The Impact of Module Enhancement in the Remote Area Amidst the Pandemic Covid 19: A Community Extension Program

The use of suitable and relevant pedagogy for online education may depend on the expertise and exposure to information and communications technology (ICT) for both educators and the learners. Some of the online platforms used so far include unified communication and collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Canvas and Blackboard, which allow the teachers to create educational courses, training and skill development programmes (Petrie, 2020). This study is an assessment of the aforesaid program. Module Enhancement in the remote area was aimed to educate and capacitate the beneficiaries with practical skills, techniques, or ideas which they can then use in their blended learning. The study determined the effect of the program on the beneficiaries‘ personal and professional development acquired from the training. Mixed- method was used in the study. Surveys and focus group discussion (FGD) was used to gather data. The study found that the beneficiaries acquired the different teaching modalities learned from the training. Ninety percent 90% beneficiaries used the skills they learned from the program. 85% beneficiaries respond that the program has helped them in introducing Modular learning. Generally, the learning acquired by the beneficiaries of Sulu State College extension program was found to be useful at Maimbung National High School, one of the remote areas in the province of Sulu.


INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic has made great challenges to life and education in human history. According to United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the numbers are unprecedented, the implications enormous. As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the globe, a majority of countries have announced the temporary closure of schools, impacting more than 91 per cent of students worldwidearound 1.6 billion children and young people. Never before have so many children had been out of school at the same time, disrupting learning and upending lives, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized. Here are some of the ways UNICEF is working with partners to keep schools safe and students learning, in classrooms or at home, online and offlinewherever they are.
Nymia Pimentel Simbulan (2020), stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world. Due to the nature of the virus, particularly how it is transmitted, it has altered human behaviours, relations and lifestyles, and had profound impacts on the economic, political and cultural landscapes of societies across the world. It has likewise exacerbated poverty, discrimination and inequalities in many parts of the world, not only through how COVID-19 appears to be affecting poorer communities more than the rich, but also as a consequence of the measures taken by states to control the spread of the virus, primarily by curtailing freedom of movement through the imposition of community quarantine, lockdowns and curfews in many parts of the world.
Despite all of these challenges, the ingenuity and resilience of the Filipinos were demonstrated in the midst of the pandemic. Societal demands to mobilise the contributions of various sectors to address the pandemic triggered HEIs to face these challenges head on. Researchers, scientists, and practitioners in the health, social and behavioural sciences, engineering, arts and humanities, intensified their collaboration and partnership to generate knowledge needed to produce timely and relevant policies and programmes, projections, strategies, products and inventions. Laboratories, clinics, offices, workplaces, and even homes were transformed into spaces of discovery and innovation, creativity and resourcefulness, giving credence to the saying -necessity is the mother of change and innovation.‖ (Nymia Pimentel Simbulan 2020) According to Hendricks (2009), -Knowledge is something that action researchers do-their living practice‖ (p. 3). Since the emphasis is on change, the inquiry is generative. The theories of action or theories in action that emerge from action research not only describe but also bring about change in pedagogy and teaching practice. For example, according to van Manen (1990), -Our ability [as action researchers] to bring to language (theorize) our insights becomes the measure of our thoughtfulness,‖ and this -enables me to enrich and make more thoughtful my future pedagogical experience;‖ the result is more than just intellectual but a -matter of pedagogical fitness‖ and greater -mindfulness towards children‖ (p. 156). By engaging in systematic and intentional inquiry, teacher action researchers theorize and act to improve teaching with greater mindfulness or cognition about the impact those practices have on students.
Modular teaching on the other hand, is one of the most widespread and recognizes teaching learning techniques in many countries including other Western countries and Asian region. Modular approach is used almost in all subjects like natural science, specifically in biology and medical education and even in social sciences as well as in computers education. Manlove and David (1985).It considering the individual differences among the learners which necessitate the planning for adoption of the most appropriate teaching techniques in order to help the individual grow and develop at her/his own pace. Kandarp Sejpal (2013).
HEIs like the Sulu State College with funding support from CHED and DBM produced many extension programs in order to serve the community in the province of Sulu. One of the Programs extended by the Sulu State College was Module Enhancement in the remote area which is aimed at capacitating the beneficiaries with practical skills, techniques, or ideas which they can then use in their blended learning. Capacity building is about improving our ability to learn and adapt through change (Macadam, et al. 2004).
Inspired by the Loughran (2002), who emphasized that Theory and practice are not separated in action research-theory emerges from systematic and intentional reflection on practice for pragmatic and academic purposes, the researcher, came up with the action research on The Impact of Module Enhancement in the remote area at Kulasi Maimbung, Sulu, where school is isolated, no electricity, no internet access, lack of teachers. And the students and teachers are facing challenges of peace in order condition due to family feuds and poverty at this midst of pandemic covid 19.

