challenges of online learning during covid-19 pandemic

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CHALLENGES OF ONLINE LEARNING DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES

Roszaini Yahaya¹

Raja Intan Zarina Raja Zaki Hashim² Masburah Mustaffa³

1 Electrical Engineering Department, Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah Polytechnic, Kulim Hi-Tech Park, 09000 Kulim Kedah, Malaysia, (E-mail: [email protected])

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Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Covid-19 as a pandemic that causes a threat to humanity today. This pandemic has changed the global activities of mankind including educational activities. Covid-19 has changed the way of learning in Polytechnics. Teaching and learning activities that are usually done face -to -face have turned into online meetings in various existing learning applications. This study aims to determine the challenges and difficulties faced by Signal and Systems students at Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah Polytechnic while transitioning to online learning due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Online learning methods can be categorized either synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous methods are live, and the students can ask questions in real time.

Asynchronous method is time-independent because online learning takes place at any time. This study collected ninety-two Polytechnic students as a sample in the Signal and Systems course who were actively involved in online learning activities. The survey instrument was prepared in Likert Scale of 5 to evaluate their responses. Findings were made by analysing students’ responses through a given questionnaire in Google Form. Descriptive statistics were interpreted in term of mean and standard deviation using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The findings indicated that the main challenges of online learning during Covid-19 pandemic are related to internet connection strength, distractions, time management, staying motivated, adapting to unfamiliar technology, and lack of social interaction. The study results indicates that most of the students are not satisfied with resuming online learning.

Keywords: Covid-19 Pandemic, Online Learning, Challenges, Students’ Perspectives

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1. Introduction

Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus (World Health Organization (WHO), 2020). The spread of Covid-19 has caused anxiety and fear across the world. The virus was detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019. A lockdown in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei region failed to control the pandemic and it spread to other state of mainland China and around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020 and a pandemic on 11 March 2020.

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As the world becomes progressively connected, so do the risks we face. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected people in any case of socio-economic, level of education, nationality, or gender. The Covid-19 pandemic has seriously created the largest distraction of education systems in human history, involving almost 1.6 billion students in more than 200 countries.

Closures of schools and other learning institutions have a significant impact to the world’s student population. This has brought many transformations in all aspects of our lives. Social distancing, handwashing, wearing a face mask, and limiting movement procedures have drastically disrupted traditional educational methods. Converting from traditional face-to-face learning method to online learning can be a completely different experience for the students and educators. These abrupt changes have had a significant impact on many families around the world. Online learning not only changes the lives of parents, but also the lives and social learning of children. It has built a strong relationship between teachers and parents than ever before. The online learning requires parents to help the students’ learning process academically and economically.

Transformations of teaching and learning methods have had a significant impact on student learning, changes in assessment systems, and lower assessments of knowledge and skills. Educators are forced to develop creative ideas that assist to overcome the constraints of online teaching. There are various of online platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, Google Classroom, social media and group forums like WhatsApp, Telegram, WeChat, and Messenger. Online learning has offered the opportunity to teach and learn in modern ways unlike the face-to-face teaching and learning experiences. Despite this pandemic, there are various challenges that students must go through to continue learning online. The main challenges of online learning were the unsteady networks and the less direct interactions (Nartiningrum & Nugroho, 2020). The availability of learning devices, internet speed, motivation, time management, and effective communication remain challenges in virtual learning.

Malaysia enforced the Movement Control Order (MCO) to reduce the spread of Covid- 19 virus starting 18 March 2020. In May 2020, The Ministry of Higher Education declared that all public and private universities in Malaysia are to organize teaching and learning activities through online learning until the end of December 2020 (Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, 2020). Thus, the objective of this paper is to study the students’ perceptions towards sudden shift from face-to-face learning to online learning. This paper represents an analysis of the response from Signal and System course who were actively involved in online learning activities. This paper is structured as follows: Section II summarizes the literature review.

Section III presents the research methodology. Meanwhile, Section IV presents the results of the survey. Finally, Section V explains the discussion and summarizes the overall study.

