CENTRAL Student Council (CSC) President Robert Dominic Gonzales on Friday raised concerns of students and faculty on virtual learning in an online forum with the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).
Gonzales emphasized the importance of ensuring quality education while considering the welfare of the community.
But online classes, he said, became more of a “compliance issue rather than a learning matter.”
This was aside from the unavailability of resources for online education, which may also be not conducive to learning, he said.
Gonzales presented multiple recommendations solicited from the student body, emphasizing that students are “major stakeholders of the University.”
He proposed minimizing the number of requirements and assessments given to students while ensuring that the intended learning outcomes are still achieved, as well as continuous dialogues and consultations between students and faculty.
Gonzalez pointed out that faculty members also had a difficult time adjusting to online learning, and proposed training and workshops for “a smoother conduct of online classes.”
He also suggested pre-recorded lectures for students unable to attend online classes.
For asynchronous online classes, all needed materials should be made available to students, he said.
Gonzales said the pandemic was “very anti-poor and further marginalizes those who are underprivileged.”
“[I]f we are shifting to this ‘new normal,’ institutions need to polish everything that needs to be polished,” he said.
Gonzales also raised the need to adjust school fees under online learning schemes.
Last month, the CSC appealed to the UST administration to end the term amid the pandemic.
On April 20, the UST Rector Richard Ang said online classes would continue.
UST allowed faculty members to use online means other than the Cloud Campus, and reduced to three the number of graded assessments including the final exam.
Under the University’s continuity policies, no student will be given a failing grade while those with low grades or incomplete requirements will get “In Progress,” which may be completed until December.
Faculty members will hold audit classes for free for students who want to catch up on lessons.
UST also said unpaid fees may be settled in installments until the end of the year.
Academic Year 2019-2020 will officially end on May 30, except for the Faculty of Civil Law.
