As the gates of several schools and universities in the country start to gradually open, students are now “rewiring” themselves back to their usual routines after more than two years of fully online learning.
In Cavite, De La Salle University – Dasmariñas (DLSU-D) is one of the colleges that grabbed the opportunity to safely welcome its students once again despite the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Section 2 of Memorandum Order No. 6, Series of 2022, or the “Sustaining Flexible Learning in Higher Education: An Addendum to CMO No. 4, Series of 2020” released by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) said colleges in the country would decide which appropriate teaching approach and learning mode will be appropriate based on the Alert Level Systems by the Inter-Agency Task Force and guidelines from the national and local government units.
The University, through an advisory from the Office of the Vice Chancellor, then announced on March 9 that “…there are subjects that will remain on fully online mode and there are subjects that will be delivered via blended mode” by the next school year.
More than a month after its implementation, some DLSU-D students shared their thoughts and experiences on this “new normal” of learning at the University.
Princess Alcayaga, a fourth-year Electronics Engineering student, initially felt excited and anxious at the same time.
“Having the thought that I will see my friends regularly keeps me away from the anxiety that I feel every time I think of face-to-face recitations, exams, or anything academically related,” she explained.
Meanwhile, James Zagada, a fourth-year Information Technology student, felt unsure whether he will be enthusiastic or not regarding the announcement.
“I was expecting to learn more when F2F will come, but at the same time, I am still uncertain about my health if I am really safe outside,” he said.
Based on a study titled, “Effect of COVID-19 outbreak on anxiety among students of higher education; A review of literature,” it is revealed that anxiety was high among the students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
James also emphasized the uneasiness he felt when he first stepped into the University to attend an on-site class.
“Talking to people online was easy since you have to hide behind your screen. [But as I enter the University], I ask questions to myself. Am I dressed properly? Am I presentable? Have I changed a lot since then? It was all about my appearance and how I socialize that I (felt) uneasy,” he added.
In terms of learning, Princess said she had a hard time focusing during onsite lectures.
“Since the pandemic, I have gotten used to listening to online lectures in the comfort of my home. To be honest with you, this resulted in my lack of focus during class. Now that we are in a classroom setup, I tend to daze out and easily get distracted, which I am still trying to work on,” she said.
In a survey conducted by an American educational non-profit organization The Inverness Institute, it is revealed that there is a decrease in the attention span of students based on their teachers’ observations.
On the other hand, Jhalia Alonzo, a fourth-year Psychology student, shared that the hybrid mode of learning sometimes confused her in terms of class schedules.
“Hybrid mode was confusing because it is up to the professor when they want to conduct face-to-face classes and there were times that I forget if my classes are online or onsite,” she said.
As stipulated in Part 6 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the University, DLSU-D follows four modalities under the Blended Learning Modalities (BLM) for the first semester, A.Y. 2022 – 2023 which are:
Fully online Learning Model - It utilizes asynchronous and synchronous classes evenly.
Traditional Learning Model – 50 percent of the weekly class are done on-site while the rest are online.
Enriched Virtual Learning Model – Only 30 percent of the allotted number of class hours for the semester should be on-site classes. The rest are done online.
Flex Learning Model – The online and onsite components of the class do not follow a regular pattern. However, on-site classes should only be 70 percent of the total number of class hours for the entire semester.
Admittedly, Princess said she is still figuring out how to deal with her short attention span during on-site classes.
“So far, I had tried practicing my habits as I did before the pandemic happened, such as note taking and active listening. I have tried practicing subtle changes in talking to people. I practice eye contact and approach them often to get myself used to the interaction again,” she explained.
Meanwhile, James adjusted his sleeping schedule since he has to wake up early to attend on-site classes
“It was such a huge change for me, as well, for my body to wake up early,” he added.
Jhalia also shared that she needed time management to juggle her tasks and studying hours.
“I have started to manage my time wisely because even though I'm excited about face-to-face classes, it is draining,” she added.
“Start now,” – this is what Princess wanted to tell her fellow students on adjusting to the current learning setup at the University.
“Yes, adjusting is hard, but it is harder if you stay put,” she added.
On the other hand, James encouraged other students to explore what adjustments suit them in taking care of their well-being while in a hybrid learning mode.
“Always try to seek help from your family, friends, and loved ones, especially in times like these (when) we are all adjusting to the new normal and hybrid learning,” he said.
Lastly, Jhalia reminded everyone that the struggle every student is facing is valid because no one anticipated a pandemic to happen.
“I also want them to remember that it’s okay to just exist sometimes. It’s okay to rest whenever they feel tired or sad,” she added.
As confirmed by the Student Wellness Center (SWC) Director Emerico Rasing, the SWC is in its planning phase in conducting University-wide research to identify the challenges and needs of the entire student body as the University continues to deliver its learning modalities this school year.