Online Learning In The Philippines During Pandemic

 By: Academia PH

    Coronavirus disease (COVID19) pandemic became the problem of the year 2020. It resulted in chaotic worldwide loss of human life, and faces an unparalleled threat to public health. The economic and social damage that the pandemic is causing is catastrophic, leading to the closing of establishments, schools, and other societal needs. Students are mostly affected by this world problem. Their education is compromised to ensure the safety and health of the students. In order to continue education, most educational systems across the world have migrated to remote learning modality as a measure against the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This phenomenon is causing a lot of difficulties especially as voiced out by students in the context of developing countries. (Asian Journal of Education, 2020). Students have suffered a significant disadvantage as a result of the abrupt shift in education from traditional on-campus study to online learning.

With the advent of E-learning or distance education, it is more important than ever to assess students' preparation and forecast their progress (Doe, 2017). Readiness is a major input for the learning-teaching scheme, since it is highly critical in the education-instruction process. The student's preparation determines how their behavior changes. Today, both research and teaching can be done with the use of online media (Engin, 2017).  In line with this, students, teachers, and other staff are faced with the problematic system of education that have been implemented in order to continue the flow of education throughout the world.

In online learning environments, mobile devices have aided in the establishment of alternative channels of contact between learners and teachers, potentially offering better access to course knowledge and facilitating clearer access to course events and learner encouragement. In all modes of education, motivation of students is significant, even more so in distance education, specifically, e - learning where learners are alone in their efforts.

Adapting to e-learning means adjusting for all students since students are used to face – to – face traditional learning. E-Learning provides a temporary feasible alternative for education practitioners to perform instruction and provide students with necessary instructional support (Hodges et al., 2020).

 The benefits of teaching by distance learning are evident, but there are some disadvantages. The socialization and behavioral skills that usually follow alternative learning approaches cannot be developed by students. There may also be a lack of regular interaction with faculty and colleagues to help improve relationships. Most of all, it affects the academic performance of students, adapting to new normal learning modality. (Gossenheimer, A., Bem, T. et. al., 2017).

In the Philippine setting, remote learning reveals a digital divide among Filipino students (Santos, 2020). The Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education Students get education through online courses, video recordings, video conferencing, or any other audio/visual technological media. It allows people to get an education without having to physically attend a class. (Loveless, 2018).

To this day, the Philippines continue to have a high number of covid19 cases.  With the students isolated at their homes, deprived of physical social interactions, and a challenging shift to a new learning environment, it is hard not to question how the students are doing in terms of academic performance and mental health.