Distance Education during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Perceptions and Preference of University Students in Malaysia Towards Online Learning

The sudden shift from the brick-and-mortar approach to online distance learning due to the coronavirus pandemic greatly impacted everyone involved, particularly students. Hence, it is critical to identify the perception of students regarding the challenges they faced, their satisfaction with remote learning, as well as their preferences and recommendations for improvement which are the objectives of this research. A survey taken by 408 diploma students with 377 valid answers for the quantitative study showed that the most common difficulties they encountered were in terms of interaction, concentration and motivation. The mean of the perceived challenges was found to be significantly different depending on the respondents' prior e-learning experience and area of residence. With regard to the relevant activities to be conducted virtually, most participants approved of assessments such as quiz, assignments and tests. Animation and gamification received the highest votes as the elements that students wished were incorporated to boost their online learning engagement. The findings from this research contribute to existing studies on the perceptions and preference of students towards distance education by shedding light on the perspective of diploma students.