Email this article 
Emerging Opportunities in the Philippine Higher Education Institutions During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract
COVID-19 has had a global impact, affecting every higher education institution. Gaps and challenges in the Philippine educational system have been identified, including inadequate technological infrastructure and a preference for in-person classroom instruction over the effective use of online technologies and resources. The crisis has provided opportunities for reflection. Many lessons come from the many responses. The impact of innovation and approach refinement are effective determinants of the country's educational program's resiliency in a crisis. This article addresses emerging opportunities such as increasing the number of training activities and broadening participation, integrating an online learning management system into teaching, recognizing the benefits of a community internet hub, strengthening psychosocial health programs in schools, and strengthening cross-sector collaborations. As a result, higher education institutions are constantly challenged to find new ways to thrive in the face of a pandemic in terms of providing quality instruction and services. Further studies on how higher education institutions responded to the needs of the stakeholders in the new reality are recommended.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abisado, M. B., Unico, M. G., Umoso, D. G., Manuel, F. E., & Barroso, S. S. (2020). A Flexible
Learning Framework Implementing Asynchronous Course Delivery for Philippine Local Colleges
and Universities. International Journal, 9(1.3).
Acosta, M. (2016). Paradigm shift in open education and e-learning resources as teaching and
learning in Philippines. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 4(2), 161-172.
Alea, L. A., Fabrea, M. F., Roldan, R. D. A., & Farooqi, A. Z. (2020). Teachers’ Covid-19 awareness, distance learning education experiences and perceptions towards institutional readiness and challenges. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 19(6), 127- 144.
Al-Awidi, H., & Aldhafeeri, F. (2017). Teachers’ readiness to implement digital curriculum in
Kuwaiti schools. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research,
Alvarez, A. V. (2020). The phenomenon of learning at a distance through emergency remote
teaching amidst the pandemic crisis. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 144-153. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3881529
An, Y. & Frick, T. W. (2006). Student perceptions of asynchronous computer-mediated
communication in face-to-face courses. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), 485-499. DOI: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00023.x.
Anoba, J. L. D., & Cahapay, M. B. (2020). The Readiness of Teachers Blended Learning Transition for Post-COVID-19 Period: An Assesment Using Parallel Mixed Method.
Araújo, L. A., Veloso, C. F., Souza, M. C., Azevedo, J., & Tarro, G. (2021). The potential impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic on child growth and development: a systematic review. Jornal de pediatria, 97(4), 369–377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2020.08.008
Auerbach RP, Alonso J, Axinn WG, Cuijpers P, Ebert DD, Green JG, Hwang I, Kessler RC,
Liu H, Mortier P, Nock MK, Pinder-Amaker S, Sampson NA, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Al-Hamzawi A, Andrade LH, Benjet C, Caldas-de-Almeida JM, Demyttenaere K, Florescu S, de Girolamo G, Gureje O, Haro JM, Karam EG, Kiejna A, Kovess-Masfety V, Lee S, McGrath JJ, O'Neill S, Pennell BE, Scott K, Ten Have M, Torres Y, Zaslavsky AM, Zarkov Z, Bruffaerts R. (2016). Mental disorders among college students in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. Psychol Med. 2016 Oct;46(14):2955-2970. doi: 10.1017/S0033291716001665. Epub 2016 Aug 3. Erratum in: Psychol Med. 2017 Nov;47(15):2737. PMID: 27484622; PMCID: PMC5129654.
Ayers, C., & Doherty, B. (2003). Integrating instructional technology across the campus.
