Open AccessFOSTERING AN “EPIDEMIC” TEACHING & LEARNING ECOSYSTEM IN VIRTUAL LEARNING CLASSROOM
Author(s) -
Vincent Chan,
Nur Iylia Syafiqah Abdul Malik Abdul Malik
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of education, psychology and counseling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0128-164X
DOI - 10.35631/ijepc.537003
Subject(s) - virtual learning environment , government (linguistics) , computer science , element (criminal law) , teaching method , norm (philosophy) , mathematics education , knowledge management , psychology , multimedia , political science , philosophy , linguistics , law
Virtual teaching and learning have become the new norm to the education sector due to the hit of the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of the Movement Control Order (MCO) implemented by the government, all educational institutes were closed and need to operate virtually to continue the teaching and learning process. The main objective of this study is to develop an effective and impactful ecosystem to improve online teaching quality in virtual learning classrooms that can always keep students engaged and motivated. The education ecosystem is defined as an interconnecting system of various parties such as technology, educators, students, techniques, strategies, approaches, tools, and materials used in the classroom. Moreover, to create a dynamic online education ecosystem, educational resources need to seamlessly work together. Researchers explore the RICES strategy as the main element to develop this online education ecosystem. RICES strategy was developed from Rogers’ Humanist Theory, whereby R is the roles and relationship, IC is instruction and communication, E is emotion, and S is the structure. The term “epidemic” is chosen because it reflects the extensiveness or comprehensiveness of the ecosystem to be built. This paper presents a survey of 200 Multimedia University Melaka students who have experienced in virtual learning classrooms. A descriptive study was conducted to determine the most significant element in the RICES strategy. Results indicated that roles and relationship (R) is the most important element to keep the bond alive and well in online teaching. Finally, some suggestions for educators on how to successfully manage their classrooms were also discussed.