Due to the current Covid19 pandemic, the conventional way of learning or the face-to-face learning is discouraged to reduce the spread of the disease. The Department of Education Malaybalay City Division have been responsive to this need like all other local divisions, through the creation of learning modules as an alternative learning modality. This new normal in education is quite challenging for the teachers who are the facilitators of learning and for the learners who will receive the lessons in this new approach. The greater challenge is on how to make the learning materials or modules effective in terms of learners’ acquisition and application of knowledge despite the lack of teacher-student face-to-face interaction.
The Learning Resource (LR) Design and Development team of the division have a very important role in ensuring the availability of quality learning and teaching resource materials for learners and instructional support materials for teachers in the division. Support groups or individuals for the LR Design and Development team are needed to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the LR production and distribution. Hence, the presence of a Project Development Officer (PDO) in this area in the division would be of great help for the LR Design and Development team. The PDO is tasked to assist the LR supervisor in forming and supporting the various LR design and development teams, coordinating schedules, content developers (writers, illustrators, editors, QA reviewers) and target outputs and sourcing out the necessary support for the teams including providers for the needed competencies. It is highly recommended that the PDO has basic knowledge and technical skills in computer operation and ICT since one of its functions is to encode metadata and support content development activities, and respond to individual user’s queries and difficulties with the Web-based LRMDS.
In addition, a lot of Learning Management Systems (LMS) like google classroom, Schoology, Zoom and the like are deemed essential tools in the new normal in education. PDOs with skills and knowledge in ICT and LMS will be of great advantage for the division’s adaptation during these times especially that they can provide or facilitate trainings related to technology integration in LR design and development.
Indeed, concerted effort is needed to ensure that LR design and development is properly implemented and at the same time meeting today’s new normal in the learning process. There must be continued technical support to LR design and development team for technology integration and efficient LR production.
Kervi Don Abregana Abendaño