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New Reality: Online Distance Learning in Philippines

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Published: Feb 11, 2023

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Online learning, advantages and disadvantages of online learning, philippines and online learning.

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Challenges and Opportunities of Online Learning in the Philippine Context: Thriving in the New Normal

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Distance learning in the Philippines: A year of hits and misses

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

REMOTE EDUCATION. Parents and students return the modules to teachers at the Araullo High School in Manila on Tuesday, July 13, as the school year came to a close.

Every morning, Adelaide Dolar would ask a favor: could she charge her mobile phone at her neighbor’s house? She didn’t have electricity at home, and her children needed her gadget for online class work. She did this for the whole duration of the school year 2020-2021. 

The pandemic made it difficult for financially struggling families like hers to fulfill their children’s needs for distance learning, the 43-year-old vendor from Batangas province told Rappler in an interview on Sunday, July 18.

Despite this, she made sure that her children would not miss school the past year, when the government enforced a remote setup due to pandemic lockdowns.

Her three children – all basic education students – were enrolled under the modular learning system. The eldest, who was in Grade 10, needed to occasionally attend online classes. The younger ones, however, couldn’t just answer the modules distributed by the school; they also needed to watch video lessons uploaded on YouTube or do research for their classes.

With a meager income of P300 ($5.91) a day from selling afternoon snacks to her neighbors, Dolar had to budget this amount between their meals and an allotment of mobile data   for her children’s online classes.

“If they have online classes, I need to have P200 for internet ‘load.’ If my eldest son needs to attend a Google meet, I need to buy internet load worth P50 per hour. Of course, there’s also research that needs to be done, so the P50 load won’t be enough – that’s why we’re spending P200 for it. It will be registered for three days,” she said.

To make a living, Dolar and her husband sell snacks every afternoon in their neighborhood. Her husband has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, so he cannot help that much with household finances. Dolar also does laundry services just to get by.

Not good for mental health

Aside from the financial burden brought by remote education, Dolar said that her children’s mental health had been affected. Without teachers explaining the lessons to students, she had to change her morning routine so she could guide and motivate her children to answer their learning modules. That delayed her preparation of food she would sell in the afternoon.

“They’re looking for the [in-person] school. They said in-person classes are better. They miss their interaction with their classmates. They are unmotivated to study. What will happen next school year? Will we be in this kind of situation again?” Dolar asked.

“They were culture-shocked. They are not used to this kind of situation. They’re hoping to interact with their teachers and their classmates,” she added.

In a recent video interview released by the Ateneo School of Government, Professor Carmel Abao said that aside from the issue of accessibility, remote learning also had an impact on students’ mental health.

“There’s an issue on the impact of this kind of learning on mental health. I still think that this is not advisable. Our kids are not made for this kind of isolation. Even if you do perform well in online learning, it’s different if you’re able to see, feel, and talk with your classmates,” she said.

Students didn’t learn as much

In a Rappler Talk interview on Friday, July 16, senior high school graduate Cheska Avenido said she found the remote learning setup really difficult.

“Besides the adjustment under the new modes of learning, sometimes we ask ourselves if studying during a pandemic is still worth it, because there are a lot of uncertainties,” she said.

Dolar shared that sentiment, saying her children didn’t learn that much in the remote setup, as she could not teach them properly. Though Dolar graduated with a degree in computer science, she wasn’t able to practice any related profession.

“I think they’re learning, but learning with teachers is far way better. Sometimes, I find it really hard to understand their lessons. Face-to-face classes is still the best way to go,” Dolar said.

Aside from the school system being unprepared for the shift, remote education also posed a major challenge for students who did not have anyone to facilitate learning at home, or whose parents were not capable of guiding them due to lack of knowledge. (READ:  Parents bear the brunt of distance learning as classes shift online )

Dolar said that, most times, she was the one attending her children’s online classes, especially in mathematics, so she could explain the concepts to them when answering their modules.

An online survey conducted by the multisectoral group Movement for Safe, Equitable, Quality and Relevant Education (SEQuRE) found that 86.7% of students under modular learning, 66% under online learning, and 74% under blended learning said they “learned less” under the alternative modes of learning compared with the traditional face-to-face setup.

The survey also found that only 5.4% under the blended learning, 5.7% under modular learning, and 9.1% under online learning “learned more.”

The survey was conducted from June 25 to July 12 among 1,278 teachers, 1,299 Grades 4 to 12 students, and 3,172 parents.

Teachers’ Dignity Coalition chairperson Benjo Basas said in a Rappler interview that, while the teachers would always do their best to teach students under any circumstance, they didn’t have any control on how students would respond.

“Either of those modalities, whether online or modular, it was difficult to learn. It’s difficult for the students. It’s also difficult for the teachers because we’re not trained for this system,” he said.

In March, senators questioned a report from the Department of Education (DepEd) that said 99% of public school students obtained a passing grade in the first quarter of the school year (October-December 2020).

The lawmakers were baffled by the high passing rate because many students struggled with distance learning. They cited instances when it was the parents or household members who ended up answering the exercises in the learning modules.

In remote learning, some students pay someone else to do their classwork

Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said it was likely that teachers were being considerate and therefore gave students high passing rates.

When pandemic is over, Basas said, teachers would have a tougher job because the students will need to catch up on the level of learning that corresponds to their grade or class.

“We have a lot of catching up to do because we’re promoting students to the next level even though we’re unsure if they do actually learn. But then we cannot do something about it because we’re asked to be considerate since we’re in a pandemic,” he said.

Erroneous modules, not enough gadgets

Education advocates have said that the pandemic highlighted the gaps in the Philippine education system. This was evident in the erroneous learning modules distributed to public school students during the pandemic.

“Painful” grammatical errors ,  wrong math equations , and depictions of  gender stereotypes  alarmed a public already worried over the quality of education that over 24 million students were receiving during the pandemic.

Aside from learning module blunders, Ateneo’s Abao said the pandemic exposed the “cracks” in the country’s education system.

“If the problem before the pandemic was the lack of classrooms, the problem now is the lack of computers. We have a problem with the quantity and quality which were magnified by the pandemic,” she said.

Better than academic freeze

Still, there were those who appreciated that the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education were able to go ahead with the school year amid the pandemic.

Dolar said that, even though the implementation was flawed, distance learning was still better than having an academic break. (READ: School time out during a pandemic? Pros and cons of an academic break )

“They have nothing to do at home, that’s why it’s okay to have distance learning. But we hope that they can improve the implementation and provide support to parents, teachers, and students,” she said.

Professor Jayeel Cornelio, director of Ateneo de Manila University’s development studies program, said that while remote education provided an opportunity for those in the academe to be creative, it would not be as effective if not all had equal access to the tools needed for the digital shift.

“As a professor, [remote education for me] is a good. We take advantage of every platform available, but the question is – who is winning and losing here? The reality is that if you come from an elite private school, you can easily cope with it. But we cannot say that flexible learning is the way to go for small private schools and state universities,” he said.

