S. Information Management curricula, as well as the graduate’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes pertinent to advanced or latest trends in IT as required by industry. In a way, the PHIL-IT GCE serves as an interim solution for the need for a board examination, testing the IT skills of Filipino would-be professionals, with IT skills set by Filipino IT professionals, yet addressing international industry benchmarks.

In the span of six years, the following tenets have characterized the CEDF-IT model: (1) CEDF-IT is private sector-led; (2) CEDF-IT enjoys exemplary government support; (3) CEDF-IT endeavors to exercise development-oriented “empowered leadership”; (4) CEDF-IT is an “entrepreneurial venture”; (5) CEDF-IT “core and foundational values” animate its way of doing and being.

CEDF-IT has been instrumental in positioning Cebu as a location for the development of IT services (e.g., software development, IT deployment services) as well as IT-enabled services (e.g., BPO, call centers, multimedia web). CEDF-IT is also building Cebu's image as an innovation island, similar to the Silicon Valley model.

To further prepare graduates for absorption in industry, various trainings and seminars were held along the years. Bridge courses for entry-level software developers were also developed (e.g., Oracle, Microsoft.Net, Java, PHP Web Programming, IPv6, Systems Programming in C). The Career Link Services Center takes care of the efficient absorption of graduates in industry and a quarterly newsletter is published to highlght the activities and achievements of CEDF-IT. In 2006, CEDF-IT celebrated its 5th anniversary with a big party.

Source: Presentation slides of CICT during the Philippine Cyber Corridor Briefing last September 5, 2007 at MEDCO.

The Philippine Cyber Corridor

A consultative workshop on the Philippine Cyber Corridor was held at the Conference Room of the Mindanao Development Council (MEDCo) last September 5, 2007. The event was organized by the Commission on ICT (CICT) and facilitated by Ms. Patricia Abjejo, Director for Cyberservices, with two other companions.

Key ICT sector leaders from Davao City (Region XI), Cagayan de Oro City (Region X), Zamboanga City (Region 9) and General Santos City (Region 12) were in attendance. The main components of the consultative workshop were: (1) briefing on the Philippine Cyber Corridor; (2) the process of becoming an ICT hub; (3) the need for ICT councils; (4) the DOLE workforce development initiatives.

The Cyber Corridor is envisioned to be home to numerous cyberservice providers that supply expert services in various field of ICT like business process outsourcing (BPO), contact centers, animation, medical and legal transcription, software development, e-learning, e-entertainment and gaming, and other back office operations (e.g., finance and accounting, human resource development, etc.).

The Cyber Corridor was highlighted in the State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs) of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (years 2006 and 2007) as the fifth "super-region" of the Philippines (aside from the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle, the Metro Luzon Urban Beltway, Central Philippines, and Mindanao) with the firm resolve of "spreading the development away from the inequitable concentration in Metro Manila. The Cyber Corridor encompasses centers of technology and learning running the length of all "super regions", from Baguio to Clark to Metro Manila to Cebu to Davao and neighboring areas. The Philippines ranks among top off-shoring hubs in the world because of cost competitiveness and more importantly, our highly trainable, English-proficient, IT-enabled management and manpower."

The core mandate of CICT is to strengthen and sustain the status of the Philippine Cyber Corridor as the preferred ICT destination in the global ICT space. This mission springs from the CICT vision of an ICT-enabled business environment that shapes and empowers the economic dreams and aspirations of the 21st century Filipino.

The CICT has been conducting scorecarding exercises in various locations in regions wanting to be part of the corridor. The exercise determines the viability of other areas in the Cyber Corridor outside of Metro Manila as potential locations for ICT investors willing to relocate to the regions. Currently, 33 locations have been scored, 14 of which have locators already existing. The 14 scored sites with already existing locators are the following: Baguio, Clark/Pampanga, Sta. Rosa/Laguna, Rizal/Cainta, Lipa/Batangas, Legaspi/Albay, Naga/Camarines Sur, Cebu, Iloilo, Tacloban/Leyte, Dumaguete/Negros Oriental, Bacolod/Negros Occidental, Davao, Cagayan de Oro. The 5 scored sites with expected locators by end of year 2007 are the following: Cabanatuan/Nueva Ecija, Dagupan/Pangasinan, Subic, Cavite, Tagbilaran/Bohol. The 14 remaining scored sites that have no existing locators yet are the following: Poro Point/La Union, Tuguegarao, Tarlac, Bataan, Bulacan, Quezon, Puerto Princesa/Palawan, General Santos, Kidapawan/North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Koronadal/South Cotabato, Sarangani, Bukidnon, Zamboanga.

The Cyber Corridor promises a number of benefits. The first is job generation. Two million jobs are projected by year 2010 plus additional upstream jobs in training and construction, and downstream jobs in transport, food services, and infrastructure. The second is regional development -- from Baguio to Zamboanga. This will indeed change the face of the nation. The third is locator options. The important factors for consideration will be cost, lifestyle, scalability, retention. The fourth is dispersion of demand. This will minimize wage inflation and poaching/attrition.

The Philippines is competitive in the ICT global space because of the following strengths: (1) reliable infrastructure support in terms of real estate, power, and telecoms; (2) quality human resources with an abundant labor force of 32 million; (3) investment incentives; (4) strong partnerships and linkages with national and local government agencies, industry leaders and associations, and academe; (5) strong private sector initiatives.

The challenges that face the Philippine ICT sector are the following: (1) sustaining adequate supply of skilled ICT workforce; (2) cost of electricity; (3) high software piracy rate; (4) lack of cyber laws (anti-piracy, data privacy, cyber security).

CICT proposes the following steps to becoming an ICT hub and part of the Cyber Corridor: (1) DTI-ROG pinpoints viable locations within the Cyber Corridor; (2) DTI-ROG gathers concerned stakeholders for the exercise (e.g., LGUs, academe, representatives from telecommunications, power, real estate, PNP, among others) to gather data and build an ICT ecosystem profile for the location; (3) CICT and DTI-ROG conduct scorecard exercise which is basically a self-assessment of the capabilities of the location and find out its readiness to host an investor/locator; along side, a SWOT analysis is also conducted to determine the strengths & weaknesses of the location; (4) CICT then conducts an ICT strategic planning workshop to map out what needs to be done to address crucial locator requirements; (5) CICT monitors the progress of the location in carrying out strategies to increase its competitiveness; (6) when the location has addressed the issues/challenges identified, then CICT declares the location ready and endorses it to BPAP vendors as a viable location for investment.

In developing the ICT ecosystem, the following areas the bases for the score card: (1) workforce potential; (2) telecoms infrastructure; (3) real estate; (4) vendor support; (5) LGU/community support; (6) power infrastructure; (7) transport infracture; (8) incentives; (9) quality of life. In a scale of 1 to 10, the location makes a self-assessment of its own capabilities and readiness to host investors/locators. The score carding exercise intends to address the weaknesses of the location in order to establish a complete cyberservices ecosystem which is key to attracting locators. Each location is encouraged to have its own "unique selling proposition" or "differentiator".

