Kuala Lumpur
THE recent directive by the Higher Education Ministry to suspend all face-to-face exams and classes as well as online lessons has been met with questions and even defiance from private universities. Those who question the directive have some legitimate issues, but I am afraid those defying it are also trapped in a “traditional classroom construct” in understanding what online education in a time of “emergency” may mean.
It is a fact that most public and private universities are ill prepared for online learning because of their “comfort zone” of doing things in the same way. Now that the Covid-19 emergency situation has come up, many think that online learning is easy and you just need an Internet connection. Well, that is completely not so on the ground.
I have some solutions and suggestions to the Covid-19 issue on university education.
Firstly, classes with two-thirds of their syllabus delivered should call it a day and end at that point. The final assignments must be redesigned to fit the new scope, thus no more online learning is required. However, lecturers must start thinking and preparing their lectures in video format for next semester as I foresee this emergency will not be over in a few weeks.
Secondly, the remainder of the syllabus of a subject can be made up next semester in some way. This action can be explained to the accreditation bodies as a one-off situation. I am sure the relevant accreditation bodies will understand.
Thirdly, I think all final exams should be cancelled except the ones that are really critical for graduating students. These may be postponed and the students will have to accept their slightly late graduation dates. Final exams must be turned into final assignments that have individual characteristics unique to each submission. For instance, in Architectural Theory, students must choose to write a critical essay on one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s 600 buildings and its lessons for Malaysia. No two submission can be on the same building. The lecturers can produce a clear outline on how to write the paper.
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