Students and teachers remain safe from the virus while they continue learning from their homes. Despite the challenges brought by remote learning, senior high school graduate Avenido said she still felt unsafe to return to face-to-face classes.

“I’d be comfortable to return to face-to-face classes if the government finds better solutions to our pandemic problems. If they can find ways to contain virus spread and ramp up vaccination, it’s the only way I will feel safe to join face-to-face classes,” she said.

Over a year into the pandemic, the Philippines is still struggling to contain the deadly virus that has so far infected more than 1.5 million and has killed over 26,000 of its population. The country is bracing for a possible surge in infections, as the threat of a more virulent Delta variant looms.

Finding local solutions

Regina Sibal, lead convenor of education advocacy group Aral Pilipinas, said that, aside from the slow response, the government’s top-down approach in its policy making was another barrier in the reopening of schools. She said that the government should not be implementing a “blanket rule” across the country.

“Our remote learning now is for all schools and no provision is given to other areas that are able to do face-to-face classes. Disparity in education access has been more pronounced now, especially in marginalized areas that lack resources,” she said.

Sibal said that what government should be doing now is to provide local communities with guidelines on finding solutions specific to their areas and situations. (READ: Empower LGUs to make decisions on school opening – advocacy group )

President Rodrigo Duterte turned down several times calls for face-to-face classes due to the threat of the pandemic.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones, however, was hopeful the DepEd would get the go signal to start limited face-to-face classes in some 100 schools it had identified. She was banking on the vaccination of teachers and the planned inoculation of students.

Are PH schools ready for face-to-face classes during pandemic?

The DepEd had said that it was preparing for “the delivery of quality education no matter what the circumstances will be in the coming months.”

Public schools in the country will start classes for school year 2021-2022 on September 13 , while private schools can start as early as June since they closed the past school year earlier.

“Enhanced”  blended distance learning will continue to be implemented. But will the government make it right for millions of students this time around? – Rappler.com

Editors’ Note: All Filipino quotes were translated into English .

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Students’ online learning challenges during the pandemic and how they cope with them: The case of the Philippines

Jessie s. barrot.

College of Education, Arts and Sciences, National University, Manila, Philippines

Ian I. Llenares

Leo s. del rosario, associated data.

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Recently, the education system has faced an unprecedented health crisis that has shaken up its foundation. Given today’s uncertainties, it is vital to gain a nuanced understanding of students’ online learning experience in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although many studies have investigated this area, limited information is available regarding the challenges and the specific strategies that students employ to overcome them. Thus, this study attempts to fill in the void. Using a mixed-methods approach, the findings revealed that the online learning challenges of college students varied in terms of type and extent. Their greatest challenge was linked to their learning environment at home, while their least challenge was technological literacy and competency. The findings further revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic had the greatest impact on the quality of the learning experience and students’ mental health. In terms of strategies employed by students, the most frequently used were resource management and utilization, help-seeking, technical aptitude enhancement, time management, and learning environment control. Implications for classroom practice, policy-making, and future research are discussed.

Introduction

Since the 1990s, the world has seen significant changes in the landscape of education as a result of the ever-expanding influence of technology. One such development is the adoption of online learning across different learning contexts, whether formal or informal, academic and non-academic, and residential or remotely. We began to witness schools, teachers, and students increasingly adopt e-learning technologies that allow teachers to deliver instruction interactively, share resources seamlessly, and facilitate student collaboration and interaction (Elaish et al., 2019 ; Garcia et al., 2018 ). Although the efficacy of online learning has long been acknowledged by the education community (Barrot, 2020 , 2021 ; Cavanaugh et al., 2009 ; Kebritchi et al., 2017 ; Tallent-Runnels et al., 2006 ; Wallace, 2003 ), evidence on the challenges in its implementation continues to build up (e.g., Boelens et al., 2017 ; Rasheed et al., 2020 ).

Recently, the education system has faced an unprecedented health crisis (i.e., COVID-19 pandemic) that has shaken up its foundation. Thus, various governments across the globe have launched a crisis response to mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic on education. This response includes, but is not limited to, curriculum revisions, provision for technological resources and infrastructure, shifts in the academic calendar, and policies on instructional delivery and assessment. Inevitably, these developments compelled educational institutions to migrate to full online learning until face-to-face instruction is allowed. The current circumstance is unique as it could aggravate the challenges experienced during online learning due to restrictions in movement and health protocols (Gonzales et al., 2020 ; Kapasia et al., 2020 ). Given today’s uncertainties, it is vital to gain a nuanced understanding of students’ online learning experience in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, many studies have investigated this area with a focus on students’ mental health (Copeland et al., 2021 ; Fawaz et al., 2021 ), home learning (Suryaman et al., 2020 ), self-regulation (Carter et al., 2020 ), virtual learning environment (Almaiah et al., 2020 ; Hew et al., 2020 ; Tang et al., 2020 ), and students’ overall learning experience (e.g., Adarkwah, 2021 ; Day et al., 2021 ; Khalil et al., 2020 ; Singh et al., 2020 ). There are two key differences that set the current study apart from the previous studies. First, it sheds light on the direct impact of the pandemic on the challenges that students experience in an online learning space. Second, the current study explores students’ coping strategies in this new learning setup. Addressing these areas would shed light on the extent of challenges that students experience in a full online learning space, particularly within the context of the pandemic. Meanwhile, our nuanced understanding of the strategies that students use to overcome their challenges would provide relevant information to school administrators and teachers to better support the online learning needs of students. This information would also be critical in revisiting the typology of strategies in an online learning environment.

Literature review

Education and the covid-19 pandemic.

In December 2019, an outbreak of a novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, occurred in China and has spread rapidly across the globe within a few months. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus that attacks the respiratory system (World Health Organization, 2020 ). As of January 2021, COVID-19 has infected 94 million people and has caused 2 million deaths in 191 countries and territories (John Hopkins University, 2021 ). This pandemic has created a massive disruption of the educational systems, affecting over 1.5 billion students. It has forced the government to cancel national examinations and the schools to temporarily close, cease face-to-face instruction, and strictly observe physical distancing. These events have sparked the digital transformation of higher education and challenged its ability to respond promptly and effectively. Schools adopted relevant technologies, prepared learning and staff resources, set systems and infrastructure, established new teaching protocols, and adjusted their curricula. However, the transition was smooth for some schools but rough for others, particularly those from developing countries with limited infrastructure (Pham & Nguyen, 2020 ; Simbulan, 2020 ).

