The Civil Service Commission (CSC) reminded government officials and employees that training hours earned from participating in online courses may be credited or considered to satisfy the training requirement in the Qualification Standards.

CSC, in a statement issued Tuesday, Feb. 23, urged civil servants to take advantage of online learning despite the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation in the country.

Aside from improving their work competencies, CSC said that the civil servants will also be able to earn credits as long as the “training acquired is relevant to the position to be filled” as certified by the agency’s Human Resource Management Officer.

Under CSC Resolution No. 2100190 promulgated on 17 February 2021 or the General Guidelines on Digital/Online Learning in the Public Sector, agency heads may implement, adopt, or avail of any or a combination of four digital/online learning modalities:

- Webinars and other synchronous learning approaches refer to virtual, instructor-led, same time learning which means the course is availed of by the participants at the same time based on a specified schedule;

- eLearning refers to a learner-centered asynchronous approach where participants access online multi-modal learning resources to learn at their own pace, anytime, anywhere; 

- Microlearning Modules are asynchronous, bite-sized, stand-alone learning modules that usually span not more than ten minutes but comprehensively address one learning objective; and 

- Blended Learning refers to a combination of synchronous, asynchronous, virtual, and face-to-face formats which is also flexible and can easily address any learning objective.

“The policy allows face-to-face classroom training, provided that the quarantine classification in the area allows mass gathering, or the quarantine has been totally lifted, and that health and safety protocols are observed,” CSC said.

In crediting training hours for webinars and other synchronous learning approaches, CSC reminded that the “learner must obtain a Certificate of Attendance or Completion from any of the prescribed learning providers.”

“For asynchronous eLearning and microlearning modules, training hours shall be measured based on the actual duration of the module and evidenced by the tracking system of the learning platform implemented by any of the prescribed learning providers,” CSC said.

CSC noted that for blended learning, “training hours shall be measured based on the duration of course including total learning hours for synchronous, asynchronous learning, and preparation of course requirements/outputs.” Outputs may also earn training hours, the duration of which is dependent on the type of output.

The CSC Resolution No. 2100190 will take effect on March 10, 2021 “but will be applied retroactively” to online learning attended since March 16, 2020 - provided that guidelines are met.