Information Technology Students’ Lived Experiences in the New Educational Implementation

Abstract

The dramatic attack of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a lockdown and caused to postponement of the face-to-face learning engagement of students and teachers within the school. This pandemic has paved the way for the implementation of Modular Distance Learning as an immediate response to ensure the quality of education to be rendered for the students where they were obliged to do home-based schooling. Thus, this study aimed to examine the lived experiences of the Information Technology students during the implementation of the new educational platform through phenomenological approach. Ten participants were purposively selected using the criteria sampling technique to answer the interview questions. Thematic analysis was employed in identifying, analyzing, and describing the overarching statements of the participants. Three themes emerged in this study (1) Limitedness of Interaction, (2) Hard to adjust, and (3) Hoping for old normal classes. The study revealed that the participants experienced limited opportunities in teaching-learning in a virtual classroom. The participants were also hard up in adapting the online modality due to the lack of gadgets suitable for online classes. The respondents recommended that face-to-face classes be implemented again to ensure better learning and instructors must be more creative and resourceful in their teaching to address the need of the time. Finally, in order to guarantee high-quality education, the incorporation of a more comprehensive and interactive virtual learning support systems is a must while giving priority to the gradual transition back to in-person classes.