Inevitably, schools and other learning spaces were forced to migrate to full online learning as the world continues the battle to control the vicious spread of the virus. Online learning refers to a learning environment that uses the Internet and other technological devices and tools for synchronous and asynchronous instructional delivery and management of academic programs (Usher & Barak, 2020 ; Huang, 2019 ). Synchronous online learning involves real-time interactions between the teacher and the students, while asynchronous online learning occurs without a strict schedule for different students (Singh & Thurman, 2019 ). Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning has taken the status of interim remote teaching that serves as a response to an exigency. However, the migration to a new learning space has faced several major concerns relating to policy, pedagogy, logistics, socioeconomic factors, technology, and psychosocial factors (Donitsa-Schmidt & Ramot, 2020 ; Khalil et al., 2020 ; Varea & González-Calvo, 2020 ). With reference to policies, government education agencies and schools scrambled to create fool-proof policies on governance structure, teacher management, and student management. Teachers, who were used to conventional teaching delivery, were also obliged to embrace technology despite their lack of technological literacy. To address this problem, online learning webinars and peer support systems were launched. On the part of the students, dropout rates increased due to economic, psychological, and academic reasons. Academically, although it is virtually possible for students to learn anything online, learning may perhaps be less than optimal, especially in courses that require face-to-face contact and direct interactions (Franchi, 2020 ).

Related studies

Recently, there has been an explosion of studies relating to the new normal in education. While many focused on national policies, professional development, and curriculum, others zeroed in on the specific learning experience of students during the pandemic. Among these are Copeland et al. ( 2021 ) and Fawaz et al. ( 2021 ) who examined the impact of COVID-19 on college students’ mental health and their coping mechanisms. Copeland et al. ( 2021 ) reported that the pandemic adversely affected students’ behavioral and emotional functioning, particularly attention and externalizing problems (i.e., mood and wellness behavior), which were caused by isolation, economic/health effects, and uncertainties. In Fawaz et al.’s ( 2021 ) study, students raised their concerns on learning and evaluation methods, overwhelming task load, technical difficulties, and confinement. To cope with these problems, students actively dealt with the situation by seeking help from their teachers and relatives and engaging in recreational activities. These active-oriented coping mechanisms of students were aligned with Carter et al.’s ( 2020 ), who explored students’ self-regulation strategies.

In another study, Tang et al. ( 2020 ) examined the efficacy of different online teaching modes among engineering students. Using a questionnaire, the results revealed that students were dissatisfied with online learning in general, particularly in the aspect of communication and question-and-answer modes. Nonetheless, the combined model of online teaching with flipped classrooms improved students’ attention, academic performance, and course evaluation. A parallel study was undertaken by Hew et al. ( 2020 ), who transformed conventional flipped classrooms into fully online flipped classes through a cloud-based video conferencing app. Their findings suggested that these two types of learning environments were equally effective. They also offered ways on how to effectively adopt videoconferencing-assisted online flipped classrooms. Unlike the two studies, Suryaman et al. ( 2020 ) looked into how learning occurred at home during the pandemic. Their findings showed that students faced many obstacles in a home learning environment, such as lack of mastery of technology, high Internet cost, and limited interaction/socialization between and among students. In a related study, Kapasia et al. ( 2020 ) investigated how lockdown impacts students’ learning performance. Their findings revealed that the lockdown made significant disruptions in students’ learning experience. The students also reported some challenges that they faced during their online classes. These include anxiety, depression, poor Internet service, and unfavorable home learning environment, which were aggravated when students are marginalized and from remote areas. Contrary to Kapasia et al.’s ( 2020 ) findings, Gonzales et al. ( 2020 ) found that confinement of students during the pandemic had significant positive effects on their performance. They attributed these results to students’ continuous use of learning strategies which, in turn, improved their learning efficiency.

Finally, there are those that focused on students’ overall online learning experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. One such study was that of Singh et al. ( 2020 ), who examined students’ experience during the COVID-19 pandemic using a quantitative descriptive approach. Their findings indicated that students appreciated the use of online learning during the pandemic. However, half of them believed that the traditional classroom setting was more effective than the online learning platform. Methodologically, the researchers acknowledge that the quantitative nature of their study restricts a deeper interpretation of the findings. Unlike the above study, Khalil et al. ( 2020 ) qualitatively explored the efficacy of synchronized online learning in a medical school in Saudi Arabia. The results indicated that students generally perceive synchronous online learning positively, particularly in terms of time management and efficacy. However, they also reported technical (internet connectivity and poor utility of tools), methodological (content delivery), and behavioral (individual personality) challenges. Their findings also highlighted the failure of the online learning environment to address the needs of courses that require hands-on practice despite efforts to adopt virtual laboratories. In a parallel study, Adarkwah ( 2021 ) examined students’ online learning experience during the pandemic using a narrative inquiry approach. The findings indicated that Ghanaian students considered online learning as ineffective due to several challenges that they encountered. Among these were lack of social interaction among students, poor communication, lack of ICT resources, and poor learning outcomes. More recently, Day et al. ( 2021 ) examined the immediate impact of COVID-19 on students’ learning experience. Evidence from six institutions across three countries revealed some positive experiences and pre-existing inequities. Among the reported challenges are lack of appropriate devices, poor learning space at home, stress among students, and lack of fieldwork and access to laboratories.

Although there are few studies that report the online learning challenges that higher education students experience during the pandemic, limited information is available regarding the specific strategies that they use to overcome them. It is in this context that the current study was undertaken. This mixed-methods study investigates students’ online learning experience in higher education. Specifically, the following research questions are addressed: (1) What is the extent of challenges that students experience in an online learning environment? (2) How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact the online learning challenges that students experience? (3) What strategies did students use to overcome the challenges?

Conceptual framework

The typology of challenges examined in this study is largely based on Rasheed et al.’s ( 2020 ) review of students’ experience in an online learning environment. These challenges are grouped into five general clusters, namely self-regulation (SRC), technological literacy and competency (TLCC), student isolation (SIC), technological sufficiency (TSC), and technological complexity (TCC) challenges (Rasheed et al., 2020 , p. 5). SRC refers to a set of behavior by which students exercise control over their emotions, actions, and thoughts to achieve learning objectives. TLCC relates to a set of challenges about students’ ability to effectively use technology for learning purposes. SIC relates to the emotional discomfort that students experience as a result of being lonely and secluded from their peers. TSC refers to a set of challenges that students experience when accessing available online technologies for learning. Finally, there is TCC which involves challenges that students experience when exposed to complex and over-sufficient technologies for online learning.

To extend Rasheed et al. ( 2020 ) categories and to cover other potential challenges during online classes, two more clusters were added, namely learning resource challenges (LRC) and learning environment challenges (LEC) (Buehler, 2004 ; Recker et al., 2004 ; Seplaki et al., 2014 ; Xue et al., 2020 ). LRC refers to a set of challenges that students face relating to their use of library resources and instructional materials, whereas LEC is a set of challenges that students experience related to the condition of their learning space that shapes their learning experiences, beliefs, and attitudes. Since learning environment at home and learning resources available to students has been reported to significantly impact the quality of learning and their achievement of learning outcomes (Drane et al., 2020 ; Suryaman et al., 2020 ), the inclusion of LRC and LEC would allow us to capture other important challenges that students experience during the pandemic, particularly those from developing regions. This comprehensive list would provide us a clearer and detailed picture of students’ experiences when engaged in online learning in an emergency. Given the restrictions in mobility at macro and micro levels during the pandemic, it is also expected that such conditions would aggravate these challenges. Therefore, this paper intends to understand these challenges from students’ perspectives since they are the ones that are ultimately impacted when the issue is about the learning experience. We also seek to explore areas that provide inconclusive findings, thereby setting the path for future research.