2. Literature Review

Many researchers all over these years discussed the challenges of online learning during Covid- 19 pandemic. A study conducted in Indonesia by Agung et al. (2020) acknowledged three major challenges in transforming from face-to-face learning to online learning. The major obstacles are availability and stability of internet connection, the teaching media, and the compatibility of tools to retrieve the media. The study concluded that most English students

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are not ready for this quick change in terms of teaching and learning style. However, it is stated that the students responded that their IT literacy is improving when doing the stressful task although their gadgets are not ready for the sudden transformation. Another problem that occurs on e-learning during pandemic Covid-19 in Indonesia, is that it is challenging to find other resources and information with similar focus and situation, especially regarding online learning in rural areas.

According to Zhong (2020), some factors like the insufficient access, the availability of the internet, the lack of technology and students’ capacity to participate in digital learning and lack of personal interaction with lecturers became the main challenges in the implementation of online learning. Virtual classes cannot be of interest to students who are kinaesthetic learners. Additional major disadvantage in online learning is conventional classroom socialization. Students only communicate with their friends digitally and cannot meet with their friends directly, and thus the real time sharing of ideas, knowledge and information is partially missing from the digital learning world (Britt, 2006).

Adnan and Anwar (2020) observed the attitudes of Pakistani higher education students towards online learning during Covid-19 pandemic. They realized that online learning cannot generates the expected results in countries like Pakistan because students and instructors do not have good access to the internet and lack enough training and financial resources. Similarly, Aminullah et al. (2019) observed that although some teachers had positive thoughts towards ICT, others still encountered many difficulties such as lack of support from the institution, lack of ICT equipment, and lack of sufficient training.

The difficulty of adapting courses to a fully online learning is student engagement issues, as student commitment goes down in an online learning process. Activities that enhance engagement can create a dynamic sense of community and assist students in feeling connected (Rudenko et al., 2020). In face-to-face learning, teachers can observe whether the student is taking out the assigned assignment. But, in online platform like Zoom meeting teachers cannot be sure that student's interest is concentrated on a particular activity specifically with student's camera turned off. Thus, it is important to attract students through the appropriate presentation and produce a response loop between teacher and student for the improvement of online learning. Student-to-student interaction is also highly desired by learners. It can perform a important role in helping students reduce a sense of isolation.

However, a study performed in India shown a different results. Nambiar (2020) performed an online analysis regarding stimulating instructors and students’ opinions towards online classes during Covid-19 pandemic. The respondents were 407 students and 70 instructors from numerous universities and colleges in Bangalore. The results show that there is a demand for quality communication between student and professor, and the accessibility of technical assistance. Moreover, the study highlighted the necessity to create a formal and user- responsive environment for online learning. After all, the study concluded that offering adequate technological training to teachers are the most important in organizing an online class.

Farrah and al-Bakry (2020) observed the opinions of students in six Palestinian universities towards online learning during Covid-19 pandemic. The researchers stated that

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students discovered some advantages in online learning, and they stated a few challenges that faced by the students during the transition process to online learning. Finally, they presented some recommendations to improve the implementation of online learning such as offering both instructors and students with the essential that facilitate learning and teaching process and improving the technological infrastructure.

Yuzulia (2021) acknowledged that online learning still facing many challenges. Not only the situations of the students that unable to keep up with online learning system, but the technical difficulties such as the accessibility of learning facilities. It is needed to develop the internet network in rural areas by the internet provider or the government and enhance the quality of networks. The study also stated that the students lost their motivation during learning activity. Apart from facing limited internet access, the students also felt that conventional learning is simpler than online learning. They think the classes given by the teacher through online learning is less complicated. The teachers usually deliver the materials without giving any additional explanation. It makes the students more anxious because they cannot understand the overall lesson. Online learning is developing beneficial in protecting students’ health, but it is not as efficient as conventional learning. The interaction between teachers and students determines the success or failure in online learning. Teacher’s creativity in preparing interesting teaching methods and atmosphere is important to make the students interested in online learning.

Lastly, Muslimin and Harintama (2020) investigated the students’ challenges, motivations, and options in the English Syntax course during Covid-19. Through the implementation of the course, students encountered some challenges that may obstruct their learning process. 50% students stated that the most challenges occurred the stability of internet connections. Most of them said that their house’s location made internet signals weak and unstable. Furthermore, students had anxiety during the course. Most students said that internet connection was the major challenge during the course. Therefore, the most commonly alternatives were preparing the phone credits for keeping internet connection and locating the best spot to get a better internet connection.

