STUDENT council presidents defended the use of the UST Cloud Campus during the weeklong class suspension, despite supposed glitches.
The Office of the Secretary General on Monday advised faculty members to maximize the use of the UST Cloud Campus after the City of Manila suspended classes until March 15 as a precaution against the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Throughout the week, some Thomasians took to social media to air their criticisms on the online classes, saying the online setup was inefficient” and “inconvenient.”
Others disagreed and saw it as an opportunity to continue learning.
Central Student Council President Robert Dominic Gonzales said the Cloud Campus could help avoid “academic stagnancy” or simple delays in schedules.
“I know that it will be hard, but in times like this, [Thomasians] must do their best to adjust,” Gonzales told the Varsitarian.
Rigel Kent Almonte, College of Rehabilitation Science student council president, cited the advantage of Blackboard Collaborate, a real-time videoconferencing tool of UST Cloud Campus that allows a lecturer to deliver a virtual lesson.
“The lessons are still on track, we are not expecting any make-up classes for this because at least lectures are being delivered online,” Almonte said in an online interview with the Varsitarian.
Almonte, however, admitted that the online setup needed improvement.
“[Lecturers] could not maximize their lectures and discussions… in Rehabilitation Sciences, nag-matter talaga ‘yong demonstration ng teachers and that could not be done online,” Almonte said.
“Not all students have the opportunity or the luxury to have a good and stable internet connection, that’s the main problem,” he added.
Gonzales said students who could not afford internet connections deserved to be given consideration.
“I recommend that they write a letter to their professors stating their circumstances,” Gonzales said.
Emmanuel Batulan, executive assistant of the secretary general, said the use of Cloud Campus has been a part of the efforts of Office of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and the Educational Technology Center to minimize class disruptions.
“In case of class suspension, its use is a continuity plan for teaching and learning,” Batulan said in an online interview with the Varsitarian.
UST Cloud Campus, formerly the Electronic-Learning Access Program, has a cloud-based infrastructure powered by Blackboard, a world-class learning management system, enhanced by Google for Education and enriched by Adobe Creative eLearning Solutions.
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(Thumbnail grabbed from UST Educational Technology Center’s official Facebook page)