Leadership Abstracts, 16(1), 2-7
Bacher-Hicks, A., Goodman, J., & Mulhern, C. (2020). Inequality in household adaptation to schooling shocks: Covid-induced online learning engagement in real time. NBER
Working Papers 27555, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
Bingimlas, K. A. (2009). Barriers to the Successful Integration of ICT in Teaching and
Learning Environments: A Review of the Literature. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 5(3), 235-245. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75275
Brocchi, J. Eastman, J. K., Swift, C. (2004). Retaining the online learner: profile of students
in an online MBA program and implications for teaching them. The Journal of Education for Business, 79(4):245-253. DOI: 10.3200/JOEB.79.4.245-253
Bruffaerts, R., Mortier, P., Kiekens, G., Auerbach, R. P., Cuijpers, P., Demyttenaere, K.,
Green, J. G., Nock, M. K., & Kessler, R. C. (2018). Mental health problems in college freshmen: Prevalence and academic functioning. Journal of affective disorders, 225, 97–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.07.044
Buckingham S. S., Ferguson, R., & Martinez-Maldonado, R. (2019). Human-centred learning analytics. Journal of Learning Analytics, 6(2), 1-9.
Buenaventura, R. D., Ho, J. B., & Lapid, M. I. (2020). COVID-19 and mental health of
older adults in the Philippines: a perspective from a developing country. International
Psychogeriatrics, 1-13.
Cahapay, M. B. (2020). Rethinking education in the new normal post-COVID-19 era: A curriculum studies perspective. Aquademia, 4(2), ep20018.
Cankar, S. S., & Petkovšek, V. (2013). Private and public sector innovation and the importance of cross-sector collaboration. Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR), 29(6), 1597-1606.
Carbonilla G. V. & Bhati, S. S. (2016). Students' perception on use of technology in the classroom at higher education institutions in Philippines. Asian Journal of Education and e-Learning, 4 (3), 92-103.
Carlson, S. (2002). Teacher professional development in the use of technology. In Haddad,
W. & Draxler, A (ed). Technologies for education: potentials, parameters, and prospects. Retrieved February 12, 2006, from http://www.aed.org/ToolsandPublications/upload/TechEdBook.pdf
Chetty, R., Friedman, J. N., Hendren, N., & Stepner, M. (2020). Real-time economics: A
new platform to track the impacts of COVID-19 on people, businesses, and communities using private sector data. NBER Working Paper, 27431.
Commission of Higher Education (2020). Guidelines on the implementation of flexible learning.
CHED Memorandum Order 4, s. 2020. Retrieved CMO-No.-4-s.-2020-Guidelines-on-the-Implementation-of-Flexible-Learning.pdf (ched.gov.ph).
Corlatean, T. (2020). Risks, discrimination and opportunities for education during the times of COVID-19 pandemic. In Proceedings of the 17th Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies Conference, pp. 1-2.
Coyle, Y., Yanez, L., & Verdu, M. (2010). The impact of the interactive whiteboard on the teacher and children’s language use in an ESL immersion classroom. System, 38(4), 614-625.
Crawford, J., Butler-Henderson, K., Rudolph, J., Malkawi, B., Glowatz, M., Burton, R, Magni, P.,
& Lam, S. (2020). COVID-19: 20 countries' higher education intra-period digital pedagogy responses. Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 3(1), 1-20 , doi: 10.37074/jalt.2020.3.1.7.
[ Dagdag, J. D. (2020). Organizational structure and procedure barriers to obedizing
Philippine higher education: Implications to policies and practice. Journal of Research, Policy & Practice of Teachers and Teacher Education,10(1), 27 - 44. https://doi.org/10.37134/jrpptte.vol10.1.3.2020.
Degenhard, J (2020). Computer households in the Philippines. Retrieved www.statista.com./forecasts/1145056.
Di Benedetto, O. (2005). Does technology influence teaching practices in the classroom? Paper
presented at the National Educational Computing Conference 2005 Conference Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved http://web.uoregon.edu/ISTE/uploads/NECC2005/KEY_6820721/DiBenedetto_NECC_ aper_RP.pdf.
