COVID-19 has turned into a worldwide health emergency. Nearly 36 million individuals have been infected and over one million have died as of October 6, 2020. This amounts to over 325,000 sick people and 6,000 fatalities in the Philippines (Worldometer, 2020). Most countries have chosen to use quarantine measures and temporarily close their educational institutions in order to stop COVID-19 from spreading. As a result, over a billion students throughout the world have been impacted. Over 28 million Filipino students across all academic levels are among those who must remain at home and adhere to the Philippine government's quarantine regulations (UNESCO, 2020).
To meet the demands of students, particularly the 3.5 million tertiary-level students enrolled in nearly 2,400 HEIs across the country, certain HEIs have established proactive strategies to ensure that education continues despite the shutdown. Modified types of online learning are included in these rules, with the goal of facilitating student learning activities. Asynchronous, delayed-time activities, such as pre-recorded video lectures and time-independent evaluations, are examples of online learning (Oztok et al., 2013). De La Salle University (DLSU), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), the University of Santo Tomas (UST), and the state-run University of the Philippines, Diliman are examples of major institutions in the nation (UPD).
Remote online learning, which incorporates both synchronous and asynchronous activities, has been used by DLSU. There are a variety of choices for students who are unable to participate in online learning during the academic year to complete course requirements (De La Salle University, 2020a). synchronous online classes have been discontinued at ADMU, but asynchronous online learning has continued so that "all students can learn at their own speed" (Villarin, 2020). UST has chosen to continue both synchronous and asynchronous online classes, as well as variable grading of student outputs and assessments, similar to DLSU (University of Santo Tomas, 2020).Other private universities and colleges have continued to offer online programs, including STI College, St. Scholastica's College, Adamson University, Far Eastern University, the University of the East, Ateneo de Davao University, and the University of San Carlos.
The HEIs' shift to modified forms of online learning might be seen as a move by the government to solidify its commitment to learning despite the epidemic. “Education must continue even in times of crisis, whether it is a tragedy, tragedy, emergency, quarantine, or even war,” said Leonor Briones, Secretary of the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) (Department of Education, 2020). On the other hand, the Philippines' Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) recommended HEIs to continue using "available flexible learning and other alternative modes of delivery in place of on-campus study" (Commission on Higher Education, 2020). These declarations are meant to motivate people to keep learning. Private HEIs, on the other hand, are left to create their own policies in the absence of implementing laws and regulations.
The Initial Reaction of the General Public
Different industries, on the other hand, have condemned these HEIs' proactive online learning methods for various reasons. Student governments from various universities, for example, urged CHEd to mandate the cancellation of online classes through an online petition based on student and faculty sentiments, stating that “while we understand the need for learning to continue, the various circumstances of students across universities are not ideal and conducive for such.” “Access to the internet connection and learning gadgets has remained a luxury up to this day,” the petitioners write, “putting individuals with low internet access at a disadvantage when it comes to online classes.” [For a broader overview, Jones (2019) estimates that 45 percent of Filipino residents (46 million) and 74 percent (34,500) of public schools lack internet connectivity.]
Furthermore, “increasing the pupils' schoolwork raises their hardship and contradicts the aim of the lockdown, which is to assist their families in preparing for and adapting to the current situation.” Finally, there is a problem with the "lack of appropriate learning conditions at home and the efficacy of online courses" (Bagayas, 2020). UPD Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo announced the cancellation of online classes in a message to the academic community on March 17, 2020, citing I emergency concerns as “caring for our families and ourselves comes first,” (ii) “unequal access to personal computers and the internet exists among our community,” and (iii) “the shift to online classes has also not been smooth for our faculty, who have to learn new abilities and rework their syllabi in a matter of hours” (Nemenzo, 2020).
It's reasonable that some of the reactions are a result of the pandemic's stressors. Experts in the field of remote education, on the other hand, have already raised concerns about the other issues. The first concern is social integration and peer culture, as well as the possibility of value transmission in a "virtual" classroom. Students may learn less in such a setting than in a typical classroom since there is less human connection in the learning process (Edge and Loegering, 2000; Gamage et al., 2020). Second, there is a concern about the unnaturalness of online learning and its outcomes, since it contradicts how natural teaching and learning are intended to occur (Larreamendy-Joerns and Leinhardt, 2006; Adnan and Anwar, 2020). Both educators and learners are concerned about the loss of face-to-face human connection in the online learning environment and process. However, in a developing nation like the Philippines, there are serious socio-economic issues about online learning. Students in remote parts of the nation lack even access to roads and electricity, let alone computers and the internet. Furthermore, given present internet infrastructure, even metropolitan kids may have restricted access to the internet. As a result, there is a "digital divide" between those who have and those who don't.
There's also the matter of social policy to consider. The Philippines lacks a national strategy on online platforms like Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Open Distance e-learning (ODel), and Open Educational Resources (OER) (OERs). While there exist laws that give legal underpinnings for supporting such platforms, such as the Open Distance Learning Act (Sixteenth Philippine Congress, 2014), they are insufficient since “some national policies would have to be put in place to support the growth” of these online platforms (Bandalaria, 2019).
