Students and faculty members of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila joined the one-day simulation of the University’s remote learning strategy on Monday, September 14, 2020.
Thousands tuned in as the University started the day with a flag-raising ceremony hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Management, which was streamed on Facebook live. It fetched a peak live audience of nearly 5,000 and garnered about 30,000 views throughout the day.
“Buong-buo ang ating paninindigan na ating ipagpapatuloy ang ating tungkulin –– hindi lamang para sa mag-aaral at mga guro, kundi para sa sambayanang Pilipino. Napakalaki po ng ating pangangailangan na ipagpatuloy natin ang ating pag-aaral,” PLM President Emmanuel Leyco said during his opening remarks for the interactive dry run.
After the brief ceremony, students were directed to enter their virtual classrooms hosted on Microsoft Teams, the University’s chosen platform. Professors tried out the system and explored its various features, which started by playing informational videos about PLM along with a virtual campus tour.
“Our first dry run involving our dear students and faculty was executed quite well. There is still room for improvement, but we believe that these can be addressed during our final preparations in the next three weeks before we officially open the new academic year,” President Leyco said.
“This provides us the confidence that we can pull off blended learning modes come October 5. We hope that this experience will also help students adjust to our ‘new normal’ in education and are better prepared once the formal classes start,” he added.
There were several incidents on slow internet connectivity as some students and teachers temporarily lost connection, while others may have had a hard time getting into MS Teams classrooms. Meanwhile, the Information and Communications Technology Office is completing the sending of Outlook emails and class schedules for new and returning students ahead of academic year 2020-2021.
Printed modules are also being prepared for those who indicated that they did not have access to internet or computer gadgets. Materials will be distributed through the Barangay Bureau for students residing in the City of Manila.
PLM’s preparations are in full blast as the start of classes for undergraduate and select postgraduate courses draws near. The University remains committed to deliver accessible and quality education to its students even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students who still do not have access to their official PLM Outlook accounts may reach out to ithelp_outlook@plm.edu.ph for assistance. Comments and suggestions that will contribute to the improvement of the online learning experience can be sent to pantas_tugon@plm.edu.ph. Feedback from participants are still being collected and will be shared later.