Member Introduction 101

These are our members. :) 

Members' Goals

We listed our daily, monthly and yearly goals in our posters. We also shared some of our strengths and weaknesses including ways on how we changed our world. 

Our discussion on a task given

ISSUES AMONG TEAMMATES

We have been given a task by our lecturer to discuss about what is the problem that usually occurs when doing a teamwork assignment or project. We came up with some issues and we also state the solutions for the problems that occurring around teamworking. 

After around 15 minutes of discussion, we could jump into conclusion that uncooperative members are usually exist in any types of assignments that need to do in groups. But not only uncooperative members, poor communication among teammates also has the tendency becoming a problem occurs in group work. 

Here are the lists for the problems and solutions that take place in the topic of issue among teammates.

1. Uncooperative members

Reasons : Irresponsible in doing works and keep in silence during any discussions or in other words, a CCTV. 

Solution : Distribute the tasks equally and clarify or explain clearly to that person about the task he/she should do. Plus, clearly stated what he/she should do for the task given, so he/she can do his/her work well without being irresponsible or uncooperative. 

2. Poor Communication 

Reason : Members do not want to hear or listen to anyone's suggestions or ideas and it will bring up to an argument between teammates. 

Solution : Communicate in a polite way, avoid using rude words, respect each others, be open-minded. 

During the discussion, we all agree that the solution for uncooperative members an be applied as the solution for poor communication too.  

Online Distance Learing (ODL) and its Impacts on Students

     Since the first Malaysia lockdown due to Covid-19, the students are starting to have online distance learning as they cannot step out of the house. However, we received several comments and complaints about this system of learning. Thus, we want to talk about Online Distance Learning (ODL) and its Impacts on Students.

    From this screenshot, we can conclude that there are several negative impacts on the students. These complaints are stated based on their experience. They stated that they need to be mentally and physically prepared to learn the subject.

    On the other hand, this one includes some positive points such as increasing their knowledge about IT as it is already the time people have to learn to handle the technology in the future. but these points don't really shine in this context as the negative points are very vivid and experienced by many other students.

    In a nutshell, ODL is not an ideal method for students to learn. Unfortunately, there is still nothing we can do about it. For now, what we can only do is to face it mentally and physically. We still don't really find another great method to overcome this problem. 

STEP 1

SELECTED ISSUE FOR CID

 1. BRAINSTROMING TO GET THE TOPIC FOR CID 

          During the discussion to choose the best topic, we came to a thought to choose between racist or double standard as our CID topic. One of our members also suggested the unjust system of government for our topic because that was the present issue happening in Malaysia followed by double standard issue. However, after a short discussion, we were finally decided to choose Online Distance Learning (ODL) as our topic for CID since the issue is still taking place until today and all of us are facing this issue in our lives. Thus, Online Distance Learning (ODL) is our chosen topic for our CID Project for Soft Skills subject. 

2. JUSTIFICATION FOR THE ISSUE

          Since the first Malaysia lockdown due to Covid-19, the students are starting to have online distance learning as they cannot step out of the house. However, we received several comments and complaints about this system of learning. Thus, we want to talk about Online Distance Learning (ODL) and its Impacts on Students.

    From this screenshot, we can conclude that there are several negative impacts on the students. These complaints are stated based on their experience. They stated that they need to be mentally and physically prepared to learn the subject.

    On the other hand, this one includes some positive points such as increasing their knowledge about IT as it is already the time people have to learn to handle the technology in the future. but these points don't really shine in this context as the negative points are very vivid and experienced by many other students.

    In a nutshell, ODL is not an ideal method for students to learn. Unfortunately, there is still nothing we can do about it. For now, what we can only do is to face it mentally and physically. We still don't really find another great method to overcome this problem. 

3. STATISTICAL DATA OR CREDIBLE REPORT

STEP 2

 IDENTIFY PROBLEM AND ANALYSIS

What Is Online Distance Learning (ODL) ?

