There are many calls — among faculty members, students, and some parents — to go back to face-to-face classes after being plagued by the COVID-19 pandemic for more than 2 years already. These calls to go back to where we were before are not surprising to say the least, given the desire of these individuals to return to normalcy.
However, can we really return to how it was before? For me, I don’t think it will ever be the same as before, especially with regard to teaching — in fact, the COVID-19 pandemic proved to us that it is indeed possible to learn online through online synchronous or asynchronous classes. Google Meets, Google Classrooms, Zoom Meetings and many other online platforms have been put to test during the pandemic and — even with a few shortcomings — it was still quite a success. So why do people yearn to go back to face-to-face classes?
Of course, for many, especially for teachers, the online classes might seem a little mundane — given that the teachers have been used to seeing their students face-to-face. Most of the teachers also say going back to face-to-face classes will improve instruction and will obviate the questionable increase of graduates with Latin honors. I disagree with this view since it all depends whether the university can fully cater to the needs of the faculty and students like classrooms, offices, logistical requirements, and so on.
Going back to face-to-face classes without any proper plan and without enough classrooms is a disaster in the making. Moreover, it will simply negate the purpose of improving instruction as the face-to-face setting will not be conducive to learning given the lack of classrooms.
Another common excuse that they miss seeing their students in person is not enough. I cannot also say that the desire to return to face-to-face classes is because of technological limitation or the lack of a stable connection and gadgets, as faculty members mostly have laptops and cellphones which they can use for online classes.
I suppose the common Filipino trait of yearning to go back to how it was before, or that nostalgic feeling of returning to how it was, is one of the reasons for this. However, one must note that going back to face-to-face classes will not necessarily improve the kind of instruction that those who insist for face-to-face class believe in. Yes, some faculty members prefer face-to-face because they do better if they are in the classroom setting with the chalk and blackboard, but we have to remember that it’s not all about what we want — we have to consider whether it’s safe or if the school can handle going back to face-to-face. Forcing the issue will only bring more harm than good.
By now, we should have at least learned from the two year experience during the pandemic that online classes do work and if indeed we will return to face-to-face classes, at least make it blended learning or a combination of face-to-face and online classes.
I do believe that returning to full face-to-face is not the right way to go. We still have to consider the number of students and whether the school is in fact ready to cater to the multitude of students who would be returning. In Dumaguete’s case, Silliman University has already started with face-to-face classes, but this is acceptable given their readiness in terms of classrooms, logistics, and other necessary requirements to fully return to face-to-face classes. What about other schools? I suppose before they follow Silliman’s lead, they should first look at the viability whether they can handle the influx of students. If they still can’t do it, then I would suggest not to begin face-to-face classes.
Admittedly, there are some shortcomings for online classes too. Students can easily plagiarize their answers from the internet for their essay exams and other activities and they can also make excuses like their internet connection is down, even if it’s not, or their cellphones or gadgets got destroyed and so on. Irrespective of these shortcomings, we still have to consider the fact that COVID-19 has not yet been fully extirpated and even with vaccinations — there are even some students and teachers who have not been vaccinated — there is still a chance that we may contract it and it will be very dangerous especially for people with comorbidities.
Suffice it to say, those who have been adamant to return to face-to-face classes should invariably take note of the risks involved in doing so. Also, they should be cognizant of the possibility that the school might not be able to fully cater to the needs of both students and faculty in terms of classrooms, offices, and other facilities. We still need to make time for adjustments, and in Negros Oriental State University’s case, we also need more classrooms. We have to remember that nothing good will come about if something is half-baked.
___________________________________
Author’s email: JJAbulado@norsu.edu.ph
