Ester B. Ogena Felicia I. Yeban Marilyn U. Balagtas Zyralie L. Bedural Benito E. Benoza Bon Samuel P. Atienza WEBINAR SERIES June 2020 FOREWORD Greetings! As President of the Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAPSCU), I am delighted to introduce this e-Toolkit to the private schools in the country. We understand that the current challenges to the education sector, because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, require schools to consider alternative modalities for education delivery that would cater to the needs of our learners. PAPSCU has conceived of preparing its member institutions and other private schools to the imperative of transitioning to new ways of instructional modes as advised by both the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission of Higher Education (CHED). It has requested the team headed by Dr. Ester B. Ogena to collaborate with us on a project through online training of schools as our preparatory strategy for the school year 2020-2021. The project entitled Education Imperative for the New Normal: Planning for Flexible Learning, which is funded by the Philippine Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) through its Assistance to Programs and Initiatives to Reform Education (ASPIRE), will deliver a series of webinars in June 2020 for school heads, decision makers, instructional leaders, and head-teachers across the country and will make use of this e-toolkit which is being made downloadable at the PEAC and PAPSCU websites. The e-toolkit serves as a guide for the participants in the PAPSCU-ASPIRE webinars and is intended to guide the schools in transitioning from face-to-face instruction to options that they will decide on based on the procedures suggested in the kit. I wish to acknowledge the authors of this e-toolkit: Dr. Ester B. Ogena, Dr. Felicia I. Yeban, Dr. Marilyn U. Balagtas, Dr. Zyralie L. Bedural, Mr. Benito M. Benoza and Mr. Bon Samuel P. Atienza for contributing their talents and collaborative efforts on this important document. Due acknowledgment is likewise given to PEAC for the support of the project and to SEAMEO-INNOTECH for packaging the e-Toolkit. LOURDES ALMEDA-SESE, EdD President, Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAPSCU), Inc. President, Saint Michael’s College of Laguna i PREFACE School year 2020-2021 will always be remembered as historically challenging and different from other years in the life of the Philippine education system, both for the public and private schools. The private schools face multifarious tests for their existence but mindful of the need to deliver education services in performing their missions guided by directions provided by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). To assist the private schools in the country, the Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAPSCU) packaged a project entitled Education Imperative for the New Normal: Planning for Flexible Learning with the support of Philippine Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) under its Assistance to Programs and Initiatives to Reform Education (ASPIRE). The project targets to capacitate the private schools through their leaders and decision makers, instructional leaders and head-teachers to understand what they need to know, what to prepare and what actions to do in designing a realistic strategic plan for flexible learning for schools. The Project Team who was tapped to do the webinars for the project thought it best to come-up with an e-Toolkit to guide the webinar participants in developing their strategic plans. The authors of this e-Toolkit are all members of the Project Team. The e-toolkit consists of the following important guides for the schools: scanning the environment (which includes collection and analysis of data from the school, teachers, students and their parents); technology affordances and requirements; flexible learning options for schools; assessment mechanisms for flexible learning; and engaging their stakeholders. The e-Toolkit uses the Google environment for the conduct of surveys and MS Excel for the worksheets. We highly appreciate PAPSCU and PEAC for giving the Project Team an opportunity to be of help to the private schools through the webinars and this e-Toolkit. Likewise, we thank SEAMEO-INNOTECH for its support in packaging this document. ESTER B. OGENA, PhD Team Leader PAPSCU-ASPIRE Project ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword ........................................................................................................................................... i Preface ............................................................................................................................................ ii Contents ......................................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................................. vi List of Annexes ................................................................................................................................ vi Definition of Terms ......................................................................................................................... vii List of Abbreviations .......................................................................................................................... x Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 The Schools and the Challenge of COVID-19 Pandemic ............................................................... 1 The imperative for learning under the Pandemic ......................................................................... 1 The e-Toolkit and its purpose ....................................................................................................... 1 Scanning the Environment ................................................................................................. 2 What to Know .............................................................................................................................. 2 What steps are needed .............................................................................................................. 2 Step 1. Downloading, opening and saving survey data .......................................................... 2 Step 2. Deriving data on essential indicators for flexible learning options .............................. 7 Step 3. Interpreting and analyzing data for flexible learning option decisions16 ..................... 9 What to Do .................................................................................................................................. 18 Flexible Learning ............................................................................................................ 19 What to Know ............................................................................................................................ 19 Flexible Learning Options ....................................................................................................... 19 Curricular Approaches ........................................................................................................... 20 Lessons from the Early Adopters ........................................................................................... 21 What to Do ................................................................................................................................. 23 Transitioning to Remote Learning ......................................................................................... 23 Proposed Structure of the Virtual Lesson .............................................................................. 27 iii Educational Technology Affordances................................................................................. 30 What to Know ............................................................................................................................ 30 A. School ................................................................................................................................ 30 B. Teacher .............................................................................................................................. 37 C. Students ............................................................................................................................. 37 D. Parents ............................................................................................................................. 38 What to Check ............................................................................................................................ 38 A. School ............................................................................................................................... 38 B. Teacher ............................................................................................................................. 40 C. Student .............................................................................................................................. 41 D. Parents .............................................................................................................................. 41 What to prepare ......................................................................................................................... 42 A. School ............................................................................................................................... 42 B. Teacher ............................................................................................................................. 43 C. Student .............................................................................................................................. 43 D. Parent ............................................................................................................................... 43 What to do ................................................................................................................................. 44 A. School ............................................................................................................................... 44 B. Teachers ............................................................................................................................ 44 C. Student .............................................................................................................................. 45 D. Parents .............................................................................................................................. 45 Assessment .................................................................................................................... 46 What to Know ............................................................................................................................ 46 What is assessment of learning? ........................................................................................... 46 Why assess learning? ............................................................................................................ 46 What to target when assessing learning? .............................................................................. 47 What are the guiding principles when assessing learning? .................................................... 47 What are the methods and tools in assessing learning? ........................................................ 49 Who could assess learning? ................................................................................................... 50 How to assess learning in different modalities? ...................................................................... 50 What to Check ............................................................................................................................ 52 What learning targets does your school assess? .................................................................... 52 How are these learning targets being assessed at present? ................................................... 52 What available tools does the school have to assess the learning targets? ............................ 52 iv What platforms, applications and tools does the school use in assessing student’s learning? 52 What to Prepare/Take Care Of ................................................................................................... 53 How to prepare the school, teachers, parents, and students to be ready on assessment as it transitions from face-to-face to online or other modalities? .................................................................... 53 What to Do ................................................................................................................................. 53 What assessment tools need to be prepared at the beginning, middle and end of the school year?.............................................................. 53 Engaging Stakeholders .................................................................................................... 61 What to Know ............................................................................................................................ 61 What Information Would Be Needed ...................................................................................... 63 What To Analyze ........................................................................................................................ 64 Steps in Stakeholder Analysis ................................................................................................. 64 What To Check ........................................................................................................................... 66 What To Do ................................................................................................................................ 67 Client Touchpoints – Engaging Stakeholders ......................................................................... 67 Different Tools for Different Goals ......................................................................................... 68 The PAPSCU Board .......................................................................................................................... 70 The Authors .................................................................................................................................... 71 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Coverage of the Four Questionnaires................................................................................... 6 Table 2. Indicators from the school’s questionnaire ...................................................................... 122 Table 3. Flexible learning option categories for teachers ................................................................ 133 Table 4. Students and Parents’ Responses for Possible Learning Options ...................................... 155 Table 5 . Conditional Calculations ................................................................................................. 166 Table 6. Flexible leaning options for students based on students and parents’ data ....................... 177 Table 7. Flexible Learning Options ................................................................................................ 199 Table 8. Suggested Screen Time for Synchronous Activities based on Grade Level ...................... 221 Table 9. Template for Integration of Subject Area Competencies ................................................... 23 Table 10. Classification of Learning Competencies ......................................................................... 24 Table 11. Need to Know Competencies and Topics ......................................................................... 24 Table 12. Topics That May be Fused by Common Color Codes ........................................................ 25 Table 13. Fused Topics That May be Further Grouped According to Delivery Mode ........................ 26 Table 14. Independent or Unique Competencies ............................................................................. 26 Table 15. Framework for Weekly Home Routine Activities .............................................................. 27 Table 16. Weekly Home-Routine Schedule ..................................................................................... 28 Table 17. Budget of Work ................................................................................................................ 28 Table 18. Important Assessment Principles ..................................................................................... 48 Table 19. Methods in Assessing Learning ........................................................................................ 49 Table 20. Targets for Assessment and Assessors’ Credibility........................................................... 50 Table 21. Suggested Techniques in Assessing Learning Targets in Various Instructional Modalities ........................................................................................................................................................ 50 Table 22. Platforms on Online Assessment ..................................................................................... 52 Table 23. Stakeholder Analysis Worksheet ..................................................................................... 