Material and methods

The present study adopted a descriptive, mixed-methods approach to address the research questions. This approach allowed the researchers to collect complex data about students’ experience in an online learning environment and to clearly understand the phenomena from their perspective.

Participants

This study involved 200 (66 male and 134 female) students from a private higher education institution in the Philippines. These participants were Psychology, Physical Education, and Sports Management majors whose ages ranged from 17 to 25 ( x ̅  = 19.81; SD  = 1.80). The students have been engaged in online learning for at least two terms in both synchronous and asynchronous modes. The students belonged to low- and middle-income groups but were equipped with the basic online learning equipment (e.g., computer, headset, speakers) and computer skills necessary for their participation in online classes. Table ​ Table1 1 shows the primary and secondary platforms that students used during their online classes. The primary platforms are those that are formally adopted by teachers and students in a structured academic context, whereas the secondary platforms are those that are informally and spontaneously used by students and teachers for informal learning and to supplement instructional delivery. Note that almost all students identified MS Teams as their primary platform because it is the official learning management system of the university.

Participants’ Online Learning Platforms

Informed consent was sought from the participants prior to their involvement. Before students signed the informed consent form, they were oriented about the objectives of the study and the extent of their involvement. They were also briefed about the confidentiality of information, their anonymity, and their right to refuse to participate in the investigation. Finally, the participants were informed that they would incur no additional cost from their participation.

Instrument and data collection

The data were collected using a retrospective self-report questionnaire and a focused group discussion (FGD). A self-report questionnaire was considered appropriate because the indicators relate to affective responses and attitude (Araujo et al., 2017 ; Barrot, 2016 ; Spector, 1994 ). Although the participants may tell more than what they know or do in a self-report survey (Matsumoto, 1994 ), this challenge was addressed by explaining to them in detail each of the indicators and using methodological triangulation through FGD. The questionnaire was divided into four sections: (1) participant’s personal information section, (2) the background information on the online learning environment, (3) the rating scale section for the online learning challenges, (4) the open-ended section. The personal information section asked about the students’ personal information (name, school, course, age, and sex), while the background information section explored the online learning mode and platforms (primary and secondary) used in class, and students’ length of engagement in online classes. The rating scale section contained 37 items that relate to SRC (6 items), TLCC (10 items), SIC (4 items), TSC (6 items), TCC (3 items), LRC (4 items), and LEC (4 items). The Likert scale uses six scores (i.e., 5– to a very great extent , 4– to a great extent , 3– to a moderate extent , 2– to some extent , 1– to a small extent , and 0 –not at all/negligible ) assigned to each of the 37 items. Finally, the open-ended questions asked about other challenges that students experienced, the impact of the pandemic on the intensity or extent of the challenges they experienced, and the strategies that the participants employed to overcome the eight different types of challenges during online learning. Two experienced educators and researchers reviewed the questionnaire for clarity, accuracy, and content and face validity. The piloting of the instrument revealed that the tool had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.96).

The FGD protocol contains two major sections: the participants’ background information and the main questions. The background information section asked about the students’ names, age, courses being taken, online learning mode used in class. The items in the main questions section covered questions relating to the students’ overall attitude toward online learning during the pandemic, the reasons for the scores they assigned to each of the challenges they experienced, the impact of the pandemic on students’ challenges, and the strategies they employed to address the challenges. The same experts identified above validated the FGD protocol.

Both the questionnaire and the FGD were conducted online via Google survey and MS Teams, respectively. It took approximately 20 min to complete the questionnaire, while the FGD lasted for about 90 min. Students were allowed to ask for clarification and additional explanations relating to the questionnaire content, FGD, and procedure. Online surveys and interview were used because of the ongoing lockdown in the city. For the purpose of triangulation, 20 (10 from Psychology and 10 from Physical Education and Sports Management) randomly selected students were invited to participate in the FGD. Two separate FGDs were scheduled for each group and were facilitated by researcher 2 and researcher 3, respectively. The interviewers ensured that the participants were comfortable and open to talk freely during the FGD to avoid social desirability biases (Bergen & Labonté, 2020 ). These were done by informing the participants that there are no wrong responses and that their identity and responses would be handled with the utmost confidentiality. With the permission of the participants, the FGD was recorded to ensure that all relevant information was accurately captured for transcription and analysis.

Data analysis

To address the research questions, we used both quantitative and qualitative analyses. For the quantitative analysis, we entered all the data into an excel spreadsheet. Then, we computed the mean scores ( M ) and standard deviations ( SD ) to determine the level of challenges experienced by students during online learning. The mean score for each descriptor was interpreted using the following scheme: 4.18 to 5.00 ( to a very great extent ), 3.34 to 4.17 ( to a great extent ), 2.51 to 3.33 ( to a moderate extent ), 1.68 to 2.50 ( to some extent ), 0.84 to 1.67 ( to a small extent ), and 0 to 0.83 ( not at all/negligible ). The equal interval was adopted because it produces more reliable and valid information than other types of scales (Cicchetti et al., 2006 ).

For the qualitative data, we analyzed the students’ responses in the open-ended questions and the transcribed FGD using the predetermined categories in the conceptual framework. Specifically, we used multilevel coding in classifying the codes from the transcripts (Birks & Mills, 2011 ). To do this, we identified the relevant codes from the responses of the participants and categorized these codes based on the similarities or relatedness of their properties and dimensions. Then, we performed a constant comparative and progressive analysis of cases to allow the initially identified subcategories to emerge and take shape. To ensure the reliability of the analysis, two coders independently analyzed the qualitative data. Both coders familiarize themselves with the purpose, research questions, research method, and codes and coding scheme of the study. They also had a calibration session and discussed ways on how they could consistently analyze the qualitative data. Percent of agreement between the two coders was 86 percent. Any disagreements in the analysis were discussed by the coders until an agreement was achieved.

This study investigated students’ online learning experience in higher education within the context of the pandemic. Specifically, we identified the extent of challenges that students experienced, how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their online learning experience, and the strategies that they used to confront these challenges.

The extent of students’ online learning challenges

Table ​ Table2 2 presents the mean scores and SD for the extent of challenges that students’ experienced during online learning. Overall, the students experienced the identified challenges to a moderate extent ( x ̅  = 2.62, SD  = 1.03) with scores ranging from x ̅  = 1.72 ( to some extent ) to x ̅  = 3.58 ( to a great extent ). More specifically, the greatest challenge that students experienced was related to the learning environment ( x ̅  = 3.49, SD  = 1.27), particularly on distractions at home, limitations in completing the requirements for certain subjects, and difficulties in selecting the learning areas and study schedule. It is, however, found that the least challenge was on technological literacy and competency ( x ̅  = 2.10, SD  = 1.13), particularly on knowledge and training in the use of technology, technological intimidation, and resistance to learning technologies. Other areas that students experienced the least challenge are Internet access under TSC and procrastination under SRC. Nonetheless, nearly half of the students’ responses per indicator rated the challenges they experienced as moderate (14 of the 37 indicators), particularly in TCC ( x ̅  = 2.51, SD  = 1.31), SIC ( x ̅  = 2.77, SD  = 1.34), and LRC ( x ̅  = 2.93, SD  = 1.31).