This whole planning exercise in the regional level gives CICT a more accurate picture of the workforce. Infrastructure build-up programs can be rationalized (depending on the score cards). Locations can build on respective strengths, avoid duplication of efforts, and minimize competition for locators. The key word is to "synergize". Locations that have addressed their weaknesses, improved their score cards, and finalized their roadmaps get the nod and endorsement of CICT and become officialy part of the Philippine Cyber Corridor.

The importance of regional ICT councils was emphasized by CICT during the consultation. These councils will serve as the backbone of the assessment and planning excercises at the regional level with the goal of becoming part of the Cyber Corridor. The results of the various consultations of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Workforce Development Initiatives were presented as additional input for the participants when they get back to their respective regions and undergo their assessment and planning exercises. CICT also expressed their plan to organize a national ICT council composed of the leaders from the organized regional ICT councils.

Source: Presentation slides of CICT during the Philippine Cyber Corridor Briefing at MEDCO last September 5, 2007.

MCITE 2007

The Philippine Society of IT Educators-Region XI Chapter (PSITE-XI), in partnership with the Council of Deans for IT Education in Region XI (CDITE-XI), is once again holding the Mindanao Conference on IT Education (MCITE) and is slated on September 20-21, 2007, 8am to 5pm, at Rm. F213, 2nd floor of Finster Building, Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), Roxas Avenue, Davao City. The venue was originally set at the University of Mindanao-Matina Campus but some problems cropped up which prompted the organizers to transfer the venue to ADDU.

MCITE is an annual event anchored by PSITE-XI and is on its fifth year. This year's conference promises to be as engaging and worthy of praise as those of the past years. MCITE is a Mindanao-wide meeting of IT professionals in the field of Computer Science, Information Technology, and Information Systems. It will feature well-known academic and business leaders as plenary speakers. Submitted IT-based researches who have gained the nod of the screening committee will also be presented. The conference aims to provide a venue for teachers, researchers, graduate students, and IT professionals to share and upgrade their knowledge in IT.

MCITE is part of PSITE-XI's commitment to promote the development of quality Information Technology Education in the Philippines, particularly in Region XI, and is a major partner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in this endeavor.

The main components of the conference are the presentation of twelve researches by IT professionals from the academe and industry, three invited papers from well-known professionals in the IT academic community, and technical presentations from the sponsors. Exhibit booths manned by the sponsors will also be in the vicinity of the conference.

Course your registration to the following email address: rsgamboa@gmail.com. Only those who confirm their attendance will be assured of complete conference kits. You can also register and pay at the secretariat table during the conference dates. The registration fee is Php1,300.00 per participant for PSITE members and Php1,800.00 per participant for non-PSITE members. Accommodations are not included in the said fees. For more details, visit the website http://ite.uic.edu.ph/psite.

CDITE-XI at 7

How time flies. The Council of Deans for IT Education in Region XI (CDITE-XI) started in year 2001 and spread its wings under the presidency of Vic Calag (UP-Mindanao) for three years until year 2004. I took over as president until July 2007. In six years, CDITE-XI has grown stronger and has made significant inroads in the field of IT Education as well as contributed to the growth of the local IT industry of Davao. CDITE-XI is now on its seventh year with Chrys Ibarra (Holy Child School of Davao) as the new president.

The first three years of CDITE-XI under the leadership of Vic Calag was basically the laying down of the foundations of the organization. The first three years were characterized by periodic meetings in different schools, sharing of best practices in curriculum development and student researches, faculty enhancement seminars and trainings, dialogue with the local IT industry, representation in the ICT Council of Davao, collaboration with PSITE, and the IT Olympiad (student programming competition and quiz bowl).

The next three years of CDITE-XI under my leadership was basically sustaining the gains and making inroads. The main accomplishments are: (1) having a legal identity as a SEC-registered organization; (2) clarity of roles vis-a-vis PSITE-XI; (3) administrator-focused seminars; (4) curriculum prototypes for BSCS, BSIT and BSIM with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among IT Education Heads and CHED-XI; (5) continued collaboration with PSITE-XI, especially the IT Education Weeks and the hosting of the 4th National Conference on IT Education (NCITE) last October 2006; (6) Summer Seminar-Workshop Series; (7) Technopreneurship Training and development of the SEED Technopreneuship Course; (8) linkages with PSITE-National and the other regional chapters, ICT Davao Inc. (the umbrella organization of all IT organizations in Davao), Davao Business Community, Technology Providers, and the various government agencies as well as the local government unit; (9) and saving the best for last, the four Centers of Development in IT Education (ADDU, UIC, UM, UP-Min).

It would be worthy to note that the vision of CDITE-XI is to make Davao as the center of quality and world-class IT education and training in Mindanao. The mission is to produce highly competent and efficient IT professionals with sound social and ethical standards. The five main programs are: (1) Administrators and Faculty Development; (2) Academe-IT Industry Linkage; (3) Inter-School Cooperation; (4) Advocacy; and (5) Networking. The core values are commitment, professionalism, excellence, continuing education, integrity, social relevance and unity.

CDITE-XI is composed of twenty-seven member IT schools. The bulk of the membership comes from Davao City with nineteen IT schools (refer to the table above -- the 19th school is Assumption School of Davao with their BSCS program). There are two member IT schools in Davao del Sur, four in Davao del Norte, one in Compostela Valley, and one in Davao Oriental (refer to the table below). Almost all member schools offer the BSCS and BSIT programs. Only five schools offer the BSIM program. Among the twenty-seven member IT schools, only three of the universities offer masters degree courses (ADDU, UIC, USEP). The shared vision of CDITE-XI and PSITE-XI is making Davao as the IT Education capital of Mindanao which complements the vision of ICT Davao Inc. -- that is to make Davao as the IT capital of Mindanao.

There are still some unfinished business to focus on, namely: (1) student competencies and immersion framework; (2) faculty immersion, consultancy, research & development partnerships; (3) IT Educators Academy; (4) technopreneurship program; (5) continuous dialogue with IT industry; and (6) school-initiated technology development programs. These are tall orders to attain, but definitely not unreachable. On its seventh year, CDITE-XI, under the leadership of Chrys Ibarra, will focus on these concerns.

We in CDITE-XI have indeed come a long way in six years. We have developed into a cohesive and forward-looking community because of long-standing relationships and respect for each other's pace and growth. We just have to capitalize on our gains and soar further to greater heights. As the Jedis would say, "the force is with us..." -- and I greatly believe in this. :-)

Note: This is the narrative form of the President's Report I delivered to the Joint CDITE-XI and PSITE-XI Regional Assembly for IT Educators last July 20, 2007 at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP).

Technopreneurship and IT Education - Part II

The Micro Strategy

For technopreneurship to flourish in schools, a micro technopreneurship ecosystem has to be in place through these components, namely: curriculum, events, infrastructure.

Creativity and innovation in students will have to be developed early in the first three years of the curriculum. The students will have to be exposed to what is hot in Silicon Valley (and other similar technology-based ecosystems) through the Internet, learn from successful IT ventures both locally and abroad, look into the technicalities of high-technology products, and be abreast with cutting-edge technologies that can be potential enterprise enablers. This can be achieved by requiring short 15-minute reports for each student for the whole class to hear in IT classes spread out in the three years. If this becomes a habit within their first three years, the students will hopefully be fertile with technology ideas when they start their thesis or senior project proposals. A formal technopreneurship course in the senior year will facilitate the creation of viable technology-based business plans.

