Ready for ‘new normal’: iACADEMY sets up flexible learning modes for SY 2020-2021

By Pulitiko | May 08, 2020

The Makati-based iAcademy is set to implement a flexible learning arrangement for the coming school year amid the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Students will learn through synchronous and asynchronous teaching modes. The former refers to conducting learning sessions where students and professors interact and collaborate in real time. This set-up allows immediate feedback and facilitates the exchange of ideas and information. This includes teleconferences, live broadcasts, webinars, and chats using various online platforms such as Learning Managament Systems, Google Meet, and the like.

In asynchronous teaching and learning, professors and students interact but not in real time. The professors provide offline learning materials or resources that students study or work on. This includes tutorial videos, recorded class sessions, modules, learning guides, PowerPoint presentations, etc. Students and professors communicate via SMS, phone calls, emails, or instant messaging for consultation or feedback.

Flexible learning modes are already available to students who are completing their term while the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is in place. In case the lockdown is extended beyond May 15 and face-to-face classes are still not possible in June, classes will continue through flexible learning modes until May 30.

Onsite classes, meanwhile, are set to start on June 1 until July 15. However, if school operations are still not allowed by June, students will have to wait for their subjects to be offered next school year.

Vanessa Tanco, iACADEMY’s President and CEO, said the school is currently studying a range of scenarios on how to move forward in the next academic year, which they tentatively scheduled in September, while holding dialogues with its stakeholders.

“The school’s direction will always adhere to the recommendations and policies of CHED and the mandates of the government regarding the pandemic. This gives parents and students time to adjust to the inevitable new normal. It also provides the faculty members the opportunity to further sharpen their teaching skills and develop materials suited to the alternative modes of learning,” she said.