New University Students and Online Learning: Readiness, Challenges and Recommendations

Abstract

The emergence of Covid-19 in 2020 has changed the world in many different ways, including the education sector. It has forced many universities to migrate to online platforms in order to continue with their teaching and learning process. Many studies have been conducted on Covid-19's impact at university level, concentrating on existing students only. Therefore, this study focuses on new university students as they embark on this important phase of their lives. This quantitative study examines new students' readiness to learn online, the challenges they face and their recommendations to improve their learning experience. Questionnaires collected from 600 new diploma students at a Malaysian university were analyzed using SPSS 23. Findings showed that the majority was ready and has the necessary equipment like computers or phones and internet for online classes. The main challenges seemed to be their tendency to keep quiet during class, difficulty in understanding online lectures due to internet problems and explaining to the lecturers about lessons that they did not understand.. Students recommended changes in teaching techniques, providing better materials and using the same platform to improve online classes. After 14 weeks of studying online, these new students also indicated that they would prefer blended or hybrid learning compared to faceto-face or online classes. It is advised that further research on these issues are conducted to find out whether adjustments have been made by universities towards the end of this pandemic.