This paper reports the policy-responses of different Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) to the novel coronavirus, COVD-19 pandemic. It compares these responses with those made by HEIs in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Publicly available data and news reports were used to gauge the general public’s reaction to these policies and how the Philippines’ responses fare with its Southeast Asian neighbors. The paper observes that despite the innovations made by Philippine HEIs in terms of alternative learning modes and technologies for delivering education, there are still gaps and challenges in their responses. It recommends that policy-responses and learning innovations should be grounded on a deeper understanding of distance education and should be sensitive to the call of the times.
Explanation:
Introduction
COVID-19 has become a global health crisis. As of October 6, 2020, almost 36 million people have been infected and over one million have died. In the Philippines, this translates into almost 325,000 infected and 6,000 deaths (Worldometer, 2020). To curb the spread of COVID-19, most governments have opted to employ quarantine protocols and temporarily shut down their educational institutions. As a consequence, more than a billion learners have been affected worldwide. Among this number are over 28 million Filipino learners across academic levels who have to stay at home and comply with the Philippine government’s quarantine measures (UNESCO, 2020).
To respond to the needs of learners, especially of the 3.5 million tertiary-level students enrolled in approximately 2,400 HEIs, certain HEIs in the country have implemented proactive policies for the continuance of education despite the closure. These policies include modified forms of online learning that aim to facilitate student learning activities. Online learning might be in terms of synchronous, real-time lectures and time-based outcomes assessments, or asynchronous, delayed-time activities, like pre-recorded video lectures and time-independent assessments (Oztok et al., 2013). Case in point are top universities in the country, viz., 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 (UPD).
DLSU has resorted to remote online learning, which combines both synchronous and asynchronous activities. For students who cannot participate in online learning, there are flexible options for completing course requirements throughout the academic year (De La Salle University, 2020a). ADMU has suspended synchronous online classes but continued asynchronous online learning so that “all students can learn at their own pace” (Villarin, 2020). UST, like DLSU, has opted to continue with synchronous and asynchronous online classes, and a flexible grading of student outputs and assessments (University of Santo Tomas, 2020). Other private universities and institutions such as 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 have continued with their online classes as well.
Answers & Comments
Answer:
This paper reports the policy-responses of different Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) to the novel coronavirus, COVD-19 pandemic. It compares these responses with those made by HEIs in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Publicly available data and news reports were used to gauge the general public’s reaction to these policies and how the Philippines’ responses fare with its Southeast Asian neighbors. The paper observes that despite the innovations made by Philippine HEIs in terms of alternative learning modes and technologies for delivering education, there are still gaps and challenges in their responses. It recommends that policy-responses and learning innovations should be grounded on a deeper understanding of distance education and should be sensitive to the call of the times.
Explanation:
Introduction
COVID-19 has become a global health crisis. As of October 6, 2020, almost 36 million people have been infected and over one million have died. In the Philippines, this translates into almost 325,000 infected and 6,000 deaths (Worldometer, 2020). To curb the spread of COVID-19, most governments have opted to employ quarantine protocols and temporarily shut down their educational institutions. As a consequence, more than a billion learners have been affected worldwide. Among this number are over 28 million Filipino learners across academic levels who have to stay at home and comply with the Philippine government’s quarantine measures (UNESCO, 2020).
To respond to the needs of learners, especially of the 3.5 million tertiary-level students enrolled in approximately 2,400 HEIs, certain HEIs in the country have implemented proactive policies for the continuance of education despite the closure. These policies include modified forms of online learning that aim to facilitate student learning activities. Online learning might be in terms of synchronous, real-time lectures and time-based outcomes assessments, or asynchronous, delayed-time activities, like pre-recorded video lectures and time-independent assessments (Oztok et al., 2013). Case in point are top universities in the country, viz., 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 (UPD).
DLSU has resorted to remote online learning, which combines both synchronous and asynchronous activities. For students who cannot participate in online learning, there are flexible options for completing course requirements throughout the academic year (De La Salle University, 2020a). ADMU has suspended synchronous online classes but continued asynchronous online learning so that “all students can learn at their own pace” (Villarin, 2020). UST, like DLSU, has opted to continue with synchronous and asynchronous online classes, and a flexible grading of student outputs and assessments (University of Santo Tomas, 2020). Other private universities and institutions such as 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 have continued with their online classes as well.