Dill E, Fischer K, McMurtrie B, & Supiano, B. (2020). As Coronovirus spreads, the decision to
move classes online is the first step. What comes next? The Chronical of Higher Education. Retrieved: https://www.chronicle.com/article/As-Coronavirus-Spreads-the/248200
Dixon, B. M., & Kirmes, J. L. (2020). Remote learning recommendations during Covid-19
emergency, 62. Retrieved from: https://www.isbe.net/Pages/covid19.aspx
Donthu, N., & Gustafsson, A. (2020). Effects of COVID-19 on business and research. Journal of
business research, 117, 284–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.06.008.
Dumford, A. D., & Miller, A. L. (2018). Online learning in higher education: exploring advantages and disadvantages for engagement. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 30(3), 452-465.
Gaboy, R. G., Mabalay, M. C., Mananghaya, M. E., Mercado, M. G. M., & Romblon, B. M.
(2020). Coping with the new norm: ICT-pedagogy integration awareness and competencies of TEI faculty. Journal of Research, Policy & Practice of Teachers and Teacher Education, 10(2), 49-62. https://doi.org/10.37134/jrpptte.vol10.2.4.2020.
Ghose, R. (2001). Use of information technology for community empowerment: transforming geographic information systems into community information systems. Transactions in GIS, 5: 141-163. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9671.00073
Gonzalez, T., de la Rubia, M. A., Hincz, K. P., Comas-Lopez, M., Subirats, L., Fort, S., & Sacha,
G. M. (2020). Influence of COVID-19 confinement on students’ performance in higher
education. Plos One, 15(10), e0239490. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239490.
Guimón,, J. J., & Narula, R. (2020). European SMEs amidst the COVID-19 crisis: assessing impact
and policy responses. Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40812-020-00169-4.
Hiltz, S. R., & Shea, P. (2005). The student in the online classroom. In S. R. Hiltz & R. Goldman
(Eds.), Learning together online: Research on asynchronous learning networks, 145- 168. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Hossain, M., Sultana, A., Purohit, N. (2020). Mental Health Outcomes of Quarantine and Isolation for Infection Prevention: A Systematic Umbrella Review of the Global Evidence. Epidemiol Health. DOI:10.4178/ http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3561265
Hu, R., (2019) Spatial disruption and planning implication of the sharing economy: A study of
smart work in Canberra. Australia International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development, 10 (4), 315- 337.
Hu, R., (2020) COVID-19, smart work, and collaborative space: A crisis-opportunity perspective. Journal of Urban Management, 9(3), 276-280. doi.org/10.1016/j.jum.2020.08.001.
Huang, R.H., Liu, D.J., Tlili, A., Yang, J.F., Wang, H.H., et al. (2020). Handbook on facilitating
flexible learning during educational disruption: The Chinese experience in maintaining undisrupted learning in COVID-19 outbreak. Beijing: Smart Learning Institute of Beijing Normal University.
Hunt, J. & Eisenberg D. (2010). Mental health problems and help-seeking behavior among college
students. Journal of Adolescent Health 46(1). https://doi.org/10.10164/j.jadohealth.2009.08.008.
Jafari, A., McGee, P., & Carmean, C. (2006). Managing courses defining learning: What faculty,
students, and administrators want. Educause Review, 50-70.
Jahanian, F. (2020). How higher education can adapt to the future of work. Learning Ecosystems.
Available https://www.How higher education can adapt to the future of work [Jahanian] (danielschristian.com)
Kafka A.C. (2020). Shock, fear, and fatalism: As coronavirus prompts colleges to close, students
grapple with uncertainty. The Chronical of Higher Education. Retrieved https://www.chronicle.com/article/Shock-FearFatalism-As/248240
Kock, N., Verville, J., & Garza, V. (2007). Media naturalness and online learning: Findings
supporting both the significant and no-significant difference perspectives. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 5(2):333-355. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-4609.2007.00144.x
Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content
knowledge? Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher education, 9(1). https://citejournal.org/volume-9/issue-1-09/general/what-is-technological-pedagogicalcontent-knowledge
Lally, J., Tully, J., & Samaniego, R. (2019). Mental health services in the Philippines. BJPsych International, 16(3), 62-64.
