Session: 09-08-01: Distance/Online Engineering Education, Models and Enabling Technologies

Paper Number: 69089

Start Time: Tuesday, 10:05 AM

69089 - Mobile Solar Powered Instructional Technology Equipment for Online Teaching and Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic for Remote Community 

Abstract

As COVID-19 continues spreading in several countries of the world, the disruption of learning is evident and how to keep it going has become a major challenge to the global education community. As stated by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay: “We are entering uncharted territory and working with countries to find hi-tech, low-tech and no-tech solutions to assure the continuity of learning.” (Huang, R.H., Liu, D.J., Tlili, A., Yang, J.F., Wang, H.H., et al.,2020).

In the Philippines, the current issue nowadays as experienced by the teacher whether the use of the online learning mode resources have options in mitigating the risk of having intermittent internet connection from a certain internet provider and the option of lessening the threat of power interruption which may directly affect the teacher-learner online engagement was considered. In addition to this issue, whether these online learning resources can be utilized anywhere, anytime to be flexible and with mobility.

This paper deals with the development of a mobile solar powered instructional technology equipment for online teaching and learning in the remote community during COVID-19 Pandemic and beyond. The main concept is to teach and learn anytime, anywhere and help mitigate the learning disruptions especially the students in the underserved and disadvantaged community in Cebu City, Philippines using this mobile instructional technology equipment.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, wherein face to face classes were not allowed in compliance to the health and safety protocols issued by the government, an online survey was conducted to determine the issues of the flexible learning strategy under the online teaching and learning modality. It was found out that about 94% of the respondents for both students and teachers were using smartphones while the rest were using laptops, PC Desktops and tablets as their online gadgets. The study revealed that teachers and students do not have an alternative power supply in case of power interruptions and majority of the respondents rely to a single internet provider, experienced intermittent internet connections, and some issues in mobility.

Thus, a mobile solar powered instructional technology equipment, a four wheeled fat bicycle with mounting apparatus fully loaded with smart gadgets and accessories for online teaching and learning was developed and tested to help mitigate the learning disruption of students focused on quality education and life-long learning, gender equality, poverty alleviation, health and sanitation, and strengthening local and global partnership for sustainable development.

Aside from being mobile online teaching and learning hub, it can also be transformed into a mobile clinic, a learning hub for STEM and Day Care Center, health and wellness support mobile facility for all ages, an entrepreneurial hub like loading of cellphones, bills payment center, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) refreshment and entertainment hub, net surfing, drone charging platform and other related online activities.

Keywords: instructional technology equipment, learning disruption, mobile, online teaching and learning.

Presenting Author: Ronald Galindo Cebu Technological University

Authors:

Ronald M. Galindo Cebu Technological University
Jun-Jun A. Obiso Cebu Technological University