The implementation of technology in teaching and learning activities has attracted significant interest from practitioners in higher education institutions in Malaysia. Many higher education institutions have started to adopt and implement information and communication technology solutions, such as electronic learning, as a source for flexible teaching and learning processes either in or outside the classroom (Azizan, 2010). The rapid growth of web-based technology and high internet usage has made teaching and learning online more viable in recent years. Currently, the majority of higher education institutions are equipped for e-learning. Institutions have established information and communication technology infrastructures and a strategic plan to implement online delivery learning in their programme, as e-learning may complement conventional methods of instruction. With the support of the government under the 9th Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), the Malaysian government has prioritised the development of world-class human capital through lifelong education.
Online Learning During the Pandemic, Virtual Learning
COVID-19 was first discovered in the final month of 2019 (Huang et al. 2020). Subsequently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, announcing social distancing as a primary means to curb the spread of the deadly virus (WHO, 2020). As a result, this pandemic has forced the global physical closure of businesses, sports activities, and schools by pushing all institutions to migrate towards online platforms. Globally, over 1.2 billion students are out of the classroom and reverted towards online learning. UNESCO (2020) highlighted that over 1.5 billion learners worldwide could not attend a school or university due to the COVID-19 outbreak as of 4 April 2020. In the context of Malaysia, the government has imposed numerous movement control orders (MCO) to control the spread of the deadly virus nationwide. As a result, the education sector has changed dramatically with the phenomenal rise of e-learning, whereby teaching and learning are undertaken remotely and on digital technology platforms.
Online learning is the use of the internet and some other essential technologies to develop materials for educational purposes, instructional delivery, and program management (Fry, 2001). Tsai et al. (2002) defined online learning as being “associated with content readily accessible either via online or local computer.” Hence, such learning content can be effectively disseminated using various digital technologies and platforms such as shared digital media, blogs, cloud-based sharing platforms, video conferencing, social networking tools, applications and other classroom management systems. As for the conduction of classes, Hrastinski (2008) stated that there are two types of online learning, namely asynchronous and synchronous online learning, which is majorly compared, but for online learning to be effective and efficient, there is a need for instructors, organisations, and institutions to have a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and limitations. The learning approach often provided from a physical classroom focusing on distant learning necessitates relevant skills and dependency on electronic media and devices. Several researchers discussed the numerous advantages of online learning over traditional learning methods. Despite its benefits, online learning implementation probes several challenges to existing learning. Adedoyin and Soykan (2020) highlighted social-economic, technological, and digital competence among the salient challenges of online learning during the pandemic.