The Extent of Students’ Challenges during the Interim Online Learning

Out of 200 students, 181 responded to the question about other challenges that they experienced. Most of their responses were already covered by the seven predetermined categories, except for 18 responses related to physical discomfort ( N  = 5) and financial challenges ( N  = 13). For instance, S108 commented that “when it comes to eyes and head, my eyes and head get ache if the session of class was 3 h straight in front of my gadget.” In the same vein, S194 reported that “the long exposure to gadgets especially laptop, resulting in body pain & headaches.” With reference to physical financial challenges, S66 noted that “not all the time I have money to load”, while S121 claimed that “I don't know until when are we going to afford budgeting our money instead of buying essentials.”

Impact of the pandemic on students’ online learning challenges

Another objective of this study was to identify how COVID-19 influenced the online learning challenges that students experienced. As shown in Table ​ Table3, 3 , most of the students’ responses were related to teaching and learning quality ( N  = 86) and anxiety and other mental health issues ( N  = 52). Regarding the adverse impact on teaching and learning quality, most of the comments relate to the lack of preparation for the transition to online platforms (e.g., S23, S64), limited infrastructure (e.g., S13, S65, S99, S117), and poor Internet service (e.g., S3, S9, S17, S41, S65, S99). For the anxiety and mental health issues, most students reported that the anxiety, boredom, sadness, and isolation they experienced had adversely impacted the way they learn (e.g., S11, S130), completing their tasks/activities (e.g., S56, S156), and their motivation to continue studying (e.g., S122, S192). The data also reveal that COVID-19 aggravated the financial difficulties experienced by some students ( N  = 16), consequently affecting their online learning experience. This financial impact mainly revolved around the lack of funding for their online classes as a result of their parents’ unemployment and the high cost of Internet data (e.g., S18, S113, S167). Meanwhile, few concerns were raised in relation to COVID-19’s impact on mobility ( N  = 7) and face-to-face interactions ( N  = 7). For instance, some commented that the lack of face-to-face interaction with her classmates had a detrimental effect on her learning (S46) and socialization skills (S36), while others reported that restrictions in mobility limited their learning experience (S78, S110). Very few comments were related to no effect ( N  = 4) and positive effect ( N  = 2). The above findings suggest the pandemic had additive adverse effects on students’ online learning experience.

Summary of students’ responses on the impact of COVID-19 on their online learning experience

Students’ strategies to overcome challenges in an online learning environment

The third objective of this study is to identify the strategies that students employed to overcome the different online learning challenges they experienced. Table ​ Table4 4 presents that the most commonly used strategies used by students were resource management and utilization ( N  = 181), help-seeking ( N  = 155), technical aptitude enhancement ( N  = 122), time management ( N  = 98), and learning environment control ( N  = 73). Not surprisingly, the top two strategies were also the most consistently used across different challenges. However, looking closely at each of the seven challenges, the frequency of using a particular strategy varies. For TSC and LRC, the most frequently used strategy was resource management and utilization ( N  = 52, N  = 89, respectively), whereas technical aptitude enhancement was the students’ most preferred strategy to address TLCC ( N  = 77) and TCC ( N  = 38). In the case of SRC, SIC, and LEC, the most frequently employed strategies were time management ( N  = 71), psychological support ( N  = 53), and learning environment control ( N  = 60). In terms of consistency, help-seeking appears to be the most consistent across the different challenges in an online learning environment. Table ​ Table4 4 further reveals that strategies used by students within a specific type of challenge vary.

Students’ Strategies to Overcome Online Learning Challenges

Discussion and conclusions

The current study explores the challenges that students experienced in an online learning environment and how the pandemic impacted their online learning experience. The findings revealed that the online learning challenges of students varied in terms of type and extent. Their greatest challenge was linked to their learning environment at home, while their least challenge was technological literacy and competency. Based on the students’ responses, their challenges were also found to be aggravated by the pandemic, especially in terms of quality of learning experience, mental health, finances, interaction, and mobility. With reference to previous studies (i.e., Adarkwah, 2021 ; Copeland et al., 2021 ; Day et al., 2021 ; Fawaz et al., 2021 ; Kapasia et al., 2020 ; Khalil et al., 2020 ; Singh et al., 2020 ), the current study has complemented their findings on the pedagogical, logistical, socioeconomic, technological, and psychosocial online learning challenges that students experience within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, this study extended previous studies and our understanding of students’ online learning experience by identifying both the presence and extent of online learning challenges and by shedding light on the specific strategies they employed to overcome them.

Overall findings indicate that the extent of challenges and strategies varied from one student to another. Hence, they should be viewed as a consequence of interaction several many factors. Students’ responses suggest that their online learning challenges and strategies were mediated by the resources available to them, their interaction with their teachers and peers, and the school’s existing policies and guidelines for online learning. In the context of the pandemic, the imposed lockdowns and students’ socioeconomic condition aggravated the challenges that students experience.

While most studies revealed that technology use and competency were the most common challenges that students face during the online classes (see Rasheed et al., 2020 ), the case is a bit different in developing countries in times of pandemic. As the findings have shown, the learning environment is the greatest challenge that students needed to hurdle, particularly distractions at home (e.g., noise) and limitations in learning space and facilities. This data suggests that online learning challenges during the pandemic somehow vary from the typical challenges that students experience in a pre-pandemic online learning environment. One possible explanation for this result is that restriction in mobility may have aggravated this challenge since they could not go to the school or other learning spaces beyond the vicinity of their respective houses. As shown in the data, the imposition of lockdown restricted students’ learning experience (e.g., internship and laboratory experiments), limited their interaction with peers and teachers, caused depression, stress, and anxiety among students, and depleted the financial resources of those who belong to lower-income group. All of these adversely impacted students’ learning experience. This finding complemented earlier reports on the adverse impact of lockdown on students’ learning experience and the challenges posed by the home learning environment (e.g., Day et al., 2021 ; Kapasia et al., 2020 ). Nonetheless, further studies are required to validate the impact of restrictions on mobility on students’ online learning experience. The second reason that may explain the findings relates to students’ socioeconomic profile. Consistent with the findings of Adarkwah ( 2021 ) and Day et al. ( 2021 ), the current study reveals that the pandemic somehow exposed the many inequities in the educational systems within and across countries. In the case of a developing country, families from lower socioeconomic strata (as in the case of the students in this study) have limited learning space at home, access to quality Internet service, and online learning resources. This is the reason the learning environment and learning resources recorded the highest level of challenges. The socioeconomic profile of the students (i.e., low and middle-income group) is the same reason financial problems frequently surfaced from their responses. These students frequently linked the lack of financial resources to their access to the Internet, educational materials, and equipment necessary for online learning. Therefore, caution should be made when interpreting and extending the findings of this study to other contexts, particularly those from higher socioeconomic strata.

