ANGELES CITY -- A university here is set to offer free prepaid loads and free use of gadgets for one year to its students since classes will go online starting August 2020.
Holy Angel University (HAU) will offer the free gadgets and prepaid credits to their neediest students.
In a survey, the HAU-University Student Council (USC) noted the lack of gadgets, weak or fluctuating Internet signal and cost of connectivity as a problem for students, although the study revealed that only two percent of the respondents have no smartphone and only four percent have no Internet access at home.
HAU is encouraging these students to apply at the HAU Office of Community Extension Services (Oces) for free prepaid loads good for one school year and at the HAU Scholarships and Grants Office for free use of tablets. The university has purchased 1,000 tablets to lend to students for one school year.
The university is also campaigning for individual and corporate donors to raise funds to purchase prepaid loads and additional tablets so that more students can benefit from the grant. It has also negotiated with Smart-PLDT, Globe and Converge for easier installment plans and customized packages for HAU students.
Meanwhile, all HAU faculty members have completed a course on the new learning management system under Canvas and are currently converting their traditional lesson plans into online format in time for opening of online classes in August.
The University Student Council (USC) has also released the results of its evaluation of the University's online summer classes, which show the instructors' preparedness to handle online classes and the students' overall satisfaction with the university's online instruction.
USC officers personally observed the classes and surveyed the students enrolled in those classes. Instructors received high marks in both observation and survey in terms of mastery and delivery, class management, communication skills, ability to engage students and use of the new online platform. The observers also noted the instructors' helpfulness and leniency with students having difficulty with the new system.
The University's School of Engineering and Architecture also conducted a survey on its own online summer classes, which validated the findings of the USC survey and observation.
HAU has assured students and their parents that it is enforcing strict health and safety protocols on campus for in-person enrollment which will start later this month. Enrollment is currently online and by phone.
Protocols include "no mask, no entry" policy, social distancing, temperature check, provision of alcohol dispensers and plastic dividers, skeleton workforce in offices, rotating schedule of employees, and shortened office hours.
The university is also readying options for students who prefer traditional printed learning materials and for parents who prefer home schooling for their children, as well as blended instruction (rotating, socially distanced classes on campus) if and when government allows social mobility for students.
HAU officials said they will give students as many flexible learning choices as possible, respect their unique individual circumstances, provide them meaningful and memorable experiences despite their limited access to campus facilities, and prioritize their health and safety above all.