A region-wide business plan competition can be organized as an annual event in partership with the Philippine Emerging Startups Open (PESO) which also holds a national business plan competition every year. Winners in the regional level will be automatic entries in the final round at the national level. Highlights of the projects can also be presented as researches in annual student conferences such as the IT Students Congress (Davao) and Youth for IT Congress (Y4IT). Projects with IT faculty involved can also be presented as researches in annual conferences such as the Mindanao Conference on IT Education (MCITE), National Conference on IT Education (NCITE), Computing Society of the Philippines Congress (CSPC), and the like. Winning and commendable business plans will be recommended for incubation with the appropriate support.

The need for a Technology Research and Development Facility that can focus on evaluating and assisting technology-based business plans then becomes imperative. Seminars and trainings to beef up business plans may  be provided. Pre-incubation services may also be provided such as computers and connectivity, mentoring and consultation, business development support, and other support services. Partnerships with industry can also be forged for certain projects. An intellectual property rights and technology licensing program can also be anchored in this facility. Faculty from the Engineering and Business Divisions as well as the Law School can be involved in this facility.

This three-pronged approach will hopefully encourage graduating students to pursue their technology-based business plans as startups, initially assisted by technology-business incubators, and eventually graduate as full-blown small and medium IT enterprises (SMITEs) competing in the domestic and global market. This means that the local IT industry has to be ready with more technology-business incubator centers to absorb interested graduates annually who opt to be startups and more IT parks to absorb mature and stable IT enterprises.

The Wider Scheme of Things

The diagram above encapsulates the envisioned technopreneurship ecosystem -- in the wider scheme of things. The IT schools, with their three-pronged micro-strategy, churn out technology-based business plans every year in partnership with industry, government and PESO. The best business plans are absorbed by technology-business incubators as startups and facilitate access to venture capitalists, funding institutions, and the domestic and international IT market. In a year or two, the startups mature into stable SMITEs and eventually locate in IT Parks or Zones. The SMITEs then enjoy the business incentives and supportive legal framework of the local government. They also interface with other locators as well as the IT and business communities and help spur the economic development of the city. 

Conclusion

Schools with IT Education programs play a fundamental and crucial role in the technonopreneurship ecosystem being put in place by stakeholders in the IT, business, and government sectors of Davao. If most the schools in the region adopt the three-pronged approach discused above, and the technology-business incubation centers and IT parks are also all in place, Davao will finally be the preferred "greener pasture" and home of our graduates. I would like to see that happen in my lifetime...  :-)

Note: Portions of the content of this topic can also be found in a feature article I wrote for Agham Mindanaw (Volume 3, 2006) entitled "Perspectives from the Information Technology Education Front." Agham Mindanaw is the Science and Technology Journal of the Ateneo de Davao University.

Technopreneurship and IT Education - Part I

My past posts in this blog have been dominantly on technopreneurship and IT education. A lot of ideas and experiential learnings on these two areas have been "pushed" down my "knowledge stack" and they seem to be crying out for expression -- to be "popped" out, so to speak. Pardon my analogy to the stack data structure, but I hope you don't mind the "popping" streak I'm having regarding these two very much related themes. This post explores on the tight relationship between technopreneurship and IT education. I already shared these thoughts in many occasions through presentation slides and I wish to put them down in narrative form in two parts. This post is the first part...

A Default Mindset

"Go to school, get good grades, land in a high-paying job." This is the usual mindset that most people have about formal education. Parents send their children to school with this mindset. Students imbibe this mindset and carry it with them until college. Most schools subscribe to and support this mindset. It is like a default mindset. We can formally call it the employment mindset.

The results of the employment mindset can be beneficial or destructive, depending on one's perspective. From the perspective of schools subscribing to this mindset, they take pride in the fact that their best graduates are sought after by companies, offering them attractive compensation packages. In the case of Davao schools, the best graduates are lured to companies in Manila, Cebu, and other prosperous urban cities. The average graduates try to remain in Davao but find it hard to land in good-paying jobs and find themselves following the route of their better classmates. Schools beam with pride when they get feedback that their graduates excel in the companies they are working for. However, I cannot help but be disturbed by this following reality check. Our best graduates help in the development of other places, not Davao -- and they have reservations in coming back. This "brain drain" cycle happens yearly and Davao's industries remain thin and their development snail-paced. With this yearly exodus of our best minds to other places, will we allow Davao to remain as a sought-after human resource provider forever? This reminds me of a local saying, "tayo ang nagsaing, iba ang kumain." I guess there has to be an end to this yearly phenomenon.

An Alternative Mindset

"Go to school, get good grades, create and own a company."
"Use your knowledge, skills, core values, creativity and passion to create and innovate through technology."
"Contribute and be involved in the technological development of Davao."

These statements offer an alternative mindset. We can formally call it the technopreneurship mindset. Technopreneurship is entrepreneurship in the field of high technology. It is the healthy interplay of technology ideas, technology skills, management skills and the entrepreneurial mindset. It starts with an idea, which when pursued, has the capacity to be transformed into a viable technology-based enterprise. The cultivation and nurturing of this alternative mindset can start in schools. A technopreneurship track in the IT curriculum can prepare students to be budding technopreneurs.

A technopreneurship track in the IT curriculum of Davao schools can lead to the following scenario... Our graduates decide to pursue their technoology-based business plans as start-ups in technology-business incubators. Venture capitalists invest in their viable high technology product(s). Their start-ups mature into stable IT enterprises and eventually locate in IT parks or buildings. The IT enterprises compete in the domestic and global market and spur economic growth in the locality. The local IT industry blossoms and attracts more locators and investors. Our graduates decide to build their careers and families in Davao. Graduates who left Davao return and decide to take root here. Davao becomes the IT hub and capital of Mindanao -- and possibly the Philippines, BIMP-EAGA, or even the Asia Pacific Region. Davao becomes the home of highly competent and efficient IT professionals with sound social and ethical standards. The Davao schools become renowned worldwide for producing such graduates.

The Macro Strategy

To attain and sustain the healthy scenario described above, a technopreneurship ecosystem in the region has to be in place. This requires the synergy of the academe, IT industry, government, and business community. This so-called synergy is sustained with the following components: (1) technopreneurship programs in the academe; (2) technology-business incubators; (3) venture capitalists and funding insitutions; (4) IT business incentives and a supportive legal framework; (5) IT parks and buildings; (6) access to domestic and international IT market; (7) domestic and international locators; (8) IT-enabled business enterprises and government agencies; (9) IT-enabled hotels and tourist destinations; (10) IT-friendly real estate environment.

