Facing the unknown: pandemic and higher education in Malaysia

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide commentary on the challenges and impacts of the pandemic crisis to higher education institutions (HEIs) in Malaysia. It also outlines mitigation plans, innovative strategies adopted and implications and recommendations to HEIs.Design/methodology/approachThe research study uses a discourse analysis to examine the higher education challenges and impacts of the pandemic in Malaysia.FindingsThe findings reveal that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the higher education sector in Malaysia significantly. Both lecturers and students in HEIs are faced with multiple challenges in teaching and learning. The effect was more severe in East Malaysia due to poor Internet connectivity for online learning. Nevertheless, COVID-19 also provides an opportunity to HEIs to reconstruct the education system and establish updated programmes and assessments. The success of online learning to mitigate the impacts is still unknown.Research limitations/implicationsThe review of the literature and news are not comprehensive as the current pandemic crisis is not over.Originality/valueThis paper is presumably representing a frontier review with more empirical research studies to be conducted to investigate the extent of the current crisis affecting teaching and learning in HEIs in Malaysia. Though there were some commentaries on how the pandemic affects education, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first commentary paper in higher education realm in Malaysia.

Demographic, gadget and internet profiles as determinants of disease and consequence related COVID-19 anxiety among Filipino college students

“…Through their Ministries of Education, the governments of Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia have forged partnerships with telecommunication companies to provide consistent Internet connectivity, free access to online learning management systems and platforms, and subsidized rates for students and teachers (Gupta & Khairina, 2020;Shahrill et al, 2021). In Malaysia, the government provided RM270 (65 USD) to students studying in higher education institutions, and certain universities have placed support systems in order to provide technical assistance to students who have difficulty accessing reliable Internet services (Sia & Adamu, 2020). In Lao PDR, the Ministry of Education and Sports have worked with civil society organizations in order to create applications for learning, equip schools with low-cost ICT equipment and provide trainings to teachers (Redmond, 2021).…”

An Exploration on Online Learning Challenges in Malaysian Higher Education: The Post COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak

“…Students and professors face considerable challenges as a result of OLL. According to the head of the University of Malaya Association of New Youth, most students struggle and are frustrated with online learning because professors tend to provide more assignments than lectures [19]. If there are any concerns or questions, students are unable to interact actively and directly with the professor [20].…”

Distance Education during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Perceptions and Preference of University Students in Malaysia Towards Online Learning

“…For instance, lecturers have to tailor activities and assessments to the digital environment and also had to learn to use various technologyenhanced educational tools in a short span of time. Moreover, unstable or insufficient network also poses unprecedented challenges for both lecturers and students when conducting live video conferencing sessions [9]. School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE), a faculty of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), had adopted Blackboard as their new learning management system before the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…SPACE, for example, is currently preparing to develop Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programs and micro-credentials. Thus, evaluating the current adoption of remote learning as well as the students' experiences of and preference towards online education is critical for providing guidance to institutions and assisting them in deciding on, designing and implementing a relevant and fulfilling approach to education [9]. Therefore, the objectives of this research are to 1) determine students' perceptions of the online distance education conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic; 2) identify students' preference for online learning.…”