ONLINE LEARNING IN THE TIME OF COVID19: LIVED EXPERIENCES OF THIRD-YEAR LEVEL COLLEGE ENGINEERING STUDENTS FROM MSU-GENSAN LIVING IN POLOMOLOK, SOUTH COTABATO

Students' lived experiences during this pandemic changed how they perceived the online learning setting. It gives into the rising of different concerns, challenges, and struggles in the context of online class setup. This study is meant to understand students lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on the meaning students attached to their concerns, challenges, and struggles in engaging in an online class setting.

This qualitative phenomenological study interviewed eight (8) Mindanao State University- General Santos City students through Key Informant Interview. Then, a key informant interview guide was utilized for data gathering. Data were transcribed and examined to establish themes. According to the findings, students who participated in online class settings encountered various difficulties and challenges. Furthermore, their online class experience has led them to be concerned about the future and to have fears about taking online classes. Participants felt that the type of learning setting was significant in the over-all process of obtaining knowledge. In this sense, it was thought that the effectiveness of online learning depended on the experiences that the students had lived.

This study concludes that the perspectives of students regarding the efficacy of online learning vary depending on the living experiences they have had and the concerns they have with the COVID-19 pandemic. The fact that the students did not show interest in the online school setting was detrimental to their education as a whole.