Balancing Online Theory and Face-to-Face Laboratory Learning: Support Strategies and Barriers in a Philippine Bachelor of Industrial Technology Program
Abstract
This qualitative phenomenological study examined how stakeholders in a Bachelor of Industrial Technology (BIndTech) program in the northern Philippines perceived the possible sustained adoption of online lecture delivery while preserving face-to-face laboratory learning. Fourteen participants were purposively selected: four administrators, three core faculty members, and seven first-year student leaders, all of whom had direct experience with the program and its existing Flexible Learning Mode. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion and analyzed through an iterative thematic process involving familiarization, initial coding, category development, cross-stakeholder comparison, theme review, and selection of representative excerpts. Findings showed a pattern of conditional acceptance. Online lecture delivery was considered useful for theory-oriented content and continuity of learning, but participants associated it with risks to discipline, interaction, and engagement. Barriers included unstable internet connectivity, device and financial constraints, uneven participation, increased faculty workload, assessment concerns, and the inability of online delivery to reproduce hands-on laboratory competencies. Participants recommended low-bandwidth and multi-channel materials, clearer communication and feedback, faculty development, infrastructure and device support, and differentiated alternatives for learners with limited access. Interpreted through Moore’s Transactional Distance Theory and Prosser’s vocational education principles, the findings support a differentiated blended model in which online delivery is used selectively for theory while laboratory competencies remain anchored in supervised face-to-face practice. The study contributes context-sensitive evidence for flexible learning policy and instructional design in technical-vocational higher education.