Distance Education in the Philippines

Is it possible to go “paperless” in a distance education setting?

For quite some time now, I’ve been thinking of this question because of the impending doom of climate change and whatnot. I’ve been on the look out for ways on how to reduce my carbon footprint—walking more instead of riding jeeps or tricycle, saving water, and electricity, using both sides of a paper and others.

I firmly believe that, yes, it is possible to go “paperless” in a distance education setting or a university setting, if people would want to. In fact, Bicol University have taken steps to go paperless. However, the decision of going “paperless” in a distance education setting doesn’t only lie to the student but also to the professors and university officials.

I’m not advocating for people to go entirely paperless. As what Karen Unger wrote in her TechNewsWorld article, “It’s unlikely that we will ever fully rid ourselves of dependence on paper.“ Instead, what I want is to reduce my dependence on paper.

Students do use a lot of papers throughout their academic life and will even use more paper once they join the workforce.

5 Simple Ways to Reduce Paper Use in a distance education setting

1. Use your phone’s organizer / calendar function instead of desktop calendars or planners – For the past three semesters, I’ve been using printout calendars to keep track of deadlines for assignments or other school activities. Since my cellphone is open 24 hours and 7 days a week, I decided to fully maximize its organizer / calendar function.
2. Submit assignments / projects electronically as much as possible – The sad truth is that in this age of technology not all professors / instructors would allow you to submit your assignments and projects electronically. I’ve encountered a lot of professors at UPOU who would only accept “hard copy” submissions. Well, maybe they’re not always in front of their computers to check submissions sent via e-mail or Moodle. However, I’m fortunate that there is still quite a small number of professors who prefer submission via e-mail or Moodle. Sending via e-mail and the Internet means saving even more money because you don’t have to pay for the printing and the sending of the document.
3. Communicate via E-mail - The great thing about UP Open University is that everyone is an e-mail away—from the university officials, to the professors/instructors, and to the students! So, the fastest way to communicate with each other in a distance education setting is via e-mail unless if you need to send hard copy documents like True Copy of Grades, Transcript of Records, etc. For example, if you want to have a personal copy your grades on the course you’ve taken last semester, you could just ask for your Student’s Checklist from the Office of the University Registrar via e-mail and they’ll furnish you a PDF file of your records.
4. Writing an essay? Type it on your computer right away – Typing your assignments or projects on your computer right away won’t only save time; it would also reduce your use of paper. I’m not a fan of writing essays or assignments using pen and paper and then encoding them on my laptop later on. I prefer encoding them on my laptop right away because it’s easier to edit and correct mistakes.
5. Have a pile of readings and handouts? Make them into scratch papers – Every semester, professors would give handouts or readings. After reading them (usually at the end of the semester), I cut them into small pieces (size: approximately 1/4 of a bond paper) and use them as scratch paper.

Any more ideas on how to go paperless in a distance education setting? Share them below.