What the 'new normal' will look like in Philippine universities
Students are sure to have a very memorable year, as a 'new normal' in education will be implemented in educational institutions for the school year 2020-2021.
What the 'new normal' in education looks like in the Philippines
Source: Pexels
The COVID-19 pandemic has given birth to different types of 'new normal', wherein daily activities have to be modified in order to ensure physical distancing, from the way people do groceries, ride public transportation, and even how people work and study.
This has led to the start of the school year being pushed back by nearly three months, as the Department of Education (DepEd) prepared guidelines on what the 'new normal' in Philippine schools and universities will look like.
DepEd has set the opening of the school year to August 2020 and its culmination will be on April 2021.
Since the school year is compressed into 203 days, DepEd is authorizing the holding of Saturday or Sunday classes.
In general, face-to-face classes will only be permitted in areas allowed to open physically, and compliance with minimum health standards will be required, especially observing physical distancing.
For those under stricter quarantine, DepEd recommends utilizing alternative delivery modes of learning, such as distance learning.
Below are the learning continuity plans of some of the universities in Metro Manila.
Ateneo de Manila University
ADMU logo/Source: ADMU website
The innovative educational initiative of the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) is called the AteneoBlueCloud (ABC).
The ABC is ADMU's virtual campus, where their synchronous and asynchronous --or non-real-time--learning activities will be conducted.
Learning materials, such as video lectures, narrated PowerPoint presentations, readings, and other online learning content will be given each week to students via Canvas and Moodle, which they can go over when it's most convenient for them.
On most Saturdays, there will be scheduled and synchronous discussions with their professors via Zoom, with each session expected to last for two to three hours.
De La Salle University
DLSU logo/Source: @ArchersNetwork (FB)
De La Salle University (DLSU) will be going full online mode until it is safe for students and educators to go back to campus.
DLSU's online education will be conducted through AnimoSpace, their learning platform powered by Canvas.
Through AnimoSpace, students can interact and share academic files with their classmates and professors.
DLSU also produced a video welcoming freshmen students or 'froshies,' which also serves as a virtual school orientation.
Far Eastern University
FEU logo/ Source: @FarEasternUniversity (FB)
Far Eastern University (FEU) offers a variety of learning options in its 'new normal' phase, namely: Fully Online, Blended Online, and Blended face-to-face.
FEU's Fully Online option is ideal for students with good, stable online connections and computer devices. Distribution of learning materials, faculty consultations, and mentoring will be 100% online and asynchronous in this option.
The university will be utilizing a digital learning system called the Mastery-based Individualized Learning Enhancement System, or simply MILES.
MILES is powered by online course management platform CANVAS and will be available in FEU's Alabang and Diliman campuses by August.
The Blended Online option, on the other hand, is perfect for students with minimal internet access. Learning materials will come in the form of both printed materials and flash drives filled with video lectures, learning activities, and other materials. These will be sent via a courier for a nominal fee.
As for the Blended Face-to-Face option, it will only be available once the government allows the resumption of physical classes in Manila campuses. This option will employ asynchronous learning with on-campus interactions, such as lab courses.
FEU Tech's Senior Director for Administration Jarvis Muyargas emphasized the goal of the university's online learning options by saying, “We believe that the ongoing crisis doesn't have to mean learning and mastery have to stop. With MILES, we can ensure that no student will be left behind.”
University of the Philippines
UP logo/Source: @upsystem (FB)
The University of the Philippines (UP) will also be delivering all its courses remotely during the first semester.
UP will be utilizing both asynchronous and synchronous communications between teachers and learners.
For non-real-time communications, they will be using email, Facebook Messenger, and Viber groups. While lectures, webinars, and teleconferences will be conducted via Zoom or Google Meet.
UP has also instituted two new grants to support the academic instruction of students: the Learning Assistance Grants and Peer Learning Groups and Networks.
The Learning Assistance Grants intends to help students in need of equipment and subsidy for connectivity service, while the Peer Learning Groups and Networks are networks of student assistants aiming to provide support to students in remote learning contexts.
University of Santo Tomas
UST logo/Source: UST1611official (FB)
The educational continuity plan of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) is to continue the term through remote teaching and learning.
For more than a decade, UST has been using the Electronic-Learning Access Program (E-LEAP), which has now been renamed as UST Cloud Campus.
The UST Cloud Campus has a cloud-based infrastructure powered by Blackboard, a topnotch learning management system enhanced by Google for Education and enriched by Adobe Creative eLearning Solutions.
Although UST is a pioneer in e-learning in the Philippines, having adopted it since 2002, transitioning to a fully online mode of learning proved to be challenging since many faculty members and students didn't have stable internet connections or didn't have the gadgets needed.
To address this, UST has provided pocket Wi-Fi assistance for Thomasians, in partnership with Smart and PLDT.
Thomasians who received pocket Wi-Fi assistance/ Source: @ust1611official (IG)
Furthermore, they also recommend continued supervision for their students to help them navigate the 'new normal' in education.
It really looks like remote learning or distance learning is the 'new normal' in education.
It may be challenging to transition into this new way of learning due to the inadequacies in our internet connections and availability of gadgets, but the good news is that educational institutions, educators, and DepEd are all working hand in hand in making sure that the pandemic will not stop Filipino students from learning.
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