     Online distance learning is an educational process where students receive instruction through online classes, video recordings, video conferencing, or any other audio/visual technology medium. It enables people to receive education without having to be physically present in a classroom. There are two kinds of online distance learning which is synchronous and asynchronous. 

     Synchronous means students still have direct interaction with their peer friends and lecturers. While, the asynchronous is the opposite of the synchronous. In the perspective of the students, they will see the effect of the pandemic with various benefits and also disadvantages. It always depends on the students themselves whether they will use the asynchronous or synchronous effectively and gain something from it or not. 

     Throughout the world, online learning has been established allowing students to pursue their education in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak. Most universities use online learning to keep students from having to come to class in person. Online learning encourages student to remain engaged in class with no physical attending and protects students from having into touch with COVID-19. Students can engage in their normal lessons via online learning by using a number of various ways such as Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Zoom, and so on.

Reference : https://uplbperspective.org/2020/09/19/three-students-commit-suicide-three-months-into-online-learning/

Cause 1 : 

Problem During Online Classes 

     There are many problems with online classes. One of them is students are having a hard time focusing on the lecturer or easily distracted. This is because of the unsuitable environment the student is sitting in. Compare to the environment that is being held in a classroom, where students are supposed to gather and learn together, the environment students have to sit in really gives a bad vibe to the students. It let students feel lazy to learn or easily distracted by objects nearby. This worsens their focus, thus do not gain what the lecturers are teaching in the class.

     Another problem that frequently happened during online classes is that students tend to have a weak internet connection. This is portraited when students often get disconnected during lecturer. This problem interrupts the focus of the student, thus increasing frustration among students. A disturbed mind of a student gives a bad sign to his/her education. This will lead to stress, depression and even suicide. This problem can get even worse if the students are having a group discussion, presentation or anything that requires the students’ responses, the video will freeze frequently and the audio often stuck. As a result, the students are getting bad results for their assessments. This shows that having a good internet connection matters to gain good result for their assessments.

     The last problem that students are always tired throughout the day. It may happen when students got a ton of assignments especially for those who take up to 9 subjects for the sem. The assignments pile up and students have to burn the midnight oil to finish the assignments. This will be worsening when the understanding of that particular students limited due to whether lack of focus in class or the lecturer’s lecture is not understandable. The struggle students must face is tense.  As a result, students wake up in a bad condition, mentally and physically tired to even start the day. This fatigue will stack up day after day and will influence the student’s performance drastically.

Cause 2 :

Learning Environment 

     During the movement control order or most commonly known as (MCO), all of the student around our country have been forced to learn with a new way of learning which is the hybrid learning. The hybrid learning is a way to prevent the spread of the Covid-19. During this pandemic period, student have to learn using any gadget such as phone or laptop to connect to the online classroom such as google meet or google classroom. 

     During the online class, students tend to be expose to the various learning environment that can disturb them from focusing on learning. The example of the negative learning environment that can affect the student's learning is the family problem and also limited spaces. When we talk about the family problem that may occur between parents, it will disturb student's mind and affect the mental condition and naturally will negatively impact the result of the learning. 

     This will happen if the family problem such as parents keep arguing with each other in front of their children. On the other hand, when there is only a limited space that provided for the student that can be used for the online learning sessions such as narrow table, poor air ventilation and also place that have many noises, students will not be able to learn comfortably and will not be able to focus during the online learning sessions.

Cause 3 :

Mental Health 

     Many schools and institutes of education around the Malaysians have shifted from traditional, in-person classes to online learning in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As students continue their education, they are placed in a much different environment than the one they’re used to. While this alternative route to learning has been beneficial for some students, others are facing mental health issues. 

     Mental health problems can affect many areas of students’ lives, reducing their quality of life, academic achievement, physical health, and satisfaction. With students cooped up all day, it can have many negative effects on their mental health. Online distance learning (ODL) has taken away the face-to-face interactions with fellow students and teachers. For some students, this lack of social interaction can lead to feelings of isolation. 

