Digital transformation is not a fad. For years, I have been organizing webinars about smarter ways to transform our education digitally.
Digital transformation has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, including the educational system. We have seen this solidly back when the Internet was new, but now technology has been all over the academe since way before the COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives.
But the pandemic and the uncertainties it has presented to our lives necessitated technology’s presence even more as students and teachers shift to online learning.
In this article, we investigate the expectations and the realities that surround the current online learning situation in the Philippines.
Physical Differences Only
The initial expectation of everyone when schools and universities adapted to online modalities was that there would only be a physical difference in the undivided, only this time students and teachers are facing their devices’ screens. Not much of a difference, except the physical barrier.
Reality tells us, however, that the physical is not the only thing that’s different in a virtual learning setup. Who knew that the daily routine of waking up early, preparing, wearing a uniform, the commute to school, and sitting in a classroom would have a significant psychological effect that will be carried over to today’s online setup? Today, students can show up in any clothes they have, wherever they may be. School is only a few steps away from the bed! So no, the expectation that only the physical will change is a myth.
Same Performance Quality
Since the initial expectation was that there would only be physical difference in the learning experience, both students and teachers expected that they would be performing the same way in the online setup. There would still be the same quality of papers and activities submitted and the same level of learning. Two years (going into three) of online classes later and schools and pupils know now that this is not always the case. There are three factors that significantly affect the performance and the quality of the learning experience.
The practice of “Academic Commissions” started roaming the Internet, especially on social media platforms. This is where people offer their services to students to perform some academic tasks such as writing papers, doing their modules, accomplishing activities and homework, researching, and illustrations in exchange for money. Usually framed as “bayanihan,” this practice encourages the idea that money can buy you the education you need. This issue has already been called out by the Department of Education and different academic organizations and even schools themselves. This greatly affects the quality of education that students gain as they no longer practice the principles taught in class. Instead, they “buy” their way into academic success.
One more factor that affects performance and quality is distractions at home and family life. It is not foreign for children to help out in the household and sometimes in family businesses, but teachers are slowly learning that in a virtual setup, this helping out may turn to absences and tardiness in class as well as in the submission of school requirements. This is also true for teachers, especially those who are also parents. The need to manage a household while making sure work duties are fulfilled is not an easy task. Distractions divide attention and focus from online classes and the completion of academic requirements, making the expectation of having similar quality of learning kind of obsolete.
Lastly and perhaps the most important factor is burnout and other psychological effects. Already going into three years of this pandemic, many members of the academic community are now experiencing burnout, depression, and anxiety from the many demands of the online learning setup. Teachers are stressed out from papers to check, grades to encode, meetings to attend, and students to keep engaged while students are growing too weary of doing offline activities, attending classes, meeting in groups, and many more.
To expect the same level of quality and performance from students and teachers is not realistic and may end up disappointing.
Cheaper Education
Another expectation in online learning is that both schools and families can expect lower costs of education. For schools and administrators, this is because there are no major facilities to maintain and some faculty members have been laid off from their posts since the start of the pandemic when schools, especially private ones, were closing down. On the other hand, parents and guardians expected that since there were no more uniforms to buy and wash and no more allowances and food to provide for school, they can reduce the costs of their children going to school. While these expectations were met and are still true, it does not necessarily mean that costs have gone lower.
For the most part, families had to buy at least one device for multiple children to share for online classes. Teachers also had to purchase laptops powerful enough to hold classes, compute grades, and access learning management systems (LMS). The expectation of cheaper education may not be entirely met, especially given the higher electricity costs, not to mention the Internet connectivity costs (which, unfortunately, do not translate to good service from Internet Service Providers or ISPs). Maintaining these gadgets also mean additional costs for families as they try to keep repairing whatever goes wrong instead of buying a new one. A cheaper education under the online learning environment is not something we can 100 percent expect.
‘Flexibility’
Working and studying anywhere, anytime have been one of the things in the Pro’s lists of many students and teachers in relation to the online setup. This is true in some way and many are still taking advantage of working and learning remotely.
Not all students and teachers can study and work flexibly.
But it is also a double-edged sword. Not all students and teachers can study and work flexibly. Oftentimes, a time and a dedicated space in the house are needed to be set aside for online classes. Additionally, and because things are now done remotely, school hours can overlap with personal or rest times. This is a fact, especially true for teachers who are cramming to get the grades done and encoded while also preparing for their online class sessions. Flexibility may not always be an expected boon in a remote learning setup.
Moving Forward with Hope
Much like anything else deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope for a better circumstance. We hope for better tomorrows. We bring hope to the educational system in the country. We hope that it will one day work better for every student and every teacher.
We hope that most educators, students, and universities take advantage of the free online webinars and virtual events sponsored by the government and brands like Lenovo EdVision, an educational arm of Lenovo Philippines. It aims to make our classroom digitally transformed for smarter education.
We hope that the negative physical and psychological effects are not permanent and can be alleviated as the pandemic comes to a close.
We hope that the costs of education are communicated to the government and families are given financial aid.
We hope that academic integrity remains intact for both students and teachers, that distractions be somehow lessened, that students and teachers can rest and be encouraged that this, too, shall pass so we can return to some sort of normalcy, that despite the unmet expectations, we can hope.
As Andy Dufrene’s popular line in the movie Shawshank Redemption puts it, “hope is a good thing, if not the best of all things.”