Research Writing

During the COVID-19 pandemic, majority of the world’s enrolled students have experienced the temporary closing of school, the only reason established was to encourage social distancing and to mitigate virus transition (Viner et al., 2020). The said outbreak impacted the higher education’s face-to-face mode of learning tending to shift in the aid of online learning; the sudden shift consequently adds much burden for students making them to struggle more. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a field wherein it develops understanding about the application of computer programs/software; it is commonly based on the traditional mode of learning because it supports the foundation of teacher-centric and lecture-based practices. The field of ICT is one of those fields who dependently need that actualization of students in order to propagate the progress of education; computer programming, encoding, and decoding were courses that cannot be easily mastered through online medium. In line with the stated situation, struggles and student’s approaches in dwelling the ICT field can be accepted as a valid response on how flexible learning impacted the curriculum.

1.       Online mode of learning is not flexible as it is.

 

2.       The struggles which burden an ICT student focuses on the output to be passed/produced and not to the level of learning to be learned.

 

 

1.       The definition of flexibility in terms of online learning restricts those students who cannot afford internet data in order to attend the established mode of learning, therefore only flexible to those who can.

 

2.       The term “flexible” can be abused by instructors tending to give loads of school works for ICT students, which can result to more outputs produced than knowledge gained.

 

 

The study focuses on how ICT student react/will react in the mode of learning being practice because of the global pandemic. The struggles and approaches of student will also be shown and concluded as an implication to the term “flexible” learning as termed by educational system.  The study is delimited on the fields that can handle flexible learning without relying to the traditional practices of teaching; delimited also on the possible ways in order to solve the crisis that an ICT student suffers during the pandemic.

The study in short, just focuses on the struggles itself and approaches of an ICT student/s while taking the field under online mode of learning.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic affects all areas globally; in terms of education, it hinders the student to maximize their potential along with the traditional practices of teachings. University of Andalas initiated the so called “flexible learning”, compulsory implementation of online learning is a challenge for lecturers and students (Misra & Mazelfi, 2020).

Different college programs dependently need the face-to-face mode of learning in order to established the lecturer-student relationship as the lecturer educates the students to each course that need to be pursued on the program. Online learning just solves the problem as associated with the pandemic situation around the globe, but in a narrowed scope it does not solve the burden carried by an ICT student; in many cases it gives more struggles academically, emotionally, mentally, and psychologically to any students pursuing their college lives.

The so called “online-learning” which replace the live and real-time interaction is not inherently better than asynchronous. Advantages for student with new mode of learning can be observable through independency or educating their own but it is difficult if multiple individuals might be sharing a single device (Herold, 2020).

Applying the situation to the field of ICT, loaded works were doubled and the stress it causes to students were tripled. ICT students have their own resource background about their family’s economic net worth and it greatly affects their opportunity to dwell well in the new mode of learning. Not all students have the opportunity to access the internet due to internet load scarcity, therefore resulting in a shortcoming to their chose course field.

 

The following questions and answers were part of the study, asked to an ICT student in order to fulfil the objectives of the topic:

1.       Does online learning give the appropriate education for you as an ICT student?

    ~ “Somehow, online learning does not meet the standards for an appropriate especially as an ICT student”

 

2.       Give at least one advantage and disadvantage of online learning medium for you.

    ~ Advantage of it is, is that more time can be consumed and the disadvantage for that is due to internet connection issues.

 

3.       What is the difference between online and face-to-face mode of learning in association with your program?

    ~ Between online learning and face-to-face mode of learning, it is much easier to study when on face-to-face mode because of the access to the laboratories and library while on online learning, students have less guides on the subjects, however, due to online settings it is possible to find lessons on the internet also.

 

4.       Does the difficulty of the ICT field become greater when it comes to online learning or not? Why?

    ~ I think the difficulty is greater because of self-study setting especially in programming. I think it could be easier if you have gadgets and stable internet.

 

5.       List at least 3 struggles you encountered in the mode of online learning. As an ICT student, do you think you can still do well despite these struggles?

  ~ Internet issues, load allowance, and frequent power interruption. Despite these struggles, I think I can do well comparing my situation with other students.

 

The data above were gathered from an ICT student enrolled in Sorsogon State College Bulan Campus. The questions asked aimed to answer the topic on how an ICT student struggle during the time of pandemic. It is significance to acknowledge the given answer by an ICT student because it could reflect the portions of each ICT students situated in the country. Each ICT students don’t have the opportunities as same from the respondent above, situation and family background plays as a core factors in order for the respondents to adjust adequately in the new mode of learning.

The data shows that online learning does not fit on the given term “flexible” because it only focuses to those students who can afford the situation during pandemic. As it says, online learning does not meet the standards for educational purposes, somehow it is flexible because the time to be consumed was based on your own time management but in terms of ability needed to be acquired it came short.

Online learning became a producer of more outputs, as it seems it focuses on the outputs needed for an ICT student to meet and pass at a given time frame; in terms of knowledge to be acquired the students in the field of ICT were struggling to educate their selves enough, unlike in the face-to-face mode of learning. Courses in ICT were difficult to be finished individually and because of the new mode of learning it is observable and taken into account that online learning is a disadvantage at all.

 

Garbe A., Ogurlu U, et al. (2020), Covid-19 and Remote: Experiences of Parents with Children During the Pandemic. American Journal of Qualitative Research. Retrieved from https://sarrauteducacion.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/parents-experiences-with-remote-education-during-covid-19-school-closures-8471.pdf

Misra, F., & Mazelfi, I. (2021, February 03). Long-Distance online learning DURING PANDEMIC: The role of communication, working in group, and Self- directed learning in DEVELOPING STUDENT'S CONFIDENCE. Retrieved March 31, 2021, from https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/iced-qa-20/125952102

Herold B., (2020, April 10). The Disparities in Remote Learning Under Coronavirus (in Charts). Education Week. Retrieved April 1, 2021, from http://68.77.48.18/RandD/Education%20Week/Remote%20Learning%20Disparities%20Under%20Coronavirus%20-%20EdWeek.pdf