Technology management framework for alternative learning system/ Karen Joyce S. Ison

Dissertation

College of Industrial Education Doctor of Philosophy in Technology Management Technological University of the Philippines 2021

The Philippines has been with its battle with illiteracy and has been putting so much into improving basic education. The 1987 constitution states that the state shall protect and promote all citizens' right to quality education at all levels and take appropriate steps to make education accessible. The government has vowed to eradicate illiteracy and make education reach every citizen of its country through the Alternative Learning System (ALS). The Alternative Learning System (ALS) was established to provide all Filipinos the chance to have or at least complete their basic education in a way that its their situation and needs (DepEd, 2016). ALS targets the learning needs of school leavers, adults, and other learners from marginalized groups who do not have access to formal education. Those who are "deprived, depressed and underserved," as described by the law, will now be offered with education towards the Accreditation Equivalency (A & E) Test that may grant either elementary or high school diplomas through ALS (Arzadon and Nato, 2015).
This study focuses on developing a technology management framework for the DepEd ALS delivery in the country. The implementation of DepEd ALS is under the administration of DepEd, and it provides the solution to the problems that may be encountered when the technology is adopted into the DepEd ALS system. The study employed an experimental research method composed of two parts: the primary research component and the secondary research component. Under the primary research component, activities are survey/polls, interviews, focus groups, and observations. The secondary research component activities are online research, literature research, and case study research, The study used purposive, selective, and judgmental sampling to gather relevant information about ALS matters. The selected population sample involved ALS personnel and other ALS local persons/point persons knowledgeable and experienced in delivering lessons and ALS Learners who are currently enrolled in the ALS program. Part of the exploration performed in this study is the analysis of the proposed delivery system of ALS through e-training. The feasibility of the proposed framework and how it can be managed and implemented, including its sustainability, was likewise considered. The framework includes strategies that are vital in the implementation of ALS.
The findings of the study reveal that the developed technology management framework for DepEd ALS will address and improve the current problems, issues, and challenges encountered in DepEd ALS. The adequacy of funds and resources, adequacy of teachers and staff, management of 1CT resources, minimization of risks, and other sustainable measures in implementing and managing adaptive technology in ALS. The significant factors that need to be considered in the development of DepEd ALS to address the problems, issues, and challenges encountered include the implementation of the 5M's of management, including the financial, socio-economic, and operational risks. The acceptability and applicability of the developed technology management framework for ALS in terms of the 5M's of management had an asymptotic significance of 0. I 94, indicates that there is a great chance to be accepted given the identified indicators.
Considering the issues and challenges encountered in ALS implementation in the Department of Education regarding money, manpower, materials, machinery, and methods. The following were the identified problems: ALS programs lack sponsors, partnerships, and linkages, leading to an insufficient budget to sustain the program. The improvement of the linkages to support the programs needs immediate action to improve the program completion rate. It was also found that there is adequate manpower to support the learners; however, the budget allocation to support the workforce activities are being compromised due to insufficient budget allocation. In terms of the lesson delivery by the facilitators, they are still using chalk and blackboard in conducting the lectures. The buildings that are used whenever they conduct classes are not adequate to cater to too many students. There is also a need to update educational materials and equipment that may help in the completion rate alleviation: DepED has insufficient machinery to reproduce the learning materials. Some electronic data processing materials (e.g., computers, printers, etc.) were also found to be outdated. Improving these requirements may enable to faster delivery of lessons and communications to all ALS CLCs. Lastly, there is a lad of just-in-time dissemination of information and updates on the learners' profile in terms of methods. This leads to a discrepancy in the implementation among other ALS CLCs.
In conclusion, the proposed technology management framework for DepEd ALS is designed to serve as a guide for improving and implementing DepEd ALS was feasible and effective. The inclusion of the digital infrastructure will help improve the instruction delivery, which may also lead to a higher completion rate in the ALS programs. The level of acceptability and applicability of the developed technology management framework for ALS in terms of the 5M's of Management was computed through a chi-square with a value of 0.616. The computed value indicates that acceptance in the null hypothesis states that there is no significant difference in implementing ALS programs in system delivery, learning support, curriculum content, teaching strategy, and learning assessment considering the adoption of technology. DepEd ALS is mainly concerned with the revision of methods and policies in the ALS for more effective implementation.-Author's Abstract