The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) collaborated with the University of Sains Malaysia (USM) in an Open Distance Learning Forum about the “Challenges of Shifting to Online Mode During the Pandemic”. The virtual event was held on 5 October 2022, and was streamed as a Facebook Live Event. Dr. Joane Serrano, Dean of the Faculty of Management and Development Studies, represented UPOU as one of the panelists at the said forum.
The ODL Forum aimed to discuss the challenges of shifting to an online modality during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This type of shift often concerned both students and academicians due to the changing landscape of higher education.
The forum explored various questions about student assessments and how they ensured the authenticity of the student’s work. Dr. Serrano shared that UPOU has reimagined and redesigned its student assessment as well as how its courses are delivered. Dr. Serrano accorded that while UPOU was used to the asynchronous type of learning, synchronous sessions have been considered as well to compensate for the lack of social interaction with both the faculty and students, especially due to the pandemic. In addition, she also shared that student support was strengthened to provide assistance and understanding to students especially those who are working and are going through a mix of work, family, and studies.
Dr. Serrano highlighted the most important philosophy UPOU practices – the philosophy of openness. “UPOU is underpinned by this philosophy of openness. And, because of this philosophy, it has [developed] major developments in the university and these are the development of open education resources and the offering of massive open online courses,” she shared.
To prepare in times of uncertainty in education due to hazards and natural disasters, it is essential for educators to make sure that courses are resilient to all types of disruptions. In talking about these challenges and the sudden online shift because of the pandemic, Dr. Serrano said that “It was not the fault of the online learning that learning outcomes were compromised.” She furthered that the educational system was not prepared for the said shift. UPOU, however, has been advocating for a blended type of learning to duly maximize the affordance of technology since its foundation.
In conclusion, Dr. Serrano shared that such a crisis in education should not happen again. Academic institutions must be prepared. “Technology is something we do not just resort to if we need it,” she said highlighting how blended learning would be useful today. Dr. Serrano concluded that technology is a good thing that has come out of the pandemic.
Several panelists from USM also graced the event – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Tajuddin Othman, Associate Professor, School of Educational Studies; Dr. Mohamad Nurul Azmi Mohamad Taib, Senior Lecturer, School of Chemical Sciences; Prof. Dr. Rozhan Mohammed Idrus, former Professor, School of Distance Education. The forum was moderated by Ts. ChM. Dr. Sumiyyah Sabar, Senior Lecturer, Deputy Dean, Research, Innovation & Industry-Community Engagement, School of Distance Education.
Written by Alessa Shainne Hostalero
Edited by Myra C. Almodiel and Anna Cañas-Llamas
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