ABOUT THE OFFICE

    Having envisioned the adoption of a research culture during its strategic planning, the administration of Velez College established its Research Office in 2014.Being an institution committed to academic excellence, the creation of the office is the greatest evidence of the college’s response to recent changes in the country’s educational landscape. One of these changes is the importance given to research, which had profoundly translated into implications for policy development in the regulation of higher education institutions (HEIs) – a vital factor in the decision of putting up the Research Office of Velez College.

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OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH OFFICE

The Research Office shall create a realistic and functional research program to establish and maintain a highly visible research tradition in the college.

The said program shall endeavor to:

1. Promote activities that develop faculty and student capability to appreciate and engage in research and to increase research productivity in the college.
2. Produce high-impact and quality student and faculty researches, relevant to the discipline and responsive to the needs of the college, the community and the nation.
3. Present generated researches in local, national and international conferences or symposia.
4. Publish research outputs in local, national and international peer-reviewed or refereed journals.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

RESEARCH AGENDA

Velez College Research Agenda

Priority Area 1:  Curriculum Development

• Designing, monitoring & evaluating the curriculum
• Development & validation of instructional materials
• Effectiveness & efficiency of curriculum delivery
• Learner characteristics
• Training needs analysis of faculty and staff
• Outcomes-based education (OBE) 

Priority Area 2:  Institutional Effectiveness

• Evaluation of school’s programs & services
• Relevance & effectiveness of admission & retention policies
• Determinants of graduates’ board rating/performance
• Cohort and tracer studies on alumni
• Employability of graduates
• Employer satisfaction of graduates 

Priority Area 3:  Community Extension

• Needs assessment of partner/beneficiary communities
• Evaluation studies on community extension programs & projects 

Priority Area 4:  Public Health

• Effectiveness of the TB prevention & control program
• Effectiveness of the dengue prevention & control program
• Effectiveness of the National Voluntary Blood Services Program
• Etiologies of diarrhea & health practices regarding diarrhea
• Sexual behaviors of Youths
• Prevalence of hepatitis and its determinants
• Lifestyle-related diseases (metabolic & cardiovascular disease)
• Emerging & re-emerging diseases
• Complementary & alternative health practices
• Health-seeking behaviors of community residents 

Priority Area 5:  Environmental Science and Technology

• Energy conservation and efficiency
• Climate change & vulnerability of biodiversity
• Environmental awareness & waste management practices
• Biotechnology 

Priority Area 6:  Social Research and Other Relevant Topics

• Prevalence & determinants of domestic violence & child abuse
• Social research related to disasters
• Patient safety
• Rehabilitation studies
• Quality Laboratory Management Practices

INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Interested researchers shall first submit all of the following documents to the Research Committee through their respective Research Coordinators:
   1. Letter of intent addressed to the VPAA ( Nona A. Velez, RN, MN) through the Research Director (Dr. Johnny J. Yao Jr.). The letter should be duly noted by the proponent’s Dean and by his/her respective research coordinator.
   2. Duly-filled up Application form which could be obtained from the respective Research Coordinator of the proponent’s college.
   3. Five (5) copies of the protocol of the proposed research project.
2. After approval is granted by the VPAA, the Research Office shall notify the proponents on the approval of their proposed research project and notify them of the date of signing of the Memorandum of Agreement.
3. Applications for institutional research shall be accepted by the Research Committee on the following inclusive dates: (1) January to July for proposed research projects that will start implementation in the 1^st semester. (2) August to December for proposed research projects that will start implementation in the 2^nd semester.
4. After submission of the complete set of documents, the Research Committee shall then conduct a preliminary evaluation of the written protocol.
5. Research proponents of accepted research proposals shall likewise be notified of the acceptance of their protocols and schedule of their proposal presentation.
6. After the proponents have presented their proposal, the Research Committee shall then give their comments and suggestions to enhance the research protocol.
7. The proponents shall make revisions to the protocol incorporating the Committee’s suggestions.
8. After compliance with the revisions has been checked, the Research Office endorses the protocol for ethical review.

RESEARCH INCENTIVE PACKAGE

Rationale

• Incentives shall be given to encourage academic personnel to conduct researches.

Awarding of Research Units

• The researcher/s is/are compensated in terms of a de-loading or an over-loading scheme which is equivalent to the number of units allocated to the approved research project.

Technical Assistance

• The proponent/s shall receive technical assistance from the Research Office by way of capability building, project management, monitoring, evaluation & if necessary, referral.

Financial support

• An institutionally-approved research shall be given financial support in the form of a research subsidy.

 Logistic support

• The institution shall provide logistic support for, but do not limit to, the following: Use of school facilities (g. classrooms for data collection); Use of laboratory equipment (e.g. microscopes, glasswares, laboratory apparatus); Use of library resources (e.g. books, journals, electronic sources);

Promotional Incentive

• Institutionally-approved researches shall be credited for ranking and promotion.

Support for Research Presentation and Publication

• Those who present their research outputs (either oral or poster presentation) in local, national or international research conventions/symposia and those who wish to publish their research outputs in reputable peer-reviewed journals may request for financial assistance in the payment of their conference or registration fees.

 Institutional Recognition

• Proponents of research projects that have been published in peer-reviewed or refereed journals shall be given due recognition by the school.

VELEZ COLLEGE ETHICS REVIEW COMMITTEE (VCERC)

    The VC-ERC is an independent body created by the Velez College, under the authorization of the College President, whose responsibility is to ensure the protection of the rights, safety and well-being of human participants involved in health related research that are submitted to the VC-ERC by members of the faculty, non-teaching personnel, students, employees of Velez College (VC) or Cebu (Velez) General Hospital (CVGH), and non-Velez College principal investigators (PIs). Protocols involving non-human living vertebrates are referred to an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). In accordance with the applicable national / international regulations, the VC-ERC has the authority to approve, require modifications to, or disapprove research protocols and related documents as well as ensure compliance with its relevant procedures after approval.

     The VC-ERC reviews and monitors health researches that involve:

• Velez College staff (i.e. faculty and non-teaching personnel) and students, done within the school premises.
• Cebu (Velez) General Hospital patients, done within the hospital premises.
• Protocols done by Velez College staff (i.e. faculty and non-teaching personnel) and students in areas outside the school and hospital premises, except researches undertaken by part time staff done outside the school or hospital.
• Protocols done by Non-Velez College principal investigators (PIs) who submit their research for review by the VCERC

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE