Journal of Islamic Educational Research (JIER), e-ISSN: 0128-2069, Volume 7, 2021

ONLINE LEARNING CHALLENGES DURING PANDEMIC COVID-19:

TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES

Zetty Nurzuliana Rashed

Faculty of Education, Selangor International Islamic University College, Selangor, Malaysia
[email protected]

Rahimah Mohd Hanipah

Faculty of Education, Selangor International Islamic University College, Selangor, Malaysia

Nursafra Mohd Zhaffar

Academy of Islamic Contemporary Studies, UiTM Rembau Campus, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Submission Date: 10th June 2021 Acceptance Date: 20th September 2021

Abstract: Online learning (e-learning) has become something that is no stranger to us since the
Covid-19 epidemic hit the world. This has caused teachers and students to drastically need to
change the method of learning and facilitation (PDPC) by doing it online. There are some
challenges faced by teachers living in rural areas especially facing the problem of teaching in
cyberspace due to poor internet access. There are still many teachers who are less skilled in the
use of information technology to enable them to deliver teaching materials online. This study
uses a qualitative approach by interviewing three secondary school Islamic Education teachers as
study participants. The findings of the study found that teachers utilize social media such as
WhatsApp and Telegram to convey various information, instructions, and training. Learning
mediums also vary, from the Zoom app to Google Meet and video calls. In addition to online
learning that is not 'real time' such as using Google Classroom. Teachers also practice flexible
online teaching and learning timetables according to the level of students to overcome the issue
of parents who have problems with lack of gadgets but have many school children. With this
flexible timetable, kids can use gadgets not simultaneously. However, several supreme challenges
had been issued from the students’ cooperation whether in an online or offline class to the
neglected duty of parents to monitor the children’s education. As well as continuing challenges of
Internet accessibility and facilities among students to participate in e-learning. As a result,
educators needed to be more creative and ready to learn new knowledge to meet today's
challenges. Educators need to diversify online teaching and learning methods in line with the
concept of 21st Century Learning (PAK21). The use of these appropriate and creative platforms
is expected to be able to attract students to follow the learning sessions and to avoid dropouts.

Keywords: Online Learning, Challenges, Islamic Education Teacher, Covid-19 Pandemic.

Introduction

In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic situation due to the
spread of a new type of Coronavirus that caused the COVID19 outbreak. In line with the declaration
of this epidemic, all countries have closed all sectors including the education sector. The closure of the
education sector has resulted in the closure of all schools and institutions of higher learning to break
the chain of transmission of this dangerous epidemic. As a result, the face-to-face teaching and learning
process that has been practiced since ancient times had to be stopped during the Movement Control
Order (PKP). According to Khadijah Mukhtar et. al 2020, many institutions have become interested in
how to best deliver course content online, engage learners and conduct assessments. Hence, COVID-
19 while being a hazard to humanity, has evolved institutions to invest in online learning.

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To ensure that all students are not left behind in learning, educators are beginning to use the option to
conduct classes online. Various challenges arise when wanting to implement this online learning
method. Some students do not have personal gadgets or smartphones, some do not have enough
internet data, and some do not have direct internet access. As for educators, there is doubt as to which
platform is suitable for conducting online learning and most of them use the trial-and-error method,
which is to use any platform and look at the suitability.

The Concept of Online Learning

Several theories have been proposed for online learning as learning is done by utilizing the facilities of
the Internet with the help of various technologies. This is evidenced from the results of a survey
conducted that 82.6% of teachers admit that online learning helps them a lot (Fauzi & Sastra Khusuma,
2020) Online learning can be conducted in either synchronous mode or asynchronous mode.
Synchronous mode means that the teacher conducts online learning at a certain time of the week and
asynchronous mode means that the teacher conducts online learning for a longer period (Atmojo &
Nugroho, 2020; Sepulveda-Escobar & Morrison, 2020). The learning process is still based on the
interaction between teachers and students. However, the way of interaction is different because it is
done through online media(Fitriyani et al., 2020). Online learning synergized with the right learning
foundation will provide more optimal learning effects (Arizona et al., 2020).

Learning activities that were previously done by the face-to-face method in the classroom switched to
the online learning system. The concept of social distancing and physical distancing requires everyone
to stay home so that the spread of this virus is not expanding. Thus, both teachers and students are
expected to remain at home and still carry out their duties and responsibilities. Creative and innovative,
lecturers are required to keep teaching to keep students informed of proper education and teaching
(Marcus Deli, 2020).

Online Learning Challenges

A series of recent studies show that teachers consider that online learning is not very effective to be
applied in the learning process (Fauzi & Sastra Khusuma, 2020). A large number of previous studies
have stated that students perceive that online learning is not important due to students 'misconceptions
about online learning. They assume that online learning is informal and just like a vacation, so they are
too relaxed (Atmojo & Nugroho, 2020). In the COVID-19 shift to online education, many educators
have sought out video conference technologies (such as Zoom) aiming to replicate traditional
classrooms online. At face value, the synchronous video appears to offer more immediate replicability
of existing f2f synchronous teaching than asynchronous modalities. However, moving pedagogy from
one medium to another is not always a smooth transition. The COVID-19 situation forced urgent
transitions, and without adequate opportunities to design for a new medium, some instructors have
struggled with old challenges, made new by the medium.

There are many lists of problems found in online learning namely availability of facilities, use of
network and internet, planning, implementation, and evaluation. For example, 25% of teachers argue
that not all students have communication tools to conduct online learning (Fauzi & Sastra Khusuma,
2020; Sepulveda-Escobar & Morrison, 2020). The unprecedented transition from face-to-face or
traditional teaching to distance education from the homes of students and teachers demonstrates the
need for appropriate internet access. Teachers living in rural areas, lacking knowledge in using such
technology where most teachers revealed the complexity of the technology used in the teaching and
learning process during COVID-19 (Habibi et al., 2021). Some students do not even have their
smartphones. It is usually due to the financial situation of their family in addition to adequate internet
network access also greatly influences the implementation of online learning (Fauzi & Sastra Khusuma,
2020; Arizona et al., 2020).

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Furthermore, many students have low digital literacy while some students also have low literacy in
general. Some students are not on time in online learning as scheduled by the school. Some students
submitted their work after the deadline. Another problem that arises is the different levels of students
'mastery of the subject resulting from the diverse cognition and learning styles of students. This
resulted in several students complaining about the workload they had to do in a set amount of time and
understanding the material that made students stressed and traumatized (Fitriyani et al., 2020; Atmojo &
Nugroho, 2020).

Basilaia & Kvavadze, 2020 mentioned that teachers also had technical problems related to personal
computer video/voice configuration or misuse of functionality. The obvious challenges require that
ICT integration among teachers, such as online teaching and online assessment, be mastered at a lower
level (König et al., 2020). Also, the teaching environment is more difficult and tiring than the classroom
environment because the conditions at home are not suitable to do all the necessary teaching work
(Sepulveda-Escobar & Morrison, 2020). Coupled with financial circumstances that prevented some
teachers from teaching and learning during the outbreak. Therefore, it was a difficult challenge for
teachers to work from home (Habibi et al., 2021). Equally important, salary cuts were another dilemma
as challenging financial barrier including limited financial subsidies to teachers for internet credit
purchases. On that, teachers informed that they had a small amount of money to support them buying
Internet credit. (Habibi et al., 2021).

Accordingly, teachers do not maximize the use of technology in online learning. Atmojo & Nugroho,
2020 detected that teachers find it difficult to create materials in an online learning environment
because they only use low-tech applications. This research also claims that this is due to the lack of
experience and knowledge of teachers in conducting online learning. The latest evidence by (Atmojo &
Nugroho, 2020) is that teachers also find problems in giving personal feedback and teaching moral
values to students with minimal time. Teachers find it difficult to engage low-motivated and passive
students in an online learning environment. Besides, the lack of quality of content delivery and limited
social interaction. The problem arises when teachers have new experiences with online learning where
they have trouble understanding classroom conditions, student moods, and the dynamics of content
delivery. Also, teachers face difficulties in organizing learning activities as those teachers have limited
knowledge of technology integration during this epidemic (Habibi et al., 2021).

Online Platform and Medium Utilized by Teachers

There is a large amount of literature on online learning media that can be separated into learning
management systems, chat and messaging, video conferencing, makers, assessments, video streaming
and sharing, online learning providers, and additional resources. All we know is that teachers use
platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet — Google Classroom, Skype, and Edmodo to
manage their online learning in general. In line with that, teachers make short video clips on specific
content making learning more effective also making interaction more intensive (Sepulveda-Escobar &
Morrison, 2020; Atmojo & Nugroho, 2020). Online learning emphasizes Internet-based courses offered
synchronously and asynchronously. Synchronous learning is a form of learning with direct interactions
between students and teachers while simultaneously using online forms such as conferences and online
chat. Meanwhile, asynchronous learning is a form of learning indirectly (not at the same time) using an
independent learning approach (Rasmitadila et.al 2020).

They are a lot of teacher-populated media such as Autodesk SketchBook, TEDEd, and FastStone
Capture as well as Google Form, Quizizz, and Kahoot. They are used to create online quizzes for
students in the form of multiple-choice, essays, and true or false alternatives. Coupled with YouTube
which is mostly used by teachers as visual material in the form of videos and animations even many

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YouTubers have uploaded various procedures to become teachers and students on online learning
platforms (Arizona et al., 2020).

Atmojo & Nugroho (2020) show materials used by teachers for creating their materials in the form of
videos, pictures, PowerPoint slides, Word documents, and PDF documents. These materials are shared
through messaging apps like WhatsApp. Not to be outdone, 66.7% of teachers modified teaching
materials from various sources to be given to students (Fauzi & Sastra Khusuma, 2020). A study by
Fauzi & Sastra Khusuma, 2020 also showed that 44.4% of teachers often make media in the form of
audiovisual, because according to him audiovisual is a very interesting form of content to be taught to
students.

However, the most widely used ordering platform, WhatsApp media is seen as inappropriate media, as
WhatsApp is made only as a communication medium and is not set for distance learning classes and
makes learning less meaningful. Similarly, it is recommended to use low quota applications such as E-
Knows when studying. Similarly, the delivery time of the material should not be too long, as the total
quota will consume a lot (Fitriyani et al., 2020).

The Challenges among the Parents

Atmojo & Nugroho (2020), mention that teachers face difficulties in collaborating with parents.
Undoubtedly because the role of parents is very clear and involved in implementing online learning, but
many parents request that teachers only submit assignments that should be done by children, as it is
often contrary to the duties/jobs of parents. Another problem is the lack of parental care. Some
parents do not keep their children studying because they are busy with their jobs and businesses.
Similarly, 90% of teachers reported they successfully communicated with students and parents
regularly. This means that as long as digital devices such as mobile phones are available to students and
their parents, communication, is possible. Despite that, some of the challenges are very much reflecting
on the socio-cultural context around the school students and their families they face and how all these
situations can affect the learning process of their students. This causes teachers to be more assertive
and consider their students 'backgrounds as a fundamental foundation in their planning and teaching
(Sepulveda-Escobar & Morrison, 2020).

Financial difficulties in the purchase of the device, due to its high price and parents cannot afford it. At
the same time, purchasing data packages or internet quotas is also a challenge. Also, unstable signals
cause the content of the lesson given by the teacher to not be perfectly accepted by the students.
However, parents do not understand the material and are unable to teach the content of the lesson to
their children due to a lack of educational knowledge, which is possessed by the teachers. This is due
to, the inability of parents to carry out the profession as teachers and the difficulty of replacing the
teaching profession at home. This has to do with, many parents have low educational backgrounds and
the material learned by students cannot be completed and completed by parents. Among the results of
the thinking, it has been stated that because there is no intensive and harmonious relationship between
parents and teachers and there is no good cooperation between teachers and parents, this has caused
difficulties for parents in completing their child’s tasks (Cankar et al., 2012; Xiaoyang et al., 2018).
Inadequate understanding of teacher instructions, learning done online is very difficult for students to
understand so it requires further translation but even parents do not understand what instructions are
conveyed by teachers in gadgets, so difficult to understand and solve (People et al., 2020).

