June 9, 2021
By Pearl Julia Sibug
COVID-19 outbreak has forced every Filipino into a new normal of living which includes a new mode of education set-up—online learning.
Lots of students all over the country were forced to adapt with the online set-up proposed by the government and education sector as an alternative for face-to-face classes since the pandemic has limited people’s mobility.
Few weeks after the implementation of online classes, social media platforms were flooded with calls for #AcademicFreeze.
Statements and stories of students enrolled in online classes facing internet connectivity issues, unavailability of gadgets, having no conducive learning environment, having mental and emotional health issues crowded every Filipino’s newsfeed.
Due to government and education sector’s unpreparedness for this online set-up, most schools and universities who run under two and three semesters in an academic year have relied on teleconferencing softwares and educational platforms such as Google Classroom, Discord, Zoom, Google Meet, Canvas in lieu of developing their own online platforms.
The struggles of students, especially those under three semesters, to adapt and make use of these online platforms for learning is evident till now.
The combination of a fast-paced tri semester under online setting has challenged every student enrolled in universities offering tri semester.
New modality of learning
Aldrine John Urbano, a 2nd year BS Accountancy student at National University, said that like other students enrolled in tri semester, it was hard for him to adjust because he is used to talking and being with different people every day in Manila.
When President Duterte cancelled classes last March 2020, students were forced to continue the rest of the academic year at their own respective hometowns.
Urbano made big adjustments because his learning style does not fit in online class.
“Mabilis yung shifting ng terms and subjects, parang isang kurap lang next term agad. Loaded sa schoolworks kasi laging naghahabol dahil mabilis ang school calendar,” Glarence Camayo, a 2nd year BS Civil Engineering at NU, said.
(The shifting of terms and subjects is fast, in just a blink of an eye it's the next term already. We are also loaded with schoolworks because we are always in a rush due to the fast-paced school calendar.)
With this fast-paced learning of tri semester colleges, some of them promised for a No Fail Policy upon resuming the rest of the academic year 2019-2020.
“It was okay at first kasi sabi nila may policy na walang babagsak kasi online set-up,” Kyle Russell Fabia, a 3rd year BS Civil Engineering at Saint Louis University, said.
(It was okay at first because they said that there is a No Fail Policy during online set-up.)
However, the No Fail Policy did not guarantee students of their lesser requirements to be passed for the rest of the semester.
“Ang pinkapangit lang siguro sa gantong set-up ay halos nagpapasa ka na lang ng requirements kahit di mo masyado naiintindihan yung topic,” Fabia said.
(What’s not good with this set-up is that you just pass your requirements despite barely understanding the topic.)
Rhojheliane Ruiz, a 2nd year BS Biology student at Saint Louis University, verified how exhausting and draining online class is in a university that offers three semesters.
“Going through three academic terms in a year almost feels like I’m cramming every single time. Thus, making it difficult to retain what I learned from the preceding and current semester,” Charlyn Joy Samonte, a 2nd year BS Criminology student at University of Cordilleras, said.
Unhealthy effects
This online set-up forced to fit into tri semester colleges has given unhealthy effects on students’ physical, mental, and emotional health.
Samonte is having trouble sleeping early and waking up early for her 7:30 am class given the fact that she sometimes stays up late to review for an exam or finish a requirement to be passed the next day.
She has also experienced an overwhelming feeling of stress caused by the piled-up activities which do not cease to exist from the very start of the online classes till now.
“Ang hirap ng walang nakakausap face-to-face to the point na meron akong suicidal thoughts,” Urbano said.
(Having no one to talk to face-to-face is hard to the point that I had suicidal thoughts.)
Apart from the threatening effects of online learning to students’ emotional and mental health, physical exhaustion from using gadgets all day according to Camayo is experienced by every student just to comply with the requirements and attend synchronous and asynchronous classes.
“Sometimes I feel like I am burned out and I want to rest but there are lots of activities that are piling up,” Ruiz said.
Fabia shared the same sentiments as to how draining online class is because three semesters make them feel like there is no free day, instructors still give activities even on weekends.
Struggles of students
It has been evident from the beginning of online classes that it’s not effective and has taken a toll on students’ health, yet the education sector pushed through online learning till now.
“Ang tri sem na set-up sobrang hirap sa online class, sinisiksik lahat ng learning competencies in a short time knowing na yung course namin is accountancy, napakahirap,” Urbano said.
(Three semesters under online class is so hard because all learning competencies are being compressed in a short time, and knowing that our course is Accountancy, which is hard.)
Suspension of classes due to natural calamities like typhoons, earthquakes, and even the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country cannot be immediately done under online set-up because of the days that might be taken away from the school calendars of schools and universities.
Even the calls of students for #AcademicFreeze and #AcademicEase is not given utmost attention because the government and education sector think of it as a delay in the learning process amid the pandemic.
“Kapag naghahabol naman kami ng lessons pati Sundays may asynchronous class kami kung saan nagbibigay ang mga prof ng mga aaralin naming sa araw na yon para macover yung mga araw na Nawala,” Camayo said.
(If we are to recuperate from the lost days in our school calendar, we go over lessons even on Sundays through asynchronous classes where professors give lessons to cover the lost days.)
According to Fabia and Urbano, there are some instructors who are strict and do not have considerations despite the evident struggles of students on electricity, signal, and internet connectivity issues.
Instead of giving students leeway during this online set-up, professors still give piles of schoolworks to finish for a week.
This government has overlooked students’ health just to keep up with other countries that are implementing online set-up. The pressure to continue studying despite the challenges and threats of online learning has only resulted in struggles instead of learning and excellence. SYNC IN.
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