66 Table 24. Kinds and Strategies for Delivering Messages to Stakeholders ........................................ 68 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Steps of YOBSS Model ....................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2. The Survey Respondents, and Sample Online Links to the Questionnaires ........................ 3 Figure 3. Comparison of Curricular Approaches Per Learning Option .............................................. 20 Figure 4. Framework for Rethinking of the Curriculum with Survival Skills...................................... 22 Figure 5. Instructional Transition Process: Migrating F2F Practices to Remote Learning................. 23 Figure 6. Tips for Developing the Remote Learning Activities ......................................................... 29 Figure 7. Sample Operations Structure ........................................................................................... 39 Figure 8. Purposes of Assessment in Learning ................................................................................ 46 Figure 9. Learning Targets of Assessment ...................................................................................... 47 Figure 10. Alignment of Assessment with Curriculum and Instruction in a Flexible Learning Environment ................................................................................................................................... 48 Figure 11. The Education Stakeholders ......................................................................................... 661 Figure 12. Stakeholder Mapping Tool ............................................................................................. 64 vi LIST OF ANNEXES Annex A. Learning Targets and their Modality for Assessment at Present and in the Coming School Year ................................................................................................................................................ 55 Annex B. Assessment Approaches and their Modality for Assessment in the Coming School Year . 56 Annex C. Scanning Available Assessment Tools in the Learning Environment .................................57 Annex D. Things to Do to Prepare Key Stakeholders for Assessment in Flexible Modalities ............ 58 Annex E. Stakeholder Touchpoints ................................................................................................. 69 vii DEFINITION OF TERMS Flexible Learning is anchored on a set of educational philosophies and systems, concerned with providing learners with increased choice, convenience, and personalization to suit the learner’s needs. In particular, flexible learning provides learners with choices about where, when, and how learning occurs. Sometimes, it is also referred to as personalized learning. Remote Learning is delivered where the student and the educator, or information source are not physically present in a traditional classroom environment. Remote – Print refers Modular Distance Learning (MDL) which uses printed modules for distribution to learners as the main tool to deliver Remote – Online (Asynchronous) is the use of digital materials for instruction purposes. Such materials will be distributed to students via the internet or digital storage tools such as USB and the like. Use of asynchronous activities and digital materials is considered due to limited internet connectivity Remote – Online (Synchronous) is optimizing internet connectivity and online tools to deliver instruction. Face-to-Face (F2F) learning refers to the traditional mode of conducting classes in the classroom. Blended Learning is a style of instruction that combines electronic and online media as well as traditional F2F teaching. Online Learning encompasses a wide variety of study and learning conducted or facilitated via the use of the internet. It is also referred to as virtual or digital learning. This is a kind of learning experience which is enhanced through the use of computers and/or gadgets with connectivity, both outside and inside the facilities of the educational organization. The instruction most commonly takes place in an online environment. Digital learning is any type of learning that makes effective use of technology. It encompasses the application of a wide spectrum of practices which include blended and virtual learning. Modular instruction is defined as the training of learners which is done either partly or entirely based on modules. Learning Competencies refer to the capability to apply or use a set of related knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform a set of learning tasks. They also provide basis for the level of knowledge and abilities for assessing competency attainment. Assessment of learning refers to the wide variety of methods or tools that educators use to evaluate, measure, and document the academic readiness, learning progress, skill acquisition, or educational needs of students. Stakeholders are people, organizations or parties that have an interest in the school and can either affect or be affected by its education programs. They can be both internal or external stakeholders of the school. viii Gadget/Device is an electronic piece of equipment with practical use designed to serve a special purpose or perform a special function. Examples are smart cell phones and tablets that have internet capabilities. Internet is an electronic communications network that connects computers and organizational computer facilities around the world. Internet connectivity refers to the ability to connect or communicate from one computer with another or computer system. Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a network identification which is used to specify addresses on the World Wide Web. Wifi stands for Wireless Fidelity. It is the name of a popular wireless networking technology that provides users with wireless high-speed Internet and network connections Digital platform refers to the environment in which a piece of software is executed. It also refers the wider environment which refer to applications, tools, and programs. Learning Management System (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation and delivery of educational courses, training programs, or learning and development programs. Bandwidth refers to measurement of the amount of information that can be sent between computers. Megabites per second (Mbps) which refers to units of data transfer speed. Megabyte (MB) is a measure of storage capacity on a computer. Gigabytes (GB) is a unit of measure to quantify computer memory or storage capacity. Universal Serial Bus (USB), is a standard type of connection for many different kinds of devices. Template is a pattern or model for doing similar things. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) Model is a framework to understand and describe the kinds of knowledge needed by a teacher for effective pedagogical practice in a technology-enhanced learning environment. Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR) Model is a framework created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura that categorizes four different degrees of classroom technology integration. ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS PAPSCU – Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities PEAC - Philippine Education Assistance Committee ASPIRE - Assistance to Programs and Initiatives to Reform Education F2F – Face to Face App – Computer application URL - Uniform Resource Locator Wifi - Wireless Fidelity MDL -Modular Distance Learning LMS - Learning Management System Mbps - megabites per second MB - Megabyte GB - Gigabytes USB – Universal Serial Bus OS – Operating System TPACK - Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge SAMR - Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition YOBBS - Yeban Ogena Bedural Scanning System 2 INTRODUCTION THE SCHOOLS AND THE CHALLENGE OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC The effect of COVID-19 to various sectors around the world cannot be overemphasized. In the Philippines, not only the government and economic sectors are working hard to find solutions to the problems that are projected to have long term effects, but likewise the education sector that has experienced unequalled disruptions at modern time to schooling at all levels. The repeated reports on the absence of the needed vaccine as a cure to halt the pandemic with still unknown period for clinical testing of candidate research related solutions echo loudly to the public. Mindful of the health implications and the indispensable need to support students to learn, schools nonetheless are called into action. But schooling will never be the same again. Schooling has always been done through face-to-face delivery mode, sometimes in tandem with online learning, for some who can afford the technology, connectivity and knowledge requirements. Considering that the conduct of classes in schools pose great risks to students under the current condition, it is understandable that parents are heavily worried with schooling as earlier defined and schools need to offer them feasible options for instructional delivery. THE IMPERATIVE FOR LEARNING UNDER THE PANDEMIC Both the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recognize the need to provide undisrupted opportunities for learning to students despite the COVID19 pandemic and have correspondingly made statements on the need for flexible/alternative delivery mechanisms for implementing their programs. DepEd recently unveiled its Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) as a guide for schools in developing their respective Learning Continuality Plans (LCPs). The universities are likewise doing their corresponding planning activities to respond to CHED’s call for flexible learning strategies. THE E-TOOLKIT AND ITS PURPOSE This e-toolkit intends to guide the schools in preparing their educational plans and strategies for laying out their programs for the coming school year 2020-2021 with data-based information from the school, teachers, students and their parents. It provides for suggestions on the following important elements for school planning: 1. scanning the environment – which includes data collection and analysis 2. educational technology affordances 3. flexible learning options 4. assessment 5. stakeholder engagement Schools that will transition from face-to-face instruction to flexible learning are expected to be helped by this toolkit through the basic information provided on the five important elements. In each of these elements for school planning, the toolkit provides answers to questions on what to know, what to check and what to do, among others. 1 SCANNING THE ENVIRONMENT The work on scanning requires going through the process of doing three separate surveys to intended respondents to generate information from the levels of school, teachers, students and their parents. The analysis of data from these groups of respondents would provide a good estimate and confidence level for schools in determining the most appropriate flexible learning options for their education delivery programs. WHAT TO KNOW The scanning process being presented in this toolkit provides for an easy-to-follow and practical procedure for schools to do in three steps. The Yeban Ogena Bedural Scanning System (YOBSS) serves as the framework for discussing the process and analysis of data using existing productivity tools. WHAT STEPS ARE NEEDED The YOBSS model covers steps 1 to 3 as shown on Figure 1 below. Figure 1. Steps of YOBSS Model Step 1. This step requires the conduct of online survey of schools, teachers and students with their parents using the following instruments represented by A, B and C. Three independent data collection activities will be done – one set each for the school (A), the teachers (B) and the students with their parents (C). Questions for parents are included in the student questionnaire. Thus, it is expected that there are four respondent groups in the survey (as shown by the four blue boxes in Figure 2). The links in Figure 2 for A, B, and C point directly to the google forms for each questionnaire. When clicked, you will be prompted to sign into your Gmail account to make a copy of each form. (A Gmail account is preferred since the survey forms were created using the google environment). Once you sign in, the forms will be stored automatically in your google drive, which makes you (as representative of the school) as the owner of the survey. For each of the questionnaires (A, B, and C), a google link is provided to secure the responses of the said respondents. The sample links as indicated in Figure 2 can be modified to specify their locations in the host school. 2 Figure 2. The Survey Respondents, and Sample Online Links to the Questionnaires The sample links in Figure 2 for A, B, and C point directly to the google forms for each questionnaire. When clicked, you will be prompted to sign into your Gmail account to make a copy of each form. (A Gmail account is preferred since the survey forms were created using the google environment). Once you sign in, the forms will be stored automatically in your google drive, which makes you (as representative of the school) as the owner of the survey. Use these links for developing your own questionnaires A, B and C: Questionnaire A: Survey for school Questionnaire B: Survey for teachers Questionnaire C: Survey for Students with their parents 3 Once you click on each link you will be asked to sign in and the image below will appear on your screen: Click “Make a Copy” (in red) to open the questionnaire. You can also log in to your Google Drive to check if these questionnaires have already been copied. Once you have obtained a copy of these files, you become the owner. This means you can already send the questionnaires to the persons who will respond on behalf of the schools, to the teachers, and to students and their parents. Email notification is enabled so that the you are alerted once new responses come in. To send the forms to your intended respondents, click on the “Send” (in red) button found on the upper right of the form. You can send the form via email, link, or via Facebook or Twitter. If you want to send using a link, you can shorten the URL by ticking the Shorten URL button. You can now copy and paste the link and send the form through email or any kind of social media. 4 The coverage of the questionnaires are shown in Table 1. Information on important elements/indicators for each category of respondents are identified. Items with responses on “availability”, “capacity”, “reliability” and others that can indicate a range of responses from high, moderate, low to none are scored 4 to 1, respectively, with 4 as the highest. It would be ideal that 100% of the intended respondents give their answers to the items in the questionnaires to capture the true context or situation of the target groups. The responses will be collected online by the schools. Each school is expected to directly receive the online responses of its target groups. When the data are received on the specified last day for data collection, the school should be ready to go to Step 2 of YOBSS. 5 Table 1. Coverage of the Four Questionnaires School (A) Teacher (B) 1. Basic Information: ▪ program offerings 2. On Students: ▪ enrollment per grade level ▪ student beneficiaries from government’s financial assistance program 3. On Teachers: ▪ teachers on board ▪ support to faculty members for online learning 4. On Technology ▪ LMS used in school ▪ reliability of internet connectivity 5. Availability of school Learning Continuity Plan 1. Basic Information: ▪ residence of teachers ▪ highest educational attainment ▪ grade level handled for teaching 2. Availability and use of technologies: ▪ capacities of devices/gadgets owned ▪ reliability of internet service at home ▪ if internet is not available at home, other options for the teacher go for connectivity ▪ capability on using other social media platforms, productivity tools, creative tools, LMS, e-learning hubs for teaching ▪ other e-learning hubs not mentioned but used by the teacher ▪ capability on online applications for assessment ▪ other online applications (apps) used for teaching and assessment ▪ other suggestions and concerns Student with Parent (C) Student Parent 1. Basic Information: ▪ Grade Level ▪ Residence ▪ School and school type 2. Socio-Demographic factors: ▪ members of the family ▪ number of family members in school ▪ family’s combined income ▪ beneficiary of government financial aid 3. Availability and use of technologies: ▪ capacity of devices/gadgets ▪ what parents can provide (if gadgets are not available ▪ reliability of internet services at home ▪ capability on use of social media platforms ▪ capability on use of productivity tools, creativity tools, LMS, and e-learning hubs 4. Others: ▪ where the student can use internet, if not available at home ▪ reason if not using e-learning hubs mentioned ▪ experience on online submission of assignments ▪ willingness for alternative learning modes 1. Extent of support for the learner ▪ Capability to tutor/ mentor child ▪ priority for attending online meetings with teachers ▪ capability on following online schedules at home ▪ willingness to follow teacher designed learning routines at home 2. Parents’ technology support ▪ willingness to have alternative learning delivery modes ▪ willingness to provide for minimum gadget needs at the start of school year ▪ amount willing to spend for online learning (tuition and miscellaneous fees) 3. Learning space at home ▪ capability for dedicated learning space at home ▪ presence of conducive home learning environment 4. Others ▪ view on challenges and limitations of online learning at home ▪ capability of local unit/ barangay to support ▪ online learning other suggestions and concerns 6 Downloading, opening and saving survey data Data collected should be downloaded from the Google Form and saved into the Microsoft Excel file format. The steps to be followed are presented below: Downloading data a) To download the survey data, go to the google drive where the google form questionnaire is stored and open the survey form. b) Click “Responses” then click on the vertical ellipsis (in red) to show the download button. c) Click on the download button (in red) to download the survey responses into your computer. 