LETTERS: It has been decided that virtual platforms will be fully used until September in all educational institutions.
This may not be welcomed by all, especially educators, parents and teachers.
Teachers and students are keen to go back to school, and meet up with schoolmates and colleagues, as well as look forward to teaching and learning face to face.
Many attend online classes with a heavy heart and uncertainty. However, my experience teaching university students online has been positive and transformative.
FIRST, I find that my introvert students have become more confident. This is because in online teaching and learning, we have several platforms to enable students to provide their feedback either orally, in written form or through WhatsApp. In face-to-face classes, extrovert students are the ones who speak up most of the time.
SECOND, online teaching and learning provides flexibility to educators to empower students to complete their formative and summative tasks creatively and innovatively.
If lecturers use just basic tools like Power Point, then it is similar to the chalk-and-talk method of a conventional class. I encourage my students to complete their assessments using methods that are interesting and engaging.
The end-products are always mindblowing as the students are so creative with technology and all our learning outcomes are achieved. Students are able to set up Google Meet sessions, form small committees, assign roles and even chill out.
A group of international students taking my "Appreciation of Ethics and Civilisation" course shared with me their online learning experience.
At the end of an online discussion, a student from Indonesia, who is good in playing the guitar, would play a certain tune, while his fellow students from China, Bangladesh, Singapore and Iran would render a song in their mother tongues. That is what I call being truly creative and innovative. They can chill out even online.
Another postgraduate diploma group was completing their case studies for the "Ethics, Akhlak and Legislation in Education" course. My teaching style is contextual, where I use videos, newspaper articles and human rights booklets, with lessons comprising lively discussions and reflections.
The students, too, presented their assignments in creative ways such as via mock courts and social experiments.
Thus, to make online teaching and learning interesting and engaging, the method of delivery and assessment needs thorough planning.
The Education Ministry must support teachers to "educate outside the box" rather than to just give directives. That is not fair to the teachers because during training, the most they were exposed to was using technology to teach. But teachers in the 50s like me had to start from scratch and it takes a lot of guts to teach out of the norm.
The teaching and learning platform used during the Covid-19 pandemic is virtual but the main aim is to ensure students and educators are passionate about education, with educators facilitating the process and students accepting, exploring and progressing in the new norm.
Both parties need to have a working agreement to ensure communication is effective and meaningful. Online teaching and learning can be exciting and satisfying. Go for it, educators, challenge yourself and your students.
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DR VISHALACHE BALAKRISHNAN
Director, Centre for Research
in International and
Comparative Education;
SULAM@Service Learning
coordinator for Universiti Malaya
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times