Online campus: ato the new norm

Campus students share how their studies have been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oct 17, 2020

“At the early stage of the pandemic, all classes were cancelled until May due to the announcement of MCO. But in June, the learning process resumed via online learning by using Google Meet or Zoom apps. It is quite challenging to have virtual meetings for the learning process because there will be internet connection issues and it is also quite awkward for us to study in front of a camera. Due to the pandemic also, my internship has been postponed to next year since it was supposed to happen in July. Overall, I can say that this semester was the most challenging semester as we always have communication barriers especially during group projects.”––Maria Marestein, University Kebangsaan Malaysia

“Online class for me is so much different than the normal class that we students were used to. With online class, I don’t have to get so busy waking up so early and get ready for class since I don’t have to go to campus to attend class. Also, online class can be recorded so that the recorded class can be used during revision which makes it easier for me when I want to study alone.

“But online class also has its cons. Firstly, since it is online class, I actually tend to be lazy especially during the morning class. I would record the class and then go back to my bed and sleep.

“Also, since online class would be at the comfort place of our home, I tend to be distracted like looking at the television, lying down on my bed and so on. Asking questions would be also hard for online class since it is not the same as the lecturer explaining everything through the whiteboard like all of us are used to.

“In my opinion, online class does have its pros and cons. But for the time being, online class is necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19 among students and lecturers. If I’m being honest, I cannot wait for face-to-face class to resume as for me studying faceto-face is more suitable than having online classes.”––Albern Kandong Anak Adison Langgar, University College of Technology, Sibu

“Since March, we were all forced to stay at home to study online. I remember how it was when this news were first announced. My friends panicked, everyone was trying to decide whether or not to fly back to their hometown, and the price of  the flight tickets was increasing rapidly. I decided to stay in Sarawak for the time being, and wait for things to ‘cool down’ before flying back to my hometown in Sabah.

“We were asked to continue studying online during the Movement Control Order (MCO) and started our online class in June. The biggest challenge that I face studying online is to focus on what the lecturers are teaching. It was easy for me to get distracted, knowing that the lecturers could not see us as it was not mandatory for us to open our web camera during the lessons. Learning to adapt to the new norms and learning online was not easy for both students and lecturers. It was a new platform that we needed to take on due to the pandemic. The lecturers were also struggling to learn how to teach whilst depending on the latest technology, which resulted in technical issues during online class. There were lots of technical issues and connection issues that some classes had to be cancelled. Even one of our exams had to be postponed midway during the examination due to the system crashing.

“Other than that, my attendance in class was affected due to the poor internet connection in my hometown as I live in a rural area of Sabah. There were times when the internet connection was okay, however when it rained heavily, the Internet connection would be weak. I had to learn what was taught most of the time by downloading reading materials on our e-learning site and ask my friends about what the lecturer had mentioned in the online class that I could not hear well. It was also hard for me to concentrate during online lessons. I get distracted easily by the environment around me, such as having to do chores or being distracted by the occasional loud noise from the radio or from my family talking to each other.

“Additionally, I did not have motivation to do my assignments, mainly because none of my friends were with me. I realised that my friends are a huge part of the motivation that keep me up to date with the assignments at hand and they also help me stay focused on the assignments. Facing the new norms, I realised that I was dependent on them helping me to keep up to date on the assignments that needed to be completed. Adapting to the new norms affected the motivation I had, especially when I was so used to having an environment of friends who constantly discuss our assignments together with me. My pointer dropped because my priorities while studying online at home had shifted. Instead of thinking what assignments I should do next, I thought of what I had to cook and having to deal with the poor internet connection in my village.

“On the bright side of online studying, I did not have to worry about my finances and what I should eat next as I always do whilst studying in the university. I also had a good support system here at home, despite missing my friends that I hang out with often in UNIMAS.

“The new norms that have taken place has affected many students, and also many people around us, but I know that behind all of this, God is with us despite all things happening around. There are a lot of uncertainties and fears because of this pandemic, and it can be easy for us to lose our way, but knowing that God is still in control and He is never far from us. If you are a student like me finding it difficult to adapt to the new way of learning, do reach out to others to help you through it.”––Christle Jane Raphael, UNIMAS, KUCHING 

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