The ¾«¶«Ó°Ņµ (UP) will be implementing blended learning delivery modes for the academic year (AY) 2022 to 2023, according to Memorandum No. 2022-88 recently circulated by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (OVPAA).
Read the memo here.
The said memorandum, dated 20 June 2022, guides all UP faculty, institute directors, department chairs, program directors, deans, and officials in their planning of programs and designing of courses to be used in the reopening of UP campuses beginning in the First Semester of AY 2022-2023 this September.
The OVPAA memo explained how blended learning combines face-to-face (f2f) and online teaching and learning modes. It expounded how blended or mixed methods allow greater flexibility for the University. Blended learning fosters academic excellence, develops 21st-century competencies, and strengthens UPās institutional resilience and learning continuity in the next normal during the COVID-19 pandemic and in preparation for other possible disruptions such as disasters and social crises.
According to the memo, blended learning further improves the quality of teaching and learning by providing access to a wide range of learning resources in various media (text, video, audio, multimedia, interactive multimedia). It also enhances interaction using numerous technologies, expanding opportunities for collaborative learning online and f2f, and developing independent means to understanding and furthering oneās digital skills.
The memo presents four learning delivery modes: face-to-face instruction, which was the traditional mode during pre-pandemic times; distance education, as offered by UP Open University; blended learning, which varies from f2f and/or synchronous and/or asynchronous online, developed in 2020; and, the hybrid flexible or HyFlex learning, which adapts simultaneous f2f and synchronous online teaching and learning.
OVPAA articulated three main models for UPās blended learning: blended online learning, which combines synchronous and asynchronous online learning; blended block learning, which combines blocks of online learning and f2f, including practicum, fieldwork, and hands-on workshops; and classic blended learning, which combines f2f and asynchronous online learning, and includes f2f group work, seminars, discussions, laboratory work, and studio classes.
The memo also stated that UP recognizes the many difficulties students and faculty face in transitioning to the next normal, the numerous requisites intended for the safe return of students and faculty, and the effective implementation of the Universityās blended learning modes for the AY 2022-2023. Thus, UP will continue providing much-needed support to its faculty and students.
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