LETTER | Varsity graduate quality amid pandemic may be low

LETTER | It has been more than two years since the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in Malaysia. On April 1, 2022, our country started its transition into the endemic phase of the disease. Many breathed a sigh of relief while some are still worried about the virus spreading in the community.

Although the country is already transitioning into the endemic phase, most universities are still conducting online classes. Varsity students were given a choice either to stay at home or return to campus.

Most of them chose to remain at home even though they expressed their stress about online classes at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Their reason for not going back to campus was not because they were accustomed to the new norm but because online classes can provide them with many benefits. Among them is being able to pass their subjects easily due to the fact that they have only continuous evaluations instead of face-to-face examinations.

Besides, they can attend online classes easily and do not need to go to campus. They just have to use either a laptop or a cell phone to attend their classes and are free to do something else without focusing entirely on their classes.

In online classes, lecturers often lack feedback and interaction from students during their lessons. This makes it difficult for lecturers to know the students’ level of understanding.

Many students also work to earn income without thinking that this may affect their quality of learning. They should think about the knowledge that needs to be acquired as a university student and the knowledge that can benefit them when they want to apply for a job, not just to obtain a degree.

Students also could not acquire various skills inside and outside physical classes. They are not exposed to programme management, community communication, problem-solving, etc. As a result, they are less proactive and less creative upon graduation.

They also do not avail themselves of the opportunity to gain English communication skills at university. They should practise speaking English at university with their friends, especially those from abroad, and their lecturers. All of these skills are of utmost importance.

Some of them have never been on campus since their first semester. They only communicate with their friends and lecturers virtually and do not experience the real atmosphere of being in a university.

Bear in mind that their employability after graduation may be affected as employers may question the quality of students during the pandemic.

MOHD SHAHIDAN SHAARI is a lecturer at the Faculty of Applied and Human Sciences of Universiti Malaysia Perlis.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.