Dr. Jerome P. Songcuan, a Faculty Member of the College of Computer Science in the South La Union Campus has developed a voice interface narrator application which he calls as DMMMSU-Voice Interface NArrator or D-VINA.

D-VINA is a mobile app designed to promote and increase the awareness of DMMMSU employees and students on the University’s Philosophy, Vision, Mission, Goal, Quality Policy Statement, Quality Objectives, Core Values, Mantra. It also includes a presentation of the DMMMSU Hymn and an explanation of the DMMMSU Seal. This mobile app version is available only for Android cellphones at the moment.

Screenshots of the app are presented below:

The Main Menu Screen consists of two buttons. Clicking the “Online Version” button will show the Online Mode Screen. On the other hand, clicking the “Offline Version” button brings up the Offline Mode Screen.

In the Offline Version Screen, buttons can be clicked in order to hear a narration specific to the button. For instance, if the Button is clicked, the text appears on the right side of the screen and an accompanying narration is heard.

Similarly, if the DMMMSU Hymn button is clicked, the DMMMSU Hymn Screen appears and the hymn is automatically played with accompanying lyrics.

Likewise, the DMMMSU Seal Screen also appears if the DMMMSU Seal button is clicked.

In the Online Version Screen, only the “Start Listening” button is available. After pressing the button, the Google Assistant starts to recognize what is spoken of by the user. For example, if the user wants to hear the Philosophy of DMMMSU, the user must click the button and say “D-VINA recite philosophy”.

Below are the key phrases to speak in order to activate the commands for D-VINA:

  • D-VINA recite philosophy
  • D-VINA recite vision
  • D-VINA recite mission
  • D-VINA recite goal
  • D-VINA recite quality objectives
  • D-VINA recite core values
  • D-VINA show seal
  • D-VINA play hymn
  • D-VINA recite mantra
  • D-VINA exit application
  • D-VINA main menu
  • D-VINA current date
  • D-VINA current time

To enable voice recognition, however, the device must be connected to the Internet.

This app is one of the products of App Dev Lab of the College of Computer Science whose faculty members have committed their time to develop programs and apps even without any equivalent work load unit. As of this writing, the app had already been shared with the Laboratory High School in the South La Union Campus.

Besides D-VINA, Dr. Songcuan had also developed other programs. Another program which Dr. Songcuan developed as an output in the CCS Application Development Laboratory is the Contactless Logbook. This program has been used in Sta. Teresa National High School in Tubao, La Union since October 2022. Through this system, parents of learners receive an SMS information indicating the log in and log out time of their teens. This helps parents monitor their teens.

In addition, Dr. Songcuan developed a data-based records system which has been used in the medical clinic in the South La Union Campus for two years now. Personnel in the medical clinic simply click the button and they can automatically generate a summary report.

Also, in 2013, he developed a records system for SLUC which he upgraded two years ago. The system provides for a QR code on memorandums and other documents.

Still in 2013, he also developed a payment module which is used in the cashier’s office.

Dr. Songcuan, a CHED scholar and Google Certified Educator, finished his Doctor of Information Technology degree with High Honors from the Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP). His dissertation is titled Jumbled Passsteps: A Hotspot Guessing Attack Resistant Graphical Password Authentication Scheme Based on the Modified Passmatrix Method. What’s more, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in San Fernando City, La Union, awarded him Computer System Servicing-National Certificate (NC II) and National Certificate (NC IV) in Programming while Civil Service Commission (CSC) conferred him Data Processing Eligibility when he passed the programming examination administered by National Computer Center in 2009.  

To download the app, please click the link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iKQdU7_eG4Y2molYDFjZhFLKR6P-9WmO/view?usp=sharing

(Ayu)