7 Opening data a) Go to the downloads folder and click on the downloaded file with the .csv file extension. b) Right click on the file and choose Open with Microsoft Excel. Saving survey data in Excel format a) Go to File and select Save As to save the data into a Microsoft Excel format. b) Save data into your desired file location in your computer. 8 Step 3. Deriving data on essential indicators for flexible learning options One important purpose of data collection is to survey the school’s context and capacity of students and teachers in order to determine the appropriate flexible learning options to be adopted and implemented by schools. The surveys mentioned in Figure 2 are expected to yield data on the school, teachers and students with their parents which will be used to derive essential indicators that will inform the decision-making process. A pilot run of the surveys was done and generated preformatted files with color codes that serve guide for users of this toolkit. Schools can “copy and paste” their own survey data files into the preformatted template sheets to generate the identified indictors for the profiles of the school, teachers and students and their parents. The templates for the pre-formatted forms are given below: 1. Preformatted sheet indicators for schools - https://bit.ly/indicatorsteachers 2. Preformatted sheet indicators for teachers - https://bit.ly/indicatorsteacher 3. Preformatted sheet indictors for students and parents - https://bit.ly/indicatorsstudent To use the data from the surveys, download the Excel sheet templates. From the survey data, select the Excel cells that have the responses, including titles and then paste them into the respective preformatted sheet. Make sure that the number of respondents is correct. The preformatted file may not have equal number of respondents as yours. Make sure to adjust accordingly (i.e., if preformatted sheet has more spaces for respondents, make sure to delete the excess rows, but if your data has more respondents just copy and paste them all in each indicator. These are shown in the screenshot images below. In copying the survey data from the saved Microsoft Excel file, we can see your data similar to this. Then, in pasting the survey data into the preformatted template, the process as shown below will be done. 9 (Make sure to put the cursor on cell A1, then right click to select Paste Special, then choose values to paste the values only from your data file but maintaining the formatting of the destination file.) Since the sheets are preformatted, indicators will be automatically calculated once values from the data are pasted. These indicators are color coded. The process on how those indicators were derived are discussed below. The ways to interpret these indicators are discussed in the next section. Below are examples of how your data should appear with corresponding color codes. 1. Sample preformatted indicators for schools 10 2. Sample preformatted indicators for teachers 3. Sample preformatted indicators for students and teachers The following section discusses how the indicators for the school, teachers and students and their parents were derived using the survey data. 11 School data The survey for schools will generate two indicators that can serve as basis for schools to determine their readiness for online teaching and learning as well their adequacy of support to faculty members. Table 2 shows the specific questions from which these indicators are derived. Table 2. Indicators from the school’s questionnaire Questions Number Q11. Reliability of internet connectivity at school 1 – No internet connectivity at all 2 – Low reliability 3- Moderate reliability 4 – High reliability Indicators and Categories Infrastructure readiness to online teaching and learning Ready for online learning – if internet reliability is greater than 2 (moderate to high reliability) Not ready for online learning – if internet reliability is 1 or 2 (no internet or low reliability) Q12. School support to faculty members for 4. Faculty support for online teaching and online learning (i.e., Professional sharing, learning Gadget provision, Internet connectivity, With adequate support to faculty – if average Online instructional materials support) of Q12 for all categories is greater than 2 1 – No support at all 2 – Low support No adequate support to faculty – if average 3- Moderate support of Q12 for all categories is 1 to 2. 4 – High support 12 Teacher data For teacher data, there are eight questions that serve as basis for arriving at three flexible learning options: 1) Remote – print (modular), 2) Remote – online asynchronous only, and 3) Remote – online both synchronous and asynchronous. The data generated from such questions are transformed into meaningful categories, which become the basis for arriving at the categories of flexible learning options (see Table 3). Table 3. Flexible learning option categories for teachers Question numbers and categories Q9. What devices do you own that can be used for online teaching? Data transformations Gadget capability Capable for online teaching – if teacher has either computer (laptop, desktop, tablet) Not capable for online teaching – if teacher has mobile or smart phone only Q10. How reliable are your internet services at home for online learning? Internet reliability With reliable internet connection – If internet reliability level is moderate to high in any of the mobile phone, DSL/Cable, or Fiber/WiFi No reliable internet connection – If internet reliability is low to none in either mobile phone, DSL/Cable, or Fiber/WiFi Q12. What is your capability in using the following social media platforms (e.g., FB, messenger, twitter)? Capability on using social media Capable of using social media platforms – if capability level to use social media is from moderate to high Limited capability in using social media platforms – if capability level to use social media is from low to none Q13. What is your capability in using productivity tools (e.g., Word, Excel PPT, conference tools, scheduling tools, notetaking tools, scheduling tools, instant messaging, file managers)? Capability on using productivity tools Capable of using social creativity tools – if average of capability level on the given examples of productivity tools is greater than 2 Limited capability on using creativity tools – if average of capability level on the given examples of productivity tools is 2 or lower Categories of flexible learning options for teachers 1. Remote – Print (Modular) - If teacher is not capable for online teaching or have no reliable internet connection, or with only limited capability in using social media platforms 2. Remote – online asynchronous online distance teaching only - If teacher is capable for online teaching or with reliable internet connection, or capable of using social media platforms 3. Both synchronous and asynchronous online distance teaching – If teacher is for online distance teaching and capable of using any of the productivity tools, creativity tools, LMS, integrating content from eLearning hubs and capable of using online applications for assessment 13 Question numbers and categories Data transformations Q14. What is your capability in using creativity tools (e.g. photography tools, video editing tools, storytelling apps, infographic maker tools, drawing and doodle applications)? Capability on using creativity tools Q15. What is your capability in using the learning management systems (e.g., Google classroom, Edmodo, Blackboard, Schoology, canvas, Moodle)? Capability on using LMS Q16. What is your capability in integrating contents from the elearning hubs into your teaching (e.g. Khan Academy, Genyo, DepEd Commons, Coursera, Udemy, YouTube Crash Course)? Capability on integrating contents from elearning hubs Q18. What is your capability in using the online applications for assessment (e.g., Google forms, Microsoft forms, LMS-based quizzes and assessment, ePortfolio development sites)? Capability on using online applications for assessment Categories of flexible learning options for teachers Capable of using social creativity tools – if average of capability level on the given examples of creativity tools is greater than 2 Limited capability on using creativity tools – if average of capability level on the given examples of creativity tools is 2 or lower Capable of using LMS – if average of capability level on using LMS is greater than 2 Limited capability on using LMS – if average of capability level on using LMS is 2 or lower Capable of integrating content from e-learning hubs – if average of capability level of integrating content is greater than 2 Limited capability of integrating content from elearning hubs– if average of capability level on integrating content is 2 or lower Capable of using online applications for assessment – if average of capability level of using online applications for assessment is greater than 2 Limited capability on using online applications for assessment– if average of capability level on using online applications for assessment is 2 or lower 14 Students and parents’ data Based on the students and parents’ data, three can be identified as basis for decision-making on the type of flexible learning delivery for each student. The indicators that can be derived are gadget reliability, internet connectivity and students’ risk of dropping out. Thus, the survey asks questions on the availability and capability of devices among teachers and students, as well as the availability and reliability of their internet connection. In addition, the survey also targets to determine the student’s risk of dropping out based on some indicators from the questions answered by the parents in the students and parents’ questionnaire. Table 4 shows the corresponding questions asked of students and their parents and teachers which provide measures for the said indicators. Table 4. Students and Parents’ Responses for Possible Learning Options Indicators Question number and categories Measurement levels Gadget reliability Q14. What is the availability and capability of the following devices/gadgets at home? • Desktop computer • Laptop computer • Tablet computer • Smartphones 1 – Gadget/Device not available 2 – Low capability 3 – Moderate capability 4 – High Capability Internet connectivity Q16. What is the level of reliability of your internet service? • Mobile data • DSL/cable internet • Fiber/Wireless internet (Wifi) 1 – No internet connectivity at all 2 – Low reliability 3 – Moderate reliability 4 – High reliability Q28. How capable are you to tutor/mentor your child during remote learning sessions? 1 – Not capable at all 2 – Low capability 3 – Moderate capability 4 – High capability Q35. What is the capability of your child to follow online class schedules at home? 1 – Not capable at all 2 – Low capability 3 – Moderate capability 4 – High capability Q36. What is your willingness to adhere to learning routines 1 – Not willing at all 2 – Low willingness 3 – Moderate willingness 4 – High willingness Students’ risk of dropping out 15 The indicators’ measurement levels are used to create the categories through conditional calculations. Table 5 shows how these values were calculated with their corresponding categories. Table 5 . Conditional Calculations Indicators Categories of indicators Conditions for calculation 7. 6. 5. Gadget availability and reliability 8. With reliable gadget for online learning If any of the gadgets (i.e., desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computes, smartphones) is available, the student is considered to have reliable gadget for online learning No reliable gadget for 9. online learning If student does not have any of the gadgets mentioned 11. With minimum 12. If student has moderate or high connectivity either connectivity for online mobile data, DSL/Cable internet, Fiber/WiFi education 10. Internet connectivity 13. Online education not 14. If student has low or no connectivity in any of the feasible following: mobile data, DSL/Cable internet, Fiber/WiFi 15. Students’ risk of dropping out 16. Low risk 17. If average of Q28, Q35 and Q36 is = or >3 18. Medium risk 19. If average of Q28, Q35 and Q36 is =2 but <3 20. High risk 21. If average of Q28, Q35 and Q36 is = or >3 Step 3. Interpreting and analyzing data for flexible learning option decisions School data The two indicators derived for schools, which are readiness for online teaching and learning and the adequacy of support to faculty members should inform decision makers of schools on the type of flexible learning options that they can implement. Schools that are capable of online learning and those with adequate support for faculty may be ready for online distance teaching and learning. Otherwise, they may consider remote-print or modular delivery of teaching and learning. Teachers’ data The indicators derived using the teachers’ data, as shown in Table 3, allow for users of this toolkit to group or cluster the teacher-respondents in three categories: 1) those who can only do remote – print or modular; 2) those who can do remote – online but asynchronous online distance teaching only, and 3) those who can do both synchronous and asynchronous online distance teaching. The color codes will allow the decision makers to have an easier clustering of teachers based on these indicators by using the sort and filter function in Excel. 16 Students and parents Based on the Table 6, students and parents’ data will allow schools to identify the students who can do remote-online or remote – print or modular, those who meet minimum requirements for synchronous or asynchronous online education, and the level of risk of students dropping out which should inform the kind of monitoring that teachers should conduct on their students. Clustering of students based on these indicators through the color codes can be easily done through the sort and filter function in Excel. Table 6. Flexible leaning options for students based on students and parents’ data Indicators Categories of indicators With reliable gadget for online learning Conditions for calculation If any of the gadgets (i.e., desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computes, smartphones) is available, the student is considered to have reliable gadget for online learning Remote-online No reliable gadget for online learning If student does not have any of the gadgets mentioned Remote – print or modular Count the number of students. If numbers are low, raise the necessary number of devices by tapping various stakeholders to allow them to move to remote-online. If numbers are significantly large, printed materials can be used. With minimum connectivity for online education If student has moderate or high connectivity either mobile data, DSL/Cable internet, Fiber/WiFi Have minimum requirement for remote synchronous online education Online education not feasible If student has low or no connectivity in any of the following: mobile data, DSL/Cable internet, Fiber/WiFi Have minimum requirement for remote asynchronous online education Low risk If average of Q28, Q35 and Q36 is = or >3 Less monitoring Medium risk If average of Q28, Q35 and Q36 is =2 but <3 Occasional monitoring High risk If average of Q28, Q35 and Q36 is = or >3 Frequent monitoring Gadget availability and reliability Internet connectivity Students’ risk of dropping out Flexible learning option 17 WHAT TO DO Once the schools have the appropriate survey data and transformed these data into corresponding indicators for their schools, teachers and students with their parents as shown in the YOBSS processes from Steps 1 to 3, they can have data-driven decision-making on which flexible learning options to adopt in their schools. The next section of this toolkit discusses the various flexible learning options, their advantages and disadvantages. Another layer in the decision-making process, after the surveys have been analyzed are some questions that schools may need to answer. These are: 1. Are the numbers significant to constitute a class of students for a specific flexible learning option? Or should a specific option be adopted for the whole school? 