3. Research Methodology

This study presented a quantitative research method. It collected ninety-two Polytechnic students as a sample in the Signal and Systems course who were actively involved in online learning activities. A questionnaire in Google Form was preferred for this study because it is a trustworthy and fast method to gather information from numerous respondents in an efficient and timely manner. The survey instrument was prepared in Likert Scale of 5 to evaluate their responses. The questionnaire consists of twenty questions and one open-ended question regarding students’ perspectives on challenges of online learning during Covid-19 pandemic.

Questions of five-point Likert scale presenting respondents the option to choose among several options from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree). Findings were made by analyzing students’ responses through a given questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were interpreted in term of mean and standard deviation using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. According to the Cronbach Alpha test result, the average reliability is 0.790. It means that the items tested were reliable. The instrument reliability test is an important step to certify

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the quality of outcomes in every research (Wan Zainodin et al., 2021). The Cronbach Alpha significant values are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: The Cronbach Alpha Significant Values

Indicator Cronbach Alpha Value Very High >0.90

High 0.70 - 0.89 Medium 0.30 - 0.69

Low 0.30

4. Results

A Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software are used to analyze the collected responses regarding students’ perspectives on challenges of online learning during Covid-19 pandemic. The mean and standard deviation were determined for twenty Likert scale items.

The results discovered that most of respondents strongly agreed that internet connection is weak and unstable, and insufficient internet data. Other than that, respondents strongly agreed on distractions from family members and electronic devices. The mean and standard deviation for items selected by respondents with strongly agreed are shown in Table 2. Figure 1 represents the percentage for items selected with strongly agreed.

Table 2: The Mean and Standard Deviation for Items Selected with Strongly Agreed

No. Statement Mean SD

2 Internet connection is weak and unstable

4.84 0.37

3 Insufficient internet data 4.72 0.45

11 Distractions from family members 4.70 0.46

12 Distractions from electronic devices 4.66 0.47

Figure 1: Percentage for Items Selected with Strongly Agreed

83.7

71.7 67.4 66.3

0 20 40 60 80 100

2 3 11 12

Item

Percentage for Items Selected with Strongly Agreed

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Most of the respondents have selected the following eleven items with agree. Table 3 shows the mean and standard deviation for items selected by respondents with agreed. The percentage for items selected with agreed are shown in Figure 2. The challenges faced by students during online learning related to time management, motivation, adapting to unfamiliar technology, and social interaction.

Table 3: The Mean and Standard Deviation for Items Selected with Agreed

4 I spend less effort and time in online classes 4.12 0.51

5 I can’t manage my time effectively 4.13 0.49

7 Multitasking can be a challenge in time management

4.10 0.48

9 I get bored in the online classes 4.03 0.60

10 I easily lose focus during online classes 4.01 0.58 12 I feel demotivated when I see a lot of

assignments and due dates

4.14 0.35

13 I get tired with the same routine every day 4.02 0.59 15 It is hard for students using a learning system

or any other digital tool without additional training

3.98 0.61

16 Lecturers are not well trained to teach online classes

3.82 0.51

19 Interaction with lecturer in online classes is less than interaction in face-to-face classes

3.90 0.33

20 I prefer face to face classes 3.97 0.37

Figure 2: Percentage for Items Selected with Agreed

76.1 77.2 77.2 73.9

76.1 85.9

78.3 76.1

83.7 88

85.9

65 70 75 80 85 90

4 5 7 9 10 12 13 15 16 19 20

Item

Percentage for Items Selected with Agreed

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Moreover, there are one item that were rated with neutral as shown in Table 4. Table 4 shows the respondents were neither agree nor disagree with items, I prefer online classes. This item selected as neutral with 87% as represented in Figure 3.

Table 4: The Mean and Standard Deviation for Items Selected with Neutral

17 I prefer online classes 2.85 0.42

Figure 3: Percentage for Items Selected with Neutral

Finally, it seems that most of the students were disagreed with the online learning experience as shown in Table 5. The mean and standard deviation for the items selected by respondents with disagree are shown in Table 5 and the percentage represented in Figure 4.

