June 10, 2021
By Geo Niko Villarta
On March 26, 2021, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced the list of 24 colleges and universities that were approved to re-open for limited face-to-face classes for the second semester of AY 2020-2021.
In a press release by CHED, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) who have fully complied with the CHED-DOH guidelines will be allowed to let students in their 3rd and 4th year to participate in hands-on training and laboratory classes.
Although necessary, students like Oland Galang, an incoming third-year Medical Technology student, are adamant to join the limited face-to-face classes.
“Knowing there are still a high level of cases in our country and still not being able to achieve herd immunity, to come back at school even with limited face-to-face classes puts the health of the medical practitioner students, thus, outweighing the hopes of CHED to create more medical practitioners if they'd either end up sick or worse dead,” he said.
The limited face-to-face classes are not mandatory. According to CHED, students who cannot participate in such set-up can be given sets of activities that can match the needed skills.
“Even if our university was listed with approval from CHED, I would still not because I consider myself to be a high-risk susceptible individual knowing my complications with asthma,” he added.
But the online setup that his university adapted seems to affect Oland’s conviction to not attend the face-to-face classes.
“Online classes have positive effects on students like access to reading materials is easier, self-learning is enhanced, and it creates an environment fit for studying at home,” he described.
“But I became more lost at time managing, causing the accumulation of undone workloads, there’s anxiety caused by internet connection, and stress caused by deadlines,” Oland stressed.
He also stressed the importance of having face-to-face classes for his course, “We need training in the practices we have to make in a laboratory-based environment. More engagement with fellow learners and faculty and review and preparations for the skills we have to attain in a hospital-based environment are important.”
Oland tried to assess his university’s preparedness for the program but he seemed to have doubts about it.
“I don’t think my university is prepared for the limited face-to-face classes because there is still a rise from confirmed cases day-by-day, thus delaying the confirmation when face-to-face learning will be back,” Oland said.
When asked about his reaction that only 24 universities were approved, he said, “These are big universities in the line so I expect great management of the program.”
Galang highlighted the need for such a program in their line of study but he thinks that the safety of the students must be ensured especially now that the Department of Health (DOH) still records a high number of cases daily.
But it was different for Katrina Nuqui, an incoming third year Dentistry student.
“I am disappointed that Dentistry wasn't included because it is also a health-related course and like other allowed health-related courses we also need face-to-face classes wherein we can interact with our fellow students and do skill-based activities,” she said.
Under CHED’s directive, only selected health-related degree programs, such as Medicine, Nursing, Medical Technology/Medical Laboratory Science, Physical Therapy, Midwifery, and Public Health were allowed to conduct limited face-to-face learning.
“Kailangan kasi, eh. And magagawa namin laboratory activities namin in actual which will be a great help since our course is more on skill-based, Katrina said.
(It’s necessary. We can do our laboratory activities which will be of great help since our course is skills-based.)
Same with Oland, Katrina recognized the good things that online classes gave.
“The positive thing about online classes is that we have more time with our families, you can save allowance, and you can manage your own time,” she said.
But she also emphasized its downsides. “It is also problematic because it’s self-study and there are more activities compared to when there were face-to-face classes. There is also social isolation and limited and insufficient learning,” she added.
With the current setup, students under health-related programs barely manage to comply with activities that are required for their courses.
“Sometimes in our laboratory classes like biochem, we do not have lab materials, so our professor encourages us to use alternatives that can be seen at home,” Katrina recounted.
“But the problem is not all laboratory procedures are possible with these limited resources at home,” she said as she laughed sarcastically.
She further narrated her experience saying, “Kaya minsan pumupunta si ma'am sa school and ginagawa niya doon yung experiment then ni-re-record niya and ipapapanood sa amin.”
(That’s why sometimes, the professor goes to school and she performs the experiments, records it, and lets her students watch it.)
“Minsan sa Youtube na lang or Google, '' she said as she raised her eyebrows.
(But there are times that we just watch videos in YouTube or google)
Katrina narrated a common experience that students can relate to.
“It’s not enough kasi especially kapag sa google lang kami mag-re-refer ng sagot, iba-iba kami ng sources so hindi namin alam kung alin doon ang tama, minsan wala pa sa internet.”
(It’s not enough because we only refer to google for our answers and we have different sources so we really don’t know which is correct, at times the material needed is not even on the internet.)
Lately, an experience that their classes laughed upon happened.
Katrina said, “Nagpadala sila ng lab materials para sa tooth carving.”
(They sent us lab materials for tooth carving.)
“Kaso, hindi kami tinuruan paano mag-tooth carving kasi mahirap magturo especially if online and minsan hindi rin stable and internet connection,” she added giggling.
(But we were not taught how to do tooth carving because it’s not easy for them to do so especially if online, at times the internet connection is unstable.)”
Katrina used these stories to justify her stand that face-to-face classes are needed in their course.
“The importance of face-to-face classes in my course is that the learning is not limited because we can interact and share ideas with our fellow students. Moreover, it is easier for us to approach our professors whenever we have skill-based activities/lab activities. And lastly, because of sufficient learning materials in our university, we can practice and improve our manual dexterity, which is an essential skill in dentistry,” she said.
When asked if her university is prepared for such, she answered, “I've seen a post on our page that the University of Baguio is prepared for the limited face-to-face classes, they really planned well the ways and measures to make face-to-face classes possible wherein, we can have a fun learning environment while observing safety protocols.”
Katrina also said that CHED needs to increase the number of institutions in the program and assure the safety of students.
“I think they should allow more institutions to have limited face-to-face classes to give other students a chance, especially those graduating students in health-related courses,” she said.
In their directive, CHED said they will regularly monitor the limited face-to-face classes to provide safe and healthy spaces in the coming months. Only those who are 20 years old and above are allowed to participate.
Among the 24 institutions approved by CHED for the limited face to face classes, six were partnered with their Local Government Units (LGUs) that will serve as vaccination facilities. SYNC IN
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