2. What are the costs and benefits for adopting a particular flexible learning option? For example, if online learning is chosen, what are the costs of faculty training, gadget provisions to faculty or students? If modular learning has been identified, what are the costs of printing the materials and the shipping to students’ homes and retrieval so teachers can assess students’ work? 18 FLEXIBLE LEARNING Having examined the information on the school, teachers, students and their parents, the next step is to plan for alternative strategies for education delivery. In doing this, the schools need to be aware of and make a decision on various available options. WHAT TO KNOW Flexible Learning Options The Department of Education has identified flexible learning options available to parents to choose from. a) Face-to-Face (F2F) refers to the traditional mode of conducting classes in the classroom. Limited F2F may likewise be implemented. This may be made available to low risk areas. However, strict health protocols have to be strictly followed. b) Remote – Print refers Modular Distance Learning (MDL) which uses printed modules for distribution to learners as the main tool to deliver; c) Remote – Online (Asynchronous) is the use of digital materials for instruction purposes. Such materials will be distributed to students via the internet or digital storage tools such as USB and the like. Use of asynchronous activities and digital materials is considered due to limited internet connectivity; and d) Remote – Online (Synchronous) is optimizing internet connectivity and online tools to deliver instruction. The choice of option will depend on the result of environmental scanning by the schools. Once the school has gathered and analyzed the data on digital capability of teachers and students as well as the support that can be provided by the parents/guardians and the community, the instructional leaders are now ready to determine the options available to the school given the limitations and affordances shown in the data. Table 7 below shows the flexible learning options that are available and their advantages and disadvantages. Table 7. Flexible Learning Options Options Advantages Disadvantages Face-to-Face Everyone’s comfort zone Risky without vaccine Default system Added cost for social distancing requirements Remote – Online (Synchronous) Preponderance of online resources Issues with digital divide Technology-aided Filipino learners are not self-directed Remote – Online (Asynchronous) Self-paced Issue with digital divide Technology-aided though limited Filipino learners are not self-directed Remote – Print Self-paced Not as interactive Can reach the unreached Dependent on a distribution system All of the above All of the above Inclusive Cumbersome Blended 19 The best option or a combination of options (blended) for the individual teacher and learner is determined by the environmental scanning system discussed in the previous section. The risk of being left behind is likewise determined which would necessitate the adoption of certain measures to mitigate the risks. Curricular Approaches There is a growing misconception that the emergency response to the disruptions created by the pandemic is best driven by the educational technologies available for use for uninterrupted learning. It can be argued that an appropriate approach to the curriculum remains the most critical in the success of whatever option is selected. In the time of the pandemic, it is argued that the pre-COVID19 curriculum cannot be automatically migrated to any of the options other than the face-to-face delivery. Mastery of the competencies cannot retain its primacy. The pandemic has surfaced the fundamental issue of the pre-COVID19 system which is its inability to develop self-managed learners who inevitably would be needed to thrive in the new normal. The relocation of the place of learning from the classroom to the homes of learners combined with the imperative to develop new ways of doing things as survival response to the pandemic make the day-to-day activities at home as the critical spaces where the competencies may be embedded. Figure below shows how the curriculum is approached per delivery option. Figure 3. Comparison of Curricular Approaches Per Learning Option 20 Lessons from the Early Adopters There are schools, both local and abroad, that have implemented remote learning. There are lessons that can be learned from their experiences such as: a) Teachers tend to over compensate. Teachers tend to give students too much materials to cover to offset their “absence” in the students’ learning space which is the home. This has unnecessarily overwhelmed both the students and their parents. b) F2F Curriculum cannot be automatically migrated to remote learning. The continued relevance of the curriculum has been questioned both by parents and learners. Workbooks and worksheets have discouraged learners’ creativity to explore more interesting issues or problems that they actually experience in the time of the pandemic. c) On-screen time should be limited. Online education does not mean being on-screen all the time. The American Pediatric Association (APA) recommended screen time for different group age inclusive of different media such as television, computer, and other gadgets. The Australian Department of Health has likewise set maximum screen time for children ages 517 to two (2) hours a day. These guidelines may be used to determine the maximum screen time for the American Pediatric Association (APA) recommended screen time for different age groups inclusive of different media such as television, computer, and other gadgets. The Australian Department of Health has likewise set maximum screen time for children ages 517 to two (2) hours a day. These guidelines may be used to determine the maximum screen time for synchronous activities which have to be limited depending on the grade level as suggested in the Table 8. Table 8. Suggested Screen Time for Synchronous Activities based on Grade Level Grade Level Minimum/Day Maximum/Day Early grades (Pre-K-Grade 3) 30 minutes 45 minutes Grades 4-6 45 minutes 1 hour Grades 7-10 1 hour 1 ½ hours Grades 11-12 1 hour 2 hours College Level 2 hours 3 hours d) Parent involvement is critical. Parents maybe untrained to replace the teachers in facilitating learning but their involvement is critical for remote learning to succeed. Support to parents by way of basic orientation and regular parent-teacher conference must be provided by the school. e) Stronger communication and relationship. Teachers, parents, and the students must regularly communicate. There is a need to build a stronger relationship among these three actors in the educative process. 21 f) Team approach to instructional delivery is necessary. Subject area teachers must plan together the learning tasks of the learners. If grade level teachers do not coordinate what they plan for their common students, the learner will get overwhelmed by the bulk of work planned for them. Common themes and competencies may be identified to design a more integrated learning plan for the students which is more meaningful and holistic. g) Feedback is key. Teachers’ lack of physical presence in the lives of the students is best compensated by regular feedback to students of their progress resulting from their accomplishment of the designed learning intervention. Figure 2. Framework for Rethinking of the Curriculum with Survival Skills These lessons from the early adopters point to a rethinking of both the curriculum and the approach to deliver it via remote learning. Figure 2 provides a framework that can be used by schools in rethinking the curriculum with emphasis on survival skills. These skills will have to take center stage in conceptualizing a COVID Survival Curriculum. 22 WHAT TO DO Transitioning to Remote Learning There are five (5) steps that schools have to go through to transition to remote learning as shown in Figure 5. Figure 5. Instructional Transition Process: Migrating F2F Practices to Remote Learning The following steps need to be undertaken: STEP 1: Create a matrix of horizontal integration of subject area competencies chunked weekly. Use Template A in Table 9. Table 9. Template for Integration of Subject Area Competencies 1st Grading Period SOCIAL STUDIES MATHEMATICS SCIENCE ENGLISH FILIPINO MAPEH VALUES EDUCATION TLE Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 STEP 2: Review the curriculum. Select the need to know and nice to know competencies during the pandemic. Use template B in Table 10. 23 Table 10. Classification of Learning Competencies 1st SOCIAL STUDIES MATHEMATICS SCIENCE ENGLISH Grading Period Competencies Need to Know Nice to Know Competencies Need to Know Nice to Know Competencies Need to Know Nice to Know Competencies Need to Know Nice to Know Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 FILIPINO MAPEH TLE VALUES EDUCATION 1st Grading Competencies Need to Know Nice to Know Competencies Need to Know Nice to Know Competencies Need to Know Nice to Know Competencies Need to Know Nice to Know Period Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 STEP 3: Determine the topics that will deliver the identified need to know competencies. Use Template C in Table 11. Table 11. Need to Know Competencies and Topics 1st Grading SOCIAL STUDIES Period TOPIC VALUES EDUCATION TOPIC MATHEMATICS TOPIC SCIENCE TOPIC ENGLISH TOPIC FILIPINO TOPIC MAPEH TOPIC TLE TOPIC Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 24 Once Table 11 is completed, ask yourselves the following guide questions: 1. Are there topics across subject areas that can be fused? Color code the competencies/topics that may be fused as shown in Table 12. Table 12. Topics That May be Fused by Common Color Codes 25 2. Are the topics best delivered synchronously? Asynchronously? Project-Based? If there are fused competencies/topics that can be further clustered, integrated or are related, fill-up Table 13. Table 13. Fused Topics That May be Further Grouped According to Delivery Mode If there are stand-alone, independent competencies/topics or those that cannot be fused with any other subject area, fill-up Table 14. Table 14. Independent or Unique Competencies 26 STEP 4: Design a desired weekly home-routine activity. Use this to identify how the topics are best delivered. Table 15 provides for a framework on the proposed weekly home routine activities. This can be used to guide the teachers in designing the learning intervention that will deliver the competencies by embedding the learning tasks seamlessly into each of the routine activities. A framework of activities for Grades K-3, 4-6, Junior and Senior High Schools may be correspondingly developed by the schools. Table 15. Framework for Weekly Home Routine Activities TIME HOME ROUTINE ACTIVITIES 6:00 AM Personal Management Time 7:00 AM 8:00 AM Exercise and Well-Being Time 9:00 AM On-Screen Time (Formal Lesson to Start Class) 10:00 AM Life-Hacks/Life skills/DIY Time (off-screen) 11:00 AM 12:00 PM Lunch 1:00 PM Reading and Nap Time 2:00 PM 3:00 PM On-Screen Time (Assessment to Formally End Class) 4:00 PM Family Time 5:00 PM Creativity/Productivity Time 6:00 PM Personal Management Time 7:00 PM Dinner 8:00 PM Study Time 9:00 PM Reading Time and Bed Time STEP 5: Embed learning tasks in the weekly home-routine activities that will achieve the competencies. Use Template D in Table 16. For the on-screen time, this can be used as formal virtual lesson which can be used by the subject best delivered off-screen or through practice and hands-on experience. The last on-screen time of the day is used for assessment and monitoring by the teacher. 27 Table 16. Weekly Home-Routine Schedule WEEKLY SCHEDULE LEARNING TASKS/ACTIVITIES TIME 6:00 AM HOME ROUTINE ACTIVITIES TOPIC/ CONTENT MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY Personal Management Time 7:00 AM 8:00 AM Exercise and Well-Being Time 9:00 AM On-Screen Time (Formal Lesson to Start Class) 10:00 AM 11:00 AM Life-Hacks/ Lifeskils/ DIY Time (off-screen) 12:00 PM Lunch 1:00 PM Reading and Nap Time 2:00 PM 3:00 PM On-Screen Time (Assessment to formally end Class) 4:00 PM Family Time 5:00 PM Creativity/ Productivity Time 6:00 PM Personal Management Time 7:00 PM Dinner 8:00 PM Study Time 9:00 PM Reading and Bed Time By way of summary, the Budget of Work will look like Table 17. Table 17. Budget of Work Grade Level ____ Week No. ___ WEEKLY SCHEDULE COMPETENCIES Needed for Survival TIME SOCIAL STUDIES VALUES MATHEMATICS EDUCATION SCIENCE ENGLISH LEARNING TASKS/ACTIVITIES FILIPINO MAPEH TLE 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 8:00 AM TOPIC/ CONTENT HOME ROUTINE ACTIVITIES MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY Personal Management Time 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 11:00 AM 12:00 PM 1:00 PM 2:00 PM Exercise and Well-Being Time On-Screen Time (Formal Lesson to Start Class) Life-Hacks/ Lifeskils/ DIY Time (off-screen) Lunch Reading and Nap Time On-Screen Time (Assessment to formally end Class) Family Time Creativity/ Productivity Time Personal Management Time Dinner Study Time Reading and Bed Time 3:00 PM 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM 9:00 PM Proposed Structure of the Virtual Lesson The virtual lesson will consist of the following activities: 1. Preliminaries 1.1. Prayer 1.2. National Anthem 1.3. Exercise 28 2. Lesson Proper 2.1. Hook - Drill/ Game / Activity 2.2. Teacher Input 2.3. Show and Tell 2.4. Deepening 2.5. Recap 3. Feedback/Assessment (2nd On-screen time) In summary, Figure gives the following tips in crafting the remote learning activities. Figure 6. Tips for Developing the Remote Learning Activities References https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/education/right-device/screen-time-and-learning-brief.html https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/138/5/e20162591.full.pdf 29 EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AFFORDANCES Information on available educational technology resources in the school together with the data gathered from the surveys of teachers, students and their parents are valuable inputs for discussion in this section. WHAT TO KNOW A. School 1. Owned devices by teachers and students (or parents) Schools venturing into the distance learning paradigm primarily need a device which can bridge the gap in communication. These devices, regardless of type, function to make communication possible despite the varying distance between the teacher and all the students. 1.1. Types of device available Mobile phones, laptops, desktops, tablets 1.2. Lowest level of device available to community There is a need to determine the lowest possible owned device model in order to measure how many teachers and students can be accommodated. It can also be seen as gauging what portion of the school community cannot meet the average model of devices required to satisfy certain functions like video chat/conferencing. This will then serve as a guide for the school to create program extensions where the distance learning program can be more inclusive. 1.3. Availability during designated class hours While many households and many individuals possess a mobile phone at the very least, the personal device may or may not be able to provide the function required to engage distance learning. It is possible that the mobile phone may be too small for document processing, or the tablet is already slow and nearly outdated, rendering it insufficient for daily activities. In this case, devices—whether personally owned or not—which can be used for class time should be determined of its availability during designated class hours. Devices cannot only be available to download modules or worksheet sent by teachers. Devices should be available to the learner during class hours. 30 2. Platforms or learning management systems which can be used to transfer content from teacher to student and vice versa. The second most important thing to consider is the platform to be used. In very specific instances, this is the learning management system. Platforms refer not just to the software installed in a device but also to the wider environment which refer to applications, tools, and programs. One platform may have applications and tools which can co-exist with the user interface of a specific tablet and software, but native applications to that software will prove to be more complimentary than ones not native to it. The learning management system allows for the teachers to manage the content uploaded digitally and for the students to engage the content. This also needs to be determined because this allows for better management. There are two basic considerations when choosing a learning management system: 2.1. Free LMS Free learning management systems like Google classrooms or Edmodo allow the teacher to upload, download, and manage the content. The teacher can also manage the class by monitoring submissions and assigning tasks. The security on this type of LMS makes use of passwords and codes available only to the users. This kind of LMS is recommended to schools that are looking for a platform to manage the content and the class without seeing the need to configure the device’s functions. 2.2. Paid LMS Paid learning management systems function similarly to the examples mentioned above. The main difference is on the security because this type of LMS allows the school to configure the device according their preference and policies (i.e. not allowing game installation or hiding the browser at a certain time of the day). Once configured, the device can be safely but securely monitored by school in a remote manner providing more security to the devices of the students. This LMS is recommended to schools that would like to reconfigure the devices more precisely based on their policies. 