Among all the different online learning challenges, the students experienced the least challenge on technological literacy and competency. This is not surprising considering a plethora of research confirming Gen Z students’ (born since 1996) high technological and digital literacy (Barrot, 2018 ; Ng, 2012 ; Roblek et al., 2019 ). Regarding the impact of COVID-19 on students’ online learning experience, the findings reveal that teaching and learning quality and students’ mental health were the most affected. The anxiety that students experienced does not only come from the threats of COVID-19 itself but also from social and physical restrictions, unfamiliarity with new learning platforms, technical issues, and concerns about financial resources. These findings are consistent with that of Copeland et al. ( 2021 ) and Fawaz et al. ( 2021 ), who reported the adverse effects of the pandemic on students’ mental and emotional well-being. This data highlights the need to provide serious attention to the mediating effects of mental health, restrictions in mobility, and preparedness in delivering online learning.

Nonetheless, students employed a variety of strategies to overcome the challenges they faced during online learning. For instance, to address the home learning environment problems, students talked to their family (e.g., S12, S24), transferred to a quieter place (e.g., S7, S 26), studied at late night where all family members are sleeping already (e.g., S51), and consulted with their classmates and teachers (e.g., S3, S9, S156, S193). To overcome the challenges in learning resources, students used the Internet (e.g., S20, S27, S54, S91), joined Facebook groups that share free resources (e.g., S5), asked help from family members (e.g., S16), used resources available at home (e.g., S32), and consulted with the teachers (e.g., S124). The varying strategies of students confirmed earlier reports on the active orientation that students take when faced with academic- and non-academic-related issues in an online learning space (see Fawaz et al., 2021 ). The specific strategies that each student adopted may have been shaped by different factors surrounding him/her, such as available resources, student personality, family structure, relationship with peers and teacher, and aptitude. To expand this study, researchers may further investigate this area and explore how and why different factors shape their use of certain strategies.

Several implications can be drawn from the findings of this study. First, this study highlighted the importance of emergency response capability and readiness of higher education institutions in case another crisis strikes again. Critical areas that need utmost attention include (but not limited to) national and institutional policies, protocol and guidelines, technological infrastructure and resources, instructional delivery, staff development, potential inequalities, and collaboration among key stakeholders (i.e., parents, students, teachers, school leaders, industry, government education agencies, and community). Second, the findings have expanded our understanding of the different challenges that students might confront when we abruptly shift to full online learning, particularly those from countries with limited resources, poor Internet infrastructure, and poor home learning environment. Schools with a similar learning context could use the findings of this study in developing and enhancing their respective learning continuity plans to mitigate the adverse impact of the pandemic. This study would also provide students relevant information needed to reflect on the possible strategies that they may employ to overcome the challenges. These are critical information necessary for effective policymaking, decision-making, and future implementation of online learning. Third, teachers may find the results useful in providing proper interventions to address the reported challenges, particularly in the most critical areas. Finally, the findings provided us a nuanced understanding of the interdependence of learning tools, learners, and learning outcomes within an online learning environment; thus, giving us a multiperspective of hows and whys of a successful migration to full online learning.

Some limitations in this study need to be acknowledged and addressed in future studies. One limitation of this study is that it exclusively focused on students’ perspectives. Future studies may widen the sample by including all other actors taking part in the teaching–learning process. Researchers may go deeper by investigating teachers’ views and experience to have a complete view of the situation and how different elements interact between them or affect the others. Future studies may also identify some teacher-related factors that could influence students’ online learning experience. In the case of students, their age, sex, and degree programs may be examined in relation to the specific challenges and strategies they experience. Although the study involved a relatively large sample size, the participants were limited to college students from a Philippine university. To increase the robustness of the findings, future studies may expand the learning context to K-12 and several higher education institutions from different geographical regions. As a final note, this pandemic has undoubtedly reshaped and pushed the education system to its limits. However, this unprecedented event is the same thing that will make the education system stronger and survive future threats.

Authors’ contributions

Jessie Barrot led the planning, prepared the instrument, wrote the report, and processed and analyzed data. Ian Llenares participated in the planning, fielded the instrument, processed and analyzed data, reviewed the instrument, and contributed to report writing. Leo del Rosario participated in the planning, fielded the instrument, processed and analyzed data, reviewed the instrument, and contributed to report writing.

No funding was received in the conduct of this study.

Availability of data and materials

Declarations.

The study has undergone appropriate ethics protocol.

Informed consent was sought from the participants.

Authors consented the publication. Participants consented to publication as long as confidentiality is observed.

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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With Schools Closed, Covid-19 Deepens a Philippine Education Crisis

The country remains among the few that have not at least partially reopened, sparking worry in a place where many lack a computer or internet access.

By Jason Gutierrez and Dan Bilefsky

MANILA — As jubilant students across the globe trade in online learning for classrooms, millions of children in the Philippines are staying home for the second year in a row because of the pandemic, fanning concerns about a worsening education crisis in a country where access to the internet is uneven.

President Rodrigo Duterte has justified keeping elementary schools and high schools closed by arguing that students and their families need to be protected from the coronavirus. The Philippines has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Asia, with just 16 percent of its population fully inoculated, and Delta variant infections have surged in recent months.

That makes the Philippines, with its roughly 27 million students, one of only a handful of countries that has kept schools fully closed throughout the pandemic, joining Venezuela, according to UNICEF, the United Nations Agency for Children. Other countries that kept schools closed, like Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, have moved to reopen them.

“I cannot gamble on the health of the children,” Mr. Duterte said in June, rejecting recommendations by the health department to reopen schools.

The move — which has kept nearly 2,000 schools closed — has spawned a backlash among parents and students in a sprawling nation with endemic poverty. Many people, particularly in remote and rural areas, do not have access to a computer or the internet at home for online learning.

Iljon Roxas, a high school student stuck at home in Bacoor City, south of Manila, said the monotony of staring at a computer screen over the past year made it difficult to concentrate, and he yearned to return to a real classroom. The fun and joy of learning, he added, had evaporated.

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Online classes and learning in the Philippines during the Covid-19 Pandemic

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Online learning in the Philippines during the Covid-19 pandemic involved a sudden shift to purely online teaching due to lockdowns, causing challenges like technology gaps and mental health issues among students and teachers.

The shift to online teaching during the pandemic in the Philippines caused disruptions and challenges for students and teachers, impacting class dynamics and learning outcomes.

- Mental health issues due to lack of social interaction. - Increased stress and anxiety from disrupted learning routines.

