THE ADVANTAGES OF ONLINE CLASSES DURING THE PANDEMIC ON BAC STUDENTS IN

PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA

A RESEARCH PAPER PRESENTED TO

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

THE COURSE REQUIREMENT FOR THE SUBJECT

TCW 0005 – 53

SUBMITTED BY: BULANON, ROSALITA C. (BAC 1 -2)

SUBMITTED TO: MR. JOLHSUN B. VILLACORTE

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all, we would like to thank God Almighty for the wisdom he has granted us,

strength, peace of mind, and a good relationship in completing research. Our deepest thanks

and gratitude to Mr. Villacorte our research adviser, for his full support, expert guidance,

understanding, and encouragement throughout our study and research. Without his incredible

patience and wisdom, this research paper would not have been completed. Also, we would like

to give our sincere gratitude to our research adviser for his time and effort in checking our

research paper, especially for their valuable comments and suggestions for the completion and

success of this study.

Furthermore, we want to express our gratitude to our family for the encouragement,

moral, and financial support that help us complete this research. Similarly, to our friends, for

cheering and encouraging us, for their motivational words, for helping us achieve the write-ups,

for making us realize the good things that will happen when we finish this research. And lastly,

we would like to thank our beloved school Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila for allowing us

to use the e-library and other materials such as articles and books.

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 INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The internet’s broad nature and the accessibility of technology have increased the

demand for web-based teaching and learning (Chaney, 2010). Distance education is a

constantly growing environment that enables users to operate independently of time and

location constraints (Chaney, 2010). Online education can be defined as “learning that occurs

wholly or partially over the Internet” (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). Online learning

appeals to diverse learners and is growing more prevalent in settings ranging from elementary

schools through high schools and beyond.

COVID-19’s spread has resulted in the closure of educational institutions worldwide.

This put institutions’ preparation to deal with a crisis to the test, as efficient online learning

required advanced technology, including hardware and software. This closure hastened the

development of online learning environments to ensure that education is not disrupted (Kumar,

S.C., 2019). Numerous universities have developed an interest in the most effective methods

for delivering course content online, engaging students, and conducting evaluations. As a result,

COVID-19 has evolved institutions to invest in online learning, despite its danger to humanity.

Online learning systems (OLS) are web-based applications that facilitate the distribution,

tracking, and management of courses via the internet. It entails utilizing technological

breakthroughs to direct, design, and deliver educational content and promote two-way contact

between students and instructors. They include whiteboards, chat rooms, polls, quizzes,

discussion forums, and surveys that enable instructors and students to connect and collaborate

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online while also sharing course content. These can be effective and convenient methods for

achieving learning objectives. While online education is gaining popularity, it is not without its

detractors among traditional print-based professors. Many educators and trainers oppose

online instruction because they believe it does not effectively address challenging teaching and

learning problems (Conlon, 1997). Others are concerned about the numerous impediments to

effective online teaching and learning. These concerns include the changing nature of

technology, the complexity of networked systems, the lack of stability in online learning

environments, and a lack of understanding of the knowledge required of students and

instructors to participate successfully in communication and information technology [CIT]-

based activities (Brandt, 1996).

Additionally, online instruction risks commercializing education, isolating students and

professors, lowering standards, or even devaluing university degrees (Gallick, 1998). While

these worries may be unfounded, study into the benefits and drawbacks of online training,

particularly in comparison to the more traditional face-to-face learning setting, is ongoing.

Researchers and educators continue to investigate how students’ online experiences differ from

their in-person learning experiences (Shea, 2006). Educators and researchers can make more

informed judgments about future online course development and implementation by learning

about the processes and consequences of online education compared to traditional face-to-

face contexts. With the increased use of online modalities during COVID-19, it is critical to

analyze their effectiveness for teaching and learning from various perspectives. As such, the

current study examines faculty members’ and students’ perceptions of the benefits,

constraints, and recommendations for online learning in Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila

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Statement of the Problem

This research will determine the advantages of online classes during the pandemic. In

addition, the study would also look at the limitations and the students’ perceptions in online

classes in BAC students at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Specifically, this study aimed to

answer the following problems:

1. What are the respondents’ thoughts on online classes or blended learning in this

pandemic?

