From Pandemic to Present: How De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute Implemented Blended Learning Programs and Increased Student Enrollment
Established in 1977 and serving approximately 7,200 students, the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI) is one of the 16 De La Salle schools in the Philippines. The institute provides higher education, healthcare, and research services through its eight colleges, teaching hospital, and a senior high school program which prepares young learners to pursue degrees and careers in health sciences.
The Challenge: Implementing Blended Learning Courses to Minimize the Impact of Lost Instructional Time
In 2017, DLSMHSI established its Center for Innovative Education and Technology Integration (CIETI) and appointed Marlon Gado as its director. The goal was to develop and implement online learning environments to optimize student learning through blended learning modalities to combat the adverse effects of instructional time lost due to unforeseen course suspensions. Some departments at DLSMHSI had begun using blended learning programs to mitigate the impact of such suspensions, and the institution decided it was time to implement blended learning as a standard across the entire institution.
Most of DLSMHSI’s programs at the time were conducted in face-to-face environments, and 50% of the teaching staff had never taught online courses. DLSMHSI knew it needed to overhaul its academic and training programs to ensure its curriculum would be compatible with digital learning environments. The learning management system needed to have a user-friendly interface that wouldn’t overwhelm busy instructors. It also needed to be capable of handling a high volume of users.
Flexibility was another essential for DLSMHSI. It needed a platform that was compatible with most plugins and had the scope to make changes to the system as the institution learned how to best integrate the new technology into its programs. DLSMHSI had never implemented an LMS at the institutional level before, so Mr. Gado and the CIETI formed a committee to find a platform capable of meeting the various needs of the school’s many departments.
“Our goal was to implement strategic measures to optimize student learning and minimize the impact of class suspensions. We discovered that the LMS had a lot to offer, and we could leverage more innovative approaches to improve the implementation of our curriculum.”
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The Solution: A Flexible, Scalable LMS With a User-Friendly Interface
After nearly a year-long search, DLSMHSI partnered with Open LMS in early 2018 as its learning management platform. The CIETI committee evaluated a number of potential vendors but ultimately chose Open LMS due to the platform’s user-friendly interface and intuitive design. Since this was the institution’s first system-wide learning solution, DLSMHSI piloted the platform with a small group of staff members from each of its seven colleges to ensure Open LMS was the best choice. After sailing through its initial one-year agreement, the school was ready to expand its LMS use to its undergraduate population.
In November 2019, DLSMHSI officially launched Open LMS, branded as the iLS.Cloud, for all students and staff across its institution. Open LMS’s combination of seamless integrations and plugins, customizable interface, and affordability made it the perfect solution for the institution’s blended learning needs.
The Philippines enacted COVID-19 quarantine measures on March 15, 2020—just four months after DLSMHSI implemented its new LMS. The institute was forced to close its doors and consider canceling courses. However, although they could no longer conduct face-to-face classes, DLSMHSI was determined to continue educating its students, and its new platform was more than capable of handling a swift transition to completely online learning programs. With assistance from the Open LMS support team, the institution was able to prepare its staff and avoid long-term course suspensions.
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The Results: A Swift Switch to Fully Online Learning and a Rare Post-Pandemic Increase in Student Enrollment
When the Philippines’ quarantine came into effect, the simplicity of the Open LMS platform allowed for the quick onboarding and training of DLSMHSI’s staff, and 79% of undergraduate staff were ready to begin teaching online as early as March 10, 2020. As a result, the institution was able to continue its students’ academic progress and avoid any long-term suspension of classes.
Shortly after switching to fully online courses, DLSMHSI conducted a survey to assess the impact of online learning platforms during the pandemic. Although 61% of undergraduate students had no prior experience taking online classes before 2020, 97% of them reported that Open LMS was easy to use. Overall, the online courses were a success. DLSMHSI was one of the few higher learning institutions in its region to experience an increase in student enrollment post-pandemic.
Today, DLSMHSI’s higher learning programs reflect the blended nature that the institution originally intended. Approximately 70% of learning occurs face-to-face, with the other 30% happening online with the help of Open LMS. DLSMHSI’s survey assessing its online learning programs for the 2022-2023 school year found that 91% of undergraduate and graduate faculty members are satisfied with the institution’s current blended learning course structure.
“Open LMS helped us reach our blended learning goals, and the platform has made us resilient to any class disruptions. We’re able to easily switch our learning to fully online if and when the need arises, so our students can continue their studies and stay on track with their learning.”
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