Innovation, Sustainability, and Inclusivity at the Time of a Pandemic

by Angelo Timothy Dawa

The disruption in the education system caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is immense, forcing learning institutions to completely suspend the conduct of physical classes. Schools and other learning institutions either had to end classes prematurely or reduce the course coverage and academic requirements in order to accommodate the extraordinary situations faced by the faculty and students. While this was deemed as the appropriate response to the crisis, it is but a temporary solution. The challenge now is to come up with more sustainable solutions that could enable learning institutions to resume their operations.

“The challenge now is to come up with more sustainable solutions that could enable learning institutions to resume their operations.”

One of the primary goals of learning institutions is to deliver instruction to their students. This was gravely affected by the ensuing lockdowns and closing of schools. If the goal is to deliver quality education that is sensitive to the current situation, the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must be innovative in performing their roles. The response to the current disruption will serve as a precedent in making the Philippine education system more resilient against disasters and more compassionate towards the plight of the Filipino people.

Working towards a common goal

In order to create responsive solutions, the Innovation for Social Impact Partnership (ISIP) project conducted a study on the impact of COVID-19 on the operations of Philippine HEIs. The study intends to identify possible interventions that will complement the new direction of ISIP’s partner HEIs, particularly in the implementation of their Technopreneurship and social impact activities. This is to ensure that ISIP can provide more avenues for students and faculty to develop innovative solutions to the current and future problems brought about by the pandemic.

With the current setup brought about by the lockdown, an online survey was developed. The ISIP team invited 39 HEIs with social entrepreneurship initiatives to participate in the study. These HEIs have been engaged by ISIP in its previous activities that focus on Technopreneurship teaching, incubator operations, and Technopreneurship governance.

The ISIP team received 37 responses out of the 39 HEIs. These 37 HEIs were from different geographical locations in the Philippines and the survey was able to cover a total of 14 regions, engaging 19 SUCs and 18 private universities.

Understanding the situation

The pandemic caught the HEIs in different situations, some were halfway through their second semester while those who did not shift their academic calendar were approaching their final examinations week. 68% of the participating HEIs indicated that they resorted to shifting to online classes and other distance learning methods due to the suspension of classes across the country. The table below shows the effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on instruction in HEIs.

While online delivery of lectures was the immediate response to address the disruption due to the pandemic, one key issue that surfaced is the lack of access of the majority of the students to online learning. This led to some HEIs exploring various distance learning methods such as asynchronous lectures and tasks, and pick-up or delivery of lecture materials and student outputs. Various grading system methods were also adopted to accommodate different situations of the students. Adjustments such as giving a grade of “Pass” instead of numerical grades were implemented. Other HEIs simply based the numerical grades of the students on their class performance before the lockdown.

As the HEIs shift to online and distance learning, 62% indicated that they are utilizing free online platforms. Common platforms used are Google Classroom, Edmodo, Moodle, and Zoom. For increased accessibility, some are also using Facebook and SMS. There are also HEIs who already have an established Virtual Learning Environment or VLE (22%) while others are currently developing their own VLE (8%). This table shows the online platforms that students and teachers use to communicate.

It is expected that there will be changes in the Technopreneurship 101 (T101) teaching. Among the HEI survey participants, 41% will roll-out and teach Technopreneurship 101 as scheduled. While 32% will delay the roll-out, with some by just a few months in conjunction with their adjusted academic calendar and others by a semester or two. The remaining 27% are still in the process of determining when they will roll-out T101 as a required subject for engineering students

A different situation was observed when it comes to incubator activities of the HEIs. 46% indicated that they will restrategize on when they will establish their university incubator facility. While 32% will establish as scheduled, and 22% will delay the establishment of their own incubator facility.

One of the main factors in the difference in the strategy of T101 roll-out and university incubator establishment is that teaching T101 to engineering students is mandated by the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED). On the other hand, establishing an incubator is dependent on the priorities of the university administration. For some HEIs, the physical space itself also contributed to the delay, with construction progress being affected by the lockdowns. Hence, establishing an incubator facility is more susceptible to external changes as opposed to teaching T101 as the latter is a mandated allied engineering course in the new engineering curricula starting in the academic year 2018. Those who already have an incubator have now shifted their focus to migrating their existing and upcoming activities and programs online in order to resume full operations.