2. What are the advantages of online classes?

3. Should online classes be continued/implemented for the upcoming school years?

Significance of the Study

This section of the study contains the beneficiaries of the research. The study intends to

know the Advantages of Online Classes during the pandemic on BAC students to understand

their online classes’ perceptions and advantages. In addition, this research aims to contribute

additional data to serve the following individuals and organization:

Students: They are the primary beneficiaries of this research. Through this, we will know

their thoughts regarding online classes and whether or not they’d recommend this for

the upcoming years to come.

Parents: They are also part of our research’s beneficiaries because parents want their

children to succeed even in desperate times. The children may tend to do the same,

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 especially with the current pandemic. The study will help inform parents regarding

online classes and how they may help.

Teachers: Considering they are the classroom facilitators, the research will benefit them

since it will help them understand how they can capitalize online classes into an

enjoyable learning experience for everyone.

Future Researchers: This research study will help future researchers because it might

help their research study’s essentiality. This study has some evidence about the

participants’ current situation on the advantages of online classes and included

knowledge needed by potential researchers. Also, it includes assessments that will help

you in your future research due to some of the questions and knowledge answered in

this study. Moreover, it will provide them with precise and accurate information since it

provides a great deal of information.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

The study primarily focused on determining the Advantages of Online Classes during the

pandemic on BAC students at Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. It also aims to find ways to

assess the students’ thought process on the type of learning. The study involves collecting data

through Zoom Interviews, and it is limited to BAC students enrolled in Pamantasan ng Lungsod

ng Maynila. With this, the researchers ensure the confidentiality of the gathered data from the

respondents.

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 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Web-based teaching and learning settings can appear to be entirely dissimilar. Online

learning environments can be classified into three broad categories: web-based, blended or

hybrid, and traditional courses supplemented with web-based content. Thoroughly web-based

studies are entirely conducted online, with no in-person interaction, with all course

components taking place in an online learning environment. Hybrid courses combine online and

classroom sessions, with varying amounts of time allocated to online and classroom sessions

depending on the nature of the class and the instructor’s discretion. The final programming

model makes use of online technologies to deliver extra material to traditional classroom

instruction. It is vital to comprehend online learning because there is no single description

encompassing all of its assets. Web-based learning environments are as diverse and

sophisticated as traditional classroom environments, with each one operating slightly

differently.

The pandemic of COVID–19 has impacted instruction in a variety of institutions. In

several nations, traditional face-to-face classes have been discontinued to protect students,

lecturers, and patients. To mitigate the lockdown’s impact. Fortunately, advances in technology

have made electronic learning (e-learning) the primary way of imparting knowledge during the

COVID–19 epidemic. E-learning is defined as the process of enhancing the quality of education

via the use of information technology. At the moment, online instruction is frequently utilized

for training undergraduates—not in place of the traditional teacher-led approach, but in

conjunction with it. The success of e-learning is contingent on several elements, including

accessibility, method selection, course content, and evaluation standards. Like any other type

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of instruction, E-learning has several benefits and drawbacks for both students and teachers.

Apart from the epidemiological benefits of e-learning during the COVID–19 pandemic,

additional services worth mentioning include increased convenience, access to resources

regardless of location or time, and cost and air pollution savings, such as reduced carbon

dioxide emissions due to reduced traffic. Online classes, however, have drawbacks, including

issues with internet access, poor internet connection quality, and respondents’ lack of digital

abilities. Certain advantages, such as schedule flexibility, can also be a disadvantage,

particularly for students who struggle with self-discipline.

Early types of remote education may be traced back to 1840 when Isaac Pitman utilized

mail and a shorthand technique to educate and work with students. It is believed that the

phrase E-learning first appeared in the educational profession in the mid-1990s. Taking all of

the above factors into consideration, this sort of online learning may be considered as a natural

progression of the concept of remote learning. However, a more sophisticated and

encompassing definition argues that E-learning is a type of teaching and learning that

incorporates electronic resources and mediums, stimulating the development and improving

the quality of education and training. E-learning can be defined as a formal education system or

a network in which information is distributed to many people via electronic resources.