This synergy scenario is still far from reality but a lot of inroads have already been achieved towards this direction. We have an active IT academic community with the presence of PSITE-XI, CDITE-XI and PSITS-XI. Twelve schools as of the moment have committed to implement a technoproneurship course in their IT education programs. The IT industry is now in good hands with ICT Davao, Inc., the umbrella organization of all IT organizations in Davao. To date, there are 10 IT organizations coming from distinct subsectors under its wing. We have quite a number of supportive City Councilors from the Davao City Council. A number of resolutions and ordinances in support of the IT industry have been passed by these supportive councilors. An IT Committee was created during the previous City Council to respond to the needs of the IT industry. We also have a supportive business community in the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII). Quite a number of initiatives and programs in support of the IT industry have emanated from the Chamber. To date, we have one IT incubation center in the campus of the Brokenshire College. We also have one IT Park at the Damosa property while NCCC Mall is preparing their fourth floor to be an IT Zone. We also have a lot of establishments providing free wi-fi access to customers. A number of locators have already set up camp in the city and there are others following soon. Things seem to be falling in the right place but the big challenge is how to sustain the emerging synergy and eventually maintain the ecosystem.

In my next post, I will focus on the micro strategy for IT schools in helping sustain the technopreneurship ecosystem...

TechnoKapihan@ADDU

The 6th TechnoKapihan of Davao was held last June 20, 2007, 2:00-4:00pm, at the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), 7th Floor, Board Room (F700), Finster Building, Roxas Avenue, Davao City. It was hosted by ADDU, Council of Deans for IT Education in Region XI (CDITE-XI) and OBTECH (a local IT firm).

The monthly roundtable discussion on IT trends, issues and events in the Davao context is a gathering of personalities and guests from the IT community of Davao. This event is an offshoot of the Technopreneurship Training held last November 2006 to January 2007. The first TechnoKapihan was held at the Royal Mandaya Hotel last mid-January 2007 after the initial promotion of the Technopreneurship course developed by a core of IT educators, administrators, and practitioners to the movers and shakers of Davao City. Since then, this gathering has been sustained on a monthly basis with many organizations volunteering to host it every third Wednesday of the month.

One of the highlights of the TechnoKapihan@ADDU was the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) involving the Mindanao Business Council (MinBC), Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) and ICT Davao, Inc. as partners in holding the 6th Mindanao ICT (MICT6) Congress and 1st BIMP-EAGA ICT Conference on October 23-24, 2007 at the Convention Center of the NCCC Mall, McArthur Highway, Matina, Davao City. Mr. Santos (President of MinBC), Atty. Duerme (President of DCCCII) and Manolito Tee (President of ICT Davao, Inc.) did the honors of formally signing the MOA to seal the partnership.

Wit Holganza, External VP of ICT Davao, Inc. and designated Conference Director of MICT6, followed suit by giving updates on the progress of the preparations since the last TechnoKapihan@NCCC . The Steering Committee, Technical Working Group, and 6 Committees were already formally formed to buckle down to work. Another update was the plan of sending a Davao contingent to the Cebu ICT 2007 event on June 26-28, 2007 to promote MICT6.

Edwin V. Marañon, Chair of the Computer Studies Division of ADDU and President of CDITE-XI, gave a presentation about the Academe Perspective on Technopreneurship. He presented the implications of the default employment mindset parents, students, and schools adhere to which contribute to the yearly exodus of our best graduates to other prosperous places like Manila, Cebu and other urban areas. He also presented the implications of an alternative technopreneurship mindset that can unleash the creativity and passion of students and decide on creating their own businesses through their brilliant technology ideas. By developing further their ideas in technology-business incubators, they can hopefully build mature IT enterprises that can eventually compete in the domestic and international IT market and spur economic growth in the locality. He further stressed the need for a technopreneurship ecosystem in the macro (region) and micro (IT schools) levels to sustain the initiatives and gains.

Dickie Gonzales of the Philippine Emerging Startups Open (PESO) was also around to express his support for the technopreneurship initiatives of Davao and reiterated the role of the regional business plan competition (PESO-Davao Challenge) in the building of a sustainable techopreneurship ecosystem. A lively discussion ensued, focusing on the implications and challenges of sustaining a technopreneurship culture in schools and enterprises. The session ended with a positive note.

The venue of the next TechnoKapihan will be at the Conference Room of the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCO), 4th floor, SSS Building, J.P. Laurel Avenue, Davao City on July 18, 2007, Wednesday, 2:00-4:00pm.

The PESO-Davao Challenge

The PESO regional business plan competition, dubbed as the PESO-Davao Challenge, was launched last June 20, 2007, 9:00-11:00am, at the Dormitory of the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP), Barrio Obrero, Davao City. The launch was done in coordination with the Philippine Emerging Startups Open (PESO), Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII), Philippine-Australia Human Resource Development Facility (PAHRDF), Council of Deans for IT Education in Region XI (CDITE-XI) and Philippine Society of IT Educators-Region XI (PSITE-XI).

The launch was also attended by personalities from government agencies such as the Commission on Higher Education-Region XI (CHED-XI), Department of Science and Technology-XI (DOST-XI), Department of Trade and Industry-XI (DTI-XI), Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS), Davao City Council as well as faculty and students from some of the participating schools in the Technopreneurship Training held last November 2006 to January 2007.

The main highlight of the launch was the presentation by Federico "Dickie" C. Gonzalez, President/CEO of PESO, on the concept, philosophy, guidelines and mechanisms of the regional business plan competition which was patterned from the PESO national business plan competition. To stir up the audience, Dickie sponsored a 15-minute "technology-business idea competition" for the students who were around. The students were made to compose their own teams and write down their bright technology-business ideas within the given time. A price of Php1,000.00 for the best technology-business idea was dangled as an incentive. Among those who submitted, there were four that were selected as good potentials, namely: (1) a triangulation strategy to locate the nearest taxi for a calling passenger; (2) enzymes in sour fruits such as kalamansi as possible alternative source of electricity; (3) a voice-to-text messaging mechanism for cell phones; and (4) a pen that can store whatever it writes or scribbles on paper. The fourth entry (a pen that can store data) was chosen as the winner and won the Php1,000.00. The results of the short contest were proof that our young students are capable of coming up with bright ideas and just need to be guided.

Calbert Dagatan, a fresh BSCS graduate of the Ateneo de Davao University, also shared his experience in joining the PESO national business competition last year and gave some tips and advice to the students on how to take advantage of the competition, prepare for it, and have the right attitude. The business concept of their team qualified for the first round but did not make it to the final round due to lack of guidance and communication lapses with the organizers in Manila. With the PESO Challenge now in Davao and the presence of possible mentors, the students have greater chances now of winning in the business plan competition.

The 3-5-page business concepts are due on August 20, 2007 for the initial screening and qualifying round. Those who qualify will undergo enterprise management enrichment workshops within the months of September and October 2007. The full-blown business plans (around 20 pages) will be due on October 20, 2007. Some of the good business plans will be presented during the 6th Mindanao ICT Congress on October 23-24, 2007 at the NCCC Mall. The final presentation and judging is slated on November 10, 2007. The final winners will be announced on November 14, 2007.

Twelve schools were involved in the Technopreneurship Training and will be the main source of business concepts for the qualifying round come August 20, 2007. Big prizes are at stake in the competition and will be announced in the next few weeks when finalized. Roadshows in different schools have been set to encourage more teams to participate.

