Virtual learning enables more opportunities for students to solve real-world problems

It’s been a year and a half since the pandemic has disrupted our normal ways of schooling and while it continues to do so, one thing is certain — this shouldn’t stop education.

In fact, education in the virtual space does not have to be limited to the conventional ways of learning, since there are different companies and organizations who want to extend awareness of the real world challenges they face today. Thanks to the flexibility of online work, sharing knowledge and expertise is now made possible, especially for students who are looking to learn more about certain industries.

As schools continue to find more ways to implement better learning habits in each student’s household, this also gives some companies the opportunity to do their part in shaping the next generation of leaders. Among those companies is Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, together with social investment arm Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI), after recently conducting online workshops that benefited 301 students and 55 teachers from 14 high schools nationwide under Shell NXplorers.

“Pilipinas Shell continues to ensure that education, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), continues as we believe that solutions to current problems can be addressed by knowledge in these courses,” adds PSFI Program Officer for Education Monaleizl Dy.

As a global education initiative of Shell, the program was introduced to the Philippines in 2019 to help the youth, aged 14 to 19 years old, develop the skills, understanding, and mindset to provide sustainable solutions to the major global challenges of our time, particularly the food-water-energy nexus issues.

For five days, trained facilitators worked with student participants and their teachers to apply a series of new tools to help them find creative solutions to challenges linked to food, water, and energy that are relevant to them and their local communities. Shell staff also offered their services as mentors under Shell’s volunteerism program ACTS (A Community That Serves).

Among them is Shell Global Robotics Theme Leader Adam Serblowski, who handled a mentorship session on drone farming with Team Agribon from Philippine Science High School – Cagayan Valley Campus (PISAY-CVC). PISAY CVC students are currently developing an agricultural drone that promotes ‘precision farming’ or the use of valuable metrics for efficient crop management.

“It is very fulfilling to be able to encourage students’ ideas, make them see its potential, and grasp different ways on how to perceive problems. It’s also fascinating to see their creative personalities and talent during breakout sessions,” says Process Specialist for Facilities/Equipment and 2021 Shell NXplorers volunteer Michele Ramos.

Oriental Mindoro National High School Grade 11 student Faye Oller further adds “through decision-making and creating solutions on societal problems, girls like me can also take lead and influence.”

Dy notes, though, that for partner schools in Batangas – Libjo and Tabangao Integrated School, the online workshop was their first experience on virtual learning. Both schools had resorted to modular learning upon the prohibition of in-classroom sessions. She believes that despite the challenges encountered in conducting the workshop, the experience provided both teachers and students another form of learning that they might be able to adapt to their current situation. 

Participants of Shell NXplorers go through the stages of exploration, creation, and change. Slated for the latter part of the year is “Shell NXplorers: The Bright Ideas Challenge (TBIC)”, a virtual competition challenging the high school students to showcase their Shell NXplorers projects. With all these initiatives in place, virtual learning can create more opportunities for companies to share their experiences and expertise on relevant problems and issues to help strengthen education in a school-from-home setup.

Visit the Shell Philippines website to learn more about the program.

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