Computers and the internet are the primary components that assure the operation of such

systems.

By enabling sharing knowledge and uploading documents in various formats, e-learning

facilitates and nurtures the learning-teaching process. Because it is a web-based system, no

additional tools are necessary for installation, and once uploaded, the content is accessible to

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users at any time. In this sense, the wide range of technological instruments now available has

enabled numerous E-learning types. Horton identified some of these types, which are

represented by individual courses that people take on their own without having classmates,

virtual classes built similarly to a traditional, face-to-face system. Learning games in which

understanding and assimilating information are done through simulated and blended learning

combine conventional and blended learning. As a result, E-learning involves technological tools

and design, e-learning platforms, content, and users/participants as a complicated process. E-

learning varies from traditional or other ways of learning. It focuses not only on education but

also on the knowledge that is tailored to people, according to Oye et al. In other words. In

contrast, traditional education is more teacher-centered. The advent of E-learning has resulted

in a change toward a student-centered education.

METHODOLOGY

Qualitative Design

In this research, the researchers used a qualitative approach to determine the

advantages of online classes in BAC students of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. The

researchers’ qualitative design is a form of phenomenology. In the simplest terms,

phenomenology is a method of inquiry that aims to characterize the essence of a phenomenon

through the eyes of individuals who have experienced it. Phenomenology’s objective is to

define the significance of this experience in terms of both what was experienced and how it

was experienced. There are numerous schools of phenomenology, each with its distinctive

method of conceptualizing the what and how of human experience. In other words, each

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phenomenological approach is anchored in a different school of philosophy. Choosing a

phenomenological research methodology necessitates a reflection on the scholar’s philosophy

of inquiry. Given the diversity of beliefs that a researcher can accept, it’s unsurprising that a

researcher can rely on a diverse variety of phenomenological traditions. We emphasize

transcendental and hermeneutic approaches to phenomenology in this work, yet a broader

phenomenological landscape exists. Phenomenology is frequently defined as the study of

phenomena as they manifest in human experience, our perception and comprehension of

phenomena, and the meaning of phenomena in our subjective experience. In its simplest form,

Phenomenology is the study of an individual’s lived experience of the world. Evaluating an

experience subjectively lived makes it possible to acquire new meanings and appreciations that

can inform or even reorient our understanding of that experience.

Respondents and Sampling

This research’s target population is defined as 10 BAC students enrolled in Pamantasan

ng Lungsod ng Maynila. The researchers chose them as their participants in this study because

students are the participants in the online classes. A BAC student can give the boundary and

limitations to help the researchers find the best and efficient answers for their studies. The

sampling technique that was used is the Quota Sampling and Snowball Sampling. The

researchers selected the stated sampling technique to be the most efficient and straightforward

to implement with the online medium.

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Instrument

In this study, the researchers used in-depth interviews as the main instrument to

ascertain and organize the specific data available among the participating participants.

Therefore, the tool that is in use in the research study is adapted. The researchers chose to use

this instrument to get the result straight from their respondents. Moreover, the results will be

gathered through Zoom or Google Meet meetings. This will be used to gain information about

the respondent’s responses to the survey for data analysis. The study that the researchers will

conduct consists of two parts. Part I consists of 5 questions that question the participants about

their knowledge and perspective on online classes. Part II consists of 3 questions that will help

the researchers determine the advantages of online learning. In summary, it will consist of 8

questions about the problem’s given statement to answer the research questions in the results

and discussion section. The questions were passed on to the research adviser for validation.

Data Gathering Procedure

After the research instrument was constructed and validated by the research adviser,

we met with the ten respondents to accommodate the best answers for the study. After that,

we told them about the study’s ethical considerations and the flow of the interview. We will

remind the respondents that the discussion will be recorded but assure their confidentiality is

well protected. Once they accept to partake in the research, the researchers will continue to

ask them a series of questions. The stated procedure took a week to accomplish the

researchers’ targeted goal of respondents.

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 BODY

Presentation of Data

The researchers used grounded theory to present the data more meaningfully, allowing

a more straightforward interpretation of the study’s data. Grounded theory refers to a series of

systematic inductive approaches to qualitative research for the formation of theory.

