Modular Distance Learning: Perceived Difficulties by the Students

The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, has affected thousands of people and dramatically altered our way of life. The disruptions caused by this pandemic, such as travel restrictions and a global economic recession, have had a significant impact on our society. Additionally, it has brought forth new challenges and experiences in the education system, with face-to-face learning becoming less feasible and modular distance learning taking its place. As a result, the Department of Education has implemented urgent measures to ensure the safety of students and teachers while maintaining the quality of education. To analyze modular learning, this essay will explore the difficulties that students encounter during such trying times.

With health risks that the pandemic is imposing to learners, the Department of Education provided guidelines and policies regarding various modalities and approaches, different modes of learning, new learning materials and procedures was presented and implemented in this 'new normal' learning system and so Modular Learning Approach was one of them and was then addressed and implemented in many schools now. These modular approach is a new way of thinking in education that replaced the traditional teaching methods. It focuses on what the students are expected to learn and do, rather than on what the teacher is expected to teach. Modular learning approach are a kind of distance learning where learning takes place between the teachers and the student located far away with each other during the instruction. The printed modules are distributed weekly to the parents or guardians by the teachers in school. Students are tasked to complete the activities and submit their outputs at the end of the week. Since education is no longer held within the school, parents serve as partners of teachers in education. Parents play a vital role as home facilitators. Their primary role in modular learning is to establish a connection and guide the child. This learning modality is currently used by all public schools because according to a survey conducted by DepEd, 8.8 million parents preferred this kind of learning approach. This is the way to keep students from learning and no students should left behind even we are in the middle of a pandemic, and made education be still possible despite the situation. Learners can use self-learning modules (SLMs) in print or digital formatelectronic copy that depends on the learners' need and other resources, such as Learner's Materials, textbooks, activity sheets, study guides, and other study materials, are available to students enrolled in Modular Distance Learning. This program also brought advantages to the learners specially the modular learning which is the learning modality on the junior high school students but there are still countless of problems and issues with its implementation such as poor reading and writing skills of the students, time constraints due to work and household chores, too difficult lessons and subjects and too many learning activities in the modules, difficulty of self learning because the fact that not all students are fast learners and can be easily for them to adapt in this new normal learning system. In practice, however, the modular problem frequently falls short of its goals for some of the flaws are attributable to management issues, educational techniques, no one guides them and not able to study and teach the lessons by themselves alone. Some of them always rely in answer keys without reading and comprehending the modules, and in the end, they always say that they learned nothing.

Normally, Philippine public elementary and secondary schools use traditional method as the instructional strategy in delivering education. However, COVID-19 pandemic has made the offering of distance learning inevitable, not only in urban areas but also in rural areas, even to the most remote areas in the different parts of the country. Distance learning makes it flexible in terms of time and geography. Students are not allowed to be physically present in place with the instructor, and they are not obliged to be present in time depending on the method utilized. One of the most financially accessible and sustainable kinds of education especially today's challenging situation is distance learning. Even if public schools were given free access to modules, many students tend to work and study at the same time. As a result of their poor time management and prioritization, completing their LAS has become more challenging. According to Pe Dangle and Sumaoang, modular instruction requires students to have more self-discipline and self-motivation, more administrative resources to track students and manage different modules, and more preparation time and a lack of tangible rewards for instructors and staff. Modules have their own set of drawbacks. Modular learning may not be effective to all of the students. As what Bijeesh have said, if they are not surrounded by teachers and classmates who remind them of their responsibilities, they are more likely to become sidetracked and lose sight of deadlines. Like any kind of educational program, distance learning comes with a host of pros and cons. In addition, From a study made by Pe Dangle & Sumaoang on the implementation of Modular Distance Learning in Balbalayang National High School (BNHS) and Baguio City National High School (BCNHS) during the School Year 2020-2021, they showed the primary problems that arose in the implementation of modular distance learning, including a lack of funding for the creation and distribution of modules, students having difficulty answering assignments on their modules, and parents lacking academic skills to guide their childchildren. Their study was able to determine the prevailing challenges of the participants in terms of resources, preparedness, and communication.

Difficulties with distant learning can be also linked to students' mental health. This can include, among other things:

• issues arising from a lack of direct contact between the student and the lecturer;
• issues arising from a sense of alienation and isolation from the student community;
• issues arising from anxiety and concerns about the educational process and learning outcomes.

In conclusion, the above mentioned challenges are all related to modular distance learning approach brought by this Covid-19 pandemic. If these challenges are left unaddressed, modular learning will fail and no learning whatsoever will take place. Modular learning may not be effective to all of the students but this is the only way that all of us can restore the balance brought to us by this pandemic, a reason why the researcher conducted a study exploring the perceived difficulties by students in adapting modular learning approach.