The PESO Challenge website is at http://www.pesochallenge.org. The PESO-Davao Challenge website is hosted at http://ite.uic.edu.ph/peso/index.htm and the email address is pesodavao@gmail.com.

The IT Academic Community of Davao

In my past posts, I have been mentioning about PSITE, PSITE-XI, CDITE-XI. And there's another one which I have not mentioned yet -- PSITS-XI. These acronyms refer to organizations in the area of information technology education.

PSITE stands for Philippine Society of IT Educators. It is a national organization which has chapters in almost all regions of the country. In Luzon, Regions 1 to 5 and the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) have active chapters. In the Visayas, Regions 6 to 8 have active chapters too. In Mindanao, Regions 9 to 12 have active chapters as well. The Caraga Region (Region 13) already has a working core group and is seeking for recognition as a chapter. It is only in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that PSITE has no presence. The main mission of PSITE is to improve the quality of IT Education in the country. And I personally believe that this national network of IT Educators is making a lot of inroads in terms of this mission. I can say that since I get to see things from the top being part of the National Board as Vice-President for Mindanao for the past five years.

PSITE-XI is the regional chapter in Region XI. It is now ably led by Dr. Randy S. Gamboa (University of Southeastern Philippines), the chapter president, and his core of officers. Established way back 2001, it flexed its orgnizational muscles when it immediatley hosted the 4th PSITE National Convention held last February 2002 at the Grand Men Seng Hotel. I was then the chapter president before Dr. Gamboa took over. PSITE-XI once again proved its organizational prowess when it hosted the 4th National Conference on IT Education (NCITE) last October 2006 at the Ateneo de Davao University. PSITE-XI is recognized as one of the most active and productive chapters of PSITE. For the past four years, it has been holding its own IT Education Week (usually during the late part of November and early part of December) which has the following components, namely: Mindanao Conference on IT Education (MCITE), Academe-Industry Dialogue, ACM-based Programming Competition, IT Quiz Bee, IT Sportsfest, IT Students Congress. The membership of PSITE-XI has two types: institutional members and individual members. The institutional members are the IT schools in the region (with two official reprentatives from each member school). The individual members are the IT faculty of the IT schools.

CDITE-XI stands for Council of Deans for IT Education in Region XI. It is composed of the IT Education Program Heads of all 26 IT schools in the region as well as their alternates. In an agreement with PSITE-XI, CDITE-XI will take care of the IT administrators while PSITE-XI will take care of the IT faculty. CDITE-XI was established in the later part of 2001, through the initiative the Commission on Higher Education-Region XI (CHED-XI),and had Vic Calag (University of the Philippines in Mindanao) as it first president who served for 3 terms until 2004. I took over as president and will end my third term by July 2007. I will talk more of CDITE-XI in another post.

PSITS-XI stands for Philippine Society of IT Students in Region XI. It is composed of students coming from the three IT Education Programs (BSCS, BSIT, BSIM) of IT schools in the region. It has its own set of officers with 1-year terms. Its main activities are synchronized with the annual IT Education Week. PSITS-XI anchors the IT Sportsfest and IT Students Congress in coordination with PSITE-XI. The chapter president of PSITE-XI acts as the adviser of PSITS-XI. I will request the current officers of PSITS-XI to write about their organization and I will post it here.

So there you are, the main players of the IT academic community of Davao: PSITE-XI, CDITE-XI, PSITS-XI. Expect more write-ups about them in the next posts...

Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise

A book that can serve as a good textbook for a technology entrepreneurship course is Dorf and Byer's Technology Ventures: From Idea to Enterprise. I got a copy of the first edition but a second edition is already available. Below is the Book Forward written by John L. Hennessy, President of Stanford University, which I got from the Internet. Technology Ventures is analytical aside from being comprehensive. It is a must-have for students and professionals seriously considering a career in technology entrepreneurship...

I am delighted to see this book on technology entrepreneurship by Dorf and Byers. High-technology companies are both an important part of our world’s economic growth story as well as the place where many young entrepreneurs realize their dreams.

Unfortunately, there have been relatively few complete and analytical books on high-technology entrepreneurship. Dorf and Byers bring their years of experience in teaching to this book, and it shows. Their personal experiences as entrepreneurs are also clear throughout the book. Their connections and involvement with start-ups — ranging from now established companies like Sun Microsystems and Yahoo to new ventures just delivering their first products — add a tremendous amount of real-world insight and relevance.

One of the most impressive aspects of this book is its broad coverage of the challenges involved in high-technology entrepreneurship. Part I talks about the core issues involved in deciding to pursue an entrepreneurial vision and what characteristics are vital to success from the very beginning. I am pleased to see that building and maintaining a competitive advantage and the critical issue of market timing are key topics. During the Internet boom, while several great new companies were built, too many entrepreneurs and investors forgot several key principles: have a sustainable advantage, create a significant barrier to entry, and be a leader when the market and the technology are both ready. Hopefully, the material in these chapters will help prevent future irrational behavior by both entrepreneurs and investors.

Part II examines the major strategic decisions that any group of entrepreneurs must grapple with: how to balance risk and return, what entrepreneurial structure to pursue, how to find and cultivate the best employees and help make them productive, and the critical issues of intellectual property. Indeed, these are problems that every company faces, and ones that must be continuously examined by the leadership in any organization.

Part III discusses the operational and organizational challenges that all entrepreneurs must tackle. Virtually every start-up led by a technologist that I have been close to inevitably wonders whether it needs sales and marketing. Sometimes in such companies, you hear a remark like: “We have great technology and that will bring us customers; nothing else matters!” I remind them that without sales, there is no revenue, and without marketing, sales will be diminished. Understanding how to approach these vital aspects of any successful business is crucial. The related topics of building the organization, thinking about acquisitions, and managing operations are also important. If you fail to address these aspects of your company, it will not matter how good your technology is.

Finally, Part IV talks about putting together a solid financial plan for the company, including exit and funding strategies. Of course, such topics are crucial, and they are often the sole or dominant topics of “how-to” books on entrepreneurship. Certainly, the financing and the choice of investors are key, but unless the challenges discussed in the preceding sections are overcome, it is unlikely that a new venture, even if well financed, will be successful. In looking through this sage and comprehensive treatment, my overwhelming reaction was, “I wish I had read a book like this, before I started my first company (MIPS Technologies in 1984).” Unfortunately, I had to learn many of the topics covered here in real-time and often by making a mistake on the first attempt. In my experience, it is the challenges discussed in the earlier sections that really proved to be the minefields. Yes, it is helpful to know how to negotiate a good deal and to structure the right mix of financing sources, especially so that as much equity as possible can be retained by employees. If, however, you fail to create a sustainable advantage or have a sales or marketing plan that is solid, the employee’s equity will not be worth much.

Those of us who work at Stanford and live near Silicon Valley are in the heart of the land of high-technology entrepreneurship. With this book, many others will get to share the extensive and deep insights of Dorf and Byers on this wonderful process that builds tomorrow’s companies and business leaders.

