Malayan Colleges Mindanao Promises Quality Education Amidst Pandemic.
Press Release
The education sector in the Philippines
continues to be challenged by the pandemic for years now.
In an attempt to cope with the circumstance,
schools have adopted a remote learning system to avoid the disruption of
classes and ensure students’ and teachers’ health and wellness. After more than
two years, resolutions to the crisis have progressed not as much as they
should.
Despite the urgency, a few academic
institutions have already somehow managed to come up with solutions to address
the setback in the delivery of education; at the same time, prioritize
students’ and teachers’ welfare within their institutions.
The Mapúa University branch in Davao City,
Malayan Colleges Mindanao (MCM), has long established a learning system that
works as a convenient response to the issue of Philippine education amidst the
pandemic. MCM has also initiated several comprehensive wellness programs that
include promotive and preventive services for their students, teachers, and
staff.
Leveraging
Technology
The outbreak has deeply highlighted the needs of every
learner which now signals for new upgrades in the education sector.
Leveraging technology, MCM introduced a blended
learning system when it first came to Davao City.
Having established it for four years and
running, the school has since constantly updated and already expanded its
learning system with supplementary programs to ease every student’s learning
journey.
During the initial months of the pandemic, MCM
took an initiative to develop an advising program called eTutor. The eTutor
supports students through guided lessons on their challenge areas and offers
learning motivation to ensure that students learn effectively even online.
Homeroom advising, student clubs, and
student-teacher consultations are as well implemented to focus on student
concerns and strike a balance between the academic and non-academic student
life.
Dr. Flora Mae C. Yparraguirre, MCM School
Principal, said these initiatives were crafted to promote the well-being and
welfare of the students and faculty, especially during the time of pandemics.
“The initiatives were crafted in order to aid
and assist the students and faculty to course through with the academic demands
relative to teaching and learning considering that it is done remotely. The
pandemic caused a shift in the educational landscape which put much pressure
and imposed many challenges on students and teachers,” Dr. Yparraguirre
explained.
In preparation for the next normal, MCM has
espoused the hybrid flexible learning set-up to provide their students learning
options once the government allows the conduct of face-to-face classes. This
new set-up marries face-to-face and online learning together, giving students
three options for school participation: in-person classes, synchronous online
classes, and asynchronous online classes.
Comprehensive Wellness Initiatives
The transition to the new normal has not only
raised concerns about the conduct of classes but also called attention to the
well-being — mental health, especially — of both teachers and students. Given
the urgency of continuing classes online, isolation has become a primary
stressor in the pandemic.
As a way to effectively deal with the pandemic
strains, MCM has emphasized the importance of wellness by initiating programs
such as regular check-ups and help group support to ensure the physical health
of its employees, and promote a sense of (online) community among them.
MCM also coached its faculty and staff to
advocate the same for its students. Site visits were conducted to align the
school’s health guidelines and protocols with its partner companies
to guarantee students’ safety while under an onsite
work immersion program.
MCM employees were also trained to handle mental
health crises in psychological first aid
initiative programs.
Initiatives like the Psychosocial Support
Intervention Program, E-counseling, and Wellness Wednesdays were also
implemented to provide students with various outlets for mental health in the
form of one-on-one sessions or online social activities.
Over the years, the pandemic has brought focus
to the needs of instructors and students in
education. Hence, it is only appropriate that
schools work collaboratively with them in delivering effective and
up-to-date teaching and learning systems, and support their overall wellness by
providing healthy working and learning spaces.
“Given that MCM integrated technology as early
as 2018 (before the pandemic) in the delivery of learning, the shifting to distance
learning was not that difficult with the aid of the learning management system.
The advantage also is that faculty members have sufficient training on
the use of technology that highlights
flexibility and accessibility. Continued updating of skills
through seminars and training as well as
upgrading learning technologies for the benefit of
the students, this is what MCM is committed to
doing,” Dr. Yparraguirre said.
MCM continues to maintain the initiatives it had
started and create new dependable programs
to place the well-being of its community at the core of its mission.
Learn more about MCM at mcm.edu.ph.
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