Online classes and learning in the Philippines during the Covid-19 Pandemic

• Aris E. Ignacio College of Information Technology Southville International School and Colleges Las Piñas City 1740, Philippines

The COVID-19 pandemic brought great disruption to all aspects of life specifically on how classes were conducted both in an offline and online modes. The sudden shift to purely online method of teaching and learning was a result of the lockdowns that were imposed by the Philippine government. While some institutions have dealt with the situation by shutting down operations, others continued to deliver instructions and lessons using the Internet and different applications that support online learning. The continuation of classes online had caused several issues from students and teachers ranging from lack of technology to mental health matters. Finally, recommendations were asserted to mitigate the presented concerns and improve the delivery of the necessary quality education to the intended learners.

Austria, I., Ignacio, A., Mirandilla-Santos, M.G. & Yu, W. (2020). Learning from Home: How Philippine Schools Can Respond to the COVID-19 Outbreak. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/notes/381262523025716/

Bernardo, J. (2020). DepEd eyes blending online, classroom learning for next school year. Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/21/20/deped-eyes-blending-online-classroom-learning-for-next-school-year

Change.org. (2020). Revise the academic calendar and suspend online classes throughout COVID-19 crisis. Retrieved from https://www.change.org/p/de-la-salle-dasmarińas-revise-the-academic-calendar-suspend-the-online-classes-throughout-covid-19-crisis

Commission of Higher Education. (2020). Chairman’s statement. Retrieved from https://ched.gov.ph/blog/2020/03/17/chairmans-statement/

GMA News. (2020). Student climbs mountain in search of signal to send school requirements. Retrieved from https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/hashtag/content/736143/student-climbs-mountain-in-search-of-signal-to-send-school-requirements/story/

Guno, N. (2020). Students from ‘Big 4’ universities seek online class suspension from CHED. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1248397/students-from-big-4-universities-seek-online-class-suspension-from-ched

Ignacio, A. (2020). Personal observations and realizations on online classes and learning during COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/personal-observations-realizations-online-classes-learning-ignacio/

Moreno, J.M., & Gortazar, L. (2020). Schools’ readiness for digital elearning in the eyes of principals. An analysis from PISA 2018 and its implications for the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis responses. Retrieved from https://blogs.worldbank.org/education/schools-readiness-digital-learning-eyes-principals-analysis-pisa-2018-and-its

OECD. (2020). Bridging the Digital Divide. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/site/schoolingfortomorrowknowledgebase/themes/ict/bridgingthedigitaldivide.htm

Presidential Communications Operations Office. (2020). Gov’t imposes community quarantine in Metro Manila to contain coronavirus. Retrieved from https://pcoo.gov.ph/news_releases/govt-imposes-community-quarantine-in-metro-manila-to-contain-coronavirus/

Punzalan, J. (2020). Education in the time of coronavirus: DepEd eyes lessons via TV, radio next school year. Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/20/20/education-in-the-time-of-coronavirus-deped-eyes-lessons-via-tv-radio-next-school-year

Roberts, E. (2019). Digital Divide. Retrieved from https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/digital-divide/start.html

The World Bank. (2020). How countries are using edtech (including online learning, radio, television, texting) to support access to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/edutech/brief/how-countries-are-using-edtech-to-support-remote-learning-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

UNESCO. (2019). COVID-19 educational disruption and response. Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse

UNESCO. (2019). National learning platforms and tools. Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/nationalresponses

University of the Philippines Open University. (2017). Massive open distance e-learning (MODeL). Retrieved from https://model.upou.edu.ph/

Yu, W. (2020). Online learning in the time of COVID19: A Computer Science educator’s point of view. Retrieved from https://arete.ateneo.edu/connect/online-learning-in-the-time-of-covid19-a-computer-science-educators-point-of-view

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Online classes and learning in the Philippines during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic brought great disruption to all aspects of life specifically on how classes were conducted both in an offline and online modes. The sudden shift to purely online method of teaching and learning was a result of the lockdowns that were imposed by the Philippine government. While some institutions have dealt with the situation by shutting down operations, others continued to deliver instructions and lessons using the Internet and different applications that support online learning. The continuation of classes online had caused several issues from students and teachers ranging from lack of technology to mental health matters. Finally, recommendations were asserted to mitigate the presented concerns and improve the delivery of the necessary quality education to the intended learners.

Related papers

Knowing that education has been inaccessible and ineffective to some students in the Philippines, it is crucial to know the efficacy and success of the new learning setup during this time of the pandemic to assess if these new modalities are beneficial to the students or not. This paper reviewed and studied the various perceptions and lived experiences of selected students in a private university in Manila regarding online classes amidst the pandemic. Using a phenomenological approach, the researchers gathered data by interviewing 15 students who are attending online classes. Findings and results were drawn on the themes created by the researchers. It can be seen that majority of the students find online classes ineffective and only cater the privileged. Furthermore, lessons and discussions are difficult to digest using the current mode of learning. These findings signify a need to improve the mode of learning in order to provide a quality and effective education to students despite the current crisis faced by the country. Keywords: distance learning, online learning, online classes

Walailak Journal of Social Science, 2021

Understanding students' experiences towards online learning can help in devising innovative pedagogical approaches and creating effective online learning spaces. This study aimed to solicit the perception of 80 undergraduate students in one of the leading private institutions in the Philippines towards the compulsory shift from a blended to fully online learning modality amidst the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The study used a descriptive research design involving online surveys which contained Likert scale items and open-ended questions assessing one's capacity for and the challenges to online learning, as well as the proposed recommendations for enhancing the overall online class experience. Descriptive statistics was used to group data across different subsets. Likewise, a content analysis of qualitative variables of the actual experiences of online classes using the school's learning management system was prepared. Results indicate four self-perceived challenges in online learning: technological and infrastructural difficulties, individual readiness, instructional struggles, and domestic barriers. The study recommends re-evaluation and modification of current online learning guidelines to address the aforesaid challenges and build a genuinely resilient model for technology-driven and care-centered education based on student recommendations and challenges experienced.

Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2020

In light of the learning continuity challenges experienced by educational institutions in the Philippines amidst the onset of the Covid-19 health crisis, the research serves to assess the conduct of emergency response online classes in a Philippine city schools division. It utilized a researcher-made instrument which assessed the profile of the respondents; their level of competence and confidence in conducting and supervising online classes; the level of preparedness of the schools; the levels of difficulty in lesson delivery and instructional supervision; and perceived advantages, disadvantages, and suggestions for improvement of online classes. Through purposive sampling, the respondents comprised 91 teachers and 24 instructional supervisors from 18 schools. Results of the study revealed that teachers and instructional supervisors needed experience and training to be able to efficiently and effectively perform their tasks in online classes; and that there were students and teachers who were not able to regularly participate in online classes due to lack of resources. Respondents also said that online classes were flexible in terms of schedule and choice of strategies, able to ensure learning continuity, were convenient, and efficient in terms of saving time, money, and effort. However, they also said that online classes had decreased participation rate, were ineffective, and had limited interaction and socialization. Conduct of training/orientation and regular practice on online classes, and ensuring needed infrastructure and resources are in place and available, respectively; as well as further research on the topic were suggested.

