STI bridges learning gaps through innovation and technology
Education is undeniably one of the sectors in the country that was
heavily hit by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. According to
UNESCO, more than 1.5 billion students were affected by school closures in an
attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease and 30 million of which
are Filipino learners.
With school closures and physical classes no longer a feasible option
amidst the health and safety concerns, educational institutions have shifted to
distance learning. However, the sudden shift to remote learning has its
challenges as most learners, educators, colleges, and universities have limited
resources to meet the abrupt demands of the new learning modalities.
“The global pandemic has only allowed little time for schools to prepare
for remote learning and other challenges in the curricula and learning delivery
system. It is therefore crucial that we innovate, become more creative, and use
technology as a leverage to make education inclusive, robust, and effective
despite the crisis,” said Aisa Q. Hipolito, STI ESG VP for Academics.
Tech-driven education in the new normal
STI has introduced the ONline and ONsite Education (ONE STI), an
educational framework to enable students to complete their studies last school
year. For school year 2021-2022, ONE STI will continue to be the primary
learning modality amidst the pandemic.
The ONE STI Learning Model combines online learning via the eLearning
Management System (eLMS) at home with the invaluable hands-on training on-campus
campus once allowed by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).
The concept of online learning is not new to STI, as the institution
already implemented a blended learning mode for the past years using a two-way
cloud-based platform where students and teachers can discuss and collaborate
seamlessly.
To increase students’ productivity, STI partnered with Microsoft to
provide its students and teachers with their own Microsoft Office 365 accounts
which they can use to install Microsoft productivity apps on their devices and
login to MS Teams. Through the MS Teams, students can also attend their online
classes through its extensive video conferencing and other collaborative
features.
With connectivity being the main hurdle in online learning, STI showed
the institution’s commitment to bridging the gap with their recent partnership
with PLDT Enterprise and Globe Telecom where students across all STI campuses
will be provided with up to 34GB monthly data plan for free.
“Through this endeavor, our students will be less burdened and can stay
connected, have access to online materials, and study safely and comfortably
from their homes,” said Hipolito.
Industry-based and interactive learning content
To complement this new learning model, STI continues to strengthen its
partnership with key players in the industry to address the learning gaps
brought by the limitations of remote learning. This is a way to ensure that
students still get the most out of their education and get to apply their
learnings in real world settings to prepare them for future employment.
“We constantly look for opportunities and seek feedback from our industry
partners to ensure that our curriculum and training programs conform to the
needs and demands of the ever-changing industry trends,” noted Hipolito.
STI’s experience with blended learning in the past years has allowed the
institution to recalibrate its learning contents and teaching methodologies to
educate students even outside the classroom effectively.
For an instance, STI College is one of the 11 top universities and
colleges in the country that joined the Huawei ICT Academy, a program of a
leading multinational tech company Huawei that aims to enhance the awareness as
well as the ICT knowledge and skills of future talents in the Philippines.
College students from various STI campuses have also successfully
completed the UnionBank Blockchain Xcellerator Program where they had undergone
an eight-week intensive course to create a blockchain application based on a
business model.
Aside from these programs, STI teachers are actively inviting industry
practitioners to their online classes to provide an insightful firsthand
perspective to the learners.
A virtual career fair exclusive for STI students and alumni was also
conducted with the help of companies such as Accenture and Teleperformance to
open more opportunities of employment to students.
In addition, a series of STI Webinars were continuously held for both
students and parents, which discussed matters like mental health, data privacy
online, and ways to deal with learning from home.
Apart from the ever-evolving content of the curriculum, STI has optimized
its learning contents by making each module highly engaging and interactive.
Hipolito reiterated that the institution has invested its time and effort
on various learning methodologies, data analytics on student performance that
can correlate with various factors that affect learning, and continuous
trainings for teachers.
“STI has always been committed to provide our students with the necessary
skills and knowledge that they can apply in the real world. That is why STI
education is responsive, up-to-date, and relevant to keep up with the demands
of our learners and the industries,” ended Hipolito.
