Along with other universities in Metro Manila, Adamson University decided to continue the rest of the second semester through online classes despite demand from students and the petition initiated by different student groups to end the semester and implement mass promotion.
Adamson University, an academic institution that prides itself in providing “an education with a heart”, released a memo last April 13 stating that the semester will be concluded without further on-campus, face-to-face meetings. Instead, classes will be resumed through online learning.
Such decision received flak from its students as it goes against the demands pushed by the student body and to the institution’s vision.
To quote: “Adamson University, a Catholic Vincentian educational institution, is a recognized leading center for quality education particularly for the socially disadvantaged.”
Online classes is particularly hard especially for the socially disadvantaged as it requires internet connection and gadgets such as smartphones and laptops, which is not accessible to everyone. This aggravates, if not also mocks, the economic situation of students and their families—as it was not expected or required of them to own these gadgets when they first enrolled in the school.
According to Vince Mariano, a civil engineering student, he “felt disappointed because this school that admired at first became the worst listeners and do not care about their students’ welfare” when asked about his opinion regarding the online classes.
“It’s really difficult, base[d] on my experience. We don’t have WiFi to really work on time. We don’t have the courage to go outside [and visit computer shops] because of the virus. I was once [classified as] a PUI in our city and as a student, that situation was hopeless. I was confined in the temporary shelter in our barangay. There were a lot of questions in my mind that needed answers. I was really confused at that moment. I was away from my family and I cannot finish any of my requirements. But still, there were professors who were really generous and passionate to mark their students passed. I am really blessed and honored to have them in this difficult time,” said Mariano.
Even those who were initially amiable with the idea of online classes were not happy of how things turned out. Shane Nuñez, a petroleum engineering major, was one of these people.
“At first, I was not actually surprised since I have acknowledged the need of the school to be resourceful as much as possible. And yes, I did agree without weighing things out that much. I was not expecting things to turn out for the worst,” said Nuñez.
In one of her classes through Zoom, an app for video conferencing, their discussion lasted only for around 30 minutes instead of the supposed three hour-lecture.
Aside from external distractions, she was not able to focus properly because she kept on worrying if her mobile data would be enough.
“If may other choice pa na “end the online class” tsaka “autopass” then I’ll go for it kaso wala eh,” she added.
[If there would have been a different choice like ending the sem and autopass for students, I would have gone for it but those are not options.]
Marlou Eyas, another engineering student who agrees with the decision of the administration to continue with the online classes, was not exempt from the challenges that came with virtual learning. According to him, out of the 7 professors who gave requirements to their section, only 1 of them followed the submission deadline for students.
In the memorandum released by the school admin, the submission deadline for students was set on May 24 to give them ample time to comply with their requirements. However, some professors chose to impose earlier deadlines.
As the class representative, Eyas decided to message one of their professors regarding the activity the said professor gave. The said activity was given to them on April 15 and the deadline set was April 17, two days right after the activity was given. Thinking about the situation of some of his classmates, he informed the professor who moved the deadline to April 30—more than three weeks earlier than the deadline set by the university.
He also added that he contacted the president of the student government regarding the matter. When asked who the professor was, he did not give the name any longer because the deadline was already moved despite still not following the university deadline.
Another violation of the memorandum was reported. Professors were supposed to give all lecture materials and academic requirements to their student no later than April 30. However, some professors announced their requirements way past April 30.
According to Simoun Torres, a second year engineering major, one of his professors gave an activity on May 6, almost a week after the deadline. They were asked to download a 800-mb e-book, and were told that they would be having an online exam which is not allowed. This prompted Torres to report to their organization president regarding the matter who told them that they need not comply with the said professor’s requirements. They have not heard from the professor since the announcement of their requirements.
Students were encouraged to report professors violating the memorandum. However, no specifics were mentioned regarding the interventions that they were supposed to be putting in place.
The official end of classes is on May 24, as stated in the memorandum. Rebates on tuition and other school fees were provided, but the policy was questioned by several students as it only offered a minimal portion of the total amount paid by the students, making it an unjustifiable compensation on the part of the students.
The administration explained that they were still paying all their employees in full. However, it should be worth noting that it is school’s moral obligation as employers — and should not be the burden of the student body. The students also went to school for a third or less of the semester and since online classes were imposed, have been paying their own internet, using their own gadgets if they have them, facilities, providing their own working areas, using their own electricity, and all the expenses that should have been what paying a tuition to go to a school was for—as they did not sign up and paid for an online degree.
The many experiences of the students raise the question of whether the students were able learn what they need to learn in the online setup. Many lessons are best learned experientially, while many other courses require actual practice and hands-on work, such as lab classes. Another question that begged answering is, through all their difficulties in their academic requirements, their situation at home and the country’s pandemic situation, whether students really learned anything at all or they are just winging it to get this semester over and done with. But, how about the next term?