Researchers use the phrase to refer to the methods of research used to acquire and analyze

data, in particular. The methodological tactics of grounded theory are designed directly from

the data analysis to develop intermediate ideas. These studies present concentrated, abstract,

conceptual explanations that explain the facts explored (Charmaz, 2009). Grounded theory

approaches have gained their place and influence researchers from other disciplines and

professionals as a standard way of social research. Analysis occurred in three phases.

Transcripts of interviews were revised numerous times, looking for “recurring regularities”

(Merriam, 1998, p. 180). The scientist emphasized quotations and sentences from the

interviews, which were essential to the investigation. The researcher continued to use the

constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) in transcriptions until consistent but

identifiable categories appeared (Marshall & Rossman, 1989). These categories were named,

transcripts coded, and labeled in each category (Bogdan & Biklin, 1982; Merriam, 1998).

Analysis of Data

Since the study is qualitative, no statistical treatments were used. According to the data

that our interviews gathered, the respondents seem familiar with the topic at hand. Online

classes can help maximize the use of the vast internet for the education of students. However,

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the system being rushed and the imagination of what one can think of on the internet can be a

disadvantage.

Interpretation of Data

1. Name (Optional)

- The name of the respondents were:

Abendiano, Cathy C.

Adapon, Audrey P.

BAC Student 1

BAC Student 2

Bageta, Aira Lei G.

2. As a student, how does your online educational program experience compare with

traditional in-class instruction? How do you like or dislike it?

3 out of 5 respondents like online educational classes compared to traditional face-to-

face learning. They stated that having free time and doing the activities and modules in your

schedule makes it different. However, the two remaining respondents said that the interaction

and guidance are what made traditional learning likable. Once students adapt to the new

modular knowledge, they can learn quickly and freely.

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3. What are the given advantages of online classes

3 respondents stated that flexibility is the best advantage. Online training allows the

student and teacher to establish their speed of learning and increased freedom to create a plan

that meets the agenda of everyone. The remaining two respondents stated that being

independent is the best advantage. Online lessons are taken in a timetable which works for the

pupils. No teacher tells them when they have to come to class and when they have to down

their telephone. Instead, students direct their education.

4. Would you like online classes to be implemented shortly?

2 out of 5 respondents stated that they are unsure and would like to observe more in

the upcoming months once everyone has fully adjusted, including themselves, to the new

online setting. 2 more stated that they would like a mix of online classes and face-to-face

learning once the pandemic is over as both have its advantages and would maximize the use of

technology. The last remaining respondent did not want online classes to be implemented and

instead stick with traditional learning.

SUMMARY

Conclusion

The current study has shown benefits, restrictions, and recommendations for improving

online learning amid institutions’ lockouts due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This study interprets

BAC - PLM students’ perspectives and demonstrates that online learning methods, together

with specific hazards, are adaptable and successful. Online learning is a flexible and effective

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source of education and learning according to the students chosen. Most of them believed that

it supports remote learning with easy administration, accessibility, and a reduced resource and

duration. Students can access the instructional material irrespective of the time limit. The

literature has also shown this flexibility over face-to-face training. Students also become self-led

learners, a vital skill to encourage healthcare workers to learn about their lives.

In the following academic years, the current study supports online learning, taking

account of its numerous benefits. E-learning methods support student-centered learning, and

during this lock-in circumstance, they are managed. There is a new stage for online education in

the Philippines. It is worth considering here. It began as ‘urgent remote learning,’ and we can

overcome any constraints with subsequent investments. Faculty must be trained to use online

methods and construct a lesson plan with less cognitive burden and increased interactivities.

Recommendation

Overall, the advantages of online training are indicative of the obstacles facing students.

Additional research is needed to properly assess the benefits, barriers, and techniques of

successful students and involve more students, teachers, or online courses. The participants in

this poll might have had a unique experience different from their colleagues who take online

courses abroad. During this investigation, given the short number of responders, a tiny

population was included, all of whom may be under the same instructor. Analyzing different

courses can give a distinct view of the type of information most suited to an online learning

environment.

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