Ronda B. Tullay and Kara S. Panolong, faculty members of the College of Arts and Humanities (CAH) served as Visiting Professors at National Chung Hsing University (NCHU) Taichung, Taiwan. This is the second year of this kind of engagement between BSU and NCHU. The said faculty members facilitated the course Professional Communication in English, an English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) course which is a signature feature of NCHU’s International Doctoral Program in Agriculture (IDPA).
Tullay and Panolong facilitated the course on February 1- June 12, 2026 via blended learning mode. The course is designed to equip students with advanced communication competencies essential for academic and professional contexts where English is the primary medium of instruction and interaction. The course develops students’ proficiency in academic writing, oral presentations, professional networking, and interpersonal communication, alongside other key domains of professional discourse. Through a combination of interactive lectures, collaborative discussions, and hands-on training, students learned to communicate ideas with clarity, precision, and confidence. A key component of the course is the planning and organization of a research conference, which provides an authentic platform for students to present scholarly work, articulate research findings effectively, and engage diverse academic and professional audiences.
The final output of the class required the students to organize and implement an international symposium.
A Symposium Built Inside a Classroom
The symposium tagged as Interdisciplinary Symposium on Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (ISAFFE 2026) was organized entirely by the students enrolled. This required the students to develop practical academic communication skills by running a hybrid international event. The symposium was held at the Agricultural and Environmental Science building of NCHU and Zoom with the theme “Resilient Energy, Food, and Water Systems for Addressing Global Crises through Sustainable and Integrated Solutions.” on June 3, 2026. The symposium featured plenary sessions and four parallel breakout sessions covering environmental monitoring, soil science, sustainable agriculture, and agroecology, with twelve research presentations in total. Both professors served as conveners of the symposium event.
Plenary speakers include Prof. Dr. Ir. Mohammad Nurcholis, M Agr, Soil Science Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, UPN “VETERAN” Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Abdul Rahim, SP., M.Si., Ph.D, Faculty of Agriculture, Borneo Tarakan University, Indonesia, Szu-Hung Vickey Chen, Ph.D.,International Master Program in Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan and BSU’s College of Forestry Dean Nova C. Doyog.
Doyog delivered a scientific presentation titled “From Space to Forest: Monitoring Aboveground Biomass in Benguet Pine Forest Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning” – research that uses satellite imagery and machine learning algorithms to map and track carbon stocks in Benguet’s Pinus kesiya forests.
Doyog’s presentation findings showed that biomass loss in Benguet pine forest is primarily driven by landslides, forest fires, and agricultural expansion – particularly slash-and-burn farming. The research demonstrated that integrating remote sensing with machine learning substantially improved the accuracy of biomass estimation compared to conventional methods, and that larger forest parcels generally retained or gained biomass while smaller, fragmented parcels declined. The study supports science based land zoning and community forest management strategies for the Cordillera Region.
AI Workshop
On June 1, Tullay and Panolong facilitated a separate workshop for NCHU faculty and graduate students on using AI in English-Medium Instruction Classroom entitled “Using AI as Co-Teacher in EMI classrooms”. The session covered practical applications of AI tools in lesson planning, classroom, engagement, real-time assessment, and individualized learning support.
The workshop was hosted by NCHU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources – the same college that organizes IDPA and co-hosts ISAFFE – and focused specifically on the challenges faced by the faculties who teach complex academic studies in English as a second language.
These engagements are fulfillments of the Memorandum of Understanding (2025-2030) between BSU and NCHU.
CAH Release: JdeGuzman and KSPanolong
Photos by IDPA NCHU