Online Education Pilot Implementation: Challenges, Insights and Implications
Melissa Alma R. Orencia
Department of Advanced Professional Development, Philippine Normal University, Manila, Philippines
The permeation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in daily life and its impact on education make it imperative for higher education institutions to offer a new kind of education that will optimize the potentials of technology for teaching and learning and address the needs of 21st century learners. The Philippine Normal University (PNU), which is recognized as the National Center for Teacher Education, recognizes this imperative. Pulled by the forces of tradition and culture and rapid developments in technology, PNU is faced with the challenge of sustaining its leadership in teacher education in an era characterized by change. Amid resource constraints and a conservative organizational context, PNU must adapt to the times and meet the requirements of the digital and information age.
This paper describes PNU’s experience as it attempts to embark on a kind of education that responds to current demands. It documents the challenges met and the insights gained in its pilot implementation of an innovative, ICT-driven educational delivery system that addresses the needs of lifelong learners who want a more flexible mode of education. Perceptions about online learning and teaching, the quality of the online education program, some suggestions for improvement, and recommendations for potential online learners and teachers, including essential requirements for the success of online education, are presented based on data collected using four survey instruments, namely, Students’ Evaluation of Teaching, Online Education Program Evaluation, Online Course Evaluation, and the Online Faculty Survey Questionnaire. Other data were derived from student information sheets and documentation data from the Center for Educational Technology and Distance Education (CETDE) during the pilot implementation. Insights and implications for the successful implementation of this system of education are provided.
Key words: online education, blended learning, online learning, asynchronous learning, virtual learning environment system