ODL, online and distance learning, online learning mode, however you would like to call it.
After my one-semester special leave, and when the new semester began, I got back to campus. However, I was one week late because I quit my part time job on the second last day of February and the first day and week of the semester began on the 24th of February.
Then, on the 16th of March, two days before the partial lockdown / movement control order / MCO / PKP however you would like to call it, was enforced in Malaysia, UiTM announced that no physical classes would be held because covid-19 cases in Malaysia were skyrocketing. So I only got two weeks of physical classes in UiTM before the MCO was announced by the Prime Minister.
Of course I thought that it would only be temporary and we would get back to campus within a few weeks. Due to taking one semester off from my study, I had to join the lower batch of the law school and my original batch would be my seniors. I didn't have much chance to get to know my new batchmates and make some friends from this batch. Two weeks were too short. Besides that, I have Mooting subject in this semester. I have always had been dreaming of doing my oral submission in the Moot Court, wearing the glorious lawyer's robe and taking OOTDs at the faculty wearing the robe. This pandemic really destroyed those dreams. Due to this pandemic, learning institutions had to be closed and physical classes are replaced by ODL. The entire semester was then decided to be conducted via ODL, including the Mooting subject. ODL's Mooting didn't feel like Mooting, no lawyer's robe, no OOTD at the faculty after oral submission.
Nonetheless, there are also things that I am grateful for that happened throughout this ODL. I found groupmates for group assignments with ease. All of the people that have become my groupmates in this semester are all amazing. At first I thought it would be really difficult for me to find groupmates as starting from this semester, I am in a completely different batch. I hope I would have no problems finding groupmates in the next semesters. On top of that, despite the fact that we are bombarded with loads and loads of assignments due to ODL, I took advantage of it to improve my CGPA since there are no final exams in ODL.
There are also things that have upset and bothered me during this ODL. I pity those students who have poor internet connection. ODL highly depends on the internet. This significantly affected the students with poor internet connection because when they are presenting, their voices would sound distorted or crackling due to poor internet connection. I really wish telco companies would do something to improve the internet and network coverage, especially in rural areas. Students in rural areas should not be left behind in education and learning.
Physical classes are most definitely better than ODL because we have face-to-face interaction with lecturers and other students and it is easier to understand or grasp the things that are being taught. Also, no offence. There are lecturers that never conducted classes and let us all study or learn by ourselves in this ODL. Learning process has already been less effective thanks to ODL, and some lecturers made in worse by not conducting ANY form of online teaching. This made me wonder and asked myself, what the hell is going on in this semester? I know some students like it because YAYYYY NO CLASSES and they could use those spare times to do their assignments but like I asked before, what the hell is going on in this semester if that's the case?
Some lecturers also resort to teaching via group chat such as WhatsApp and Telegram, so everyone just participates by typing. I know that this is advantageous to those with poor internet connection because strong internet connection is not required in this teaching method. However, I personally think that this is so ineffective and the learning process would be much more difficult, mostly because everyone wants to type besides the lecturer and scrolling through the chat would be a pain in the a$$. Instead of making the lecturers to resort to this method, I hope the telco companies would do something to improve the internet coverage.
I like it when lecturers make prerecorded lectures and later conduct online classes via online meeting platform for the students to ask questions for further explanation or have in-depth discussions pertaining to the chapters in the prerecorded lectures sent prior to the online meeting. The prerecorded lectures would also be beneficial for students with poor internet connection who have problems with joining online meeting. Although it may not be as good as physical classes, this ODL teaching method is the best that I can think of.
These are my 2 cents.
Bye.
