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Module 1: UM’s Graduate Attributes

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN FROM THIS MODULE?

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. Explain the University of Mindanao’s graduate attributes be exemplified in the

practice of the chosen career; and

2. Rationalize the relationship UM’s core values, 4Gs and graduate attributes.

● WHAT IS THIS MODULE ALL ABOUT?

UM’s Graduate Attributes

Graduate attributes are distinguishable features that describe and define the graduates
of the University of Mindanao. These attributes are properly and explicitly aligned with the
various Program Educational Objectives (PEOs) of all the academic degree programs.
While the PEOs demonstrate these attributes 5 years after their graduation pertinent to
their professions, there are common attributes that are reflective of the university as a
whole regardless of academic programs.

The university’s graduate attributes manifest the complementation of the 4Cs of the 21st
century skills and the 4Gs of the University’s core values. The 4Cs are critical thinking,
communication skills, creativity and collaboration. The 4Gs are the galing, gawi, gawa at
gana.

The graduate attributes of the University of Mindanao that reflect the 21 st century skills
(4Cs) include the following:

1. Professional competence. Demonstrate deep understanding, knowledge, and

competence required for effective professional practice in the field of
specialization.
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2. Critical Thinking and Problem-solving skills. Demonstrate critical and creative

thinking in providing solutions to discipline-related problems.
3. Communication skills. Apply effective communication skills, both orally and in
writing using the English language.

4. Lifelong learning. Utilize lifelong learning skills in pursuit of personal development

and excellence in professional practice.

5. Social and ethical responsibility. Hold personal values and beliefs as an ethical
professional consistent with Filipino family values, industry-related values and
global citizen values.

6. Productivity. Contribute to nation building and national development through

research or innovation in the practice of the profession.

7. Interpersonal Skills. Work effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural groups.

8. Digital literacy skills.

UM’s Core Values

Complementing these 21st century skills are the University’s core values expressed in
4Gs: may galing (excellence), gawi (character and conduct), gawa (performance) at gana
(motivation).

Core values prescribe the collective attitude and character of an organization. They
signify good conduct that guides all the individual and collective behavioral actions of all
university administrators, academic executives, faculty, staff and the entire studentry,
even the graduates and alumni. They dictate how the university transacts with all its
stakeholders, including parents and guardians, government regulators, industry
collaborators, community partners, as well as all its contractors and suppliers. They
likewise define the distinctive attributes of graduates and alumni, who are expected to
continue to adhere and live by these core values as good citizens of the country.

Core values can help companies determine if they are on the right path in fulfilling their
business goals. For the University of Mindanao, core values help in the fulfilment of vision
and mission statements and organizational goals, as well as the realization of its
philosophy of education – i.e. universal access to education, open admission, diamonds
in the rough, and rising from the ranks – as envisioned by its founding father, Dr.
Guillermo P. Torres. As part of the university’s legacy, core values are properly rooted
and manifested in all its academic programs and operational systems.

The University of Mindanao declares five core values as part of its strong foundation since
its inception in 1946. These core values are: excellence, honesty and integrity, innovation,
and teamwork.
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Excellence - All stakeholders in the university are intensively and extensively oriented
and trained in the virtue of excellence, which is explicitly manifested in doing more
and doing better in their academics and other scholastic activities in the school. As a
demonstrable outcome, this virtue is imbued as professional excellence of UMian
graduates who excel in their respective fields and undertaking.

Honesty and Integrity – Everyone in the university is earnestly formed in the virtues
of honesty and integrity in their quest for academic and professional excellence. These
virtues mold the students in propriety, trustworthiness and uprightness – elements that
shape the foundation of stronger character among the university administrators,
faculty, staff, students and graduates.

Innovation – Everybody is essentially drilled in novelty, value-adding, scrutiny and

investigation, advancement, modernization and entrepreneurial spirit as part of doing
more and doing better. University administrators, faculty, staff, students and graduates
do not tire to innovate and reinvent themselves in the quest for exploring new frontiers
in the field.

Teamwork – All stakeholders in the university are broadly drawn towards working
together in diverse teams. Teamwork promotes good citizenship where everyone and
all are imbued with coordination, collaboration and respect as they work with others.

