The world was caught off guard by the Covid-19 outbreak. The coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of everything from major projects to companies and schools around the world. It appears that the entire world has come to a halt as a result of it.
Students, on the other hand, continue their education via online learning and video conferences with their teachers. Because keeping schools open poses a safety risk for students and everyone involved, this teaching method is now the best option.
Many countries have followed suit, creating online learning portals, providing gadgets to students, and doing all else they can to ensure that kids have access to learning resources.
From what it used to be, this is a significant change for students, teachers, and parents. Students may have varied opinions on online learning, despite it being the best available option for everyone to keep education going for future generations.
Several students’ perspectives will be presented in this article. Specifically, they were asked about their online learning experience as a student. What do they enjoy and what do they dislike about it? Also, how does it compare to being a student in a traditional classroom?
“Temptations are REAL!”
Lee, a secondary school student:
School has been difficult. Transferring to completely online learning has been the most difficult issue for me this year. As a student, I’d say I’ve usually completed all of my work for all of my classes. The most noticeable shift I’ve noticed in myself is that I’m becoming less focused on my schoolwork.
Learning in a physical classroom differs greatly from learning online. In a classroom, you have to pay attention because the temptations are real, unlike in a virtual environment. Yes, self-discipline is important to acquire, but with all of this pushed at you, you can’t blame the learner for not wanting to work… at least, not in my perspective.
This online learning has had an impact on me personally because I found myself handing in homework weeks late throughout this time period. It wasn’t because I was having difficulty; it was because I lacked ambition and energy to complete them. This is not typical of me. I was disoriented because I didn’t have a set timetable. Like makes me seem like a robot, but I suppose it’s because we’ve been that way since we were babies, and a significant change is affecting me the most.
This experience has taught me that online learning is not for me in the future! Maybe for one or two subjects, but I intend to spend the most of my school days in a physical classroom. Although this has been a difficult time at school and in the real world, remembering to stand strong will help us all get through it together.
Going to School is The Best Option
Haqqim, a secondary school student
As a student, my online learning experience has been satisfactory. I sometimes feel that I’m not interested in doing my homework and that I’m a slacker. I still complete the tasks, but I occasionally submit them late. It’s as if I’ll complete the homework whenever I feel like it.
There is a reason for this, and it is because there is where I am completing my schoolwork. My home is not a learning setting like a school, where there are teachers, other students, learning equipment, desks/tables, seats, a library, plenty of room, and people to help you. At home, it’s as if you’re sleeping or resting. In a classroom, I am able to concentrate more on my assignments/work and get more interested in the subject. When I’m in a classroom, I’m ready to learn and get my brain going; at home, I find it difficult to be prepared since I’m always distracted. My professors and classmates are always willing to help me when I need it. I have to wait for an answer when I have a question at home.
I must admit that I am always nervous in class when I am in school. I’m not nervous now that I’m studying at home. Because a classroom is a learning environment in a school, I would not select more online studying in the future based on my current online learning experience. In addition, I believe it is easier to communicate with my classmates/groups, teachers, counsellors, and principal for projects. For me, going to school is the best option.
I have a lot of Responsibilities
Nadzira, a college student
My online learning experience as a student hasn’t been terrific. This new learning approach provides a number of advantages, including more time to do tasks from home, not needing to get up as early to travel to school, and assuring the safety of both staff and students. Despite these advantages, there are also disadvantages to this learning style. At home, for example, I have a lot of responsibilities, such as looking after my younger siblings, cooking meals for them, cleaning up after them, and so on. When I’m completing schoolwork, I also find it difficult to stay motivated. When I’m surrounded by various distractions, such as my phone or other electronic devices, I lose all motivation to work.
The setting in which pupils work at home differs from that in which they work at school. A school provides a quiet academic environment for pupils to study in, whereas a home can be noisy, causing kids to lose attention or not work at all. Furthermore, I find that simply reading an assignment’s or lesson’s instructions isn’t as fascinating as hearing it presented by an instructor. Hearing the information rather than simply reading the directions makes it much easier to remember. If I had my way, I would not pursue more online learning in the future because I prefer having an instructor physically present to assist me when I need it. The presence of a teacher helps me focus more on schoolwork, engages me in learning, and the teachers assist me in completing the work and are available to answer any questions I may have.
It has been challenging to Learn Online
Isabel, a college student
It has been challenging to learn online. I feel pressed to complete and turn in all of my assignments on time. Most of my tasks are due at the same time, and many of them need a significant amount of time.
