New Collaboration Secured After Benilde Signs MOU with Game Developers Association of the Philippines
New Collaboration Secured After Benilde Signs MOU with Game Developers Association of the Philippines
11 October 2024
Benilde indeed is like no other. Through the years, the College has been given a myriad of opportunities to realize its being an inclusive and innovative community trailblazer especially in the creative, digital, and service industries.
True enough, Benilde signed another Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last October 3 with the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP)—represented by their president, James Lo—to further its network and secure more opportunities for students to expand their horizons.
Established in 2007, GDAP is a trade association in the Philippines that represents and promotes the country’s game development industry. It is composed of digital game developers and service and technology studios and has ties to the government, technology suppliers, the education sector, and the international community of game developers.
However, a Benilde-GDAP collaboration is not new. Through the efforts of recently appointed Game Design and Development (GDD) Program Chairperson Norman G. Lee, Benilde was able to closely collaborate with the then newly established GDAP to craft the structure of the country’s first Game Development program. It launched in 2009.
Through this MOU, GDAP will promote the granting student internships for the various programs of Benilde and the microcredentialing of relevant courses offered by Benilde that are relevant to GDAP and the gaming industry.
This is particularly beneficial to Benilde’s GDD program—formerly known as the Interactive Entertainment and Multimedia Computing program—where students can either focus on Game Development or Game Art. The degree program covers the totality of the ideation, design, art, technical implementation, management and business software geared toward entertainment, simulations, and solutions through game technologies and tools.
The collaboration will also allow Benilde students to be trained in project development, providing them with practical experience and allowing them to contribute to GDAP’s ongoing initiatives in the gaming sector. Joint projects will also give students the opportunities to engage in real-world game design challenges and benefit from GDAP’s guidance. Hand in hand as mentors to the students of Benilde, this MOU with GDAP can also enable class enrichment.
Collaborative workshops, seminars, and conferences for Benilde students, faculty, and the public will also be promoted through the collaboration in order to contribute to and benefit from GDAP’s expertise in the field. Topic speakership in the industry discipline through various capacity enhancement activities are also in the pipeline.
On top of these, immersion and exposure trips at Benilde and GDAP can also be arranged for faculty and associates, as well as cooperative research and joint project development for external funding support beneficial to both parties.
Upon signing, this collaboration will be effective for five years until 2029 and will be open to amendments.
For more information on Benilde’s GDD program and other undergraduate programs and Benildean student life, contact us at (63) 2 8230 5100 local 1801 or admissions@benilde.edu.ph. You may also visit our website at www.benilde.edu.ph.
“We are very focused on the aspects of academics but also research. We have done research in energy, electric vehicles, food, manufacturing, aerospace, and many other different areas as well,” Meier stated.
The RRC Polytechnic president also acknowledged the importance of the new collaboration with Benilde, as they recently launched a brand new institute in media arts. Meier also spoke about seeing plans come to life and less about getting ideas shelved and affirmed that Benilde and RRC Polytechnic have similar interests.
“I think this is a great way to magnify our impact together and the possibilities are essentially endless. I think there’s an opportunity for faculties to collaborate. We think there’s an opportunity to look at program development, to create joint programs that benefit both our institutions,” he furthered.
Ultimately, Meier shared that he hopes to “redefine educational benchmarks so that the next generation of learners can have a global perspective of what they do.”
Dr. Jeanine Webber, RRC Polytechnic Executive Director for Academic, also commented that what she finds exciting is both their students and Benilde’s will have the opportunity to become global citizens.
“We are creating this network for our students to learn together, whether it’s through a virtual conversation, through applied research projects, through exchanges, joint programs—there are so many opportunities,” she expressed.
The collaboration between the two institutions will focus on several key areas, including the development of joint programs that leverage overlapping strengths in media arts, technology, and applied research. RRC Polytech’s state-of-the-art research centers, such as the Building Efficiency Technology Access Centre, Prairie Research Kitchen, and the Schroeder Institute of Entertainment and Media Arts, align with Benilde’s advanced digital media and creative technology programs, particularly those within the Design+Arts Campus. This synergy opens opportunities to enhance both institutions’ offerings and to collaborate in cutting-edge fields like creative industries and applied sciences.
Additionally, both institutions aim to develop research partnerships and create student mobility programs that allow students from each institution to gain international experience. Faculty and staff will also benefit from joint professional development opportunities, enabling them to exchange knowledge and best practices in education and research. This collaboration also includes the sharing of scientific and academic resources, as well as the delivery of both in-person and online courses, expanding access to high-quality education across borders.
Further areas of collaboration involve joint teaching and supervision of graduate students, participation in academic conferences and seminars, and the creation of new experiential learning opportunities. Both institutions also plan to explore the development of Globally Networked Learning (GNL) experiences, which will enable students to collaborate on projects virtually. This partnership ensures ongoing communication between designated representatives from both schools, providing a framework for further activities that will benefit their education and research programs well into the future.
The partnership between Benilde and RRC Polytechnic will go on until 2029 and will be open to amendments.
For more information on Benilde’s undergraduate programs and Benildean student life, contact us at (63) 2 8230 5100 local 1801 or admissions@benilde.edu.ph. You may also visit our website at www.benilde.edu.ph.