The Concept of Distance Learning
During times of quarantines and virus epidemics, it appears that online learning is the only realistic option for continuing to learn from afar. This, however, appears to be based on a faulty premise. It is important to note that online learning is only one type of distance education. Distance education may be defined as any type of learning experience in which the learner and the instructor are separated physically (not only by place but also by time). According to others, such a dislocation is "the ideal setting for free-flowing cognition that allows us to move beyond the limitations of a known social order" (hooks, 2003). Furthermore, this sort of education is a means of offering learning opportunities to all students, regardless of their circumstances. This means that distant education has the potential to increase educational access by leveraging distribution and economies of scale (Guri-Rosenblit, 2005; Owusu-Agyeman and Amoakohene, 2020). One may claim that the main thrust of distance education is to bring education to those who are unreachable, under-resourced, less-privileged and inaccessible (Biana, 2013). Taken as such, distance education “reaches out to students wherever they live or wish to study” (Guri-Rosenblit, 2005).
This type of flexibility allows students to take an active role in their education (Guri-Rosenblit, 2005; Daniel, 2016). Even if they are separated from their professors by location and/or time, students learn (Edge and Loegering, 2000). Distance learning became a requirement for learners and educators all across the world during COVID-19 (Ali, 2020). The government should create and implement policies that will support a new breed of distance educators. Educators in turn need to innovate to ensure that education remains inclusive and accessible, and that distance learning is not limited to pure online learning. Some have suggested using cell phones and (SMS) texting technology to facilitate learning.
The Situation Right Now
CHEd Chairperson Prospero De Vera characterized the concept of flexible learning as "more inclusive than online learning" many months after the first outcry in March 2020. De Vera emphasizes that whereas online learning necessitates internet access, flexible learning does not. Instead, it "concentrates on the design and delivery of programs, courses, and learning interventions that suit the learners' particular requirements in terms of pace, location, method, and learning products" (Parrocha, 2020).
DepEd sets a distance learning approach that utilizes three methods. The specific guidelines on the implementation of distance learning are still under review (Magsambol, 2020). In July 2020, DLSU adopted an alternate mode of education that is technology-enabled dubbed Lasallians Remote and Engaged Approach for Connectivity in Higher Education. R.E.A.C.H emphasizes the importance of engagement between faculty and students.
Ateneo de Manila University piloted the Adaptive Design for Learning (ADL) ADL offers uniquely designed courses that suit faculty style and respond to learner's needs and contexts.
University Virtual Learning Environment (UVLE), and UP Open University (UPOU) maximizes online learning and distance education. UST Cloud Campus implemented an Enriched Virtual Mode (EVR) that combines both online and offline strategies to ensure accessibility and flexibility in learning.
Southeast Asian Higher Education Institutions' Reaction
The Philippines isn't the only country that's dealing with these issues. Its Southeast Asian counterparts have come up with innovative solutions to the same problems and have begun to transition to a new age of education.
Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam have initiated some form of distance learning as early as May 2020. Thailand's Education Ministry originally planned to implement a learning program using a Distance Learning Television (DLTV) platform. Indonesia's Education and Culture Ministry, in collaboration with TVRI, a state-owned broadcaster, released their own distance learning program called "Learning from Home" Some universities like Chiang Mai University also offer MOOCs to encourage online learning. A majority of students cited concerns about online learning due to poor streaming, limitation in network quota and reception.
Recommendations and Conclusion
The Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia are all in the same economic and sociocultural boat, and they're all dealing with the same COVID-19 education difficulties. However, these issues present a chance to increase our understanding of education and adopt long-term, sustainable improvements that will improve the quality of our educational institutions.
The Philippines will require a clear set of regulations and standards based on an innovative educational framework in the future. This necessitates a thorough and honest assessment of the country's readiness to provide learning programs that go beyond the norm.
Several aspects must be addressed when the Philippines embarks on a new method of education. This encompasses instructor capability, the learner's circumstance and context, and the learning environment's efficiency. These are, of course, in addition to the more apparent concerns about internet speed, material costs, and delivery methods. Taking a step back and designing a strategy that involves teachers, students, parents, school officials, and technology-based corporations is the best approach to go forward. This type of innovative solution, based on a shared vision, is exactly what this unusual challenge calls for.
CHEd appears to be confident in its suggested flexible learning mode as the new academic year begins in October. De Vera emphasizes the "spirit of bayanihan," or the distinctive Filipino ideal of communal solidarity, in saying that we must find methods to cope with the epidemic during these difficult times and ensuring that "learning must continue," "we learn as one, we are ready" (De Vera, 2020b). The CHEd Hi-Ed Bayanihan is a partnership between the government and various HEIs in the country. It is said to be the first of its kind in CHEd history. These learning innovations should be grounded on a deeper understanding of distance education.
In this "new normal" we're dealing with, the best way to keep up with the world's educational demands is to self-educate ourselves. We should also encourage young children to do the same, or we should take action to teach them at home.