TRANSITIONING TO ONLINE LEARNING DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: CASE STUDY ON MALAYSIA PUBLIC SERVANTS’ READINESS AND BEHAVIOUR
Dr. Suhaila Haron
DOI:
Keywords:
Online Learning, pandemic, public services, readiness, learning infrastructure
Abstract
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has caused public services learning institutions to embrace online learning due to the movement control order. This study investigates the level of public servant readiness in terms of online learning infrastructure, their preferences in learning approaches and attitudes towards online learning. Data was collected from 740 respondents from two different Training Management Systems with a 74.1% (545) response rate. The analysis was divided into four sections: demography, infrastructure readiness, online learning experience, and learners’ attitude toward online learning. The results indicated that the respondent encountered limited internet accessibility and a lack of online device support. More than half of the respondents indicated they still want to continue online learning amidst the pandemic if given a choice. The findings also indicated that respondents appreciate having learners’ control in time and management of the course with the selection of asynchronous course design. Results also demonstrate openness among respondents on varieties of teaching methods with the use of online engagement tools. Moving forward, government agencies and public service-learning institution should invest in developing virtual proficiency among trainers, redesign course modules and provides support to increase accessibility and improve the online learning experience among public servants.
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