Sharing his knowledge and experiences on how the academic sector cope with the new standard mode of education and learning in this time of the pandemic, Dr. Rowel G. Olila, Director of the ASCOT Education Department, served as a Resource Speaker in the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Luzon Cluster 2 Webinar about “Reinventing the Educational Landscape in time of Pandemic” held via Zoom, September 28.
In his talk, Dr. Olila first gave a background on how the restrictions brought about by the COVID 19 pandemic affected the educational setup not only in the Philippines but also around the world. He enumerated the ways the government and the academic sector continue learning among students, especially the implementation of Distance Learning, Blended Learning, and Homeschooling.
On the other hand, Dr. Olila also discussed the various challenges, issues, and concerns that the educational stakeholders face in pushing through this new education system. The problems include schools closures, adjusting some core functions of different Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), teachers’ preparedness, and the role of technology.
In addition, he gave various suggestions, and ways from experts on addressing the said problems and how they will effectively continue learning amidst the restrictions brought about by this new mode of learning that will also fit in the educational landscape to the current situation. The ways include committing to strengthen education as a common good, expanding the definition of the right to education, valuing the teaching profession and promoting collaboration among teachers and students, encouraging students’ participation and rights, and making free and open source technologies available to teachers and students.
Virtual participants who joined the said webinars via Zoom and watched through Facebook Live and Youtube were given electronic certificates (e-certificates).
In maintaining a strong partnership and collaboration between DICT and ASCOT in giving their clients all the necessary information and services in providing knowledge and learning despite the pandemic, Dr. Olila was added to the roster of the College’s Professors and Instructors who already served as a Resource Speaker on webinars organized by the department.