Is online learning a key to disaster-proof education?

I. Introduction

Online learning also means distance education, is an alternative way to deliver teaching
through the internet. Online learning has been evolved throughout the years and its effectiveness
have been studying by different researchers around the world (Kentnor, 2015)1. A summary of
the book “Learning Online: What Research Tells Us about Whether, When and How.” 2
Determines nine designs of online learnings and each has numerous options, for example: online
communication synchrony and its three option: asynchronous only, synchronous only, and can be
both, another example is blended learning: a combination of online and face to face learning. As
a student I personally believed that using the internet is convenient for the student, perhaps
online learning is not just a merely transmission of knowledge or a communication for the
students but somehow it can be also effective. However, In the relevance of the proposition for
this paper, is online learning really can be a disaster-proof education? In terms of disaster, what’s
currently happening in the world are affecting the education of the students, some Colleges or
Universities continue teaching and learning through online while they keep their faculties and
students both safe, however some people disagree to the decisions of their school moving their
courses online because of the hindrance of the pandemic. Despite the different methods of online
learning that are feasible through distance learning, online learning should be nonessential during
disaster, as well as its effectiveness in learning and the safety of the Filipino People.

II. Claims
1. Online Learning is nonessential during disaster

Disasters are described as a result the exposure to a hazard(natural disasters) such as,
conditions of vulnerability the are present; insufficient capacity to reduce or cope with the
potential negative consequence, it may also impact loss of life, disease and other negative effects
on human physical, mental and social-well-being (Mahar & Lynch,et al, n.d, p.5) 3. For this
reason, using online learning as an alternative way to teach during disaster may not be applicable
and not accessible for everyone during the time of disaster. It may be disaster-proof because it’s
“online” since there are no face to face learning needed, you can access it by staying at home,
however the well-being and capacity of the person may not be feasible with online learning,
more importantly, the people who does not have access to the internet during the time of disaster,
whereas, those people who has the capacity and accessibility asynchronous online method is
reasonable and feasible for them, however it will not be enough reason to continue online
learning for everyone, since there are people whose life are at stake. Those who have the
capacity and can achieve to learn the intended knowledge the were provided from using online
learning, they are the lucky ones, because according to WHO every year natural disasters kill 90,
000 people and affect close to 160 million people worldwide (World Health Organization,
2012)4. This is enough to say that online learning is nonessential during disaster, because
everyone is doing their best at times of this to live.

2. Do students achieve to learn the intended knowledge that were given through
online During disaster?

According to Clark (1983)5 The way the medium is used determines the effectiveness,
not the medium itself. Face-to-face education, like lectures exist on how much infrastructure a
school have and that can support the students’ success, these are the library, laboratory, health
services, computer resources and so on. Lectures and such activities can be done through online
using video call and discussion thread, but in a disaster context- how about practical activities
that are usually in laboratory, clinical or field setting that requires personal interaction? or will
the students be encouraged to use applications that they don’t have like premium software that
their school computer laboratory has? Of course, the use of different methods of learning through
online can be an alternative way, however, do students really achieve to learn the intended
knowledge, skills, and attitudes with recorded lecture, reading materials and such? Disaster have,
of course, impacts in our well-being and the student’s personal factors play an important role,
motivation and self-sufficiency (Biner, et al, 1995)6 and these are needed in effectiveness of
learning, wherein the time of disaster, these cannot be achieved because of the disaster’s impact
to a well-being of a person. In addition to this, according to Thompson (1995)7, based on a
comparative study, they found that online distance education was better regarding to student’s
better acquisition and familiarity with technology, this supports my claim on students who are
taking skill-based courses that requires personal interaction, lab equipment and lab activities,
acquiring these through online is difficult in terms of costs and the use of different application
since lack of acquisition and formality might affect the effectiveness of the student’s personal
factors.

3. Inaccessibility of internet and resources

In a Philippine context, the minimum wage of the Philippines is low (350php-500php)

depending on what region you are working at and during the time of disaster money is the main
problem of every family because the safety and health is the priority of every people. To support
my claim of inaccessibility of internet and resources, I will use this pandemic disaster that is
currently happening right now, more importantly how people are managing right now to live and
provide food for their families, working right in this time of crisis is very difficult since we are
facing a pandemic that could easily spread. According to UNESCO 8 in 2019, only just over half
of households (55%) have an internet connection, there are 87% that are connected compared
with 47% in developing nations, and only 19% in the least developed countries. This data
explains that not everyone has internet connection, what more today during a disaster? A result
from the study of the usage of computer café in Manila, with a overall of 545 respondents spend
3.30 hours per visit and tend to visit cyber cafés one to two times a week in the afternoon. The
average hour spent per visit by “five to six times a week” and “every day” users was at least
19.75 hours a week. Internet users spent longer hours in the morning than any other time of day.
(Bringual, 2012)9. In the midst of disaster online learning may not be suitable to those student
who lack resources to follow online learning, such as submission and requirements, even
asynchronous tool maybe more feasible to some student during these times, but how about those
students who are being left behind because of the impact of the disaster? Even a 3-month
submission of requirement may not be enough for someone who are still trying to cope up with
the consequence of the disaster.

III. Conclusion

In the conclusion of my claims about online learning as a key to disaster-proof education.

Online learning will never be an alternative way to continue education during a disaster, because
everyone’s life is at its stake, some may have the privilege to work and study but not everyone.
And depending on the level of disaster, low-disaster risk should not be a reason to continue
online learning because not everyone has the capacity to cope up with a disaster no matter how
big or small the impact is.

Reference Page

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