Online Learners’ Exposure to Natural Hazards Risks in the Philippines: Implications for Student Support and Policy

Abstract

Climate-related disasters have been projected to intensify in the coming years. Academic institutions have looked at online learning as the disaster-resilient response for education. However, online learners remain exposed to the risks of natural disasters. Schools and universities should develop a student support system that is responsive to the needs of learners in areas with high disaster risk. There is a need to analyze the distribution of online learners in these areas and determine the student support implications of the pattern as initial steps towards developing such a system. With this, the current study analyzed the exposure of online learners of an open and distance e-learning (ODeL) university to risks of natural hazards in the Philippines. The profile of learners (n = 3,225) enrolled during the first trimester and the first semester of the Academic Year 2020–2021 and the disaster risk maps developed by the Center for Environmental Geomatics, Manila Observatory were entered into a GIS environment and analyzed. Results indicated that more than 80% of the learners are in regions with high to very high risks to climate-related hazards. Less than 10% is within areas with high risks to earthquakes. This is critical since climate disturbances in the country are recurrent and destructive, causing the loss of life and property, power outages, and internet service interruptions for weeks or months. Online learning institutions should develop a student support system that could assist their learners in overcoming the impacts of a disaster on their academic life.