Nora S. Quebral

As a faculty member of UP Los Baños, she conceptualized development communication in the early 1970's as an academic discipline and a profession. Quebral also laid down the administrative and intellectual foundation of the UPLB College of Development Communication by pioneering its undergraduates and graduate curricula in development communication.

On the subject of development communication, she has authored publications and written periodical articles, book chapters and scripts, and papers presented at national and international fora.

As chair for 14 years of the precursor of what is now the UPLB College of Development Communication, Quebral laid down the administrative and intellectual foundation of the college by:

• pioneering its undergraduate and graduate curricula in development communication, which have become the models for similar curricula in the Philippines and in Asia;
• being first to explore, articulate and operationalize in extension and action research programs the relationship in developing country setting - between development communication on the one hand and non-formal education, distance learning, community media, and technology transfer and utilization on the other hand
• helping to organize communication professionals in the country and getting recognition for communication as a profession, conducting the earliest recorded systematic study on Tagalog readability.

These efforts have contributed as well to increased awareness of communication as social science, not only as art and craft, and of development as a large issue worthy of national concern.

On the subject of development communication, she has authored four publications, more than 50 periodical articles, book chapters, and scripts and another 50 papers presented at national and international fora. This body of material has served to spread knowledge on development communication.

Quebral has received awards of distinction from the UP College of Agriculture Alumni Association, Civic Assembly of Philippine, UPLB Association of Development Communication Alumni and Philippine Association of Communication Educators Foundation. She did graduate work on scholarship grants from Rockefeller Foundation and the U.S. International Cooperation Agency/Philippine National Economic Council.

She has a Ph.D. in communication, University of Illinois; an M.S. in agricultural journalism, University of Wisconsin; and a B.A. in English, magna cum laude, University of the Philippines, Diliman.

She has done consultancy work in the specialized areas of agricultural and rural communication, environmental communication; communication curricula and teaching methodology; communication research management and design; communication planning and review; communication technology for education; and development broadcasting, editing and script writing.

Source: Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE)