In a bid to build up the digital design skills of its students, National University (NU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with software maker Autodesk on July 9 for a major education partnership.
Although the MOU stipulates a three-year collaboration between the two parties, NU president Teodoro J. Ocampo said NU is already ?look[ing] forward to a long-term association with Autodesk in increasing the students? capability in creating designs which are globally marketable.?
Autodesk Philippines country manager Teddy D. Tiu, on the other hand, said the partnership will allow Autodesk to advance the learning environment in Philippines by offering the latest design and engineering software to students.
?Autodesk is committed in supporting the next generation of Filipino architects, engineers, designers and artists by equipping them with professional skills, training programs and making them industry ready,? Tiu said.
The key highlights of the MOU include:
? Technology access: Autodesk will offer NU free access to academic licenses of its portfolio of professional 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software schools via the Autodesk Academic Resource Center for use in NU classrooms and labs. This builds on the free access that all students and teachers in the Philippines have to individual licenses of the same Autodesk solutions via the Autodesk Education Community (since 2006).
? Curriculum development: Autodesk will support NU to develop new and industry-relevant curricula to prepare students for future academic and career success. These include topics such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Digital Prototyping (DP), and Digital Entertainment Creation (DEC). Students will also be able to take advantage of learning resources from Autodesk such as downloadable instructional videos, tutorials, and presentations to help students better understand and explore these industry-grade tools, techniques and workflows.
? Training model: Autodesk and NU will co-conduct academic, conceptual and/or product training in Autodesk software to instructors, students of relevant NU faculty members.
? Immersive learning experiences: Autodesk and NU will encourage students to participate in national design competitions organized by Autodesk to showcase their design skills and interact with their peers around the world.
With the software and support provided by Autodesk, NU said the school is now equipped to offer an entertainment and multimedia curriculum and continuous training through the Autodesk Certification Program for its students.
?Through our collaboration with NU, we seek to equip and empower talented Filipino students with hands-on experience applying real-world design tools to solve real-world design challenges in the classroom. This will not only enhance students employability upon graduation, but their skills and knowledge will help advance local industries as well,? said Conway Goh, senior program manager for education in Asean at Autodesk.