Note: This Book Forward can be found at
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073529222/information_center_view0/book_forward.html

The World is Flat

Another book highly recommended for budding technopreneurs is Thomas L. Friedman's The World is Flat. Friedman discusses the impact and implications of globalization in the field of high technology. Below is a brief description of the book.

The World Is Flat is Thomas L. Friedman's account of the great changes taking place in our time, as lightning-swift advances in technology and communications put people all over the globe in touch as never before -- creating an explosion of wealth in India and China, and challenging the rest of us to run even faster just to stay in place.

This updated and expanded edition features more than a hundred pages of fresh reporting and commentary, drawn from Friedman's travels around the world and across the American heartland -- from anyplace where the flattening of the world is being felt.

Note1: An article by Friedman on the book can be downloaded at http://www.iowacontingencyplanners.org/library/published/FlatWorld.pdf
Note2: Friedman's website is at http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/

Crossing the Chasm

One of the recommended books in the Technopreneurship Short-Term Training that I joined with other IT Educators (which ran from November 2006 to January 2007) is Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore. I was able to get a copy of the book at National Bookstore-Gaisano Mall. Moore presents a differing perspective on the Technology Adoption Life Cycle (TALC) for disruptive high technology products and cautions readers on a "chasm" that separates the innovators and early adopters (who compose the minority of the market) from the mainstream market composed of the pragmatic early majority, conservative late majority, and skeptical laggards. Not understanding and mastering the differing mindsets of the "minority market" and the "majority market" invites failure and difficulty in crossing the so-called "chasm". Moore also presents his strategies on how to negotiate the so-called "chasm" and create inroads when reaching the other end. Below is a book review which I got from the Internet. As stated by an endorser, it is a must-read for those in the business of marketing and selling disruptive high technology products...

Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore
Reviewed by John Falsetto of DocuCenter Corporation
(http://www.writersblock.ca/summer1998/bookrev.htm)

Marketing is a challenging field, to say the least. The future of a company can hinge on the ability of its marketing department to plan and execute a product release. The volatile nature of high-tech marketing perhaps best exemplifies the challenges. Geoffrey A. Moore heavily reinforces this point in Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers. Moore warns of the issues to be faced and, although the high-tech industry has evolved substantially since the book's release (1991), the information is still useful today.

Moore begins by defining a commonly accepted high-tech marketing model — a Technology Adoption Life Cycle. The model has five divisions, each representing a group of buyers to whom a product is sold during its life cycle: Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, and Laggards.

Innovators are technology enthusiasts. They are keen to be the first to try out a new technology, but they represent just a sliver of the model.

Early Adopters, also known as visionaries, are somewhat keen to try out new technologies. They appreciate a product's potential to give their organization a competitive advantage. They represent a larger slice of the market, and they tend to have much more influence in an organization than do Innovators.

The Early Majority, sometimes called pragmatists, represent the bulk of the market. They tend to buy in to new technologies only after they perceive solid references and safety measures that guard against potential failures. Securing the pragmatist buyer is the most important marketing challenge.

The Late Majority, or conservatives, are also a very large portion of the market. They are extremely cautious when buying into a new technology. They want to see proof of results before they will accept a product's usefulness.

Laggards are skeptics who would prefer to avoid new technologies altogether. They will buy only if they really must.

When a new product is released, it should move from left to right in the Technology Adoption Life Cycle, until its useful life is expired. Although products are not guaranteed to follow this logical path, most naturally will.

Moore believes that small breaks exist between each division in the Technology Adoption Life Cycle, representing lulls in the market (refer to the figure entitled Revised Technology Adoption Life Cycle above). However, Moore posits that the break that divides the Early Adopters from the Early Majority is actually a chasm. As the title of Moore's book implies, this chasm is significant enough to warrant a full-scale effort to pass a product across. Moore argues that many companies get so caught up in early market success that they don't anticipate the chasm, and their products then fail owing to an inability to traverse the gap.

Exceptions to every rule certainly exist, but, by and large, every new high-tech product must find a way to leap the chasm, so that the organization can benefit from the rewards that await at the other side.

The difficulty comes because the Early Majority, by their very nature, need good references before buying into a new technology, and Early Adopters do not make good references. The chasm then becomes a treacherous hazard indeed.

Moore proposes a four-stage approach to crossing the chasm. He calls it the D-Day strategy, a reference to the Allied invasion of Normandy in World War II. The idea is to:

* target the point of attack,
* assemble the invasion force,
* define the battle, and
* launch the invasion.

These four steps allow an organization to successfully attract pragmatist buyers, and to build a significant market share for their new product (refer to the link above for the discussion of the four steps).

Note: A summary of the book can be downloaded at http://www.parkerhill.com/Summary of Crossing the Chasm.pdf

Convergent Ecosystems

In line with the purpose of this blog, I am posting the Closing Remarks I gave last February 28, 2007 during the awarding ceremonies of the BPI-DOST Science Awards 2007 at the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU). The said award is given annually to three (3) graduating students from the science and technology disciplines of ten (10) select schools in the country (of which ADDU is one of them) with premium given on their researches (aside from the usual criteria of academic performance, leadership and involvements). My analogy of convergent ecosystems also applies to what the IT, business, government, and academic communities of Davao are collectively working for...

A pleasant afternoon to everyone.

When I was preparing for this message, I was trying to reclaim the meaning of this yearly ceremony which has actually become routine along the years. For the past fourteen years, way back 1994, the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) has been screening its candidates for the coveted award. Every year, since then, three exceptional students were chosen and conferred the award. Some of our best students in the Computer Studies (CS) Division have figured well in the past years except for the last three years when the criteria and timeframe were changed. The CS Division is actually still reeling from the change because our senior researches and projects get to be defended by late February or early March (just like what’s happening at this very moment upstairs at the 6^th floor). The new criteria and timeframe of the award expects the researches and projects to be fully implemented by late November or early December. The CS Division seniors don’t actually have a chance of being considered in the screening process since they just defended their proposals mid-October and two months will not be enough to implement and firm up their researches and projects. This somehow explains my lukewarm attitude towards the award lately.

In my effort to find meaning, the word “ecosystem” came across my mind. This project, the BPI-DOST Science Awards, is actually a convergence of three ecosystems: the Ateneo, BPI, and DOST. When I looked into its operational definition, an ecosystem is a relatively self-contained, dynamic system composed of a natural community along with its physical environment. It involves complex interactions between the natural community and the flows of energy and matter through it. Ecosystems have many classifications in many different ways and varied contexts. But this struck me – a rigidly separable ecosystem is not a precise notion. It is not clear where one ecosystem ends and another begins.

It dawned on me that even if we are unique and independent ecosystems, we are interconnected, we are interdependent, and we need to interface. And this is where the meaning comes in. An ecosystem cannot remain rigidly independent from other ecosystems since an ecosystem, by its very nature, is interconnected with other ecosystems. This interconnectedness requires a certain degree of interdependence and this can only be achieved through interfaces with other ecosystems. And the interfaces involve varied “flows of energy” – good or bad. The ecosystems, to sustain themselves, adapt to the effects of the “energy flows”.