Teachers’ Role

The role of teachers in building online learning readiness is the key to learning success (Fauzi & Sastra
Khusuma, 2020). Teachers provide personalized feedback aimed at helping students to progress in their
learning. One way to increase the effectiveness of group teaching is by reviewing assignments

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individually and returning feedback to students (König et al., 2020). Teachers should also be creative
and innovative in providing activities to students in an online learning environment. According to
Atmojo & Nugroho, 2020, teachers must be knowledgeable and skilled to teach through online
learning. They must master the content they teach. Besides, teachers have a mix of online activities to
clear doubts, provide feedback on students 'learning processes and provide instructions for weekly
work.

Teachers are suggested to prepare short material to give a stimulus to the students about the material.
In this case, teachers can make small discussions through WhatsApp groups, Google classes, or other
applications that are more efficient in the use of quotas (Fitriyani et al., 2020). In the study of Basilaia &
Kvavadze (2020) mention 55% of participants agreed that the online learning experience was a learning
opportunity to get out of the comfort zone with learning new technologies. Participants also assessed
the fact that they were able to adapt to uncertain situations and new scenarios, solving emerging
problems but lack of relationships affected this teaching experience in such a way that it caused much
anxiety and their motivation levels declined. In general, teacher self-efficacy is key in assigning tasks to
students in different ways and in providing feedback in online learning (König et al., 2020).

A webinar activity aid teacher to teach writing techniques with ongoing assistance to students.
Monitoring is also done to discuss students' mistakes in composing words or sentences that are still
confused. This demands the skills and competencies of teachers in developing online media in the
coaching process. Also, the discussion between teachers is one of the efforts to improve their
competence. Through the discussion emerged suggestions and instructions related to the problems
faced by the students. In addition to discussions with peers, principal guidance becomes a key point in
the development of teacher competencies such as providing media and contacts and managing online
learning (Febriani et al., 2020).

Research Objectives

1- Exploring the challenges faced by Islamic education teachers in implementing online teaching.
2- Exploring the approaches used by current Islamic education teachers online teaching.

Methodology

The design of this study uses a descriptive qualitative study which can help the researcher investigate
the identified issues in-depth and detail by maintaining its originality holistically (Patton 1990). This
qualitative approach was chosen to enable the researcher to see the real situation that is the activities
that occur, are seen and experienced in a real atmosphere in the environment of the study area (Yin
1994).

This study is useful to explain how and what happened, add knowledge, develop, and analyze findings
from various sources as well as provide extensive data as well as triangulate data for information
validity. Repetition of the same study in separate places using similar protocols aids validation and
replication (Ginsburg & Rhett 2003). Researchers collected information through a multi-source
interview process and were supported with observational data and data from documents to analyze and
make interpretations about this phenomenon. Next, the researcher makes a description of all the
information obtained, analyses by making interpretations, categorizations, and constructs concepts
from various sources supported by diverse methods.

In this study, informants or study participants are referred to as those who are asked to focus on facts
based on interview questions that require a person to actively reconstruct the experience in the context
in which they are (Seidman 1998). The purpose of the selection of study participants was to provide an
overview from various angles for the phenomena studied (Barbour, 2008; Wills, 2007). In this study,

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the researcher has interviewed three Islamic Education teachers including Islamic Education teachers
who teach in Secondary Schools in the state of Selangor and the state of Negeri Sembilan.

The selection of study participants was made based on the recommendations of Gay (1996), using the
purposive sampling technique which means that the study sample was selected for a specific purpose.
Purposeful selection of study participants is also based on selected study participants who can convey
information about a phenomenon holistically and meaningfully (Cresswell, 1998; Mills & Airasian,
2003; Seidman, 1998).

In this study, the study participants had the following criteria:

1- Involves Islamic Education teachers who teach in daily secondary schools that use the standard
secondary school curriculum (KSSM) of the Ministry of Education Malaysia.
2- Teachers of Islamic Education a secondary school teacher that has undergone training or
courses related to online learning.
3- Willingness to be a study participant and permission from the school management were also
considerations.
4- Willingness to be a study participant.

