Counselling students’ perception of online learning during COVID- 19 in Malaysia

The COVID-19 pandemic is of global proportions affecting Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), with online learning becoming a prominent approach to students’ learning during the pandemic. However, minimal attention has been paid to researching online learning in Malaysia during COVID-19. This cross-sectional study examines students’ perceptions of online learning during the pandemic. A sample of 457 counselling students has been chosen using purposive sampling. Online questionnaires in Google Forms with an appended consent form were distributed to the respondents via WhatsApp with 184 respondents and a response rate of 40.3 per cent. The online questionnaire comprised demographic, students’ perception towards online learning (a closed-ended question), reasons for liking and disliking online learning (two closed-ended questions), their preferable online teaching material and delivery (a closed-ended question), and suggestions to overcome online learning constraints (an open-ended question). Data collection was carried out in approximately two weeks and analysed using descriptive statistics. The results showed that the majority of respondents (84.8%) decided that the online learning approach was essential during the pandemic. Most students liked online learning because learning can continue even during the pandemic (75.7%), it was safer to study at home than to go to campus (63.0%), and it facilitated meeting the requirements to graduate on time (44.5%). Most disliked online learning because doing group assignments online was difficult (60.3%), attending online classes was challenging (59.8%), and taking an online test was challenging (55.3%). The respondents (50.0%) also acknowledged that the most effective teaching material and delivery tool for online learning was a PowerPoint with audio (asynchronous method). The respondents recommended internet stability and speed improvements, and a convenient space for studying online at home. This study contributes to the theory and evidence necessary for future research, programmes, and interventions to promote a fully digitally connected and informed society