Anugerah Akademik Universiti – Open & Distance Learning (ODL) Award 2020

There are obvious challenges. The fact that you lose the live interaction with students is an immense setback. In a face-to-face session, the demeanor and facial expressions of students give you immediate feedback on whether they are with you. We have lost that. So, under the current environment, it is imperative that the students take total responsibility for their studies. It has imposed serious limitations on the ability of teachers and facilitators to monitor and guide students. The students are alone studying in their kitchen or their bedroom without their colleagues around them. The support system they were accustomed to has become virtual and distant. It is important that they are constantly motivated to face up to the challenges posed by the pandemic. I. on my part. have taken more effort than ever before to ensure the students study and understand the subject matter. I send them the study guide on the particular topic together with the pre-recorded lecture a week before they meet me online for lectures and tutorials. During our online meetings, we discuss the topic, the relevant case law and the questions I set for them on the topic. The meetings are duly recorded and sent to them. So, they have before them sufficient materials and it is for them to go through them and digest them. I also made myself available at all times to entertain their queries and request for explanations through the WhatsApp. Sometimes the communication can turn into a mini lecture. Fortunately, no student of mine has complained of any particular difficulty he/she has faced in his or her studies and they seemed to have shown fairly good understanding of the subject as reflected in their coursework and final assessment. I have huge respect for them and their ability to adapt. I believe they will emerge stronger and more resilient when this pandemic is over.