For data collection, the researcher has applied for permission of study participants to observe,
interview, and record the interview, permission of study participants to store and examine and use
materials related to research questions (Marohaini, 2001). This study uses Atlas ti 8.5 program software
to manage the data that has been collected by coding themes, categorizing, and analyzing each data
obtained. In addition, this continuous analysis can determine the data to be collected next is not
repetitive. Information from the initial analysis process allows the researcher to avoid collecting the
same data. This is of course profitable in terms of time and energy costs. Data analysis done
continuously throughout the data collection period has avoided the occurrence of data piles. Such a
process allows the researcher to organize and store data systematically which will facilitate the work of
analysis after data collection.

Findings and Discussions

The first objective of this study is to explore the challenges faced by Islamic education teachers in
implementing online teaching. Based on the analysis of the findings of the study on the first objective
the themes that can be identified were from the aspects of the internet, student involvement,
knowledge, and skills, infrastructure, emotional disturbances, and time. To facilitate understanding, the
display in Table 1 below summarizes the problems faced by Islamic Education teachers in
implementing the integration of science and the Quran in the teaching of Islamic Education. The
findings of this study were taken from in-depth interviews with GPI.

Categories Theme Sub-theme

The challenge Internet Unstable
Student involvement Student attendance is too low
Lack of parental monitoring
Disruption at home, do not open the camera
Student attitude, no response to the teacher
Knowledge and skills Lack of exposure, insufficient training
Facilities Insufficient facilities
Emotional disorders Less stable
Time Too much business, multitasking

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Table 1: Summary of Themes And Sub-Themes for the Challenges Faced by GPI in Implementing the
Teaching of Islamic Education Online

Table 1 shows the findings of the study on the challenges initiated with the themes of i) internet, ii)
student participation, iii) knowledge and skills, iv) facilities, v) emotional disturbances, vi) time
limitation.

1- Internet

Regarding the first theme on the internet, participant 1 and participant 2 mentioned that students have
limited access to the internet because they use top-up credit services. This means this credit will only
last for a few days with the Internet quota apart. Once the top-up credit or Internet quota is exhausted,
students are required to purchase a new top-up credit to gain access to the Internet. This statement is
supported by participant interviews “not all students have Internet facilities, they use top-ups. The problem is that
students do not enter the classroom, later they will apologize to the teacher due to slow internet.” This was supported
by prior research by (Fauzi & Sastra Khusuma, 2020; Arizona et al., 2020) where it is usually due to the
financial situation of their family to purchase internet data in addition to adequate internet network
access which greatly influences the implementation of online learning.

2- Student Participation

Next, the interviews also discussed student participation. Student participation was considered less
during the online class said Participant 2. The transcript of this statement is “cooperation from students ...
they do not participate in PdPr. Teaching using google meeting, from 50 people entered not up to half of the class..only a
few of them so the target was not reached...Want to be able to do reflection..they were also the same students. We do not
see them, so we do it indifferently, if it's a quiz, they do it ... but if it’s a little harder..hots..longer notes, only a few people
will send..sending them notes in video form, teaching was not the same...no...There were silent with no questions, I was
dissatisfied..when everyone closes the camera as if nothing..we don't feel like talking to each other. Students themselves are
less involved .. they don't face us, you can't see them.” Previous studies strongly support this issue as they have
stated that students perceive that online learning is not important due to students 'misconceptions
about online learning. They assume that online learning is informal and just like a vacation, so they are
too relaxed (Atmojo & Nugroho, 2020).

Disruptions experienced during online learning can also affect student participation. Participant 3,
stated that both students and teachers face various disruptions during online learning. This fact can be
proved as she quotes “The problem is in the student's house..they live in a flat. Teachers who have small children too
... disturbance at home. If at home, it's hard to concentrate. There is indeed a 30-minute break or 1 hour before another
class starts but teachers need to be multitasking as well, there is other housework to be done. Sometimes shopkeepers
arrive, pick up the goods”.

3- Knowledge and Skills

This third theme which emphasizes the aspects of knowledge and skills can be seen from several
perspectives. First, from a parental perspective, participant 2 mentioned that most of the parents of the
students in the school have low knowledge in conducting online learning. This is well supported by her
statement “Parents ...when the kids are in secondary school..they just let him be, let him without any monitoring..”

