Abstract:
COVID-19 is having a major impact on multiple parts of society around the world. The constant increase in confirmed cases has affected the general public and has led to the closure of businesses, workplaces, schools and colleges to protect everyone. In an instant, the education system around the world was transformed from a traditional classroom setup to a combination of flexible online, homeschooling, modular, asynchronous, synchronous, and technology-enhanced learning. As a result, teachers were forced to complete the school year through online, blended, flexible and modular learning. According to Lalani (2020), COVID-19 is having a significant impact on students, faculty and educational organizations around the world by shifting the learning environment from conventional to online education. Hence, this study was conducted to determine the barriers that significantly affect both teachers and students during the implementation of flexible learning. The analysis involved the 241 college students and 85 faculty members from a state university in the Philippines. Findings reveal that learner motivation, access to internet, and social interactions were found to be the very strong barrier that the respondents experienced during the implementation of flexible learning. This strongly suggests that teachers should find ways on using innovative and interactive teaching strategies to increase students' motivation and engagement towards learning amidst the pandemic.
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