AFTER CONDUCTING a study on the Loyola Schools’ (LS) well-being through the Semestral Set-up and Online Learning Survey, the Sanggunian Committee on Online and Blended Learning (COBL) released the survey’s preliminary findings on October 14 and submitted policy recommendations for academic ease on November 5.

COBL’s proposed academic ease entails flexible deadlines, removal of deductions for late submissions, the creation of avenues for anonymous class concerns, and renegotiations of class syllabi and policies midway through the semester.

These recommendations served as the Sanggunian’s response to common student issues such as the compounded workload, overlapping deadlines, and professors’ noncompliance to academic policies and their retaliation against students raising concerns.

LS community concerns

In The GUIDON’s independent study on the quarterly setup conducted last academic year, 92% of 38 respondents said that their workload was “doable” as they were able to submit on time while reaching their tasks’ desired level of quality.

Meanwhile, COBL’s survey revealed that the freshmen’s main concern in the current setup is the number of assessments and deadlines, while scholars were most concerned with their semestral workload. Both sectors for transferees and students with mental health concerns also cited their classes’ fast pace as their common problem in this setup.

In contrast to the quarterly mode, Nicole* (5 BS BIO) viewed the semesterly setup as “more stressful and draining” due to the increased amount of subjects taken simultaneously alongside more workload.

Chemistry Department instructor Allan* also said that several of his students asked for deadline extensions because they struggled with the workload and the limited time for completing lab assessments.

With this, LS Office of Guidance and Counseling (LSOGC) Director Gary Faustino said that the pandemic presented both students and faculty a learning curve they needed to adapt into. He explained that it would be unfair to judge anyone who did not perform well in either studying or teaching.

“It’s not really the system [that’s the problem], it’s getting used to the system. […] Of course, some are survivors, they can do it. But there are those who will be affected by it—and they were affected by it. […] So it’s not really a matter of quarterly or semestral [because] both faculty and students were not ready,” he said.

As such, Faustino encouraged students to trust their professors in curating key topics for effective online learning. While there are “negotiables” for him as a teacher, he clarified that constant negotiations would “destabilize” the patterns that teachers established for their own well-being.

Laying out roadmaps

Nonetheless, School of Social Sciences Representative Ivan Nabong said that, because of the increased workload, COBL recommends lessening academic requirements and granting deadline extensions for students with four or more deliverables in one day.

He also said that initiatives on academic ease do not stop with recommendations. According to him, the Sanggunian continues to coordinate with other LS sectors such as home organizations so these policies are addressed in line with their continuous dialogue with the student body.

“And in the level of the school Sanggunian, whatever concerns that [students] have, kung ifo-forward nila samin (if they forward it to us), it’s really acted upon. […] The setup is very difficult for everyone, so on our end, we’re trying to make sure that the experience will, at the very least, be as easy as possible,” he said.

With these aims in mind, Nabong said the Sanggunian is currently amending the 2019 Magna Carta of Undergraduate Students’ Rights to fit the current LS context and protect students from professors who would retaliate after receiving class concerns.

He added that the new University Steering Committee on Health and Well-Being complements COBL’s student-centered role and strengthens its stance on academic easing. According to the November 11 memorandum, this Committee aims to “direct and coordinate various University functionalities that contribute to well-being.”

As part of this Committee, Vice President for Human Resources Ma. Victoria Cortez, PhD said that the Office of Human Resource Management and Organization Development will continue to develop and administer initiatives promoting LS employees’ physical, social, and mental well-being, such as Group Health Insurance and wellness programs.

Aside from these, she mentioned that employee-led programs, like Sickness Aid Plan and Solidarity Fund, help build a sense of community among employees in need through donations.Faustino also said that, on top of peer support groups, the LSOGC is planning to conduct animal-assisted counseling wherein a therapy dog becomes part of the therapy process. “It’s a healthy thing to be dialoguing, and that takes a little more courage from the students’ part because you’re talking [to] people of authority when you deal with [reconciling class concerns],” he added.