Though it is challenging to adjust to because I have received my education in person with my teachers and classmates, I like how I can complete the work on my own schedule. I could divide the day and the time I finish my work, I could sleep in a bit longer, and I could just be comfortable in my own home. Online learning, in my opinion, pales in comparison to in-person learning. I can communicate to my teachers one on one and physically observe and interact with everything with physical learning. When I have a question online, I must either email or text my teachers, and sometimes they do not see my message and/or take hours to react.
I honestly wouldn’t mind undertaking online studying in the future. But only for a short time, because it’s not that horrible; it’s just that I can’t physically talk to my teachers in person when I need help or have questions. The most difficult aspect of online learning, in my opinion, is communicating with teachers.
My Online Experience as a student has been fascinating
Nur Aqilah, a college student
My online experience as a student has been fascinating. The fact that I have more time to talk to my family and phone or text certain pals is something I enjoy about this experience. I am able to complete schoolwork from home and devote time to self-care. I enjoy that I have some control over which classes I should work on first and which I may put off until later.
What I don’t enjoy about it is that I spend all day staring at a screen. I enjoy gadgets, but education prevents me from looking at a screen for long periods of time. I don’t like having more distractions at home, either. My flat is modest, and I share it with five other people and four pets.
Because I socialise less now, this experience differs from being in a real classroom. I get to hear my friends’ and classmates’ perspectives and ideas at school. Some of my lecturers advised us to discuss the lesson with those in our immediate vicinity. Not everyone is online at the same time these days. I suffer from anxiety, which prohibits me from texting several of my friends and classmates. And if I did, it would take a long time for them to answer. Communication with teachers is the same way.
If I had my way, I’d undertake some online learning and the rest in a traditional classroom in the future. However, it is dependent on the class. I’ve observed that some of the classes I’ve been able to finish at home since no one is asking me questions or reading the directions to keep me from getting started. It’s been more challenging in other classes because I’m a visual learner for that topic, and my teachers keep me on track.
My online learning experience has not been the best, but it has also not been the worst.
Santosh, a college student
It’s been challenging to be an engaging learner while under quarantine. There have been a lot of events that have taken place in the first few weeks since school was cancelled. Stores began to close, parks were closed, and individuals were advised to stay at home 24 hours a day, seven days a week unless they required their essentials.
What I enjoyed best about it was that I now had more time to do the things I stated I would do if only I had more time. Now that I have more time, I can do things like spend time with my family and rest. What I don’t like about online learning is that I still have to do assignments even while we’re in the middle of a pandemic and can’t leave the house.
The experience of pursuing online learning vs going to school in person is radically different. If you need assistance with your online classes, you must consult your parents or Google. When you go to school, though, there is a teacher who can assist you. Also, I can’t see my pals when I’m at home, but I could if I went to school. If I had to choose whether or not to continue online learning in the future, I would choose not to do so because I prefer to be somewhere where I can ask someone nearby for guidance and see if I did something correctly or incorrectly. To summarise, my online learning experience has not been the best, but it has also not been the worst.
Apart from how supportive the lecturers have been over this period of online study, there is nothing I enjoyed about it
Gladys, a college student
My experience with online learning has been stressful and difficult. I felt this way because it is difficult for me to grasp the assignments and because you cannot verify with your teacher face to face to see if you are doing it correctly. It does not instill confidence in me since I want to ensure that I am doing the project correctly in order to receive credit for it.
Not only that, but finding time to complete the homework is another issue. There are many things to take care of at home, which makes it difficult for me to complete my projects. As a result, I either turn in the assignment late or do not turn it in at all. Last but not least, a lack of motivation makes online learning difficult. Being unable to interact face to face with friends and teachers demotivates me and makes me miserable. I am unable to acquire ideas from them, which causes me to lose hope because I am unsure what I will do to complete the task and meet its requirements. It just makes me nervous and uncomfortable to think that I might have done something wrong or that I don’t know what to do.
Apart from how supportive the lecturers have been over this period of online study, there is nothing I enjoyed about it. If I had to choose between online learning and face-to-face learning, I would go with face-to-face learning. This is the method I prefer because it is much simpler and allows me to have my queries answered quickly. Not only that, but I can also solicit suggestions/ideas from my colleagues.
Special thanks to Lee, Haqqim, Nadzira, Isabel, Nur Aqilah, Santosh, and Gladys for their contribution to this article.
I certainly hope this will inspire more of you to share your story with us at Yes2Malaysia! You may reach me at idlan.rexpo@gmail.com to submit your thoughts and experience!
As always, we enjoy sharing what’s REAL in this website, 100% from students in Malaysia regardless of your education level!
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