Students’ Perception and Preference for Online Learning in Sabah During Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The Covid-19 outbreak has significantly halted a variety of activities, including educational ones, across the world. This has resulted in a massive crisis reaction relocation of institutions with online learning acting as the educational platform. The introduction of online learning has resulted in certain drawbacks for educators and students. The quality of online learning is dependent on the amount of digital availability and efficacy. However, some students are still affected by inaccessibility and a lack of digital technology in their communities. In this study, we used an online survey of 270 students to explore students' perceptions and preferences for online learning in three public higher education institutions in Sabah. We also looked at the students' preferences for various components of online classrooms, which would be beneficial in developing an effective online learning environment. The results indicated that most of the respondents (77%) get their internet from mobile data packs. Additionally, the majority of the respondents preferred social media for class updates during online learning. We also found that the students preferred assessments such as assignments, quizzes, and tests at the end of every class which are necessary to achieve effective online learning. Therefore, the findings will assist academics in identifying strengths and places for development, as well as encouraging the faculty to think carefully about how to reorganise course learning objectives and teaching approaches to engage students and improve the learning process.