By Shayne Elizabeth T. Flores

With Far Eastern University (FEU) set to shift to a hybrid learning modality for the upcoming S.Y. 2025-2026, Tamaraw student-leaders are calling upon the administration for a policy that caters to students’ needs and circumstances.

According to the initial policy brief, FEU will adopt a blended learning modality starting this August, in line with the University’s commitment to increase flexibility and enhance Tamaraws’ digital literacy.

During each academic week, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday will be allotted for onsite synchronous classes. Meanwhile, offsite classes will be held every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, either through independent study or online synchronous meetings at the instructor’s discretion.

This blended modality will be applied to all FEU courses, except selected laboratory, professional courses, Wellness and Recreation Program, as well as all Nursing courses.

Prior to the policy’s implementation, the Academic Affairs Office (AAO) released a survey in Canvas to gather students’ initial feedback on the planned shift last April 22.

Moreover, consultations and town hall meetings with student-leaders have also been ongoing since April.

‘Vague’ rationale

Despite this, in an online interview with FEU Advocate, FEU Central Student Organization (FEUCSO) President Raezon Gonzales stressed the need for a more inclusive consultation, extending to the student body as a whole.

“Sana it’s going to be well-consulted with the students. I know that they have been consulting us student-leaders pero [we are] just hoping na sana when it comes to consultations and when it comes to town hall [meetings], sana it’s complete agad and ayun, they're very open naman,” he said.

Gonzales also raised concern on students’ capacity to adapt with the new learning modality, given the possible digital divide and other limitations to their home setup.

“When it comes to the new policies, sana it's really pro-student kasi we've raised concerns, we've raised multiple concerns doon sa consultation na how about students that aren't capable of having devices or having Wi-Fi, having devices or… maayos na environment for online classes,” he stated.

Additionally, the FEUCSO President claimed that boosting the student body’s digital literacy is not enough reason for the University to shift the whole learning setup, but rather, a “more concrete or tangible” rationale is needed.

Citing students’ negative feedback and experience about the recently implemented Independent Learning Weeks (ILW), Gonzales expressed skepticism on the administration’s grounds for their decision.

“I’m very curious lang din na hindi ba nagwo-work ‘yung face-to-face [setup] natin? Is there a study or is there data or information that the face-to-face modality isn’t working for us FEU students? So I'm very skeptical and uncertain when it comes to the future implementation of the hybrid modality," he raised.

Similarly, Institute of Arts and Sciences (IAS) Student Council (SC) President Kyte Daiter Percia questioned AAO’s claimed ‘positive feedback’ on ILW as basis for the new modality, when data from IAS grievance platforms say otherwise. 

“During that discussion with AAO, they mentioned na this was based on positive feedback daw from the implementation of Independent Learning Week this past second semester. Pero based din sa nakikita namin sa grievance platforms natin at ng ating mga IAS Academic Organizations (AOs), maraming students ang nahirapan during this ILW,” he noted in a separate online interview.

Along with the Institute of Education, IAS was the only institute that applied ILW in both General Education and professional courses.

“Kaya para sa'kin, sa pag-implement nitong hybrid setup next academic year, siguraduhin muna na ito ay gusto at kailangan ng student body mismo. Kasi tayo ang pinaka-apektado, tayong main stakeholders of our University, and this should not negatively affect our academic experience,” Percia added.

Possible effects

Noting Tamaraws’ gradual accustomation to the hybrid setup after one semester of ILWs, Percia stated that it would still be a big adjustment to the student body given the different course requirements.

“First of all, maraming courses na laboratory-heavy, like sa IAS meron tayong Biology, Chemistry, Applied Math, and even Communication. These subjects really require full face-to-face interaction to reach that learning goal. So kung magiging hybrid, paano natin masisigurado na nama-maximize pa rin ang ating mga binabayarang laboratory miscellaneous fees (How can we ensure that the laboratory miscellaneous fees we pay will be maximized)?” he remarked.

In a separate online interview, Institute of Health Sciences and Nursing (IHSN) SC President John Rich Yalung underlined the importance of active classroom engagement as it helps students effectively digest theoretical concepts.

“In IHSN, while we recognize that there are various applications that aid students in learning theoretical knowledge… Simply searching for theoretical concepts or explanations is not enough to fully understand the topic. Active support from lecturers and meaningful engagement are essential for students to effectively digest theoretical concepts and apply them during practical assessments,” he claimed.