Education and Information Technologies

Jurnal Prima Edukasia

This study aims to obtain an in-depth overview of (1) the distribution of students at the Department of PGSD FKIP UHO based on domicile in implementing online learning during the Covid-19 period; (2) infrastructure support for the effectiveness of online learning in the Covid-19 period; and (3) students' perceptions about online learning conducted by lecturers of the Department of PGSD FKIP UHO during Covid-19. This research was conducted in May 2020, which was included in the descriptive study, by conducting a survey of students at the Department of PGSD FKIP UHO, which was spread across all districts/cities in Southeast Sulawesi and other regions. Data collection techniques using open and closed questionnaires, with the research subjects of the class of 2017, 2018 and 2019 students who filled 316 questionnaires online from the link sent. Data obtained from students in the form of qualitative and quantitative raw data collected online and converted in Excel format. The data was...

The Corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic out broken at the late 2019 was reported as a cluster of cases in December at Wuhan, China by The World Health Organization. The pandemic has been lasting about a year claimed more than 55 million cases and 1.5 million of death globally. This has brought into drastic changes in the normal lifestyle of people worldwide, especially into the routine of education field creating many changes into their policies and practices. The Pandemic has disrupted the cl assroom education system and paved a new normal way to online education system. The Information Communication Technologies have provided a rescue hand to bring back the student and teacher communication through online classes to persist the education. The study involves in analyzing the new normal practices at education sector in providing their classes online and the precautionary measures in enhancing the effectiveness of online classes.

Afraseyab khattak, 2021

Background: The spread of COVID-19 triggered a range of health sector responses. As a response to minimize the spread,e-learning schemes are employed in many countries including Pakistan. It is playing an important role during this outbreak; however, there are technical, educational, financial, infrastructural, and socioeconomic barriers that exist in the developing countries like Pakistan. These barriers have huge impact on the e-learning process in the country on both students and teachers. Purpose: This study tends to investigate the impact of online classes on students learning process and teachers fulfilling their responsibilities at university level, particularly during the lockdown of the third wave of COVID-19. Methods: For the data collection, a descriptive cross-sectional online and self-administrated survey has been conducted. The study sample has been made from eight different private and public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Results: The results of the study have presented interesting facts which are not common is developed countries. Around 47.5% of teachers have reported their anxiousness about their online class cause of electrical problems and also 30.5% of the Internet connectivity issues. More than half of the students i.e., 58.5% have faced disturbance due to power shortage (load shedding) and around 56.7% have highlighted the Internet issue including availability and signal strength.The study has also shown that only 59% of the students have fully access their online

Corona virus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by newly discovered corona virus. It is slowing down the world economy. Each and every sector whether working or non-working has been totally affected by it. Educational issues have grown up to a very large extent due to the pandemic. Educational issues are one of major issues among those topics which need to be taken into consideration now days. Internet has changed the things that how we communicate nowadays, Online teaching during this pandemic Covid-19 has proved to be another perk of technology. Teachers are efficiently taking online classes but the questions arise the consideration and challenges that students and teachers are facing. Study is to throw light on some of the major concerns regarding it.

The lockdown has compelled many educational institutions to cancel their classes, examinations etc. and to choose the online modes. In this regard, E-learning tools have played decisive role during this pandemic, helping educational institute to facilitate students learning. The use of suitable and relevant pedagogy for online education may depend on the expertise and exposure to information technology for both educators and the students. The present study assesses the challenges faced by students and its impact on their studies due to online classes during Covid-19. A total of 140 respondents were participated in survey that was pursuing their graduation. The research instrument used for survey was Google form and link was created and sends to the students by WhatsApp mode. The results reveal that the low connectivity issue was the one of the hurdle students were facing. Results also indicate that online learning has reduced the quality of education.

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Looking to the future of flexible learning in the Philippines

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Philippines universities have faced challenges during the pandemic, but many are adapting through a flexible and open approach to course design and learning

For higher education institutions in the Philippines, the pandemic provided a chance to review their digital learning provision. Most had some level of online learning available already, but enforced lockdowns meant it quickly became apparent where the challenges – and opportunities – of remote learning delivery lay.

Speaking at a Times Higher Education panel in partnership with Blackboard, Bert Tuga, president of Philippine Normal University (PNU), said that flexible learning had “moved the boundaries”. “We can now have a diverse range of students from all over the country and can flex our human resources where we may not have the staff numbers or specialist expertise,” Dr Tuga said. “PNU can become a virtual university accessible from across the globe and affordable to more people.”

One of the key challenges for Philippines institutions is the lack of internet connectivity or access to devices faced by many students. Whereas global institutions reacted to the pandemic by shifting courses to synchronous online delivery, universities in the Philippines have had to be more creative. 

Rosana Mula from the government’s Agricultural Training Institute said: “We offer a blended mode of online and face-to-face, so digital learning resources can be accessed offline too. This means more and more students, even in coastal areas, can access resources, download them and study in their own time.”

Nicole Wall, senior director of global client experience at Blackboard, added that many institutions had adapted to ensure access to learning was equitable for all. “Universities have developed self-paced learning online so that students can choose where to learn from and on what device,” she said.

Sukarno Tanggol, chancellor of Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, described how the institution had set up a flexible learning committee chaired by its vice-chancellor for academic affairs. As a government school, one of the challenges of widening access was the limits on student numbers imposed by the state. “We have about 30 per cent online modality and we pushed for fully online during the pandemic, but connectivity was an issue for some,” he said. “We have a feedback mechanism in place where we can adjust methodologies and we have been adapting our systems.”

Developing more flexible learning approaches has also meant a re-evaluation of course design. Melinda Bandalaria, chancellor of the University of the Philippines Open University, argued that this would help to open up lifelong learning to more people. “We are referred to as the ‘second chance university’ because we give people a chance who were not able to be part of the traditional education system,” she said. “Flexibility means different modalities that can answer different learning needs and, as universities, we need to be more decisive as to how we design this type of learning.” Massive open online courses, microcredentials and nano-degrees could all form part of a more student- and employer-led offering, she added.

Partnerships with industry will be central to designing flexible and accessible courses that build skills for the fourth industrial revolution. Bonifacio Gabales, vice-president for academic affairs at the University of Southeastern Philippines, said one of the challenges for state universities was ensuring that course guidelines were approved, but that links with industry helped match and map competencies for students. He concluded: “Industry partners can share their thoughts on the skills they need, what the jobs are and the skills required. Partnership and networking is crucial.”

• Melinda Bandalaria , chancellor, University of the Philippines Open University
• Bonifacio Gabales , vice-president for academic affairs, University of Southeastern Philippines
• Rosana Mula , deputy director, the Agricultural Training Institute
• Sukarno Tanggol , chancellor, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology
• Bert Tuga , president, Philippine Normal University
• Nicole Wall , director of global client experience and professional services, Blackboard
• Ashton Wenborn , special projects deputy editor, Times Higher Education (chair)

Watch the roundtable on demand above or on the  THE  Connect YouTube channel .

Find out more  about Blackboard and higher education.

Accessibility as a choice: how universal design can support every learner