     While social distancing is an effective way to slow the spread of COVID-19, it leads to many mental health issues, including Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia and Dementia. Apart from that, some students may have a difficult time grasping new concepts and material given to them. They may lose motivation when their tasks are overwhelming, which can cause stress and anxiety. When students don’t understand an assignment, it’s not as easy as raising their hand or walking up to the teacher whenever they can. With remote learning, students have to email their teacher and wait for a response, which could take hours.

Reference : https://www.sprc.org/colleges-universities/consequences

Cause 4 :

Social Impact 

     Online learning system is presently being used in education leads students to experience contemplation, isolation, and a lack of engagement. As a result, many students and teachers who eventually spend a significant amount of time online may begin to exhibit indications of social isolation as a result of a lack of human interaction in their life. 

     Social isolation is a situation that people are currently facing due to pandemic Covid-19 as the way to prevent the spread of the disease. Thus, this isolation is really impactful to everyone especially students who could not return to their university or campus and they need to study their courses by Online Distance Learning (ODL) instead of face-to-face learning. This is undoubtedly such a negative impact of Online Distance Learning because students could not meet and communicate to each other physically and this could lead to an unfriendly relationship among students. With that, there will be no physical interaction between students even though they still can keep in touch with each other via any social medias, but it is undeniably not the same. 

     Many students discover that studying is not just an academic activity, but also a social one. They may miss face-to-face relationships with their classmates. For some students, this lack of social interaction and the accompanying need to be self-motivated to accomplish their assignments can result to feelings of loneliness. For many students, one of the most frustrating aspects of studying online and graduating their courses is a lack of connection with lecturers and classmates. 

Reference : https://e-student.org/disadvantages-of-e-learning/#e-learning-can-cause-social-isolation

Reference : https://opentextbc.ca/studentsuccess/chapter/pros-and-cons-of-online-learning/

Conclusion

     In conclusion, the negative impacts of online class outweigh the positives. Although online learning is helpful in keeping our community safe during COVID-19, the difficulties that arise are much more prominent than the positives. Many negatives presented in online learning outrank the beneficial impacts, therefore it should only be used during a situation where in-person learning is neither viable nor available. Online classes are frequently held throughout the day, when students must attend classes or do their assignments. 

     Most connections with lecturers now place online or via email, and they are frequently interpersonal. It is nearly hard for students to form positive relationships with their lecturers. With limited interaction between students, it might be difficult to form a study group and a relationship with peers. The majority of discussions are happening via email discussion threads and group chats. Thus, face-to-face interaction is minimal. 

     Joining online classes necessitates the use of appropriate technologies, but not all students have accessibility to them. This might be owing to financial restraints. Students are unable to inquire during online classes to express their opinions if the teaching is clear or not, resulting in difficulty in forming connections, making online classes highly ineffective or unproductive at all.

Reference : https://theroswellsting.com/5200/opinion/online-school-has-more-negative-impacts-than-positive/

Reference : https://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/disadvantages-of-online-learning-education-essay.php

STEP 3

LITERATURE REVIEW & 

INFORMATION SEARCHING

Problem During Online Classes

     Let us get to the point, students who must experience Open and Distance Learning have a hard time to study effectively and efficiently. They often get tired fast due to a lot of reason. Adaptability seems to be the obvious problem. It is because the class-attending style has been used for centuries. But when they are shifted into a new environment, they find a hard time adapting to the new environment. Having a different environment with an old learning system is a difficult way to learn yet they have no choice but to obey the system.

     The next point is that students are feeling isolated from the lecturer. Unlike the old-school system we used to use, students cannot physically meet the lecturer or their own friends face-to-face. Thus, their ability to say and act are limited. They only can talk through messaging apps or video calls platforms such as Google Meet or Skype. These walls that stand in front of them give them a hard time to study or even put themselves into a learning environment, instead, they are in a comfort zone such as their houses which has a lot of entertainment that act as a distraction, lead them to a bad future.