The integration and amalgamation of all these core values shape the distinct attributes of
the graduates and students, as well as the administrators, faculty and staff of the
University of Mindanao. These core values have become the hallmark and beacon since
the founding of the university in 1946. From then, the University of Mindanao has become
the bedrock of virtue developing character attributes through student formation.

Action Values

Action values are designed to help in the articulation and operationalization of core
values. Action values are simply operational expressions of core values. There are four
action values as a result of amalgamating the core values: excellence in stronger
character; excellence through resilience; excellence in citizenship; and excellence in
lifelong learning (or excellence beyond school). To popularize the core values and action
values, the 4G or G-Factor is creatively packaged for better and wider understanding.
The 4G means: May galing, gawi, gawa at gana.

In response to a continuously changing landscape in education, these core values are

made more meaningful and more adaptive by re-articulating them in a set of action values
that resonate more dearly with the university’s philosophy of education and VMV
statements. These action values include:

(a) Excellence in stronger character (magaling at matino) – University

administrators, academic executives, faculty, staff, the entire studentry and the
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graduates/alumni exude the amalgamation and accumulation of all the core

values. When excellence (magaling) is anchored on virtues (matino) of honesty,
integrity, innovation and teamwork, it becomes excellence with stronger character.
Without this foundation, excellence befalls as impunity and undesirable to society.

(b) Excellence through resilience (kayod para kaya) – University administrators,

academic executives, faculty, staff, the entire studentry and the graduates/alumni
are trained in overcoming obstacles and rising above difficult situations. This is
resilience and flexibility to triumph (kayod) in pursuit of excellence (kakayahan).

(c) Excellence in citizenship (galing at gawi) – University administrators, academic

executives, faculty, staff, the entire studentry and the graduates/alumni develop
good citizenship (magandang gawi, magandang asal) by inculcating innovation
and teamwork which allow them to be of value to society (contribution; value-
added) as an effective demonstration of excellence (magaling).

(d) Excellence beyond school (husay sa buhay) – While schooling ends upon
graduation, learning does not stop as excellence demands continuing quest and
cultivation of lifelong learning (maging mahusay sa buhay). University
administrators, academic executives, faculty, staff, the entire studentry and the
graduates/alumni are oriented towards education as life as they are formed and
trained in education beyond school.

The core values and action values are creatively packaged and presented in a more
popular catch word of 4G or the G-Factor as a set of summative student outcomes and
graduate attributes: GALING, GAWI, GAWA at GANA. All must be present together to
discover, hone and nurture the potentials of university administrators, academic
executives, faculty, staff, the entire studentry and the graduates/alumni in becoming the
best that they can be (arête). If one is lacking, the core values and action values are
derailed resulting in imbalance or incoherence of character formation.

(a) May Galing – University administrators, academic executives, faculty, staff, the
entire studentry and the graduates/alumni demonstrate excellence, brilliance,
skills, competence and craft.

(b) May Gawi – University administrators, academic executives, faculty, staff, the
entire studentry and the graduates/alumni exhibit strong character, good
conduct, good habit, propriety, attitude, reputation, resilience and the whole
gamut of a desirable way of life.

(c) May Gawa – University administrators, academic executives, faculty, staff, the
entire studentry and the graduates/alumni show good performance, track
record, innovation, contribution, outputs and value-added.
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(a) May Gana – University administrators, academic executives, faculty, staff, the
entire studentry and the graduates/alumni exude drive, desire, ardour, motivation,
aspiration, dedication and commitment, even stamina.

These core values as fully expressed in action values and 4G shape the over-all
gravitas – energy, soul, spirit, dignity, importance, depth, substance – of the University of
Mindanao; the gravitas that cultivates and define the distinctive character of the school
and all its constitutive stakeholders. This is the gravitas of character that is rooted in the
university’s legacy and shall the same make the university last and endure long.

I DARE YOU

Activity 1: How can the following UM graduate attributes be demonstrated in your chosen
career? e.g. Critical thinking in Teaching (if you are taking up BEED or BSED program).
Your explanation should be very specific to your program or career choice.

1. Professional competence.

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2. Critical Thinking and Problem-solving skills.

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3. Communication skills.

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4. Lifelong learning.

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5. Social and ethical responsibility.

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6. Productivity.

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7. Interpersonal Skills.

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8. Digital literacy skills.

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BOTTOM LINE

1. How will you demonstrate the University’s 4Gs in your chosen program/career?

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