Table 5: The Mean and Standard Deviation for Items Selected with Disagreed

1 I have no internet access 1.92 0.27

6 I don’t have time for online classes 1.90 0.30

8 Online classes satisfy my learning needs 1.87 0.34 18 I participate actively in online classes 1.85 0.36

87

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

17

Item

Percentage for Items Selected with Neutral

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Figure 4: Percentage for Items Selected with Disagreed 5. Discussion and Conclusion

The results discovered that most of respondents strongly agreed that internet connection is weak and unstable, and insufficient internet data. Students experiencing internet difficulties because of the high usage rate of online learning systems, video streaming, software, and other digital tools. Other than that, respondents strongly agreed on distractions from family members and electronic devices. Sometimes, students come from families with a large numbers of family members, troubled parents, and there are younger siblings who will interfere with the online learning. Though electronic devices are necessary for online learning, it steal attention for a long period of time. Most students will carry their phones or leave on their desks while studying. There is no question that during this time a text message from a friend can begin a conversation that affect in ignoring the online classes. Students may watch a fun video or scroll through social media. Internet and distractions are the most major challenges faced by students during online learning.

As we can see from Table 3 and Figure 2, the challenges faced by students during online learning related to time management, motivation, adapting to unfamiliar technology, and social interaction. Most of the students spend less effort and time in online classes. They are also agreed that they cannot manage their time effectively especially when they must do multitasking. In terms of motivation, most of them easily get bored, lose focus, and get tired during online classes. It is hard for them to stay motivated when they have a lot of assignments with due dates. Other than that, the respondents agreed that it is hard for them to adapt with unfamiliar learning system or other digital tool without any training. The respondents also agreed that lecturers are not well trained to conduct an online class. Moreover, the students felt

92.4

90.2

87

84.8

80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94

1 6 8 18

Item

Percentage for Items Selected with Disagreed

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there was less interaction with lecturers in online classes compared to face-to-face classes.

Because of the challenges faced by students, they prefer face to face classes. The respondents were neither agree nor disagree with item, I prefer online classes as shown in Table 4. 87%

selected the item with neutral as represented in Figure 3.

However, most of the students disagreed on item 1, 6, 8, and 18 as stated in Table 5.

From Table 5, it shows that most of the students had their own internet access, but their internet access has problems such as slow and unstable. This internet access problem usually happens to students who live in rural areas or students who stay in Polytechnic campuses. Although the student had an issue on time management, majority of the students stated that they always have time to attend online classes, but they find it difficult to manage their time effectively. 87% of students disagreed that online classes satisfied their learning needs as represented in in Figure 4. Students find it quite difficult to understand the overall content of the course especially when it involves practical work. For students, practical work requires hands-on and face-to-face learning methods. Apart from the problems already mentioned, students also disagreed they were actively participating in online classes. Usually only the lecturer speaks during the online classes. Only occasionally do students respond if asked by the lecturer. It usually happens if the number of students in the class is large.

In open-ended question, the researcher asked if all the challenges faced during online classes could be overcome, for example internet problems, which learning method would be chosen? Online learning or face-to-face learning? Why? 21 out of 92 students chose online classes. It is because online classes can easily reach and access. Other than that, the students felt that online classes save their transportation and meal expenses. However, 71 students preferred face-to-face classes. The students stated that face-to-face classes is much better in terms of social interaction with lecturers, and they felt more understand with the course content.

Other than that, they felt face-to-face classes will overcome their internet connection problems.

Lastly, the results showed that most of the students still prefer the traditional classes, but they feel for now, online classes need to be continued to protect them from the virus.

As a conclusion, Covid-19 has transformed the traditional learning method of academic institutions across the whole world. According to the survey that was distributed to 92 students, the result shows that students are not satisfied with the online learning. The main challenges of online learning during Covid-19 pandemic are related to internet connection strength, distractions, time management, staying motivated, adapting to unfamiliar technology, and lack of social interaction. Most of the students are not satisfied with resuming an online learning.

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