Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 11) – The University of the Philippines (UP) is set to switch to blended learning in the upcoming academic year, after two years of holding virtual classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move was announced in a memorandum issued by the UP Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs last June 20, but was made public over the weekend.
Blended learning is a combination of conducting classes in the physical traditional setup inside classrooms and through digital platforms.
Other universities and colleges in the country have implemented the blended mode of learning after the Commission on Higher Education allowed such a setup last year, as the number of COVID-19 cases began to decrease nationwide.
The state university’s office said the shift, which would be implemented during Academic Year 2022-2023, was in preparation for the reopening of their campuses amid “improvements” in the COVID-19 vaccination status of the country.
The memo also stated three models that UP will follow in implementing its blended learning setup.
The first model sees the conduct of classes retaining its full virtual setting.
The second model, or the “blended block learning,” combines independent online study with “intensive” face-to-face classes.
“For example, in a laboratory class with geographically dispersed students, in-person sessions in the laboratory can be blocked and scheduled at a particular point in the semester, and online learning takes place in the periods before and after the blocked (face-to-face) sessions,” the UP office said in its memo.
The third model alternates physical classes with asynchronous learning, where students can study at home and do guided practice and group work during in-person sessions.
All the three blended learning models can be applied during Alert Levels 1-5, according to the memo. Face-to-face activities are only allowed in Alert Levels 1-3 and require full vaccination and retrofitting of classrooms adhering to health protocols.
The UP OVP for Academic Affairs memorandum also encouraged teachers to assess which learning activities are suitable for a physical setup or through virtual means.
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte wants face-to-face classes to fully resume by November this year, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said in a media conference last week.