The CS Division is a little ecosystem within the Ateneo ecosystem. It has been affected by the “energy flows” from BPI and DOST. It has to adapt appropriately if it believes in the essence of the interface with BPI and DOST. And we actually have started the adaptation stage. We are adjusting our curricula to have the proposals ready by end of the second semester of the junior year and the final defense ready by end of the first semester of the senior year. With this adjustment, our seniors can contend with the BPI-DOST Science Awards as well as refine further their researches and projects for possible entrepreneurial ventures before they graduate. So it’s just a matter of time that our best students will figure well again in this award as well as contribute to the growth of our local IT industry, another ecosystem, in the coming years. Abangan…

To end, I would like to believe that our convergence is anchored on the values of excellence and quality. And our two awardees, Liezel and Lesley, are epitomes of these core values. May we continue to sustain our partnership and defend it from the emerging culture of quick fixes, instant results and shortcuts – in short, mediocrity. We don’t want this negative “energy flow” to ruin our convergent ecosystems. Today, let’s celebrate the harvest of our interconnectedness, our interdependence, our interface. As Joey Ayala, a Davaoeño artist and product of the Ateneo, would put it in one his songs – “tayong lahat ay magkaugnay”. If ABS-CBN has “kapamilya”, GMA7 has “kapuso”, then we have “kaugnay”.

Magandang hapon po sa inyong lahat, mga kaugnay.

UM, UIC, UPMin are New Centers of Development in IT Education

The University of Mindanao (UM), University of the Immaculate Conception (UIC), and University of the Philippines-Mindanao (UPMin) join the elite circle of Centers of Development (COD) in IT Education for the years 2007-2010 aside from Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) who also retained its COD status for another three (3) years (refer to the previous post for more details). Dr. Guillermo Torres (President of UM), Mr. Jerry Flores (IT Education Program Head of UIC), Mr. Vic Calag (IT Education Program Head of UPMin), and Mr. Edwin V. Marañon (IT Education Program Head of ADDU) received their respective plaques of recognition during the awarding ceremonies last March 23, 2007 organized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) held at Bayview Park Hotel, Roxas Boulevard, Manila. The second batch of awardees in the field of Information Technology Education (ITE) has nine (9) Centers of Excellence and thirty-one (31) Centers of Development (refer also to the previous post for the list of schools).

Having four (4) CODs in ITE in Region XI is right on track with the efforts of the Philippine Society of IT Educators-Region XI (PSITE-XI) and the Council of Deans for IT Education in Region XI (CDITE-XI) to make Davao as the IT Education capital of Mindanao. The four (4) universities now share in the responsibility of improving the quality of IT Education as well as assist the other twenty-two (22) IT schools in the region in attaining the same level of competence in the areas of instruction, research and extension.

This recognition conferred on the four (4) universities serves as the humble contribution of the IT academic community to the overall vision of the ICT Davao, the umbrella organization of all IT organizations in Davao, in making Davao as the IT capital and hub of Mindanao and the destination of choice for IT professionals, infrastructure, products and services. And surely, more contributions are still waiting to unfold...

ADDU Retains Status as Center of Development in IT Education

The Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), through the Computer Studies Division, retained its status as Center of Development for Information Technology Education for a period of three years, from 2007 to 2010. Mr. Edwin V. Marañon, Chair of the Computer Studies Division, received the plaque of recognition last March 23, 2007 during the awarding ceremonies organized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) held at Bayview Park Hotel, Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

The Centers of Excellence (COE) and Centers of Development (COD) project of CHED is envisioned to be an efficient approach in developing program offerings of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through the leadership of select COEs and CODs. CHED support for HEIs is granted strategically to a select number of institutions that has consistently performed well in instruction, research and extension. The project encourages HEIs to continuously strive for quality education. In doing so, HEIs that have exhibited excellent potentials are assisted by CHED in maintaining and further enhancing their competitiveness.

In return, the COEs and CODs are tasked to take the role of upgrading other HEIs in their areas of responsibilities through the following:

(1) offering and development of graduate degree programs and other faculty development activities such as short-term training programs and discussions in emerging trends in the field;
(2) conduct of research activities in certain areas of specialization;
(3) implementation of training projects for communities within its service areas;
(4) development of instructional materials appropriate to the local situation;
(5) active participation and leadership in industry-academe linkage activities;
(6) sharing of institutional resources to other HEIs.

The first batch of CODs in the field of Information Technology was identified in 2000, of which ADDU was one of them. CHED and the Technical Panel for IT Education (TPITE) at that time decided not to identity COEs since the field of Information Technology was still relatively new compared to other programs. A total of twenty-four (24) institutions were identified as CODs and they were given funding to further enhance their potentials specifically in the areas of faculty development, facilities improvement and equipment purchases, books acquisitions, research capability building, and linkage and extension services. The first batch of CODs was able to accomplish modest gains and made considerable progress in maintaining the quality of their programs and extending their support to other HEIs in their regions.

The current second batch has nine (9) COEs and thirty-one (31) CODs. Most of the COEs were elevated from the first batch of CODs. Others retained their COD status and only two (2) were not able to meet the criteria either as COE or COD. There are eighteen (18) new schools in the roster. That goes to show how the atmosphere of friendly competition and healthy cooperation can lead to a unified advancement of academic programs in the regions. The nine (9) COEs are the following institutions, namely:

(1) Angeles University Foundation (Region 3);
(2) Asia Pacific College (National Capital Region (NCR));
(3) Ateneo de Manila University (NCR);
(4) Cebu Institute of Technology (Region 7)
(5) De La Salle University (NCR);
(6) University of the Cordilleras (CAR);
(7) University of the Philippines – Cebu (Region 7);
(8) University of the Philippines – Diliman (NCR);
(9) University of the Philippines – Los Baños (Region 4A).

The thirty-one (31) CODs are the following institutions, namely:

(1) Colegio de Dagupan (Region 1);
(2) Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (Region 1);
(3) Lorma College (Region 1);
(4) St. Mary’s University (Region 2);
(5) St. Paul University – Tuguegarao (Region 2);
(6) University of La Sallete (Region 2);
(7) Holy Angel University (Region 3);
(8) Systems Plus College Foundation (Region 3);
(9) De La Salle University – Dasmariñas (Region 4A);
(10) Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation (Region 4A);
(11) Ateneo de Nagao University (Region 5);
(12) University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos (Region 6);
(13) Silliman University (Region 7);
(14) University of San Jose – Recoletos (Region 7);
(15) Asian Development Foundation College (Region 8);
(16) Ateneo de Zamboanga University (Region 9);
(17) Dipolog Medical Center College Foundation, Inc. (Region 9);
(18) St. Vincent’s College (Region 9);
(19) Capitol University (Region 10);
(20) Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (Region 10);
(21) Ateneo de Davao University (Region 11);
(22) University of Mindanao (Region 11);
(23) University of the Immaculate Conception (Region 11);
(24) University of the Philippines – Mindanao (Region 11);
(25) Notre Dame of Marbel University (Region 12);
(26) St. Louis University (CAR);
(27) Far Eastern University – East Asia College (NCR);
(28) Mapua Institute of Technology (NCR);
(29) Technological Institute of the Philippines – Manila (NCR);
(30) Technological Institute of the Philippines – Quezon City (NCR);
(31) University of the East (NCR).