Laster, S. G. (2005). Redefining blended learning.
Li, C. & Lalani, F. (2020). The COVID – 19 pandemic has changed education forever. This is how.
Available: The rise of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic | World Economic Forum (weforum.org).
Li Z, Ge J, Yang M, Feng J, Qiao M, Jiang R, Bi J, Zhan G, Xu X, Wang L, Zhou Q, Zhou C, Pan
Y, Liu S, Zhang H, Yang J, Zhu B, Hu Y, Hashimoto K, Jia Y, Wang H, Wang R, Liu C, Yang C. Vicarious traumatization in the general public, members, and non-members of medical teams aiding in COVID-19 control. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Aug;88:916-919. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.03.007. Epub 2020 Mar 10. PMID: 32169498; PMCID: PMC7102670.
Loayza, N. V., & Pennings, S. (2020). Macroeconomic policy in the time of COVID-19: A primer for developing countries.
Loayza, N. V. & Pennings, S. (2020). Macroeconomic policy in the time of COVID-19: A
primer for developing countries. Research and Policy Briefs, no. 28;. World Bank, Washington, DC. Available https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/33540 License.
Mathew, I. R. & Iloanya, J. E. (2016). Open and distance learning: Benefits and challenges of
technology usage for online teaching and learning in Africa, presented at Pan-Commonwealth Forum. Botswana. Commonwealth of Learning and Open University of Malaysia. Retrieved from: http://oasis.col.org/handle/11599/2543
Miguel, F. F. & Abulon, E. L. R. (2016). Teacher-parent collaborative efforts in facilitating
students’ homework. The Normal Lights: Special Issue 2016, 18-32.
Moralista R, & Oducado R. (2020). Faculty Perception toward online education in a state college in
the Philippines during the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Universal Journal of Educational Research, Horizon Research Publishing Corporation (HRPUB),8 (10), pp.4736 - 4742. ⟨10.13189/ujer.2020.081044⟩. ⟨hal-02968006⟩
Morgan, H. (2020). Best Practices for Implementing Remote Learning during a Pandemic, The
Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 93:3, 134-140. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2020.1751480
Noh, Y. (2016). A study to evaluate the digitization level of Korean libraries (part
I), Library Hi Tech, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 314-358. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-10-2015-0102
O'Dwyer, L. M., Russell, M., & Bebell, D. J. (2004). Identifying teacher, school and district characteristics associated with elementary teachers' use of technology: A multilevel perspective. education policy analysis archives, 12, 48.
Oliva, P. F., & Pawlas, G. E. (2005). Supervision for today’s schools. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley &
Sons.
Onestini, C. (2020). European training foundation: Sector and cross-sector cooperation. In Anticipating and Preparing for Emerging Skills and Jobs, 313-320. Springer, Singapore.
Petko, D., Egger, N. Catieni, A. & Wespi, B. (2015). Digital media adoption in schools: bottom-up,
top-down, complementary or optional? Computers & Education, 84, 49-61.
Ping, T. A. (2011). Students' interaction in the online learning management systems: A comparative study of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Asian Association of Open Universities Journal.
Player-Koro, C. (2012). Factors influencing teachers’ use of ICT in education. Education Inquiry
(1), 93-108.
Quinco-Cadosales, M. N., Ejercito, F. J., Eguico, I. E. & Quinco, D. F. (2021). Schools in the new
reality: assessing the now, leading beyond. Psychology and Education, 58(5): 5718 – 5730.
Razak, N. A., Alakrash, H. & Sahboun, Y. S. (2018). English language teachers’ readiness for the
application of technology towards fourth industrial revolution demands. Asia-Pacific Journal of
Information Technology and Multimedia, 7(2), 89 – 98
Sabarini P. (2020). The Conversation. Retrieved http://theconversation.com/coronavirus-
universities-are-shifting-classes-online-but-its-not-as-easy-as-it-sounds-133030 .
