Prof. Borlado during one of her online classes.
On July 6, Central Philippine University started its online class for the summer term. It was a new experience for both teachers and students as this was a new mode of learning for everyone. An instructor from the College of Nursing and a 1st year student from the College of Business and Accountancy share their experiences and difficulties that they encountered during their first day of online class.
“Transitioning from on-site to online delivery of a Nursing course subject presents a great challenge and significant change to educators such as myself. Mastering computer and technical skills, inputting modules online, redesigning the course outline, building a comfortable environment for learning online, etc. are some of the challenges for novice online teachers.
At the start of my online class, I reminded myself that challenges are inevitable, but they will be temporary. When you open yourself to innovation, new learning, and experiences, what follows will be less stressful and more meaningful.
As I continue to progress in this new normal, I discover that teaching online is more than just the mastery of a virtual management system of learning, software, and technicalities, but rather an exhilarating new phase in my teaching career, facilitating learning with creative and new teaching methods. As what Bill Gates said and I quote “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the students (kids) working together and motivating them, the teacher is still the most important.””
-Prof. Herme Agriam Borlado, Instructor College of Nursing
“This pandemic made me realize that education is a must and learning is a continuous process. Going into online class, I know that there will be a lot of experiences that will challenge, inspire, and enrich me to become a better individual.
I had mixed feelings the night before the start of our summer online class. I was also a bit stressed because we were the last batch to be informed about the join code to be used in our Canvas app. I was anxious about what’s going to happen but I was very excited to again be back in my schooling after how months of being in lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, excited to learn new lessons and meet new teachers & classmates.
Our first session was a bit awkward because I only knew a few people from the group but I am thankful to our teacher for managing the online class well and for giving us proper orientation on what to expect in the coming weeks. With regard to our assignments, I’m happy because it was given to us ahead of time. I feel happy that our syllabus is organized and well-presented. The online class taught me to be more patient because there were many challenges that we encountered. For instance, the waiting time for our late classmates was caused by a weak internet connection or a blackout in their area and difficulty in using Zoom. So I suggest that our code be given to us ahead of time (1week before the class) so we could practice and be familiarized with Zoom/Canvas. We just need to help each other, be cooperative, and most importantly be patient because we are all in this together in facing the “new normal” of education in our country.”
-Kamille Christelle Denila, 1st year Financial Management Student