“On the other hand, establishing an incubator is dependent on the priorities of the university administration. For some HEIs, the physical space itself also contributed to the delay, with construction progress being affected by the lockdowns. Hence, establishing an incubator facility is more susceptible to external changes as opposed to teaching T101 ”

Exploring solutions

As the majority of HEIs migrate to online platforms, it is critical that support mechanisms should adapt to this platform as well. Thus, the ISIP Project will further study the online delivery of its activities on (1) teaching T101 with integrated social impact and (2) measuring the social impact of their incubator and incubatees. ISIP is also exploring the possibility of connecting the HEIs with experts who are adept in teaching entrepreneurship online and in running online incubator programs. This is to ensure that the HEIs not only have the knowledge in integrating social impact in their Technopreneurship activities but also have the necessary skills in implementing these on online platforms efficiently and effectively.

Photo from one of the sessions during the ISIP Visiting Professors 2019 deployment at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) in Cagayan de Oro City.

Access to the internet has been a recurring and pressing concern captured by the survey results. The respondents indicated that their students and incubatees who live in remote areas have limited access to the internet and those who do mostly rely on mobile data. This limits not only the students’ access to education but also the depth of learning. One respondent shared that there are also students who cannot afford to buy mobile phones, tablets, laptops, or PCs in the first place making it hard for them to continue with classes.

Kristina Badec, a professor from the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines in Cagayan de Oro articulated this challenge saying:

“[M]ost if not all of our students belong to poor families since we are an SUC. […] Also, they are highly discouraged to visit internet cafes still due to this pandemic. In the process of reviewing our T101 course, we will consider both [those who] can access the internet at home and those who cannot. We may need to provide both soft and hard copies of instructional materials except for possible video materials that they need to view. Pitching and rejection therapy part may need a new arrangement as well.”

While most HEIs are already using online platforms in their classes, they still lack the structure to inclusively and sustainably deliver their services to their students and incubatees. Thus, in migrating to online platforms, ISIP aims to be mindful and responsive to the context of the HEIs and their students.

With most activities done online, internet connectivity has been a crucial factor in sustaining these activities. (Data based on ISPs in Philippines, Broadband Speedchecker, 2019)

Access to online platforms, both by HEI personnel and by students, should be a primary consideration in the delivery of the activities. ISIP is working closely with the lead trainers of our upcoming workshops and international visiting experts to ensure that they are aware of the limitations of online platforms here in the Philippines. This is so they could discuss with the HEIs more inclusive strategies in teaching T101 and in running an incubator.

Room for innovation

The majority of the HEIs are keen on rolling out T101 as scheduled whereas more HEIs are restrategizing on the establishment of their incubator. While strengthening the Technopreneurship teaching skills of the Engineering faculty is crucial, the establishment of incubator facilities and migrating incubation programs online is also as important. As Engr. Javier Bautista, President of the University of Baguio, puts it:

“The priority of the University of Baguio is to get students back on campus, even in a limited capacity. For that to happen, we need to establish health and safety guidelines for students to be comfortable to enroll again. While online and distance learning are options for all schools, the value of campus learning is much greater. The local economy will flourish if the campuses are alive again. While the TECHNOPRENEURSHIP is not a priority, good ideas and worthwhile projects will get funding and support from UB if it will help the current situation.”

Extraordinary situations call for innovative solutions. Strengthening the Technopreneurship and incubation programs of HEIs will help fuel the innovative and entrepreneurial mindset of students and faculty alike.

“Strengthening the Technopreneurship and incubation programs of HEIs will help fuel the innovative and entrepreneurial mindset of students and faculty alike.”

ISIP is very keen on supporting the HEIs in this endeavor but conducting surveys such as this to understand the current situation is just one of the many ways to help extend support to HEIs. Dr. Marlon James Dedicatoria, the College of Engineering Dean of President Ramon Magsaysay State University, mentioned that “sharing the [struggles and successes] of other [Philippine] universities in establishing technology and innovation centers.” Dr. Dedicatoria emphasized that knowledge sharing is crucial in times like these.

Employing a holistic perspective

While the discussions identified the key issues faced by the university administrators, faculty, and incubator managers, the learners will always be at the heart of what they do. Dr. Elizabeth Quirino-Lahoz, President of the Technological Institute of the Philippines, stated that “these are uncharted waters [and we] need to win the hearts and minds of both students and their parents, [including the] parents have lost jobs and are financially challenged, possibly, not able to send their children to school.” This only shows that online and distance learning entails complex challenges and only employing a holistic approach can we deliver quality education that is also sensitive to the current situation.

“these are uncharted waters [and we] need to win the hearts and minds of both students and their parents, [including the] parents have lost jobs and are financially challenged, possibly, not able to send their children to school.

The pandemic disrupted the education system in unprecedented ways. ISIP is committed to finding and creating ways to ensure that accessible and responsive support services are in place. However, addressing the current challenges involves collaboration among stakeholders. Only through working together can we ensure that we can provide solutions that are innovative, sustainable, and inclusive.

TechHub Workshop at Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in March 2019

Perspectives on the Current State of Philippine Higher Education Institutions