Content of Materials and Methods
The present study utilized an evaluation plan for the project guided the data collection concerning the Impacts of Module Enhancement in the remote area Amidst the Pandemic Covid 19: A Community Extension Program. Three main data collection methods were used: participant questionnaires about their experience in the workshops; participant project reports detailing what participants did and the results they achieved; and mentor reports (Kelly 2008). Moreover the study utilized focus group interview. The focus group interview has proven to be a useful method for designing Extension programs and collecting evaluation data. Moreover, skill in conducting focus groups can be developed quickly. When used appropriately, the focus group can provide rich, qualitative information for use with your educational programs.

Content of Results and Discuss
Results and Discussions tackles with the presentation, analysis and interpretation of results based on the data obtained for this study.
Based on the appropriate scoring and statistical treatments of data gathered for this study, the following are the presentations, analyses and interpretations of results which correspond to each of the research questions: 1. What is the profile of the teacher-respondents in terms of the following variables:

Gender?
When categorized according to educational qualification, out of sixty five (16) teachers teaching in the Remote area at Kulasi Maimbung, Sulu, Table 1.1 shows that 4 teachers 25% were BSE-English, 5 or 20.0% , BSE-Science, 16.0% or 4 , followed by 24% or 6 for BSE -Math and 16.0% or 4 respondents BSE -Filipino and 24.0% or 6 teachers Social Science degree holders respectively. This means that under this category, majority of the teachers involved in this study are Bachelor of Secondary Education degree holders. Volume 5, Issue 3, May-June 2023 4  Table 1.2 shows the demographic profile of teachers teaching literature subjects classified in terms of status of employment. There were 62.5% or 10 volunteer, 43.75% or 7 provisional and 50.0% or 8 permanent out of 25 teachers at Maimbung National High School. This means that under this category, majority of the teachers involved in this study are volunteers. Education research consistently highlights that a high quality teacher is the single most important factor in student achievement (Darling-Hammond 1999;Goldhaber, 2009;Sommerfeld 2011), and pay based on performance can be a way to increase the effectiveness of teachers. Businesses have long used bonuses as a way to increase productivity, and although it can be difficult to measure productivity in education, a financial incentive may provide the needed motivation to improve their teaching practice. In terms of gender classification, Table 1.3 shows that out of twenty five (5) selected teachers participants in the, there were 43.75% or 7 males and 56.25% or 9 females respectively. This means that under this category, majority of the respondents involved in this study are female teachers. The result support the claims of Johnson, (2016) that There is an overwhelming majority (46 or 77%) of future female teachers in the distribution of respondents for a reason that teaching includes a measurable degree of nurturing, a trait of greater expression in females. Common Reactions of the participants after the Extension program on the beneficiaries' adoption of skills learned from the training and if the program augments the beneficiaries in introducing Modular learning for their students.

Number of Teachers
Utilizing Kirkpatrick's model level number 1, offers a four-level method for evaluating any training program or course. According to Jonathan Deller (2019), the first level of the Kirkpatrick Model is known as the ‗Reaction' level. This is the most basic way to evaluate any type of training as it simply establishes how the learners responded to the training. The most common approach is to ask participants to answer a series of training effectiveness survey questions. Thus after the focus group interview. The following were the common answers and reactions of the participants after the training. Participant 8. Video clip given was very relevant but not useful to students who do not have the cell phones.
Participant 9. The knowledge I learned was very useful in constructing test questions in the module.
Participant 10. Hoping for more training in the future times.

CONCLUSION
Based on the results of the study, Generally, it can be said that the program brought a positive effect on the teachers' beneficiaries.1) the program provide them with information and enhance their techniques for writing a modules.
Moreover, Since majority of the teachers at Maimbung National High School were volunteer teachers, it strongly recommended by the researcher to government, particularly to Minister of the ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education, BARMM to give items to teachers who served in the remote area in order to continue serving the schools with pride and dignity. As well as, Republic Act No. 4670 otherwise known as -The Magna Carta for Public School Teachers‖ shall be mandated in order to give consideration for all teachers who rendered their services to the community for several years. Since the extension program on module enhancement in the remote area amidst the pandemic covid 19 has great impact on the beneficiaries. The researcher recommends for more programs to support and capacitate teachers in the remote to deliver dynamic and effective teaching. Moreover, the teacher has an important role in raising the educational level of students. His/her scientific expertise and experience can prepare students well by acquiring them some skills, habits, and trends as well as the provision of suitable teaching aids that serve students' activities. Teaching methodology is an essential factor to develop the required skills, and to achieve the educational objectives, so the teacher needs to ad hoc training to do the job, and manage classroom activities. The teacher is responsible for choosing the appropriate teaching methods and techniques that enable learners to participate in the educational process in the school, and responsible for activating effective skills and teaching methods among students (Zayed, 2013).