Coupled with the same idea by Participant 3 stated that parents play a key role during online learning by
monitoring their children. However, in most cases, parents have low knowledge of the implementation
of online learning. This can be seen through the interview where she said “..parents also lack knowledge,
parents play a huge role in the aspect of PdPr..parents should monitor the children, we can’t see our students in the Google
Meet, they are there but they do not respond ..”

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Second, from the student's perspective. In many cases, students fail to respond well to online learning.
This can be acknowledged from the interview of Participant 2. She quoted in her transcript “...Hafazan
using video calls..not many will do...we assess the students from there. Islamic education is more than just practical,
learning in terms of ibadah, bringing the students to the surau, teaching complementary prayers, now there are no practical
only theories. Hafazan if they are not ready, they do not appear for google meetings..students tend to run away, the same if
they do not know how to read Jawi ...”

Third, from the teacher's perspective. Participant 1 had difficulty in delivering lessons online, as
teachers they were trained to be educators, not content creators. She quoted in her interview “... the need
to attract the attention of students ... The content of learning that students need to achieve ... sometimes the teachers cannot
achieve...” This idea is strongly supported by prior researchers which stated that problem arises when
teachers have new experiences with online learning where they have trouble understanding classroom
conditions, student moods, and the dynamics of content delivery. In addition, teachers face difficulties
in organizing learning activities as those teachers have limited knowledge of technology integration
during this epidemic. (Habibi et al., 2021)

Similarly, Participant 2 revealed that senior teachers lacked knowledge about online devices,
applications, and platforms. This was discussed during her interview “We do not have skills, we lack in
technology like this ..we need to learn.” Similarly, participant 3 presented a similar problem in which she also
revealed that they lack in digital literacy. This was quoted in her interview “..The challenge is that we are in
our 50s, and we have to study..it’s not easy, young people do not have any problems..”

4- Facilities

These interviews emphasized that facilities played a key role in online teaching and learning. Participant
3, stated that students are the most influential group for online learning when it comes to facilities. She
revealed the matter “challenge..first of all, devices. If we teacher, we have the device, there is Wifi..teachers have no
problem, but students..not all students have mobile phones, there are laptops, used to share with siblings...parents have to
buy additional tools, have to buy tables for the children to use ... This is a day school, usually the socio-economic
backgrounds of students are from various classes ...” Some of the challenges are very much reflecting on the
socio-cultural context around the school students and their families face and how all these situations
can affect the learning process of the students. (Sepulveda-Escobar & Morrison, 2020).

She also said that the school was not available with a wifi facility. However, as many teachers are
conducting online classes from the school, the administration decided to install wifi in the staff room.
This statement can be seen from the transcript “..first there is no wifi at school..then there is..because teachers
want to use their wifi, it finishes quickly... the wifi at the staff room, if many uses at the same time, the line will also be
lost ..”

5- Emotional Disturbance

In general, Participant 1, stated that teachers who are exposed to online learning suddenly, it’s a big
challenge. This is supported by her transcript “...For a teacher who is not proficient in all applications or any
method, he or she should start from scratch. If there are a lot of things to do, it will cause stress be emotionally exhausted.
Especially veteran teachers.”

In addition, there is a tendency for teachers to mentally and physically fatigued while conducting online
learning. This idea was strongly agreed by Participant 3, who stated “...At first, I didn't feel tired ... now I feel
tired because the schedule is starting to get packed. I think we teachers need to be ready, even if we're tired of adjusting ...
we also have to do Erph, we have to turn it in on time. We feel lost the first week.” König et al., (2020) discussed
that teachers were able to adapt to uncertain situations and new scenarios, solving emerging problems

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but lack of relationships affected the teaching experience in such a way that it caused much anxiety and
their motivation levels declined.

6- Time Limitation

Participant 2, through her interview reported that time constraint is one of the critical problems faced
in online learning. For example; she stressed that “.. class starts at 8 am, yet the students are still in the dream
world... we open the link at 8 am..we should wait for the students to enter until 20 minutes...” The latest evidence by
Atmojo & Nugroho (2020) is that teachers also find problems in giving personal feedback and teaching
moral values to students with minimal time.