31 3. Internet speed needed to conduct daily lessons 3.1. Bandwidth required to download files and images The school should be informed of the bandwidth required to download the file size they project will be engaged with a lot during the program. 3.2. Minimum required bandwidth to send and receive online messages (in chosen app) The school should know in exact figures the requirements to send and receive online messages. This will allow them to calculate the capacity of the community’s basic internet access in accommodate the aspect of communication in their program. For the other requirements, consider the following tables: a. Instructional Materials Items and its estimated file size Minimum Speed & Time it takes to upload file Min. Speed & Time it takes to download file Text only documents (1015 pages) 1MB .5Mbps - 16 seconds .5Mbps - 16 seconds Text with images (10-15 pages) 1-3MB .5Mbps - 16 seconds .5Mbps - 16 seconds Text with videos (10-15 pages) 5-10MB .5Mbps - 83 seconds to 2 minutes .5Mbps - 83 seconds to 2 minutes Videos (3-5 minutes) 20MB .5Mbps - 16 seconds .5Mbps - 16 seconds Audio clip (3-5 minutes) 5MB .5Mbps - 83 seconds .5Mbps - 83 seconds Slide presentation (50 slides) 1-3MB .5Mbps - 16 seconds .5Mbps - 16 seconds Note: It is very uncommon for Internet Providers to recommend .5Mbps as Standard. Most Home base internet connections have speeds that range from 3Mbps - 10Mbps. Upload speed of larger file sizes may be different from the download speed. Most Internet connections are asymmetric, which means, download speed may be faster than upload speed because they’re designed to provide much better speed for downloading than uploading. 32 b. Communication Items Per Person 10 - 30 pax 30 - 40 pax 40 - 50 pax Sending and receiving emails (considering emails with large attachments) .5 - 3Mbps 3 - 5 Mbps 5 - 10 Mbps 10 - 20Mbps Using chat apps (per message sent and received) .5 - 3Mbps 3 - 5 Mbps 5 - 10 Mbps 5 - 10 Mbps Minimum: .600kbps Recommended: 1.5Mbps 5 - 10 Mbps 5 - 10 Mbps 20 Mbps - 25 Mbps Video Conference Call (1 hour) c. Basic Usage Items Per Person 10-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 Browsing Minimum: .5Mbps 10-15 Mbps 15 Mbps 25Mbps 50Mbps Above 50Mbps Above Audio streaming For Standard Definition:1.5 Mbps 15-20 Mbps 20 Mbps 30Mbps 50Mbps Above 50Mbps Above Video streaming For Standard 20-30 Mbps Definition: 1.5 3Mbps 30Mbps 50Mbps 50Mbps Above 50Mbps Above d. Learning Management System (School) Items 50-60 pax 60-70 70-80 80-90 90-100 Basic without profile management 25Mbps 25-50Mbps 50-100Mbps 100Mbps above 100Mbps above Basic with profile management 25Mbps 25-50Mbps 50-100Mbps 100Mbps Above 100Mbps above Note: Internet speed requirement depends on activity. Internet speeds are greatly needed when devices are in preparation for school use (e.g. download/update of iOS and apps, registration to MDM, file sharing) 33 Some additional points to consider: Download Speed Matters when: • Watching an online video (example: Youtube) • Streaming music services • Reading online articles What can you do with 3Mbps of internet connection? Upload Speed Matters when: Considering that you have the connection for yourself and this is what you have at home (can be done all at the same time) • Having a video conference • Sending emails with large documents • Uploading videos to online services like google drive/iCloud drive etc. • Email • Basic apps for communication (Viber, WeChat etc) • Browse the web • Audio Streaming at Standard Quality • Watch Videos at 480p (or lower) resolution • Upload files at a reasonable speed • Video Conference with good quality e. File Sizes and their Average download time (Seconds = S, Hours = H, Minutes = M) File Size .5Mbps 3Mbps 6Mbps 10Mbps 18Mbps 25Mbps 50Mbps 1MB 16 s 2s 1s <1s <1s <1s <1s 3MB 50 s 8s 4s 2s 1.5 s 1s <1s 5MB 83 s 13 s 6s 4s 2s 1.5 s <1s 20MB 5.5 m 55 s 27 s 16 s 9s 6.5 s 3s 1GB 4.5 h 47 m 24 m 14 m 8m 5m 2.5 m 2GB 9h 95 m 48 m 28 m 15 m 11 m 5m 12GB 53 h 9h 4.5 h 3h 1.5 h 1h 34 m 34 f. Teacher/Student Requirement Perspective Instructional Materials Communication Browsing Items Text only documents Text with images Text with videos Videos Audio clip Slide present ation Email Chat Apps Video Conference Browsing .5Mbps Achievable Achievable Achievable Achievable Achievable Achievable Achievable Achievable Standard quality At standard loading time Low standard quality Low standard quality At reasonable loading time Standard better quality Standard better quality Audio Video streaming streaming 3Mbps At best At best At best At best At best At best achievable At best Standard better quality 6Mbps At best At best At best At best At best At best At best At best At Good quality At Good loading time At Good quality At Good quality 10Mbps At best At best At best At best At best At best At best At best At Best Quality At best Loading time At Best Quality At Best Quality 18Mbps At best At best At best At best At best At best At best At best At Best Quality At best Loading time At Best Quality At Best Quality Achievable - task can be done at standard speed At best - task can be done with great upload/download speed 35 g. Parent Requirement Perspective Number of Children 1-2 Children Standard bandwidth requirement for daily school activities 3mbps 3-4 Children 3mbps - above 5-6 Children 5mbps - above 7-8 Children 10mbps above 9-10 Children 15mbps - above Here are some activities that students in other schools do: • • • • • Online class through video conference Video streaming (example: YouTube) for studying Use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) Upload and download of materials (example: word and power point documents, video and audio files) Online Examinations 4. Communication tools to be used by both teachers and students Accessibility The communications tools to be used should be easily downloadable and accessible to everyone in the community. If the chosen communication tool is functional but would require a device with higher specification that the community cannot accommodate, then another tool needs to be chosen. 5. How to troubleshoot a system 5.1. How to accommodate technical concerns of teacher and students This pertains to the structure and nature of responding to the technical concerns of teachers and students. It is highly probable that nearly all students experience glitches on a daily basis, but the school may not be able to fully address these individually. 5.2. Structure and scope of technical support A predetermined structure must be in place to know how the school will respond to technical concerns of both its teachers and students. 5.3. Possible problem scenarios (for contingency) Knowing the possible flaws of the device or the platform will allow the school to prepare its technical support team well ahead. 36 B. Teacher 1. Interface of platform or learning management system The teacher needs to fully know how to navigate and use the platform or learning management system adopted for instructional use. Mastery or near mastery of the platform lessens possible challenges especially during synchronous sessions. 2. Core features of identified device/applications Knowing the core features provides opportunities to maximize the device/applications for instructional use. 3. Available free applications which can be used for instruction or enhancement of materials There are free applications, or free versions of applications, available which can be used to enhance instructional materials or synchronous activities. 4. Integration models (SAMR, TPACK) Integration models inform the approach of the teachers for both the synchronous and asynchronous parts of a lesson, particularly with how to utilize technology in managing and delivering lessons. 5. Conduct of Assessment Formative and Summative Assessment - Applications used in synchronous and asynchronous activities allow for these types of assessment to still be possible even in online distance learning. Document processing and presentation applications are some applications that can be used. Other applications which simulate, substitute, or enhance the functions of the tools used in the classroom should be explored (Google forms for written exams, camera for recording videos, education apps for specific subjects or skills). 6. Free and accessible online learning resources There are many free online learning resources created by classroom teachers or educational groups. These learning resources offer insights and techniques which can be used by the teachers. 7. Ensuring security in the platform to protect class/students Access to the learning management system or online platform should be strictly monitored by the teacher. The teacher should take note of the password and regularly change it, if possible. C. Students 1. Interface of platform or learning management system Knowing how the platform/learning management systems works lessens the extraneous load for the student in distance learning. 2. Core features required to accomplish daily tasks (documents, activities) The student should also be trained, ideally ahead of the beginning of classes, of the core features which are required to accomplish their tasks like document processing application features to make it easier, for example, for them to produce documents. 3. Function of free and accessible application (if required by the teacher) If there are any applications required by the teacher to accomplish tasks or outputs, the students should be first trained on how to use them. 4. How to communicate with teacher for additional academic support There should be a way for the student to reach out to the teacher should support be needed. Ideally, this should be within the learning management system or the communication tool used, but in instances when these are not possible, students may be allowed to contact their teacher through basic chat applications. This way should be known by the student. 37 D. Parents 1. Interface of platform or learning management system The household as student support 2. Schedule of synchronous sessions, deadlines for submissions, how to monitor student accomplishment/submissi on The parents should be fully aware of the policies and instructions in order to reinforce them at home while the teacher does it from the classroom end. 3. How to communicate with teacher for concerns Similar to the student, the parent should be provided of means to communicate to the teacher for all concerns relevant to the program. The parent should be made aware of these ways. The parents should know also know how to use the platform in order to aid their child should assistance be required. It is only the parents who can act as the student support at home because the assumption will be that the sibling of the student are also attending to their own classes in the function of students. WHAT TO CHECK A. School 1. Policies 1.1. Existing (what already covers distance learning) 1.2 Need to be developed (to cover aspects missed by existing) 1.3 Operations structure to cover and implement policies The school administration needs to study which of its policies already cover the distance learning program (i.e. cyber bullying). Existing policies which do not fully cover in a clear manner new situations presented by the distance learning program should be developed (i.e. scheduling and attendance tracking) The totality of the policies, informed by the newly developed ones, should also follow a structure of implementation. Key people should be designated and given tasks to ensure effectiveness of the program. See sample operations structure in Figure 7. 38 School Administration Principal Academic Chairs Admin Coordinator Student Affairs Head Parents Council Head Figure 7. Sample Operations Structure 2. Ratio of technical support to teacher/student The number of people to be assigned in managing the technical concerns of teachers and students needs to be checked in order to determine the capacity of the school to accommodate real-time concerns and system check and updates. 3. Competency of technical support to maintain and troubleshoot chosen platform or device 3. 1. General skills The technical support, while knowledgeable in their field of specialization, should be and knowledge of IT provide enough lead time and resources for them to study thoroughly the more specific (internet, hardware, features of the device or platform. software) 3.2. Device/platform The technical support should also be made familiar with troubleshooting skills native to specific skills and chosen platform. Required knowledge vary from platform to platform. knowledge (google, Apple, Microsoft) 4. Survey of devices available 4.1. Lowest device that can be accommodated (teacher/student end) The school administration needs to conduct a survey to determine what are the models and devices available to community, particularly the lowest level of device present. 4.2. Capacity of community to accommodate or to make compromise with technological demands The school administration also needs to decide what is the lowest level it will accommodate in terms of allowing its use in the learning participation, and it also has to determine provisions to accommodate devices it leaves out of its program (i.e. modular approach, device loan). 39 B. Teacher 1. Skills and competency level of teacher in technology 1.1. Navigation of device interface Checking of the competency level will inform the training steps to be taken. 1.2. General competence in technological tools such as documents and slide presentation Checking of the competency level will inform the training steps to be taken. 1.3. Basic troubleshooting skills The teacher’s troubleshooting skills need to be checked in order to know if it will be sufficient during implementation. 1.4. Level of learning in varied device applications The capacity of the teacher to learn new applications also needs to be considered. More support is to be given to teachers with challenges in learning new applications. 2. Availability of resources and tools The subject teachers need to check how much learning materials are available to them 2.1. Supplementary learning materials whether on the internet or physical books which can inform their instruction. for academic subject 2.2. Core features of Different subjects can benefit differently from the any device or platform. This needs to device or platform be checked to know the need for other learning resources and materials support. that can be used in subject 2.3. Third-party Third-party applications are also essential to distance learning when using technology. It applications that greatly enhances the materials and activity of the teacher in the classes if third-party can be used in apps are known and utilized well. subject 3. Reliability of personal internet access The school will not be able to provide or cover every internet access of its teachers. It needs to determine the capacity of the personal internet access of its teachers, or check if everyone has a personal internet access whether by internet provider or mobile data. 40 C. Student 1. Available device for school use The available device for school use should be determined. While a laptop may yield the same performance in terms of output similar to a tablet, a mobile phone may not be the same case. Many have smart phones capable of video chat, but these are hardly sufficient for classroom outputs. 2. Self-assessment on This also needs to be determined because the disparity in the basic skills of the technology teacher and students in terms of using certain platforms and applications for competency distance learning should not deviate from each other too much. As much as possible, the basic skills have been acquired by both. 3. Level of learning autonomy (through assessment conducted by teacher) There is a considerable amount of time and opportunity in a distance learning program which relies on learner autonomy. All the students are to be checked on this matter which can be done even through survey sheets. 4. Available offline and online resources for studying Additional learning resources availability needs to be determined in order to add to the teacher’s catalogue of references for students. This also informs the teacher of the need to create learning resources should there be a lack in availability. 5. Reliability of internet access This functions similarly to the personal internet access of the teacher. 6. Basic troubleshooting skills The student will need to be taught basic troubleshooting skills relevant to his end like resetting password should he forget his. D. Parents 1. Available space/room Conduciveness for synchronous A room, or a space in a room, needs to be afforded to their child. This should be free from classes distractions and with proper lighting. This space should also not impede internet signal. 2. Technology The parents’ level of troubleshooting also needs to be checked. The only support that the competency to students will have is their parents at home. troubleshoot internet and device problems (if needed) 41 WHAT TO PREPARE A. School 1. Program structure for operations: administrator and teachers All functions required to run the program should have a corresponding role/point person. 