Using WhatsApp Group & Google Meet during Online Class, Why Not?

Abstract

Due to this current outbreak of Covid-19, the process of teaching and learning is now completely held online. For students, every teacher/lecturer must find the appropriate learning platform. Consequently, this article examines the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the college students’ perception in 2 English classes in Salatiga (an Islamic university) and Solo (a private university) during online learning. Researchers would respond to theories and facts emerging in the field, as well as answer problems that have not been solved in previous research. This type of research was descriptive qualitative. The data was collected using Google forms. Then, inductive analysis was used to test the data. The findings show that, despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on online English classes, such as unstable signal problems and the need to be constantly in front of gadgets, students can understand the material. They also have a good time in online English classes because the lecturers in WhatsApp Groups (WAG) include games, puzzles, quizzes, and other interesting activities to keep them entertained during online classes. They can also learn the correct pronunciation by using WhatsApp Voice Note and Google Meet. During online learning, both lecturers and students face numerous challenges. They also suggested being creative in class and livening up the atmosphere, despite the fact that it was held online due to a massive pandemic.