While for the second objective is to explore the approach used by Islamic education teachers during
online teaching. Based on the analysis of the findings of the study on this second objective, among the
themes that can be identified were synchronized and asyncronise.

To facilitate understanding, the display in Table 2 below summarizes the approach used by Islamic
Education teachers in implementing online teaching and learning in the teaching of Islamic Education.

Categories Theme Sub-theme

Medium/approach Synchronize Google meet
Zoom
Quiziiz Live
FB Live
Asyncronize Google classroom
Whatsapp
Telegram
Google form

Table 2: Summary of Themes and Subthemes for the Approach Used by GPI in Implementing the
Teaching of Islamic Education Online

Table 2 shows the findings of the study on the approach or medium that started with the theme i)
synchronize, ii) asychronize.

The study also provided an in-depth insight into the teaching and learning approaches by the
participants. Participant 1, Participant 2, and Participant 3 will usually start their class by getting to
know their students and basic background before deciding how to teach them. They discussed the
approach during the interviews held where they would “... Examine the student's family background so that I
can find out, any of my students who have device problems. This student I will exclude or grant leniency if he or she does
not attend the Meet.” Also, participants will mark the attendance of their students during their classes
using the prescribed form. This can be seen from the interviews “..mark the attendance of students every time
they attend a Meet..indicate also every task they have performed…There is a special form I made..” Also, any
problems regarding student attendance will be addressed by the teacher personally. The transcript
supports that statement “... Asked personally to the students who did not attend and did not send assignments to
me...”

This study also demonstrates the online and offline approaches used by the participants. There are
many mediums used such as Google Meet, Google Classroom, PowerPoint slides, video, Wordwall,
Quizizz, and others. This can be gleaned through their interviews “I use various methods to attract my
students to attend Meet. I use slides, videos, Wordwall games, build quizzes in Quizizz, Exercises in Google Classroom.
Besides, Participant 1 will also use interactive activities during the online lessons. The supporting transcript is “Using

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also the method of playing while learning, for example, after teaching 1 topic, before entering the next topic, I will give
puzzles and so on. They will also race to complete Quizizz live.”

It was very interesting when Participant 1 used reward techniques in engaging students. This is evident
from her interview “...Rewards to any of my students who complete assignments, and their answers are correct. This
was made since MCO 1.” The study also provided additional support on assessments performed during
online classes. Participant 1 will generally evaluate the work once students submit their assignments.
This was quoted through her interview “Immediately assessed each submitted task..” Finally, Participant 1 will
update the student’s behavior in the designated system. She revealed in her interview that “..include good
behavior in the Student Personality System (SSDM) of every student who attends the Meet ..” Participants 2 and 3
need to fill in the Google form in Delima Portal for each class that has been conducted either online or
offline.

By comparison, Participant 2 and Participant 3 often used WhatsApp and Telegram as their
communication media and for distance learning. It is said to be easier to use and almost all students
have accessibility to these platforms. This is evident from the transcripts they stated “.. Or the easiest will
be WhatsApp, Telegram, in PdPr we still use textbooks but relaxed ..” Prior research by (Sepulveda-Escobar &
Morrison, 2020; Atmojo & Nugroho, 2020) agreed to the study as teachers use platforms like Microsoft
Teams, Zoom, or Google Meet — Google Classroom, Skype, and Edmodo to manage their online
learning in general. In line with that, teachers make short video clips on specific content making
learning more effective also making interaction more intensive.

Conclusion

Looking at the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic positively, sparked an extraordinary enthusiasm and
effort for educators in Malaysia in ensuring that students are not left behind in education. Educators try
their best to be creative in diversifying teaching methods. They unabashedly study to improve their
ability to educate in line with technological advances. In line with the new normal, this online learning
requires the unwavering commitment and support of parents in helping educators educate students.
Parents need to understand the new normal of education, provide space for children to attend online
classes as well as also monitor their learning sessions and schoolwork. This extraordinary effort is no
exception requiring the undivided commitment of the students. Changes in learning systems force
schools to implement distance education or online learning, e-learning, distance education,
correspondence education, external studies, flexible learning, and massive open online courses
(MOOCs).

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