UPOU QAO Director Gains Hands-On QA Insights at 20th AUN-QA Tier 2 Training

Asst. Prof. Ria Valerie Cabanes, Director of the UPOU Quality Assurance Office (second from left), during the 20th Assessor Training Workshop for Accomplishing Programme Assessment (Tier 2) held at Mahidol University. Photo from AUN-QA.

“Tier 2 allowed me to see firsthand what assessors look for in a program,” shared Asst. Prof. Ria Valerie Cabanes, Director of the Quality Assurance Office at the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), reflecting on her experience at the 20th Assessor Training Workshop for Accomplishing Programme Assessment (Tier 2), held from 23 to 29 October 2025 at Mahidol University, Thailand.

Attending as UPOU’s sole representative, Cabanes joined participants from the UP System as well as academics from Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand. She highlighted the practical component of the training as particularly valuable, noting that it “provided a clearer view of QA’s reality and reinforced the essential skills we must continually master as evaluators.” The hands-on sessions gave her deeper insights into assessment criteria and program evaluation, which she plans to apply to strengthen UPOU’s internal QA systems.

AUN-QA trainers, assessors, and trainees during the 478th AUN-QA Quality Assessment at Programme Level at Mahidol University, Thailand. Photo from AUN-QA.

Describing the experience as “eye-opening and transformative,” Cabanes acknowledged the guidance of Dr. Arnel Onesimo Uy, one of the coaches during the training, whose mentorship helped her balance the demands of her dual roles as QA officer and assessor. “His mentorship helped me pause, reflect, and see each role with greater clarity and purpose,” she shared.

Cabanes emphasized that quality assurance is more than compliance; it is a culture of openness, innovation, and shared responsibility. “Quality assurance defines who we are as UPOU,” she said, highlighting the university’s commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. She also stressed that QA empowers staff to take ownership of their work, view quality as a reflection of growth, and collaborate to produce tangible “receipts” of excellence.

The 20th AUN-QA Tier 2 Training equipped Cabanes with practical skills and renewed inspiration to strengthen UPOU’s culture of quality. Her participation not only reflects the university’s dedication to excellence and continuous improvement in higher education across the ASEAN region but also qualifies her to serve as an external quality reviewer, extending her contribution to quality assurance beyond the university. 

Written by Maelyn V. Pisueña | Edited by Primo Garcia and Anna Cañas-Llamas

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