Dustin M. Ferre
11-A
Specialized English Program 2
March 31, 2021
ONLINE AND FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the world in many different aspects. A lot of companies
were forced to stop production; public transportation had to limit their passengers. There is the
implementation of the new normal wherein people have to wear face masks and face shields whenever
they go outside, and classes had to be done online for the safety of the students.
As a student myself, I had a hard time adjusting to all the things that had happened ever since
the Covid-19 pandemic emerged. But one of the things that I had to cope with the most is online classes.
My freshmen year in college was the first year I had experienced online classes. Online classes had both
a positive and a negative impact, but the negative impact stands out the most and has greatly affected
me.
I believe face-to-face classes are better compared to online classes. For me, I have a better
experience on a face-face setup compared to an online setup not just because of the system, but also
other factors like socialization.
To make things cohesive and or organized, I will first be discussing online classes in the
Philippines. Next, I will be talking about the learning system. And third, I will be talking about getting
needed assistance by the students.
Now let me discuss my main points. First, our country’s school system is not ready to conduct
online classes just like other countries. So most, if not all, students studying here in the Philippines have
no prior experience with online classes. Online classes in the Philippines were only implemented when
the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country. Other countries have online classes as a primary source of
learning like the United States, India, China, and South Korea. According to ICEF Monitor (2012), Most
universities in the US offer at least some courses online with some having fully developed online degree
programs and even Masters and Doctorate degrees. This just goes to show how well experienced other
countries are when it comes to virtual learning since they have been conducting online classes for a long
time. However, the Philippines is just new to the online mode of learning and is still testing the waters
on this form of education. Second, the learning system is more difficult compared to face-to-face
classes. In online classes, there is a certain number of modules and formative assessments that you have
to accomplish on your own mostly by self-studying – which not all students can do by themselves
without the guidance of the Professor – for you to take the summative, midterm, or final exam which
could be an overload to some students. And third, the immediate availability of the teacher or Professor
when the student needs it. Asking for consultation from teachers on an online setup can be complicated
at times. There are instances where the student, teacher, or both parties experience internet
connectivity issues on the scheduled date of the consultation, which results in rescheduling the date of
the consultation. This would possibly conflict with the schedule of the teacher and the student because
some students need immediate assistance, but there are times that the chosen date of the student
would conflict with the schedule of the teacher. Unlike in a face-to-face set up, the student could just
simply go to the faculty and ask for any available teacher or professor who is vacant at the time the
student needs assistance and have the consultation right there and then.
To put it simply, online classes have a lot of downfalls. I do not like how online classes impacted
me because ever since online classes has started, it has affected me not only academically but also
socially. In terms of academics, I have received more failing marks in exams in an online setup compared
to a face-to-face setup. Socially speaking, it was hard for me to make friends virtually unlike in a face-toface set up, you get to bond with the person and eventually develop a close relationship with them.
None of us wanted any of this to happen; we did not want to have a pandemic; we did not ask
for online classes. But due to the presence of Covid-19, we have to adapt to the changes of the new
normal. But time will come – things will go back to the way they used to be.