Conclusions and recommendations

The ALS Learner as an Ethical Digital Citizen not only served as a “kickstart” to the implementation of Learning Strand 6 (LS6): Digital Citizenship in the Alternative Learning System of Imus, Cavite in response to the Department of Education’s insufficient provision of learning materials. It was also able to:

 

1. Teach the ALS learners how to become ethical digital citizens.

Learners are now able to distinguish between ethical and unethical beliefs and attitudes toward digital technologies, which they may apply in their daily lives as social media users, parents, employees, students, and citizens of the country.

 

2. Introduce an effective pedagogy that suits the learners and the mode of delivery.

Through their self-directedness and the guidance provided by the customized distance learning materials, the learners have become more active participants who can critically reflect on their actions, compare and contrast ethical and unethical digital citizens, and apply what they’ve learned in real life. Unlike the traditional modules where they passively store information and answer multiple-choice quizzes only, the pedagogically sound materials now allow the adult and distance learners to take action through activities like the Digital Ethics Oath. The conversational tone of writing, self-assessments, personal goals, and other elements of the material also compensated for the lack of teaching assistance they receive due to their current setup. 

 

3. Change the way we view ALS learners.

To see out-of-school youths, dropouts, non-readers, and working Filipinos as problem-centered, goal-oriented adult learners with a wealth of experiences empowers them to continue pursuing their education. It has made a huge difference compared to the traditional mode of teaching where the learners, like helpless schoolchildren, have to absorb the information provided to them. An adult learner-centered view of the ALS learners may not only improve their educational experience but their overall quality of life because of their reclaimed power to relate their learnings with personal factors. 

 

4. Emphasize the disparity between formal and non-formal education systems in the Philippines.

While formal education in the Philippines continues to have problems in terms of access, it is undeniable that non-formal education, specifically Alternative Learning System, has a longer way to go. It continues to have deficiencies in its goals, materials, lessons, and overall curriculum, adding to the burden of learners socio-economic background. The lack of materials for LS6 in Imus, Cavite is one clear example. 44% of ALS learners drop out of formal education system and switch to ALS due to lack of financial support, but only one-third of enrollees graduate the program (UNICEF, 2019). Equitable attention should be given to non-formal education through continuous research and reform. 

 

Overall, this special project has achieved more than the intended learning outcomes. It has produced an introductory module for ALS Imus City’s 6th learning strand, while also utilizing new pedagogies that fit the needs of adult and distance learners. Hopefully, it may serve as a framework for the development of new ALS self-learning modules in the future. 

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One recommendation I have for improving this instructional design project is to create multimedia resources that can be accessed through hyperlinks in the primary self-learning module. My learning material only selected a YouTube video from the internet for the sibtopic on internet addiction. But producing a video specially for ALS adult learners will aid in reflecting their real-life situations for them to see the relevance of the lesson. It may also help produce content that aligns with the intended learning outcomes and assessment methods. 

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The creation of video materials is the job of a media practitioner. But as an instructional designer, I outlined some instructional strategies that the media practitioner should employ when developing a video, say, about internet addiction. I hope it serves as a guide for creating other types of multimedia resources.

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1. The introduction should grab the adult learner's attention by instantly tapping into their personal experience. For example, a voiceover might ask, "How many hours do you spend on the internet daily?"

2. Plan the content thoroughly, making sure it aligns with the learning outcome. Since the intended outcome is to explain how to minimize negative online behaviors (such as internet addiction), the content should only cover a few minutes of "What is Internet Addiction?" Clips about "Why is internet addiction wrong" or "Causes of internet addiction" are unnecessary and only add extraneous cognitive load.

3. When discussing how to minimize internet addiction, give relevant and attainable examples. For instance, instead of suggesting "Create distractions that will postpone internet use," one can say to the ALS learner, "Catch up on missed learning activities in your self-learning modules to postpone internet use."

4. Present one idea at a time. When discussing ways to minimize internet addiction, the media specialist can number these "ways" from 1 to 5 and discuss each concisely. This also helps the learner chunk the information they receive. 

5. Summarize the video in the end so that the learner can synthesize their ideas and solve personal problems concerning internet addiction.

6. Take advantage of text, voiceovers, and images for the video to cater to diverse learning styles. However, these elements should not be redundant. For example, the voiceover should not simply read the text being presented on the screen.

 

Other future recommendations include:

 

• the inclusion of collaborative activities in the learning materials to further support adult learning principles. 

• taking advantage of open educational resources for the material's content then tweaking them according to the ALS learners' context. This is a better alternative to simply using any source available on the internet. 

• Researching on the potential benefits of private sectors’ interventions on the creation of learning materials for LS6: Digital Citizenship. Private sectors can make valuable contributions to the ALS learners’ acquisition of 21stcentury digital skills.