Ms. Ethel Joan Atienza
Ms. Ethel Joan Atienza, or Joan, heads the Learning Development and Evaluation Unit of the Learning Development and Management Office at SEAMEO INNOTECH.
Joan has over two decades of experience in educational project management, international training, educational innovation, and technology. Her extensive experience also includes designing open and distance courses, adult learning, and competency-based assessment.
Joan has been instrumental in SEAMEO INNOTECH’s leading innovations.
She was part of the team that pioneered online learning development and implementation for INNOTECH programs and later led the development of INNOTECH’s first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). She led the transition of course materials to interactive digital materials such as videos and interactive applications. This paved the way for continuing development and implementation of MOOCs and implementation of programs at scale.
She introduced innovative course development processes like the macro and micro learning design approach, now a standard across all INNOTECH capacity building programs.
A strong advocate for interdisciplinary learning, Joan led the development of INNOTECH’s first game-based learning product—an interactive film-game on school leadership. By blending storytelling, decision-making, and professional learning, the game created a new model of immersive learning for educators. She documented this innovation in the Journal of Research and Innovation in Open and Distance Learning. (https://jurnal.ut.ac.id/index.php/jriodl/article/view/7928)
Contributing to knowledge sharing and as an offshoot to successfully managing MOOCs of WASH, she served as co-author of the WASH in Schools Massive Open Online Course Guide on Capacity Development for WASH in Schools at Scale published by GIZ. (https://fitforschool.international/resource/wash-in-schools-massive-open-online-course-orientation-guide/)
Joan is an expert in managing complex and multi-stakeholder projects. More recently, she served as Project Lead of Opportunity 2.0, a USAID Project for the Philippine Alternative Learning System. She led the development of teacher induction program courses, courses with micro credentials and providing technical assistance to the Philippine Department of Education on M&E and research on the state of ALS infrastructure.
Her academic background includes a Journalism degree (with honors) and postgraduate degrees in Educational Management and Project Management.
Joan’s achievements and contribution in open and distance learning has been recognized by the Asian Association of Open Universities where she became a finalist for the Meritorious Service Award.
Expert Information:
Location: Philippines
