Boomers’ Perception Towards the Implementation of Online Learning Amidst Covid-19 Outbreak

Abstract

The COVID-19 Outbreak has shifted the way education is delivered to students from conventional ways in the classroom to online interaction, requiring the use of ICT tools to assist teachers in online learning which can be a challenge for boomers as a generation who were born before the rapid development of technology. Using narrative approach, this study aimed at exploring the experiences and perceptions of eight boomer teachers who conducted online learning during this pandemic in three junior high schools in Klungkung regency. The findings revealed that from eight teachers, four teachers perceived that online learning in this pandemic was difficult to do as they admitted that they were not familiar with ICT tools; two teachers perceived that online learning as a chance to enhance the teachers’ and students’ technology literacy; and two teachers admitted conventional face-to-face meetings as the best teaching method. While all eight teachers deemed online class as a positive change, they admitted that there were challenges to tackle, namely students’ accessibility, and adjustment of time allocation from conventional to online teaching. This implies that boomers need trainings on using ICT tools and how to choose and use online learning platforms, as well as strategies to adjust time allocation for each learning goals to improve the quality of online learning, so the learning objectives are achieved well. Keywords: