Resource List For Students And Teachers To Enhance Online Learning

Over the past year, the world embraced the prospects of distance learning. While moving education to an online platform was one of the best ways to continue schooling, many were not fully prepared to make the transition. With this being the case, there were several hiccups along the way for both teachers and students alike.

A year in and now there are multiple initiatives that have helped to bridge the gap, trying to make the best out of the online, offline and offsite education system we have. Here are a few initiatives and programmes that have helped enhance the online learning journey.

Initiatives For Students

CERDIK is a device and connectivity loan scheme by the government. Under this scheme alone, a total of 150, 000 students will receive the appropriate devices and data needed to keep up with e-learning.
Telco companies have liaised with the government in order to provide RM15/month through the Jaringan Prihatin Program for B40 communities starting from April 2021 onwards. All users are just expected to fill in a short form via the official app of their designated telco company.
Group – Project-Based Assignments are promoted by the PdPR’s Manual. In order to keep students engaged with learning, as well as developing their skills and knowledge, teachers are encouraged to use their creativity to have more Group – Project-Based Assignments in the syllabus. Pembelajaran dan Pengajaran di Rumah (PdPR) 3.0 has received positive feedback from parents who were struggling to aid their children and keep them motivated^[1].
Implementation of Teach for Malaysia’s (TFM) Bain Microsite for Students. This guide is filled with good points needed to help students cope with distance learning whilst also working on maintaining their wellbeing. The site even includes guides channelling the students towards empowerment, and guides in supporting their classmates and time management.
Teachers visiting homes. Fragmented grassroots initiatives at a varied scale include conducting homely visits and having educators taking the initiative to connect with both students and their parents.

Initiatives for Teachers

Acting class management guidelines for the learning community. PDdR’s manual has provided a guideline for online, offline, and off-site classes. This is inclusive of learning manuals, times tables and clearly specifies the roles and responsibilities of school administrators, teachers and even parents. The framework in place aims to ensure a standardised classroom become more realistic.
An open online course created by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF is made available for teachers to learn about digital learning. Komuniti Guru Digital Learning (KGDL) by Arus Academy is a 14-day programme with five modules. It covers all the basics of teaching on an online platform, including how to use a Google classroom; building digital teaching content; interactive elements of active learning; online assessments; and how to create a positive digital environment.
Fully using CikgooTUBE. An old initiative introduced by the former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir, the educator community utilizes a Youtube channel where their tried and tested teaching methods for distance learning are shared with all. CikgooTUBE not only provides these materials and methods, but they also include offline removal delivery and extensive access to necessary resources that are online friendly.
Implementation of Teach for Malaysia’s (TFM) Bain Microsite for Teachers. Another benefit of this microsite is that it provides teachers with guides to assess student’s tech levels and helps provide distance learning teaching methods. This site also addresses the teacher’s mental health and works towards supporting the teachers’ wellbeing in order to keep them motivated and mentally healthy.

Useful Online Learning Platforms

Utilization of DELIMa: Digital Educational Learning Initiative Malaysia (DELIMa) is a one-stop digital learning platform is equipped with learning management applications such as Google Classroom as well as other tools needed for interactive online education. This initiative is supported by Google, Microsoft and Apple, where it provides applications and services perfect for online education. It also provides teaching materials like digital textbooks and useful webinars and forums for the teachers.
Whatsapp and Telegram as a learning management platform. As these platforms of communication are much more universally utilized, teachers have been known to share their teaching materials, homework tasks, and voice messages with students. These platforms have also proven useful for students who have struggled with a decent internet connection or lack of a device and are unable to attend live lessons.
Multiple free online learning content platforms for different subjects are included in the national education curriculum. This includes FrogAsia, BACflix, CikgooTUBE, PRTS, Sophia, Upped, KGDL+, and Maxis eKelas. Whilst these platforms are not standardised enough to replace a classroom environment, and all require a stable internet connection to properly utilize, between them a large variety of subjects and topics are covered.
Moving education to a TV screen does work. The introduction of TV Pendidikan programmes such as Astro TutorTV, DidikTV and Okey, is an alternative method to deliver lessons to students that struggle with an internet connection. These programmes are regulated and cover all school years, and subjects. Some of the episodes also include tips and tricks for exams.