The previous semester was proved to be draining and there’s no lie to that. Students were falling behind in many aspects including academic, social relations, and mental health and it’s a massive success to everyone who managed to trudge through the excruciating four months of the semester. Now that it’s almost the beginning of the second semester for the A.Y 2020-2021, some Thomasians shared their insights in an interview with TomasinoWeb.
The effectiveness of online classes has been put to test during the previous semester which has been nerve-wracking due to the sudden shift to online learning leaving students choosing either to carry on with the purpose of not being left out or not enroll and waste their time trying to learn when certain things (intermittent internet connection, technological divide, financial problems, etc.) would only hinder them from learning.
Creative Writing junior Fatima Clare Castillo, shared in an interview that, “Nothing beats face to face learning. At least then, you have your blockmates [and] friends available beside you if you have to ask questions about lessons or other details they probably understood more than you did.”
She added that even though it’s easier to attend classes to get perfect attendance, do homework in-between classes, and get back to previous lectures because they’re recorded, it’s not the same situation for everyone else.
Advertising junior Sofia Erin Gancenia said online classes are an “inconvenience” as much as it’s a convenience because even though she doesn’t have to commute to school every day, everything is “new” to her as well as to the professors.
Communication Arts junior Rebekah Eslao narrated her experience with online classes last semester and how it proved that online learning is an “ineffective” method of teaching, “mostly because of the professors and their ineptness in teaching through online means.”
“Most professors only read their lessons from the PowerPoint slides without properly explaining them. They would give handouts and files to self-learn, as well as activities and projects to do which is not effective learning for the student,” Eslao said. She also shared how the synchronous classes were not maximized by most professors because they prefer to just give activities instead of teaching. Eslao explains that this only prompts students to procrastinate more and focus solely on receiving a passing mark for motivation.
“Being at home will leave the students torn in dividing their time as a student and as a family member unless they properly schedule it. [During] the last semester, I only looked forward to attending one class and it is because the professor thoroughly explained the lessons and she did not give me multiple things to do. But for the other classes, I did not learn as much as I expected to,” Eslao said.
In terms of online classes leaving barely any boundary between home and academics, Paolo Cyro Feliciano, a Medical Technology sophomore from the College of Pharmacy, shared how students like him, “were expected to work with the same or even heavier workload”.
Feliciano explains that he “felt like in some situations there was no longer a pause between work, and rest has been taken away”.
Indeed, virtual classes became an extension of working tirelessly to finish deadlines and submit papers and projects on time, leaving no space for warmth, rest, and comfort— the space occupied by one’s home.
Feliciano added that the online setup of classes in the previous semester was not as effective as he had hoped for.
“Being in a medical-related course, laboratory skills are one of my main priorities to learn and even though substitutes, such as online programs and visual aids, were implemented, I still found them insufficient since I was not able to experience the laboratory processes myself,” he said.
Accountancy sophomore Jerahmeel Perolina said that the new learning setup is “not as effective” as on-site learning, mainly because not everyone has the privilege to buy the necessary devices for the system and have a conducive learning environment at home.
If there’s one thing virtual learning has showcased, it would be the apparent technological divide among students which is split into two: those who could afford the necessities connected with online learning and those who couldn’t afford it by any means. After all, privilege plays a massive role in exhibiting the disparity among learners, and there would always be students left behind.
“The learning materials are accessible on Cloud Campus the whole semester, so it’s way more convenient to review them during quizzes and examination weeks. However, the downside of this type of learning is that interactions are lessened,” Perolina said.
“What makes [online classes] even more difficult is the fact that backtracking is not allowed during quizzes and examinations. Unlike [the] face-to-face setup, we could not skip the difficult items first and proceed to the easier ones,” he added.
When asked what they would consider being the biggest challenge they have encountered during the online classes, Gancenia said it’s forcing herself to work at home, “My house is not the best place for me to study and do my plates because there are just way too many distractions and noises that you won’t have to hear if [you’re] at school.”
Castillo said it would be the miscommunication with professors, blockmates, and friends, “Unfortunately, the texting language doesn’t apply to everybody. In fact, one wrongly used punctuation mark leads to plenty of heightened emotions that could easily lead to personal issues concerning both parties,” she added.