Reference : https://www.wou.edu.my/challenges-as-an-odl

Learning Environment

     According to the article, there are some factors that can affect learning outcome such as seating, light, noise and even colour. Moreover, students who study in more positive learning environment have been more motivated, engaged and having higher learning ability, while the other students that having poor environments will feel uncomfortable, loud or full of distractions and find it far more difficult to absorb all of the information and stay engaged.

     Comfort is the most basic things to make us focused and motivated to study and also eventually help us to absorb more information. Maintaining a good posture when seating will not only improve our posture but also help us to be more focused. Studies also found that having a good lighting a good lighting when learning achieve grades 25% higher than the others. Natural lights also can boost our mood and reduce stress and also anxiety. Different colours can have many effects on mood and emotion. For example, yellow can create a positive feeling and help students to stay engaged. Some people may prefer to have some background sound while studying while the others work in complete silence. However, too much noise can be a distraction and make it harder to focus.

Reference : https://www.ucas.com/connect/blogs/how-your-surroundings-affect-way-you-study

Mental Health

     There are many recent studies focused on the problem of students mental health in online distance learning. While there has been much research on this issue, few researchers have taken the issues of the quality of online learning into consideration. 

     Mental health issues among the students have been widely associated with online distance learning, particularly in IPT students. Currently, many educational sectors use Online Distance Learning due to the increasing cases of COVID-19 since 2020. This pandemic give an impact on the mental health of students. According to the article, most university students have difficulties in concentrating the necessary motivation for distance learning. Another reason that I get from the article why students may feel stressed or anxious during the COVID-19 outbreak is additional study-related uncertainties or worries about a career prospect. Overall, female students appeared to be at higher risk of facing negative mental health consequences. The overall conclusion is that the majority of students would like to see a return to face-to-face classes because most of them were critical of Covid-19 conditional distance learning.

Reference : https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11125-020-09530-w#Tab2

Social Impact

     One of the biggest impacts of online classes is about its social impact. When discussing the disadvantages of online classes, we will focus on three primary disadvantages which are face-to-face interaction, self-discipline, and self-drive.

 

Face-to-Face Interaction

 

     When taking an online course, students may genuinely stay at home and should not have to get up early or ready to physically attend a class for their classes. They are not required to interact with their lecturers or their peers. They are no need to come face-to-face. They can simply complete the courses on their own time and in their own setting. Thus, their social aspect of their education becomes null. In an article published by Ryan Hickey he states the obvious that online classes eliminate the ability to have that face-to-face interaction with a professor. He then quotes an English Professor from the University of Virginia who said, online classes create more of a monologue and not a real dialogue. The inability of students to communicate with their lecturers on a daily basis takes away the opportunity to gain significant help on an assignment and gain the trust that they need with their lecturers.

 

Self-Discipline

 

     Another point that Hickey brings up is the requirement of self-discipline. Hickey once said, the problem is the time management and organization skills necessary to stay on top of students work, allot an appropriate amount of time to complete each task and balance their coursework against other priorities in their lives. Online classes enhance the tendency to procrastinate for students who suffer with laziness. There are still deadlines in an online course, but the challenge of exceeding those deadlines rises as students rely on themselves and their own self-discipline to not just remember, but also complete the assignments.

 

Self-Direction

 

     The final point that Hickey mentions is the requirement of self-direction. He brings up points in regards to meeting with an academic advisor. Most universities require that students meet with an advisor to set up their education plan. They are designed to help students along the way in receiving their education. In an online format, students must rely on themselves if they are receiving their entire online education. There is no possibility for them to engage with their advisors and acquire the assistance they require. They must rely entirely on themselves. Self-direction implies that students must be self-assured in order to comprehend and discover all of the information required to graduate. There is no guidance and no assistance. The need for self-direction grows substantially.

Reference : http://slccocsw.org/societal-impacts-effects-online-education/