PETALING JAYA: E-learning has failed to live up to its billing. Students’ attention span has shortened. Absenteeism rates have soared.
Worse than that, wholesome character development has been made difficult, if not impossible.
For many educators, this is not unexpected given that Malaysia is still unprepared for an e-learning environment. School-going children end up being the biggest losers.
One observation Harry Tan, secretary-general of the National Union of the Teaching Profession, has made is the drop in productivity among students.
For a start, he said, the curriculum has to be narrowed down. Secondly, co-curricular activities are practically non-existent, leading to reduced physical activity.
“The traditional method of teaching gears children towards assimilation into society but now that has also come to a halt,” he told theSun.
Tan pointed out that e-learning is a relatively new concept in Malaysia and it requires a new set of skills from both teacher and student. Neither has had the chance to acquire such skills in a normal environment.
“But there is no turning back now. We just have to adapt to the new norm and try to reap the optimum benefits on the table,” Tan said.
In an ideal environment, he said, these extra skills should be acquired in a formal and regimented environment.
“It cannot be left to chance or trial and error. We are dealing with the future of our children. It must be done right and for that we need time,” he added.
However, he concedes that despite its failures, e-learning has its advantages.
“The learning process can be done anywhere.
“Students do not always have to be with their teachers,” he said.
Dr Ngeow Yeok Meng, the deputy head of curriculum development at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, is of the view that productivity varies with the character of each student.
“The more socially inclined a student is, the lower will be his productivity,” she told theSun.
“On the other hand, those who are more comfortable online will find it less burdensome.”
She said how effective e-learning can be also depends on the student’s digital skills and interest.
“Some find it more interactive because they can share things easily but others will see it out of context because they are not used to constant online interactions,” she added.
Ngeow said issues such as loss of interest or concentration are “relatively human”.
“Attention span will wear out when an activity goes on for too long.”
She said e-learning has also promoted two-way learning.
“We teach our students the subjects they need to pass and they help us understand how to use certain features on our devices,” she added.
Private university lecturer Roslind Thambusamy attributes any success or failure of e-learning to the commitment of students.
“If they are not committed, or are facing difficulties, then e-learning will take a toll on productivity.
“Such students will do better in a physical classroom environment,” she told theSun.
She also acknowledged that the nature of online classes does not permit much variety given it is conducted through a screen filled with slides or videos.
“Lecturers do not always see who they interact with because some students choose to turn off their video camera or some may have bad internet connectivity,” she added.
A mass communications student, who sometimes faces connectivity problems, is Preseeth Prakash.
“It curbs my progress slightly. I end up checking facts and clearing my doubts via email, but then I do not get an immediate response,” he said.
Another communications student, Arvind Kumar, said even before the Covid-19 pandemic, he had become familiar with e-learning.
As he rightly pointed out, there are advantages and disadvantages.
E-learning enables one to study in the comfort of his own home, but there is little human interaction, an essential characteristic of a social being.
