How do you look at the COVID situation now in the Philippines with regards to Education?
At present, administration, faculty members, and students were adjusted to the new normal where online learning is the safest way to study. Most of us were able to cope with the new learning strategies.
Vaccination should be given to the students and employees once available to lessen emotional stress that they are experiencing in these pandemics. This will help us worked worry-free and may open the school gradually especially the face-to-face skills and related experiences in the clinical area that the students sincerely need.
The education sector must do what it can to go forward amidst this pandemic. All instructions that were advised by CHED has been followed such as to narrow down all the possible essential lessons, concepts, and skills sets that a student must know, acquire, and understand, even if the classes will be conducted through different modalities sans face-to-face physical classroom interactions.
Changes in the delivery of curriculum still focus on the efficiency and effectiveness of these plans of action towards the holistic development of students while staying at home. The shift from a teacher-led education to a student-led and technology-enhanced one become apparent.
The Philippine education that shifted from student-centered to family-focused with the student and getting the most out of technology became part of the tasked of the educator. The teachers are doing more work because they had to transfer lectures from their acquired learnings and knowledge to offline and online services (power point presentation, recording, and modules).
Students had no choice but to accept the reality of online learning and socialization that happens more often now in social media where face-to-face bonding is prohibited.
Future endeavors in SACI
Flexibility is one way of achieving our goal. Despite the present situation, SACI-CON faculty members are doing their BEST to deliver quality education to the students to be nationally and globally competitive. To be efficient and effective, the faculty members focused on students’ knowledge, skills, and attitude towards learning amidst pandemics. SACI CON believes that as Educators, we should see education as a tool to mold students to become good and reasonable human beings and to help them become a better version of themselves in these trying times.
SACI should be united as one. The Institution should be active in developing both the physical features and the wires for learning. Psychological support to the employees and students, internet connectivity, and new technologies should be adapted for a brighter future.
The SACI students with the help of technology and new strategies of learning such as to maximize the use of social media and different platforms shall direct us to achieve quality education.
Impact on Nursing Education
Nurses’ competence is based on the knowledge and skill. Nursing training is a combination of theoretical and practical learning experiences that enable nursing students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for providing nursing care. Unlike classroom education, clinical training in nursing occurs in a complex clinical learning environment which is influenced by many factors such as patient interactions. The presence in the clinical setting and exposure to patients and new events cause emotional reactions in students. Such reactions have a significant effect on their learning process. Nursing students when entering the clinical environment without actual patient care exposure may lead to stress and psychological problems to our graduate students.
Mental health of students/ graduates has been a point of concern because education should not be stop because of pandemic instead it should be strengthened. For these reasons, nurturing online/virtual communities that can help replicate the collaborative and supportive nature of communities of inquiry and learning that are built in physical classrooms appear to be timely and relevant.
There is pressure to produce labor-ready graduates brought about by globalization and international development. As much as possible, we should maximize the actual experiences of the students at home in any given situation, as nursing is a holistic approach. It does not focus on the hospital experiences alone but in the community as well, including individual, family, and population group. It forms part of the role of Clinical Instructors in guiding the students. As their HOME experiences became part of their clinical areas.
It is hoped that government will consider developing programs for nursing graduates to further enhance their skills in any given situation, especially hospital experiences, for free.
ALFIE A. ROBLES, RN, MAN
Dean, College of Nursing