Remote learning affects quality of maritime education – official

Remote learning affects quality of maritime education – official
Yashika F. Torib November 17, 2021 https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/11/17/business/maritime/remote-learning...

Remote learning is expected to affect the quality of maritime education as teachers and students grapple with the sudden shift to online classes because of the pandemic. According to Ronald Lacson-Sebastian, chief executive officer of John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University (JBLFMU), teachers and students struggle with the new educational environment that takes away most of the traditional learning modalities of maritime programs.

JBLFMU is an Iloilo-based private maritime institution that is considered one of the biggest and finest of its kind in the country. Sebastian said, "The implementation of remote learning has affected the school, instructors, and students. Among the challenges of the sudden shift to remote classes is the limited access to a device and Internet connectivity. Most students depend on their mobile phones as their access tools to online learning and Internet data is costly.

Because of these constraints, students had experienced system lags in using the learning management system (LMS) or interruptions while taking online assessments." He furthered, "Another is the academic pressure. Students must work on performance tasks, assignments, and other requirements with no one to immediately validate the accuracy of their work, thus forcing them to self-learn.

The difficulty of determining the students' performance in their subjects while studying from home may translate to students having reduced motivation to perform well." "And last is the mental and emotional stress. Most students find online learning more stressful than regular on-campus classes as it takes away from them the benefit of socializing with classmates and friends," Sebastian explained.

While schools such as JBLFMU have prepared their respective LMS and upgraded their servers and networks to keep up with the new mode of learning, the abruptness of online-education implementation harried instructors to take crash courses in making online learning materials and assessment instruments, modules for blended learning, and video-making. The teachers also must learn how to use various online video conferencing tools.

"With all these factors, it is expected that there will be a drop in the quality of education as both teachers and students struggle to learn the new education environment," Sebastian said. Maritime programs require traditional modes of education and training to ensure the competence of future seafarers they are producing. This includes laboratory activities in an appropriate environment.

"A significant portion of the students' learning is skill-based, using specialized tools, equipment, and machinery. Without access to these tools, equipment, and machinery, the students are restricted to knowledge-based learning only, and their skill development is left behind," Sebastian disclosed. This reality is echoed by a maritime student here in Metro Manila who says that they have access to a good quantity of learning materials online but could not fully understand its contents. "The sudden shift to online classes resulted in a drastically lower competence level among us, students.