1.1. Teacher-support (integration, technical, disciplinary) Teachers can be assigned the roles specifically for integration, technical, and disciplinary. The integration focuses on ways and techniques to combine traditional instruction with technology, the technical is the IT/MIS, and the disciplinary focuses on student behavior in the distance learning program. 1.2. Student-support (academic, technical) The program structure should also have roles to accommodate the academic and technical concerns of students. 1.3. Parent-support (academic enrichment, possibly technical) Mostly academic in nature, this should be assigned to a teacher. The parent focus should be different from the student point person. 2. Program structure for operations: device/platform 2.1. strengths and weaknesses of device/platform There needs to be a program, manual, or journal detailing the strengths and weakness of the device/platform. This is for the clear reference of teachers in order for them to know what to capitalize on and what to remedy. 2.2. manual-like reference for device/platform functions and malfunctions There needs to be a compilation of the functions and possible malfunctions of the device/platform. This will greatly help the technical support in minimizing the required time to figure out how to troubleshoot problems when they arise. 3. Initial training modules 3.1. Educational technology fundamentals Fundamentals such as theories and concepts relevant to educational technology should be the first modules to be implemented. 3.2. Technical training on device The second set of modules should focus on the technical aspect of the device/platform. 3.3. Integration models Preferred integration models should be run as the third set of modules. 3.4. Catalogue of relevant apps and tools The catalogue of apps and tools should be determined, run as a module prior to implementation, and continuously updated even during the actual implementation. 3.5. Learning resource materials for teachers The school should prepare enough learning resources, whether sourced or produced by the school itself, for the teachers to help them sustain the lesson during the implementation. 4. Support program for teachers and students who do not have the capacity to engage • Internet access • Device loan • Modular learning subprogram 42 B. Teacher 1. Activities and learning materials to accommodate varying studentsituations at home The school should be ready to accommodate different student-situations such as having a modular program in hand and for students who really do not have any access to a functional internet connection. 2. Assessment tools to accommodate distance learning Varied assessment tools should be in place and not simply pen and paper test in a digital format. A differentiated approach to assessment may help especially for the varying level of learner autonomy. 3. Communication approach with parent for feedback, monitoring, and assistance A structure for parent-communication should include not just reporting but feedback from the parents as well. 4. Reference materials to enrich distance learning instruction The teacher should have available resources for varying topics relevant to their program throughout the implementation. C. Student 1. Updated device software Regardless of the device model, the latest device software is ideal. 2. Offload device of unrelated and unnecessary apps to free up space Uninstall or offload these apps to free up space. This allows for the device to function in a faster manner making it more functional. 3. Digital library access/Non-digital learning materials The students should have access to both digital and non-digital learning materials. 4. School dedicated email address The email to be used by the student for the duration of the program is ideally exclusive for school functions. 5. Digital storage External drives can be quite expensive. Free digital storage are available for use. D. Parent 1. Available study area for the learner following the recommended conditions. 2. Distance learning schedule at home needs to be in place to avoid having the students do other activities during class hours. 3. Readily available troubleshooting manual (general concerns, can be provided by the school) 43 WHAT TO DO A. School 1. Discuss distance learning program prior to implementation (roles, policies, etc.) 1.1. Teachers The teacher needs to be informed how the operations will pan out because it is entirely different as in traditional face-to-face or classroom-based lessons. The processes and their roles should be clear to them. 1.2. Students and parents The student and parents need to be informed of the processes akin to learning instruction and support (i.e. assessment tools and remediation means) 2. Conduct initial training 2.1. Technical Device, platform, LMS, troubleshooting 2.2. Integration models SAMR ( Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition), TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) 2.3. Enrichment (theories, strategies) The school may make use of additional theories such as Community of Inquiry or Transactional Distance to enrich the perception of the teachers towards distance learning. 3. Develop applications and tools catalogue 4. Develop learning resource materials for teachers apart from existing ones 5. Observe assigned roles There should be strict implementation of assigned roles. 6. Produce report of program regularly (for review) This will be used for the continuous improvement of the program even on a weekly basis. 7. Address weaknesses of program The problems cannot be left unattended until the second full possible run of the program (next school year). They have to be addressed as soon and as efficiently as possible. B. Teachers 1. Learn new technological aspects (apps, device, platforms) Apart from the ones run by the school in the initial modules, the teacher should actively learn different aspect of technology on different scales and levels. 2. Incorporate integration models specifically for distance or blended learning program Different modalities require different integration models. 3. Revise existing activities and learning materials It is not recommended to create from scratch. Existing lessons and activities just need to be reworked to incorporate distance learning principles. 4. Learn basic troubleshooting skill 44 C. Student 1. Learn technological aspect relevant to school activities and outputs (educational and productivity apps) 2. Learn security measures for digital online storage D. Parents 1. Adhere to program schedule released by the school. 2. Communicate regularly with teacher for feedback and reviews. 3. Prepare a conducive study area (good lighting conditions, less noise). 45 ASSESSMENT Assessment is an important component of curriculum and instruction. It tells if the curriculum was delivered as planned and if its intents were attained or not by the target learners. It also tells if instruction has been effective in helping the learners attain what is essential as defined by the curriculum. This section guides the schools in preparing for assessment intended for flexible learning options. WHAT TO KNOW What is assessment of learning? Assessment is a process of gathering both quantitative and qualitative data that could describe what the learner knows and can do as a result of instruction. It is needed to have basis in making sound decisions about student’s learning. It could happen at any point in the instructional process. Why assess learning? There are many purposes of assessment. For convenience, they could be easily understood by remembering the three purposes: Assessment for, of and as Learning (See Figure 8). The three conjunctions that connect “assessment” and “learning” explain the role of assessment in learning. Figure 8. Purposes of Assessment in Learning Assessment for learning emphasizes the need for assessment to monitor progress of learning, which means that it should be done before, during and even after instruction. Assessment for learning needs examination of the growth and development in the process of learning to ensure students attain the essential competencies set by the curriculum. Assessment of Learning emphasizes certification of the attainment of the essential competencies set for the students in the grade level. Assessment as learning emphasizes the need for students to be trained to monitor and reflect on the attainment of their own learning goals, which should be the same as that which the curriculum intends to respond to. 46 What to target when assessing learning? When assessing learning in flexible modalities, aim to be holistic as the curriculum targets as well for the students’ holistic development. There could be five targets to think of, namely: knowledge, reasoning, skills, product, and affect (See Figure 3). Figure 3. Learning Targets of Assessment Knowledge tells the facts, concepts, principles, theories, processes and contexts that one knows as a result of instruction. Reasoning tests that one understands and explains knowledge gained from instruction. Skills require demonstration of what one knows and is capable of applying in real life. Product requires evidence of what one knows and is capable of producing in real life. Affect or disposition refers to attitudes and values desired of the learner to possess as a result of instruction. What are the guiding principles when assessing learning? Assessment of learning should be carefully done as its results could make or break the life of the learner being assessed. To be student-centered in assessing learning in flexible modalities, the rule is constructive alignment, that is to align assessment with the curriculum and instruction in whatever modality is implemented (See Figure 40). 47 Figure 40. Alignment of Assessment with Curriculum and Instruction in a Flexible Learning Environment In addition, assessment should be purpose-driven, valid, reliable, authentic, fair, practical, continuous, holistic, balanced and ethical. To be student-centered in assessing learning whatever modality of instruction is used, one should practice it guided by important principles as indicated in Table 18. Table 18. Important Assessment Principles Assessment Principles Practiced or Not 1. Purpose-driven, which means that when assessing learning, begin with a clear purpose as to what you aimed to gather. This should be well-communicated to the learners including your expectations of what you mean by success in attaining your purpose. 2. Valid, which means that whenever you gather data, see to it that your method, tool, and analysis are appropriate and consistent with your intent. 3. Reliable, which means that when you gather data, see to it that they come from multiple sources that should provide consistent information to ensure that you can rely on them as basis in making decisions. 4. Authentic, which means that whatever tool or task that is designed for assessment, it should reflect what the students experience in real life. 5. Fair/Inclusive, which means that whenever a tool is designed, it should reflect a language or a situation that the learners could relate with or understand and considering the resources accessible to them. The tool should be free from biases and prejudices. 6. Practical, which means that whenever a tool is designed, it should be used or administered with ease to avoid wasting time and resources of the assessee and assessor. 48 Assessment Principles Practiced or Not 7. Continuous, which means that data collection about students’ learning should happen before, during and after instruction to be able to see pattern and relationship in the information gathered to arrive at sound judgment and decision making. Learners should receive timely feedback from their assessment to serve its purpose of informing ongoing learning and instruction. 8. Holistic, which means that when gathering data about students’ learning, gather all aspects of the learner that could be developed in the process of learning to cover affect, behavior, and cognition or all learning targets set. 9. Balanced, which means that when gathering data about students’ learning, use varied appropriate tools and methods as there is no perfect tool or method but each one has its own strength to complement with the weakness of another. 10. Ethical, which means that when gathering data about students’ learning, gather them with learner’s or parent’s consent and handle carefully the information when communicated to relevant stakeholders to ensure learner’s safety, health and security. The results of assessment should be communicated to the learners and relevant stakeholders to check on the attainment of targets set so that appropriate intervention could be done, if necessary. Remember, the more principles you consider in your practice, the more student-centered you are in assessing learning. What are the methods and tools in assessing learning? There are different methods in assessing learning. Refer to the Table 19 to know which method is best to use for a certain learning target. Table 19. Methods in Assessing Learning Objective Test Targets 1. Knowledge 2. Reasoning 3. Skills 4. Product Use of selectedresponse and shortresponse test ** * * * * 5. Affect or Disposition **Most appropriate * possible Written Test with Rubric Test that requires construction of answers like essay and problem solving * ** * * * Performance Task with Rubric Portfolio Assessment Self-Report Actual Demonstration of Skills and Creation of Products of Learning Actual collection and exhibit of works that assessor has to examine with rubric Use of scales, checklists, and other tools that the assessee has to accomplish himself/herself * * ** ** * * * * ** ** * * * * ** 49 Who could assess learning? The following are the assessors of learning and the targets where they could be considered credible to participate in the assessment process. Table 20. Targets for Assessment and Assessors’ Credibility Targets Teacher Self Peer Parents ** ** ** ** * * * * * ** * * ** ** * * * ** ** ** 1. Knowledge 2. Reasoning 3. Skills 4. Products 5. Affect or Disposition **Most credible * possible Practicum Site Personnel * * ** * ** How to assess learning in different modalities? There are different modalities in assessing learning. All of these modalities are possible to use if assessment is done for the purpose of helping the students learn. The integrity of assessment data is not at all an issue if assessment is non-graded. This means assessment is used to help the students monitor the progress of their own learning given their goals. However, when assessment is graded and results are used to make a decision whether to pass or not a student in a course or if he or she deserves or does not deserve promotion or recognition, it should be carefully done to avoid damaging the motivation and desire of the student to learn more. Table 21 shows the suggested techniques in assessing a particular learning target considering the modalities used in the delivery of instruction. Use any one or combination of them to accommodate all the possible resources that the students have access to at home and when in school to learn keeping in mind the purpose of learning and assessment. Table 21. Suggested Techniques in Assessing Learning Targets in Various Instructional Modalities Learning Targets Technique Formative (Non-graded Assessment) Test Exercises/ (development of Quizzes with knowledge and feedback reasoning) Task Actual doing w/ (development of or w/o video reasoning, skills, and rubric product and affect) Portfolio Working (development Portfolio with knowledge, multiple measures Schoolbased Homebased/ Remote Offline Home-based Remote Online (Synchronous) Home-based Remote Online (Asynchronous) Blended ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** 50 Learning Targets Technique Schoolbased Homebased/ Remote Offline Home-based Remote Online (Synchronous) Home-based Remote Online (Asynchronous) Blended * ** ** ** ** ** reasoning, skills, product, and affect) Summative (Graded Assessment) Test (certification Quarterly of knowledge and Assessments ** * ** reasoning) Achievement Tests Task Actual doing (certification of with video if reasoning, skills, homebased ** ** * product and and with rubric affect) Portfolio Documentary (certification of or Show knowledge, Portfolio with ** ** * reasoning, skills, multiple product, and measures affect) *Comparability of the condition for assessment for all students is low **Comparability of the condition for assessment for all students is high 51 WHAT TO CHECK Now that you have been refreshed with what you should know about assessment, check how ready you are to do this in this coming school year 2020-2021 and beyond given all the possible modalities in a flexible learning environment. What learning targets does your school assess? Check these learning targets using the tool in Annex A. The tool shows the five learning targets and the possible modalities (e.g. face-to-face, online, blended, technology-aided, and all other possibilities) to assess them given the resources the students could access when they are at home or in school to learn. How are these learning targets being assessed at present? Check how these learning targets are best assessed considering the modality available. Remember the principles in assessing when you decide on the approach and tools to use and considering the resources of the learners in the way assessment is to be administered. Use the tool in Annex B to know your practice in assessing at present. What available tools does the school have to assess the learning targets? There are assessment tools that are commercialized like the standardized tests and those that teachers could design for their own class. When aiming for student-centered assessment, it is still better to use tools that the teachers have developed based on their instruction especially if they grade the students after using them. However, if the purpose of assessment is to have basis on the effectiveness of instruction based on nationally accepted curriculum, commercialized assessment tools that could serve the purpose could be more practical to use if they are available and affordable to the students. To know what tools are available for use this coming school year before, during and at the end of instruction, use the tool in Annex C. What platforms, applications and tools does the school use in assessing student’s learning? Please check what platforms your students, teachers and the school have access to in case you go online in assessing learning. Indicate possible frequency of use if all, some, few or none. Table 22. Platforms on Online Assessment Platforms for Online Assessment Student/Parent Use Individual Teacher Use School-wide Use 1. LMS 2. Google or MS Forms 3. Emails 4. Social Media 5. Video conferencing (skype, zoom, Google Meet, MS Teams, etc.) 6. Others, please specify. 