Sahu, P. (2020). “Closure of Universities Due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Impact on Education and Mental Health of Students and Academic Staff.” Cureus 12 (4): e7541. doi:10.7759/
Sairattanain, J., & Loo, D. B. (2021). Teacher education reform in Thailand: A semiotic
analysis of pre-service English teachers’ perceptions. Journal of Research, Policy & Practice of Teachers and Teacher Education, 11 (2), 28 - 45. https://doi.org/10.37134/jrpptte.vol11.2.3.2021.
Salac, R. A., & Kim, Y. S. (2016). A Study on The Internet Connectivity in the
Philippines. Asia Pacific Journal of Business Review, 1(1), 67–88. https://doi.org/10.20522/apjbr.2016.1.1.67
Sherry, L., $ Gibson, D. (2002). The path to teacher leadership in educational technology.
Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education [Online serial], 2(2), 178-203
Shin, W. S., & Kang, M. (2015). The use of a mobile learning management system at an online university and its effect on learning satisfaction and achievement. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(3), 110-130.
Singh, T. K. R., & Chan, S. (2014). Teacher Readiness on ICT Integration in Teaching-Learning: A
Malaysian Case Study. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 4, 874-885.
Sumande, C. T., Castolo, C. L., & Comendador, B. E. V. (2016). The ICT Level of Confidence of Course Specialists in Distance Education: The Polytechnic University of the Philippines Experience. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 17(4), 175-189.
Tondeur, J., van Braak, J., Ertmer, P. A. & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2016). Understanding
the relationship between teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and technology use in education: A systematic review of qualitative evidence. Educational Technology Research and Development 65(3). DOI: 10.1007/s11423-016-9481-2
Toquero, C. M. (2020). Challenges and Opportunities for Higher Education amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Philippine Context. Pedagogical Research, 5(4).
Toquero, C. M. (2020). Emergency remote education experiment amid COVID-19 pandemic.
IJERI: International Journal of Educational Research and Innovation, (15), 162-172.
Torales, J., O'Higgins, M., Castaldelli-Maia, J. M., Ventriglio, A. (2020). The outbreak of COVID-
Coronavirus and its impact on global mental health. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 66(4):317-320. doi:10.1177/0020764020915212
UNESCO-IIEP & GPE. (2016). Guidelines for transitional education plan preparation. Retrieved from;https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000244900
UNSECO (2020). Global education coalition: From disruption to recovery: Retrieved from: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse.
van der Spoel, I., Noroozi, O., Schuurink, E., & van Ginkel, S. (2020). Teachers’ online teaching expectations and experiences during the Covid19-pandemic in the Netherlands. European journal of teacher education, 43(4), 623-638.
DOI: 10.1080/02619768.2020.1821185
Wang R., Liu C., Yang C. (2020). Vicarious traumatization in the general public, members, and non- members of medical teams aiding in COVID-19 control. Brain Behav. Immun. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.03.007.
World Health Organization and Department of Health (2020). Promote holistic mental health
wellness in light of World Suicide Prevention. Retrieved https://www.who.int/philippines/news/detail/10-09-2020-doh-and-who-promote-holistic-mental-health-wellness-in-light-of-world-suicide-prevention-day.
Zhai, Y., & Du, X. (2020). Addressing collegiate mental health amid COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Research, 113003. Retrieved https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113003.
Zhai, Y., & Du, X. (2020). Mental health care for international Chinese students affected by the
COVID - 19 outbreak. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(4), e22.
Zhao, Y., & Bryant, F. L. (2006). Can teacher technology integration training alone lead to
high levels of technology integration? A qualitative look at teachers’ technology
integration after state mandated technology training. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in Education, 5(1), 53-62.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.52155/ijpsat.v31.1.4082
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2022 MARIA NANCY QUNCO CADOSALES, Ma. Rosita Ampoyas Hernani
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.