As a result, while he acknowledges that the hybrid modality aligns with current trends, Yalung claimed that the traditional mode of learning should still be prioritized.

“While it is indeed important to develop digital literacy, the traditional mode of learning should still be prioritized to ensure active student engagement and more dynamic educational discourse, which this setup naturally supports,” the IHSN SC President highlighted.

Highlighting the need for ‘equity,’ Percia also urged the University to provide support systems to assist students when it comes to facilities, academic resources, and other needs.

Apart from academics, the student-leaders also raised the hybrid modality’s possible impact on students’ University life, particularly when it comes to extracurricular activities and events.

“So medyo mahirap siya on our end kasi how about the events? How about participation? It's going to be limited siguro mostly to online kasi half of the week we'll be having online classes,” Gonzales said.

Coordination with the admin

Beyond the town hall meetings organized by AAO, the student-leaders have initiated communication with the administration in addressing the new learning modality.

According to the FEUCSO President, they have requested AAO for the final version of the policy guidelines along with their survey data results.

“50-50 daw ‘yung sagot when it comes to the insights of students to hybrid modality learning. But then as student-leaders with our data-driven approach, we want to really get the actual results kung talaga bang 50-50 kasi it's really hard to implement a new system if not majority or if not most of the students agree with the implementation of the hybrid learning,” he said.

However, the organization has yet to receive a response from AAO as of writing.

Furthermore, FEUCSO has also coordinated with Institute SCs and AOs, urging them to open discussions with their respective deans and department chairs.

“Para alam din namin kung ano ba ‘yung pulso ng mga institutes nila kasi it's going to be different per institute kung ano ba ‘yung implementation kasi iba-iba tayo ng programs (So we can know the pulse of the institutes, on what will be their implementation approach because they have diverse programs),” Gonzales added.

Per the IAS SC President, their organization has already discussed with IAS Dean Diego Jose Abad last May 26, wherein they relayed the aforementioned concerns. 

According to the IAS Dean, laboratory courses will remain fully face-to-face. Moreover, regular classrooms will be open to accommodate students who do not have convenient home set-ups.

The administration is also currently working on the guidelines for ensuring a smooth transition to hybrid learning modality.

Meanwhile, Yalung shared that IHSN SC has communicated with their AOs regarding their plans and initiatives so the student council can align theirs accordingly. They are also coordinating IHSN AOs’ consultations with their respective department chairs.

The student-leaders have been collaborating to disseminate AAO’s survey regarding the blended learning modality across their respective social media platforms in order to boost student responses and strengthen the data’s reliability.

“We have to market also the survey kasi concerned din kami baka naman kasi hindi pa lahat ng mga estudyante or kunti pa lamang ng mga estudyante ‘yung nakakapag-sagot ng mismong (because we are concerned that only a few students have answered the)… survey when it comes to the learning modality ,” the FEUCSO President noted.

Future plans

Emphasizing the need for a data-driven rationale behind the learning modality change, FEUCSO and Institute SCs are planning to collectively release their own university-wide and institute-specific survey.

“Merong general questions dun about the hybrid modality and then ‘yung implementation… We encourage the Institute Student Councils na mag-include ng mga questions that are catered to their own institutes para naman ‘yung results na lamang is ifo-forward na lang namin sa kanila and para din mas maraming students ‘yung magsagot,” Gonzales explained.

Moreover, once the new school year begins along with the hybrid learning setup, the student-leaders are planning to implement help desks and information systems to assist students during the adjustment period. 

“Once ma-implement na talaga ito, ang pinakauna nating i-a-advocate (Once we implement this, the first thing we will advocate) is the release of clear and comprehensive guidelines on this. Hindi puwedeng sabak agad sa bagong (We shouldn’t go straight into the new) modality without that, and dapat well-prepared ang ating admin, faculties, and the students themselves,” Percia stressed.

Additionally, grievance platforms will also be established to collate student feedback and raise it to the administration accordingly.

As of writing, the student-leaders are awaiting the next consultation with AAO for the updated version of the policy guidelines.

“Upon the consultation naman din last week or ‘yung pinaka-previous na consultation… there is going to be another consultation so ‘yun na lamang ‘yung inaantay ni FEUCSO, SCs, and AOs kasi ito raw magiging next consultation, it's gonna be the second version and hopefully the final version,” the FEUCSO President said.

Meanwhile, FEU Advocate has already been in talks with AAO for an interview regarding the matters, but has yet to be given a concrete response as of writing.

(Photo by Melvin James Urubio/FEU Advocate)