Hybrid, Online or Face-to-Face Learning? Experiences during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Online learning activities have run for two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. In 2022, a hybrid method is widely implemented in almost all educational institutions because the pandemic has been gradually under control. This paper aims to explain the students' experiences at Semarang State University during online and hybrid learning processes. The respondents are the students of the Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Semarang. The data are collected using a questionnaire distributed online. Descriptive analysis aims to explain and analyse the obtained data. The findings show that most students prefer the face-to-face learning method because they can be lively and interactively engaged in classroom activities. They think online or hybrid learning techniques are not more effective than face-to-face meetings. Online and hybrid lectures trigger higher stress levels for them. However, according to them, the online and hybrid learning methods are still interesting to be done. The lecturers' competence and abilities have been capable of handling such techniques to manage the class effectively. The students' inputs are important for the improvement of hybrid lectures. The hybrid learning must also be evenly distributed in both directions (real class and virtual class) so that there should be better classroom management skills that must be owned by each lecturer.