EDUCATION IN THE NEW NORM

Based on notes from Dr. Michael M. Alba, President, Far Eastern University

What is the new norm in education?

Far Eastern University president Dr. Michael Alba sees two distinct phases in the new norm. First is a short- to medium-term covid-contemporaneous norm, to be followed by a more enduring post-covid norm once a vaccine is found.

He cites an article in The Economist magazine that sees the covid-contemporaneous norm ending as early as September this year for North America and Europe, and January next year for the rest of the world—if all goes well with the Oxford University vaccine, which is the most advanced among the 180 vaccines under development.

However, at least for the next six months, while a vaccine is unavailable, not just education but virtually all aspects of daily life will be in a twilight zone, an uncharted territory beset by uncertainty, fear, illness, and limited economic activity.

Covid-contemporaneous education

In traditional school settings, the physical classroom is an enclosed space with poor air circulation (usually due to air-conditioning), and classes are held over long periods—conditions that have been identified as conducive to the spread of the virus. Definitely, until mass vaccination can ensure public safety, remote learning appears to be the only viable option for continued education. The challenge for educators now is how to offer an immersive, engaging, and transformative schooling experience away from school.

Fortunately, FEU is well-placed to deliver a quality remote learning schooling experience because, according to Alba: “We were one of the first adopters of the Canvas learning management system in the Philippines and have used it since 2016. Second, through FEU’s institutional subscription, our faculty and students have free access to the Microsoft Office Suite of applications including Teams. Third, we’ve invested on education technology and IT infrastructure. Most critically, our faculty have been extensively trained in digital literacy since 2016, and, for many, the training was equivalent to a semester’s worth of full-teaching deload. Also, since we were already gearing up for big data and predictive analytics, we had the means to explore what would constitute quality remote learning.”

No one mode fits all

Contrary to the popular belief that remote learning requires students to have internet access, a computer or a mobile device, there are solutions that take into account the unique personal situation of each student.

As an example, FEU offers these remote learning options:

Fully Online. For students with good, stable online connections and computer devices, distribution of learning activities, materials, faculty consultations, and mentoring are 100% online and asynchronous.

Blended Online. For students who have minimal internet access, learning materials are offered in printed form and in flash drives filled with video lectures, learning activities, and other materials, and are sent to the student via courier.

A paradigm shift for teachers

With the shift to remote learning, teachers are faced with the challenge of how to prepare for and deliver their courses in the coming year. Remote learning is not simply digitizing lecture notes, assignments, and exams.

For one, synchronous online learning, which emulates a classroom setting with students still attending a class taught by a teacher poses many difficulties. First is the attention span of students. Without the visual cues of classmates’ reactions, online classes can be cognitively taxing. In fact, a rule of thumb for synchronous learning sessions is that the duration of a class in minutes should not be more than the age of the student in years. For 10-year olds, an effective online learning session should not be more than 10-minutes. Moreover, without a stable internet connection, it can be a frustrating experience for students who might not be able to follow the discussion.

Given these obstacles, lectures as the backbone of instruction are no longer feasible in remote learning. There needs to be a paradigm shift about the teacher’s role in class from being “the sage on the stage” to “a guide on the side.”

Advising teachers to fully embrace a studentcentered pedagogy, Alba recommends the active learning, flipped classroom approach where new topics are introduced outside of class hours in the form of instructional videos, digital research, or text readings. Teachers need to pare down learning objectives to the truly essential and organize the knowledge content in modules that can be presented in small chunks.

Teachers also need to plan the entire term so that the online course is very clearly mapped out, well-organized, and well-communicated. All the instructional materials can be given out at the start of the classes, after which students can have the flexibility to go through the course work at their own pace, with guidance and mentoring as needed.

Another issue is assessment of learning outcomes. The usual high stakes, multiple choice exams will not work in a remote learning situation as the integrity of the test results cannot be guaranteed. Instead, teachers will need to design authentic assessments such as open book tests with generous time limits, real-world projects, or reflection questions. In fact, teachers should consider ungraded assessments.

Finally, educators also need to mind their personal well-being, and set boundaries about when they can be reached and when students can expect a response to their queries.

Despite the challenge of COVID-19, educators must persist in their mission by continually reflecting, innovating, persevering, and, ultimately, applying their learnings to the transformation of education in the post-covid world.