52 WHAT TO PREPARE/TAKE CARE OF After checking the targets, approaches, tools, modalities and platforms that will be considered in assessing learning, prepare your school, teachers, parents and students on your process in assessing learning. How to prepare the school, teachers, parents, and students to be ready on assessment as it transitions from face-to-face to online or other modalities? The school is used to the traditional face-to-face assessment that is usually conducted in the classroom. Considering the current pandemic situation and the need to comply with the health protocols, use the time before classes start for the school year to prepare the teachers, students, parents and support staff on assessment that is either print-based or computer-based, face-to-face or distance, synchronous or asynchronous or other formats. Use the tool in Annex D to know what and how to prepare the school, teachers, students and parents on the process in assessing learning considering the modality of instruction. WHAT TO DO After preparing the teachers, students, parents and support staff on the modality of instruction for the essential competencies and their corresponding assessment, then ensure the readiness of all the tools to be used for assessment considering all the people that will be involved in using them. What assessment tools need to be prepared at the beginning, middle and end of the school year? In preparing for the opening of classes and the modality of instruction that the school will implement, it is advised that the tools for assessment are correspondingly prepared prior to the start of the school year. If they are not yet ready for use, then strategize the start of their development as soon as possible. Use the matrix in the next page as a guide in doing the tools. 53 Modality Assessment Tools Needed (School-based/ Home-based offline/online) Format (Paper, computerbased or both) Developer (Commerciali zed/ Teacher Made) Months of Development 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A. Beginning of the School Year 1. Diagnostic Test 2. Pre-Test 3. Others B. Middle of the School Year 1. Formative Tests 2. Quarterly Tests 3. Performance Tasks with Rubrics 4. Quarterly Portfolio with Rubrics 5. Others C. End of the School Year 1. Achievement Tests 2. Culminating Performance Task with Rubrics 3. Whole Year Portfolio Exhibits with Rubrics 4. Others 54 Annex A. Learning Targets and their Modality for Assessment at Present and in the Coming School Year Instructions: The following are the different modalities in assessing learning. Which of the following is the school ready to observe or practice when assessing learning in this time of COVID-19 pandemic? Check (✓) all the modalities that are used at present for each learning target. Put a STAR ()for those that you intend to consider this coming school year. Assessment Modalities Knowledge Learning Targets Reasoning Skills Products Affect 1. Pure School-based Face to Face with the teacher 2. Pure Home-based/Remote Offline with or without parent’s intervention 3. Pure Home-based/Remote Online with or without parent’s intervention 4. Blended School- and Homebased Offline Assessment 5. Blended School- and Homebased Online whether synchronous or asynchronous 6. Portfolio/Evidence-based online 7. Portfolio/Evidence-based couriered 8. Technology-Aided Assessment (e.g. Televisions/Radios/ Mobile Phones) 9. Combination of three or more modalities (Please specify what are to be combined) 10. Other Modalities (Please specify) 55 Annex B. Assessment Approaches and their Modality for Assessment in the Coming School Year Instructions: The following are the approaches in assessing learning. Which of the following is the school ready to use in a given modality when assessing learning in this time of COVID-19 pandemic? Check all the approaches and modalities possible in assessing learning in your school when school year starts. Assessment Modalities Objective Test Assessment Approaches Constructed Performance Portfolio -Response Test Assessment Test SelfReport 1. Pure School-based Face to Face with the teacher 2. Pure Home-based/Remote Online with or without parent’s intervention 3. Pure Home-based/Remote Offline with or without parent’s intervention 4. Blended School- and Homebased Offline Assessment 5. Blended School- and Homebased Online whether synchronous or asynchronous 6. Portfolio/Evidence-based online 7. Portfolio/Evidence-based couriered 8. Technology-Aided Assessment (e.g. Televisions/Radios/Mobile Phones) 9. Combination of three or more modalities (Please specify what are to be combined) 10. Other Modalities (Please specify) 56 Annex C. Scanning Available Assessment Tools in the Learning Environment Instructions: Please check which of the following tools the school has or is using at present. Check also those that the school is capable of accessing given its resources. Tools A. Assessment Before Instruction 1. Standardized/Commercialized pre-assessments for different subject areas and grades 2. Teacher-made pre-assessment for different subject areas and grades 3. Standardized diagnostic assessment for different subject areas and grades 4. Teacher-made diagnostic assessment for different subject areas and grades 5. Other assessments before instruction (Please specify) B. Assessment During Instruction 1. Quizzes Bank 2. Exercises 3. Rubrics for performance tasks 4. Other assessments while instruction is going on (Please specify) C. Assessment After Instruction 1. Quarterly Tests 2. Achievement Tests 3. Rubrics for Culminating Performance Tasks 4. Rubrics for Portfolio Assessment 5. Other assessments while instruction is going on (Please specify) Paper Format Online Format 57 Annex D. Things to Do to Prepare Key Stakeholders for Assessment in Flexible Modalities Instructions: Check those things that the school has prepared to be ready to implement the needed assessment of learning in whatever modality possible considering the resources of the students. A. Principal What to Do Subscribe to a secure LMS as a platform for online instruction and assessment. 2. Procure server and applications needed for online instruction and assessment. 3. Meet the faculty and discuss with them the modality of instruction and assessment you will use this coming school year. 4. Group the faculty according to the subject area that they deliver. 5. Let them review the current curriculum and pick the most essential ones for instruction and assessment. 6. Let the faculty teaching the same subject area and level create one virtual classroom in the LMS for their subject area to start building their formative and summative assessments. 7. Let the faculty teaching the same areas design together in the LMS the targets, content, delivery, approach and assessment of the subject area that they teach based on the chosen essential competencies. 8. Let the faculty divide the work, validate each other’s work, and finalize it together. 9. Let the faculty transform their online course created into its paper format. 10. Replicate the final course created for online teaching based on the number of classes formed. 11. Decide which essential competencies would need faceto-face or online assessment. 12. Assign at least one faculty to facilitate a class created. Paper-based Assessment ✓ 1. 13. Monitor progress of work of the faculty and listen to their needs in preparing their course to be possible for online delivery. 14. Meet the parents and students to discuss requirements for instruction and assessment and the things that they need to do. Online Assessment ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 58 B. Teachers What to Do 1. Form into groups according to the subject area you will deliver. 2. Review the current curriculum and pick the most essential ones. 3. Create one virtual classroom in the LMS and design the content and delivery of the course given your identified essential competencies. 4. Structure your course based on what you intend to do in your day to day online instructions. 5. Integrate reading, listening, viewing, games and other engaging activities when designing instruction in the LMS. 6. Design assessment with automated feedback either using Google or MS Forms or in the LMS. 7. Transform the online course created into its paper format as possible option for students who have poor or no internet connection. 8. Identify assessment that would need synchronous administration. Schedule it and ready the tools and rubrics for use. 9. Deliver the course with students’ engagement and with feedbacking to their works. 10. Make the students feel one’s presence in their classroom. Paper-based Assessment Online Assessment ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Paper-based Assessment Online Assessment ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ C. Parents What to Do 1. Know the school’s platform for communication, 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. instruction and assessment. Explore materials prepared for instruction either print or online. Assist or monitor the child as she/he performs the activities prepared by the teacher for home offline or online instruction and assessment. Assist or monitor the child in submitting outputs and assessments if online or couriered. Assist or monitor the child as she/he tries to understand the design of all tools for assessment. Assist or monitor the child when scheduled for online synchronous administration of assessment. Submit all forms and tools expected of the parents when monitoring or assisting the child in his/her instruction and assessment at home. 59 D. Students What to Do 1. Familiarize oneself with the school’s platform for 2. 3. 4. 5. communication, instruction and assessment. Explore materials prepared for instruction and assessment either print or online. Perform the activities prepared by the teacher for homebased offline or online instruction and assessment. Know how to submit outputs and assessments if online or couriered. Understand the design of all tools for assessment. 6. Know schedule and tools of assessment that would need synchronous administration. Paper-based Assessment Online Assessment ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 60 ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS An often-quoted African saying, “It takes a village to raise a child,” underlines the importance of various players in developing future citizens. The current pandemic situation compels the schools to transition from classroom-based instruction to applying different remote teaching strategies that require careful planning and the involvement of different stakeholders. Stakeholders within the communities are considered to play an important role and may be harnessed to support the schools’ learning activities. WHAT TO KNOW A stakeholder can be described as any person, group or organization who may be affected by the activities of the school, or those, in turn, who can influence or affect the activities of the school. A school does not exist in isolation; it is part of a community and operates within a given locale. Within the school, there are several individuals and groups who would be affected by decisions on the choice of learning and teaching modalities. Outside the schools, there are also individuals, groups and organizations who are affected by changes, or those who can hinder or facilitate making these changes. Figure 5 shows the different types of education stakeholders. In a larger context, education development initiatives are greatly influenced by international covenants and programs aimed at improving teaching and learning, including international assessments. The Philippine education sector aligns itself with the internationally agreed policies, standards and initiatives that aims for delivering quality education to learners. Figure 51. The Education Stakeholders 61 Based on their roles in the teaching-learning process, some can be considered internal stakeholders, i.e., those within the school establishment; some are external stakeholders who influence or are affected by school operations. Internal Stakeholders. Aside from the teachers, the school administrative staff such as clerks, secretaries and accountants, school nurses, librarians, cafeteria concessionaires and even those in maintenance would be affected by Management decisions. Their jobs would need to be aligned with the changes. They may need different qualifications and training. If the school is part of a corporation, the Board of Directors and others in the corporate structure are part of the operational environment of the school. External Stakeholders. Outside the institution, there are government agencies, community leaders, local organizations, business establishments and agencies who are in a position to support or hinder plans. In making the shift to remote learning, telecommunication service providers, courier services, village organizations and various other services may play a part in the supply and service chain. School alumni, some of which may be decision-makers, can either be allies or supporters or would need to be won over. All have interests and concerns and the change management strategy should take these concerns into account. Parents form a critical group among the school’s stakeholders. In a remote learning environment, they would be expected to play a more active role in instruction and work in partnership with the teachers in delivering and managing instruction. They serve as the main channel of information to the learners, and they would have first hand experience on how the learner engages the materials and lessons. From being the key client in the conventional education setting, the parent, guardian or care-giver steps in to be a partner in teaching and learning. Stakeholders can be further classed into primary or secondary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders are the parties who are directly affected by changes in your organization. Those who are affected by the changes downstream are secondary stakeholders. Effective engagement of the parents as a critical stakeholder group, requires effort at obtaining and organizing information on this important sector. Surveys and direct interviews should yield useful information which would help develop a “persona” or a profile of the parent; this may be done through indirect observation. • The parents’ education background is a useful indicator of their capability to be a partner in teaching their children. It would be useful to know if they have prior training or experience in teaching, or if there are family members who are interested in teaching. Aside from identifying ready partners, knowing the education levels would also indicate the kind of information needed by the parents and guardians to function as partners. • Part of the background information needed should also give clues on the time a parent or a guardian can devote to home learning activities. One strategy for engaging the parents is the use of learning contracts, where learners and their parents/guardians make a commitment to do all the activities and undergo assessments. • Among other demographic characteristics, the family’s economic status would also be useful in the profile. School planners would have an idea on the manageable level of investment they could make. Access to hardware and services and their sustainability relate closely to household income. 