It is worthy to note that next to the National Capital Region (which has four (4) COEs and five (5) CODs) and Region 7 (which has two (2) COEs and two (2) CODs), Region XI has four (4) CODs. This is a strong indication of the improvement of quality IT Education in Region XI with the entry of University of Mindanao, University of the Immaculate Conception, and University of the Philippines – Mindanao in the elite circle. Ateneo de Davao University was the lone COD in Region XI for the first batch way back 2000. This is also a big step towards the shared vision of the Philippine Society of IT Educators-Region XI (PSITE-XI) and the Council of Deans for IT Education in Region XI (CDITE-XI) to make Davao as the IT Education capital of Mindanao. Things seem to be falling into the right places. It will only be a matter of time that Davao will be the destination of choice for quality IT Education and a rich source of competent IT professionals. The next big step is to strive to have COEs and more CODs in Region XI to establish this coveted reputation. The Computer Studies Division of ADDU intends to remain in the forefront of this strategic direction among IT schools in the region.

Note: This post was also submitted for publishing in the second issue of the Ateneo Chronicle expected to be out for circulation by mid-June 2007.

About Convergent Perspectives

What was supposed to be just a simple trial of Google's Blogger turned out to be the creation of this formal blog site -- this was how Convergent Perspectives came into being. After a few explorations of Blogger's functionalities, I soon found myself planning out the concept and direction of the site.

I know I should have started a blog site long before but I was always arrested by the thought of finding time to maintain and sustain it. I never really had a formal personal website because of this apprehension. But going through the basic functionalities of Blogger somehow changed this notion. What immediately played in my mind was the big potential of having a repository of opinions and perspectives that can be shared to interested parties and facilitate the healthy exchange of ideas. I guess the reluctant writer in me has finally come out of his shell and is now demanding for a venue for expression. And this blog site may just be the right venue... I hope.

Thus, Convergent Perspectives will contain my opinions and perspectives on matters of significance. The exchanges that will eventually ensue with the visitors who wish to engage with my posts will hopefully lead to convergent perspectives that can influence or challenge current thoughts and practices. And collaborative efforts can follow when a high degree of convergence is established...

My first post is about the Technopreneurship Ecosystem the IT community of Davao is trying to establish and the crucial role of schools with IT Education programs in the whole ecosystem. The Computer Studies Division of Ateneo de Davao University, of which I am currently the Chairperson, is taking on this challenge. I encourage you to read the article and post your comments. And I hope you do the same with my succeeding posts... :-)

Gearing Up for a Technopreneurship Ecosystem in Davao

The Computer Studies Division of the Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU) is part of a core of administrators and faculty from twelve schools in Davao tasked to develop a 3-unit Technopreneurship course to be integrated in the curriculum of IT Education degrees (i.e., B.S. Computer Science (BSCS), B.S. Information Technology (BSIT), B.S. Information Management (BSIM)) by June 2007. Together with the core group are representatives from the Commission on Higher Education Region XI Office (CHED-XI), ICT Davao (the umbrella organization of all IT organizations in Davao), and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (DCCCII).

The core group, composed of twenty people, first underwent an intensive 6-day training on Technopreneurship last November 27, 2006 to December 2, 2006 at Marco Polo Hotel. The training was sponsored by the Philippine-Australian Human Resource Development Facility (PAHRDF) in coordination with DCCCII. They partnered with the Council of Deans for IT Education in Region XI (CDITE-XI) and Philippine Society of IT Educators-Region XI (PSITE-XI) whose member schools composed majority of the participants of the training. Resource persons from respectable organizations in Manila were part of the training team. After the training, coaching/mentoring sessions ensued from December 6-15, 2006 at Tower Inn, then from January 8-19, 2007 at Regency Inn. Presentation and critiquing of the modules with invited faculty and students from the twelve participating schools then followed last January 23, 2007 at the Regency Inn. The launching of the Technopreneurship course to the city of Davao was done last January 25, 2007 at the Royal Mandaya Hotel. Movers and shakers from the academe, IT industry, government and business community graced the occasion.

The Technopreneurship course, in some way, challenges the usual mindset students bring with them when they enter college – that is, to get good grades and land a good-paying job after they graduate (usually outside of Davao). The course offers a contrasting but fresh perspective. The students embark on a mindset journey that exposes them to a different world view with the intention of unleashing their creativity and the passion to create and innovate through technology. Thus, the Technopreneurship course offers another mindset. It is an alternative and an option for students to consider when they graduate.

In a nutshell, technopreneurship is the healthy interplay of viable technology ideas, technology skills and the entrepreneurial mindset. It starts with an idea, which when pursued, has the capacity to transform into a viable technology-based enterprise. The Technopreneurship course prepares the students to be budding technopreneurs. They journey into a gradual process of self-mastery, environment mastery, enterprise mastery and the development of a business plan. At the end of the course, the students are expected to come up with business plans and defend them with a panel. They are encouraged to compete in local and national business plan competitions. Furthermore, it is hoped that they pursue their business plans as start-ups and eventually transform them into stable enterprises.

The Technopreneurship course is part and parcel of a technopreneurship ecosystem being established by various stakeholders in Davao (i.e., academe, IT industry, local government, business community). The vision is to transform Davao into the ICT hub and capital of Mindanao and possibly the Philippines, BIMP-EAGA and the Asia Pacific region. At the heart of this ecosystem is the Technopreneurship course. It serves as the seeds to be planted and nurtured by the IT educators teaching it. It is hoped that these seeds eventually grow through the graduates of this course and facilitate the emergence of IT business start-ups that will eventually blossom into stable enterprises and spur economic growth in the locality.

It is the collective task of the IT industry, local government and business community to support the growth of these IT business start-ups into stable enterprises through technology business incubators, IT parks and IT business incentives. This whole ecosystem will hopefully make our best graduates stay and build their careers here in Davao. In the same vein, it will hopefully attract Davaoeños who have left Davao for greener pastures to come back and help in the ICT development of Davao -– brain gain rather than brain drain.

The Computer Studies Division of ADDU takes on this challenge and recognizes the crucial and vital role of IT educators in this collective initiative of establishing a technopreneurship ecosystem in Davao. The whole support chain starts with the schools. In support of this collective initiative, the Computer Studies Division of ADDU will offer the Technopreneurship course in the first semester of the senior year of the BSIT and BSIM programs effective June 2007. Arrangements are also being made to offer the course in the BSCS program. A proposal to create a Technology Research and Development Facility to sustain technopreneurship initiatives and programs in the university is on the works. Initial groundwork to link with the Philippine Emerging Startups Open (PESO), an organization that holds an annual national business plan competition, has been done and business plans from our students are welcome on the next competition cycle which starts on October 2007.

This ecosystem may take some time to take root and flourish. But just like the steady growth of sturdy trees in the forests, it will be worth the wait –- something I would like to see in my lifetime...


Note: This post is an edited version of the article that was published in the maiden issue of the Ateneo Chronicle last February 2007.