Castillo added that another challenge would be the strength to be patient and compassionate with every person she talks to, considering that they don’t have the same experience or privilege behind the screen.
Eslao stressed time management and motivation, “It has also been mentally exhausting because of the lack of social interaction, and the constant environment and routine,” she said.
Feliciano, on the other hand, said it’s “the constant need to quickly cope with every scenario we are put in.” He also explained that even though this was already expected of them even before the pandemic wreaked havoc in the world, the semester of online learning felt even heavier.
Perolina stressed that the biggest challenge would be the intermittent internet connection which was what the majority of the students considered a hindrance to the online classes, “At times, the UST Cloud Campus would experience technical difficulties,” he stated.
Truth be told, there have been instances the UST Cloud Campus rendered students speechless when, during the crucial hours of their classes—whether they be listening to a lecture or answering an examination after days-long preparation—it decided to turn blue, which left students feeling gray.
With the upcoming semester, Gancenia says, “I’m expecting a better performance from myself and from my professors as well since we already know how online classes work.”
Castillo says she’s expecting that it’s going to be more difficult because their thesis is coming up. “As someone who’s striving to become better in Creative Writing, I have to read and research before putting thoughts into carefully arranged words. Most likely, there has to be more patience due to various exchanging of works to critique each other. Hopefully, no one gets left behind,” she added.
Eslao expects professors to do an “excellent” job in teaching students. “I am hoping that the University will give the students an education that is worth the money spent even if it is only done online.”
Feliciano aired the same sentiments, stating how he hopes for “more assurance” when it comes to the implementation of the directive concerning online classes, “Since no one expected the past semester to be in this setup, I feel like most people were still unsure of how to approach it. This is why hopefully with the feedback from instructors and students, the system will be improved and will focus more on the welfare of the students,” he explained, further emphasizing that “not many changes can be done without support from the country’s education department.”
Perolina expects the next semester would be the same as the previous one. “I could not say that we are fully getting used to this learning setup. Surely, students would still have to adjust to this system,” he added.
With the previous semester proven to be exhausting, the continuation of the academic year would result in students finding a myriad of ways where they could find solace in or different strategies of which they can cope with the seemingly fast-paced learning environment.
Gancenia says she would do what she always does. “I don’t force myself to work when I am not mentally and emotionally okay. I take a break and come back once I’m ready again. Also, good time management helps me a lot so I won’t let my academics take over me and I’d still have time for other things I want to do.”
Castillo shared that her ways of coping involve binge-watching series, reading books, and taking care of her pets. “Take a few minutes off from being online to self-meditate with breathing exercises and list down small goals to accomplish so it doesn’t overwhelm me. It’s therapeutic to find other hobbies outside your course as temporary distractions like playing the Kalimba or drawing comic strips.”
“This semester, I will prioritize health––eat the right time, get enough sleep, exercise my body, and take care of my mental health,” Eslao stated.
Feliciano said he plans to focus on knowing when to rest. “I feel like last semester, there was somehow a pressure to always be productive. This has led to the feeling of burning out and made me focus more on finishing the tasks and lessons rather than aiming to gain something from them. Taking breaks shouldn’t make me feel bad as they were assigned to us to step away from our work and rekindle our minds.”
Keeping yourself afloat boils down to finding what would fit one’s standard of dealing with difficulties and what would help them get by every day. Deciding which coping mechanism would be beneficial to one’s self is commendable enough, especially in these trying times when one’s mind can be clouded and overwhelmed with thoughts.
There might be ways virtual learning can be proved as a conducive learning environment, but not this time. Not when students are left feeling “burned out” and pushed to be “more productive”. Not when their only motivation for attending classes is compliance. Not when professors aren’t technologically equipped for this foreign virtual learning. Especially not when students deem online learning contrary to what learning should be like.
The last semester not only tested Thomasians’ strength but also their patience. In crucial times like this, compromising could only go to a certain extent but anyone subjected to this online class setup would be exhausted in the long run, as proven by several Thomasians on their stand to online learning. Despite issues, students are still trying their best to cope with this tiring setup by taking breaks and adapting, one step at a time.
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