62 Stakeholders vary in terms of their power or influence. Some have the mandate to exercise regulatory authority, such as the Department of Education field office, the local government unit that issues permits and licenses, including enterprises that have direct involvement in school operations. Others have influence among organizations and in the community. Their influence may be driven by key issues or causes of their organization. Others influence business operations because of their business processes, such as banks and financing institutions. Development oriented organizations can give access to resources and services that a school needs. Introducing innovations in education may be facilitated through incentives, or be saddled by requirements and taxes. Telecommunication utilities and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can make it easier to run online programs; special discounts or assured uninterrupted service for education purposes may be negotiated. Not all stakeholders and those that influence school operations are organized and formal. With parents as a key stakeholder group, the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) is a formal body that holds influence. Among the parents and guardians, though, there are discrete, informal groups and patterns of influence. School managers must be sensitive to these informal networks and structures and purposively seek out views and opinions coming from them. The external stakeholders and their interests are diverse – including the manner they can influence changes in school operations. It is essential for planners to identify them, map out their interests and concerns, as well as their potential impact on school operations. An analysis of the stakeholders would guide future actions to avoid the pitfalls and make stakeholders allies in the change process. WHAT INFORMATION WOULD BE NEEDED Information on stakeholders is essential in planning and guiding the way to engage them. Enrolment forms and information recorded in previous years could be reviewed and analyzed. For current issues, surveys and interviews can be done by telephone or online. Another useful tool is the Focus Group, which should yield valuable insights on the stakeholders’ thinking, their key interests and apprehensions, if any. Discreet observation of the participants’ behavior during the discussions would also give ideas on the leadership and power structures within the group. Carefully planned FGD sessions need to be prepared carefully. One should first define the main objective(s) for the session and plan how such would be facilitated. This would include crafting key questions and developing the agenda for the discussions. The FGD should generate data and insights, hence recording and documenting the session should be part of the plan. Based on the school management’s objectives, the suitable participants should be identified. To reach the ideal number of having between six to eight participants, a short list identifying the primary invitees and alternates should be drawn up. Facilitation of the FGD is crucial. Facilitating discussions should ensure even participation, careful wording of the key questions, ensuring a neutral attitude and being able to summarize the discussions to reflect the views evenly and fairly. The facilitator’s observations during the session should be noted and included in the documentation. FGDs can be also done online using the different online discussion platforms. 63 In planning the change process, a map of stakeholders would be useful to know which ones are key, which ones could facilitate making changes, and those that would influence success. Figure 6 gives an example of a stakeholder mapping tool to identify and set categories of stakeholders. Figure 6. Stakeholder Mapping Tool WHAT TO ANALYZE Initiatives that involve various players also require an understanding of the stakeholders and the issues that bind them. Stakeholder analysis will enable schools to assess their nature, interests, expectations and resources to better manage these interests. Planning for remote learning initiatives, for instance, must take care that these actions are designed in ways that would appeal to the different stakeholders (or address apprehensions and doubts) and improve the likelihood of garnering support. Stakeholder analysis is also done to map and help understand patterns of interaction among individuals and groups and guide the management in policy-making and navigating through conflicts. Steps for Stakeholder Analysis There are various models that guide doing a stakeholder analysis; but across these models, the analysis would involve three basic steps: • Identify your stakeholders (mapping) → Brainstorm on who your stakeholders are; they may be individuals, groups or institutions 64 • Set and define categories of stakeholders Consider them in terms of their level of influence and level of interest in the school’s operations, whether they are internal or external stakeholders, or key. Set a priority on how to engage them. → Understand the school’s key stakeholders. Go deeper to determine what motivates stakeholders; what they may contribute. In defining the stakeholders’ interests, assess how much they would want to be involved. How critical would their involvement in achieving success? Define what resources – knowledge, expertise, networks, formal or informal influence are on the table. Understanding them in these terms would guide your engagement. Stakeholders should also be assessed in terms of their potential to threaten the school and its initiatives as well as their potential for cooperation. • Identify appropriate levels of stakeholder engagement Drawing from the analysis of the stakeholders, including their potential as benefactors and threats, an appropriate mode and strategy for engaging them could be formulated. Broadly, one can engage stakeholders in four ways: → Inform. Essentially one-way communication done through media announcements, press releases, position statements, and prepared statements. Essentially, moving and sharing information without provision for a two-way dialogue. → Consult. Meaningful consultation would mean presenting proposals and options, actively seeking feedback that would be input in planning. Most commonly done through focus groups, individual interviews or surveys. The maximal benefit from a stakeholders’ knowledge of local conditions and opinions. decision making, power and control structures is gained. → Involve. Stakeholders are engaged in identifying options and implementing actions coming out of their inputs. → Collaborate / Empower. Shared decision-making and action based on shared goals. It involves a lengthier, more complex process and greater preparation. The work on stakeholder analysis can be facilitated through the worksheet on Table 23. 65 Table 23. Stakeholder Analysis Worksheet Stakeholder Role / Category How Important? (Low, Medium, High) Parent High Current Level of Support? Our Interest? Their Interest? Strategy for Engagement (Low, Medium, High) (Low, Medium, High) Medium Threat Potential? Enrolment and cooperation in instruction Quality learning for their children at a reasonable price Medium Inform, Involve, Collaborate, Empower Local Government Unit Medium Medium Approval and support for initiatives Adherence to regulations High Inform, Collaborate Local Business – Computer Shop Medium Medium Cooperation in instruction; shared learning space New market for service Medium Inform, Involve, Collaborate Stakeholder Stakeholder Stakeholder WHAT TO CHECK Introducing change into the school community involves a process of engaging the different players and stakeholders. Some have their pre-conceived ideas, others may feel threatened with the changes, others would be enthusiastic. Some are Innovators who are enthusiastic about making the change and gung-ho over new practices and ways of doing things. Others require a lot more time and observation to take a more positive outlook. Most of the stakeholders adopt changes over some time. Some prefer to lead change, and in the process influence others. Some others quickly see the value of the innovation and after a “wait and see” phase, embrace the change once they have seen results and better performance. Others take to change later, only when technologies are fully mature, mostly after most others have already accepted it. The last group never fully adopts an innovation mainly because of an aversion to any change. Understanding how readily stakeholders take to changes would guide better planning and maximizing support for change. 66 WHAT TO DO Client Touchpoints – Engaging Stakeholders Introducing change into the system demands preparation and understanding of the audience or the stakeholders. Developing a stakeholder map, conducting an analysis and planning the modes of engagement will go a long way into developing a productive relationship. Taking some practices from marketing, understanding the process could give some practical clues, especially in putting ideas and seeking their support. One of the concepts in marketing is the touchpoint, an influential action initiated through communication, a human contact or interaction. Each touchpoint is a message that "touches" a stakeholder customer in some way. These touchpoints create the client experience. At each stage in the engagement cycle, key messages can be crafted as part of a strategy to produce the desired effect. These stages were described as: • Awareness. Relationships with stakeholders begin when they are first aware of the service. Schools making the transition to remote learning should give timely and appropriate information to the parents and students about the new services and modalities. • Discovery. The relationship progresses to knowledge when the clients learn a little more of the new services. • Consideration is the stage at which the client has enough knowledge to consider engaging the school’s new product or service. • Selection, or trial, represents the actual enrolment or engagement of the school’s service. • Client satisfaction is the next stage wherein the school sustains the clients’ satisfaction thus developing their loyalty. • Referral. Eventually, the client serves as an advocate, as they inform others and encourage others to follow suit. At each stage in the stakeholder engagement, the goal is to create a consistently positive experience, with carefully crafted messages using different communication tools. Annex E shows a worksheet for strategies and messages to be employed at the different touchpoints at stages of client relationship. 67 Different Tools for Different Goals There are different mechanisms that can be used for different types of messages. Some examples of the kind of messages and the appropriate channels for delivering them are given in Table 24. Table 24. Message and Strategies for Delivery to Stakeholders Kind of Message Generic Messages Strategies for Delivering Messages • • • • • Lectures/briefings Interacting with Stakeholders Sharing Complex Information Radio TV Broadcasts o Public service announcements Leaflets Brochures • Meetings • (Phone) Help desk • Social media o Facebook, o Twitter o Web forums • Specialized printed materials • Reports • Website The above-mentioned examples underline the importance of the social media and interactive communication. Maintaining client and stakeholder relationships hinge on communication - moving across ideas to the other persons in the proper way, at the right time for the a given purpose. Communication is even more important in making and communicating change and in ensuring a desirable stakeholder experience. REFERENCES SEAMEO INNOTECH. 2017. E-IMPACT (Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers) Guidebook SEAMEO INNOTECH. 2020. Education in Emergencies Guidebook, Module 3 SEAMEO INNOTECH. 2017. Program on Excellence in Stakeholder Engagement for Southeast Asian (SEA) School Leaders: A Learning Guide Sharma, R. 2006. The 6 Principles of Stakeholder Engagement. Supply Chain Management Review, Censeo Consulting Group The Western and Pacific Child Welfare Implementation Center & Los angles Department of Children and Family Services. 2013. Stakeholder Engagement: Tools for Action 68 Annex E. Stakeholder Touchpoints Touchpoints (How do we reach clients/ stakeholders and how do they reach us?) Awareness Discovery • Press releases • Advertisements • Social Media posts • Flyers and leaflets • Public service announcements • Website • Brochures • E-mail • Contact phone • Course catalogue Engagement • Proposals • Program Prospectus • Website • Direct sale • School visits • Video testimonials Active Client Successful Client • Periodic reporting • Parent consultation • Meetings • Feedback sessions • Positive feedback • Re-enrolment • Active participation in school activities Refer • Referrals • Testimonials Client Wants? Client Information Needs? Desired Client Experience How Do We Improve/ Enhance the Experience? 69 PAPSCU PHILIPPINE ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, AND UNIVERSITIES Board of Trustees (2019-2020) Members Atty. Hernando B. Perez Lourdes Almeda-Sese, EdD PAPSCU President President, Saint Michael’s College of Laguna Jose Paulo E. Campos, Ed.D. PAPSCU President Emeritus President, Emilio Aguinaldo College Antonio M. Del Carmen, Ph.D. PAPSCU Vice-President President, STI Sta. Rosa, Laguna Prof. Dante Francis M. Ang II PAPSCU Treasurer Vice Chairman & Acting Dean, The Manila Times College Atty. Joseph Noel M. Estrada PAPSCU Corporate Secretary Royce S. Torres, Ph.D PAPSCU Trustee President, Iligan Medical Center College Former Justice Secretary President, University of Batangas Official Representative to PAPSCU: Dr. Abegayle Machelle M. Perez-Chua, VPAA Dr. Renato P. Legaspi President, Central Luzon College of Science & Technology Official Representative to PAPSCU: Dr. Rene Paulo M. Legaspi, Senior Vice President Caroline Marian S. Enriquez, DBE President, Our Lady of Fatima University Dr. Rodolfo S. San Felipe President, Tomas Claudio Colleges Dr. Patricia B. Lagunda President, Baliuag University Dr. Peter P. Laurel President Lyceum of the Philippines University-Batangas Dr. Reynaldo D. Faustino Luz T. Duque-Hammershaimb, MD PAPSCU Trustee President, Lyceum Northwestern UniversityDagupan President, National Alliance of Private Schools Phils. (NAPSPHIL) President, Juan Sumulong Memorial Junior College Dr. Catherine Recto-Banta President, Alitatag College, Inc. Atty. Remelisa G. Alfelor-Moraleda President, University of Northeastern Philippines 70 THE AUTHORS Ester B. Ogena, PhD Felicia I. Yeban, PhD Marlilyn U. Balagtas, PhD Dr. Ogena is the Project Team Leader of this PAPSCU-APSPIRE Project. She held positions as former President of Philippine Normal University and former Director of the Science Education Institute, Department of Science and Technology. She was also the Founding President and Chairperson of the ASEAN Teacher Education Network. She holds a PhD in Educational Research and Evaluation from the University of the Philippines and has pursued post graduate studies at Kiel University, Germany and Gronobe University, France. Dr.Yeban teaches human rights and social science education at the Philippine Normal University. She has served PNU in various capacities such as VP for Finance and Administration, VP for University Relations, Dean of the College of Graduate Studies and Teacher Education Research, and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences. She moderates “Buhay Guro” streamed on Teachers’ Summit facebook group. It is an online meeting of teachers and education leaders to discuss educational issues from the teachers’ perspective. She obtained her PhD in Development Studies from De La Salle University. Dr. Balagtas is the University Professor and former Dean of the College of Flexible Learning and e-PNU at the Philippine Normal University. She was likewise the Inaugural Director of the PhilippineAustralian National Research Center for Teacher Quality (RCTQ). She’s also the President of the Philippine Educational Measurement and Evaluation Association, Inc. (PEMEA). She holds a PhD in Educational Research and Evaluation from the University of the Philippines and a post-doctoral fellowship for research leadership from the University of New England, Australia. Dr. Bedural is currently the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Philippine Normal University. She taught at the Christian University of Thailand and has worked with projects at the University of the Philippines-Population Institute and the International Labor Organization. She finished her PhD in Social Studies Education from Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. Zyralie L. Bedural, PhD 71 Benito E. Benoza, MA Mr. Benoza is currently the Manager, Knowledge Management and Networking Office of SEAMEO INNOTECH. His career spans various positions in the Philippines and international organizations – among them are UNESCO office for East Asia, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Secretariat and INNOTECH. He was a visiting research fellow at the University of Tsukuba, Centre for Research and International Cooperation in Education and Development (CRICED) in 2012. He holds an MA in Educational Management (ETEEAP) from the Philippine Normal University. Mr. Atienza is the Curriculum Development Supervisor at Power Mac Center - Education Business Team. He has taught in PAREF Southridge School. He is an MA candidate in Literary and Cultural Studies at the Ateneo de Manila University. Bon Samuel P. Atienza, MA (Cand.) Ogena, E.B., Yeban, F. I., Balagtas, M. U., Bedural, Z. L., Benoza, B. E. & Atienza, B. S. P. (June 2020). Education Imperative for the New Normal: Planning for Flexible Learning. E-Toolkit for the Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities, Inc. Webinar Series (June 2020) https://peac.org.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Final.PAPSCUToolkit28June2020.pdf 72 Produced in Cooperation with 73