impact of covid 19 on education in malaysia essay

Covid-19: Impact on the Tertiary Education Sector in Malaysia

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Covid-19 and the subsequent Movement Control Order (MCO) imposed by the government has deeply impacted the tertiary education sector in Malaysia.
• Private colleges and universities in Malaysia will face financial pressure as enrolment of students is likely to be delayed or deferred.
• While full-time employees in tertiary education sectors face additional pressure to manage the disruptions, contractual staff members risk unemployment.
• Even if classes can move online, challenges remain. For example, scientific research and classes that require a laboratory setting will be impacted. Examinations which constitute a component of the overall evaluation of students also cannot be postpone indefinitely.
• Some flexibility is needed by the authorities involved at all levels, and additional measures have to be in place to minimize disruptions in the tertiary education sector. Emphasis on digital education is a clear step forward but this has to be complemented with better cyber security.
• Tertiary education institutions also need to increase support for less-privileged students.

INTRODUCTION

The Covid-19 outbreak has impacted businesses of all sizes and industries of various kinds. The higher education sector is not exempted. In United Kingdom, university staffs especially contractual staffs have been dismissed abruptly to cut costs. [1] Across the world, lectures and tutorials have had to be moved online swiftly, ongoing lab research halted and enrolment of new students has deferred or delayed. Almost all student exchange programmes and academic conferences have had to be cancelled.

The Covid-19 has posed significant challenges to the tertiary education sector. This Critical Assessment piece discusses the impact of Covid-19 on the tertiary education sector in Malaysia.

FINANCIAL IMPACT

Due to the high infection rate of Covid-19, the Malaysia government imposed a Movement Control Order (MCO) from 18th March onwards. Besides essential services, almost all economic activities were not allowed to operate.

But even as the government eased the MCO by allowing most economic sectors to operate starting on the 4th May, the Higher Education sector remained closed. Such a long period of closure of any tertiary education institute is quite unprecedented in Malaysia, and cannot but have a detrimental impact.

Like any other business, colleges and universities will be facing financial pressure because of Covid-19. Prior to the pandemic, the economic growth of the higher education sector had already shown worrying signs. In early April this year, the Asia Sentinel reported that research done by Professor Geoffrey Williams, a former deputy Vice Chancellor at University Tun Razak showed that 55 percent of Malaysia’s private higher education institutions were making trading losses and around 44 percent were financially insolvent. The only way that the majority of private universities and colleges had been able to continue operating was through new funds and/or equity injections by shareholders.

As such, the Covid-19 crisis is potentially catastrophic for private universities and colleges because most private universities and colleges in Malaysia rely on receiving student fees to stay afloat. With the crisis, it is highly possible that prospective students may defer or delay their studies. Besides the fear of the pandemic, the looming economic recession will also mean that some parents may struggle financially. Some may not be able to afford tuition fees for their children. Enrolment of foreign students may also decrease because of government control over the inflow of foreigners to avoid imported Covid-19 cases. Inevitably, this puts further strain on the cash flow of the institutions.

Public universities will most likely have to review their annual budget. It is not entirely impossible that the government, despite having allocated an annual budget to the higher education ministry may review the situation, given the current situation. Non-essential programmes like conferences, seminars or invitation of foreign speakers are likely to be cancelled. Academic staff may also face greater difficulties in applying for internal grants for research or conferences. Likewise, plans to upgrade facilities may have to be postponed.

CHALLENGES WITH ONLINE TEACHING

Many universities and colleges were forced to make swift changes to move to online teaching when MCO was imposed. But this comes with several challenges. First, even if students and lecturers can get pass the technical difficulties, one cannot assume that all tertiary students enjoy unlimited internet access or possess laptops or desktops that allow them to attend online classes freely. The Internet Users Survey 2018 conducted by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, for example, found that there is a sizeable disparity between urban and rural internet users. Urban users make up for 70.0 % Internet users. [2]

Second, coverage and speed of internet also vary depending on one’s budget and location. Hence, it is likely that some tertiary students, especially those who reside in rural areas, do not enjoy internet access, or sufficiently good internet access, the way most of their peers who live in urban areas do. These students run a high risk of being left behind if classes are entirely conducted online.

The quality of teaching will definitely be impacted as well. By and large, most private and public tertiary education institutions in Malaysia have relied on face to face lectures and tutorials. Tutorials are especially important for students as this is the time for smaller groups of students to discuss their lecture, to debate ideas and to present their work. It is also the time when lecturers can properly evaluate the students’ performance; class participation usually constitutes but a small component in the overall evaluation of students. Besides the content of the courses, tutorials are also meant to let students practice presentation skills. Although this can be done via online teaching, the quality of interaction will be compromised; the spontaneity possible in the lecture hall is likely to be lost.

For students and researchers in the science stream, online classes simply cannot replace face to face teaching nor help in their research. This is because experiments and researches of science students are mostly done in the laboratories. All the necessary equipment or tools can only be found in the laboratories. Thus, ongoing research of postgraduate students will be compromised. Besides, for those whose research involves organisms, with the MCO, some of their organisms may not survive. For research work that are dependent on seasonal changes, it would also mean that researchers have to delay their research for possibly a year. [3]

ASSESSMENT HURDLES

Moving classes online will also pose assessment hurdles. Although a lot of assignments can be completed at home, examination constitutes a sizable component of the overall assessment. Tests are usually done in rooms or halls, and it is impossible to gather hundreds of students to sit for their exams as long as the risk of Covid-19 exists. Even if universities or private colleges are willing to postpone the exams to prevent the congregation of students, they cannot defer it indefinitely. The alternative is to conduct online exams. However, the risk of cheating is high especially when they cannot be monitored in person. For instance, an at-home computing exam at the National University of Singapore (NUS) went awry when some students took advantage of the Covid-19 measure to cheat. [4] Besides the risk of cheating, given that some Malaysian tertiary students still have trouble with internet accessibility, the country is simply not ready to move towards online exams.

ADMINISTRATIVE CHALLENGES

Administrators in the tertiary education sector will also face difficulty in reorganizing the schedules of their respective schools. It is inevitable that schedules, semesters, enrolment of new students, and hiring of new staff will all be affected because of the MCO.

In general, most universities and colleges have well-planned yearly schedules with stipulated months dedicated to semester breaks. These well-planned schedules are critical to operations running smoothly throughout the semester. Most importantly, it ensures that students complete the courses that they signed up for.

Semester breaks are also an important part of the education schedule, and allows for students to attend student exchange programmes or internships. Academic staff also need them in order to catch up on their research and writing. However, with the MCO, these schedules have certainly been disrupted, and university administrators face challenges in rescheduling. Not only do they have to minimise disruptions in working on the new schedules, they also have to ensure that conditions at their campus are arranged to stop Covid-19 transmission.

IMPACT ON EMPLOYEES

Employees in the tertiary education sector will also be affected by Covid-19. Academic staff will have to learn to be comfortable with teaching online and to navigate the technical challenges of online classrooms, while non-academic staffs will have to find ways to minimize disruptions.

Untenured professors, contractual staff and international staff will face greater employment uncertainty. Contractual staff such as sessional lecturers, and part-time researchers already face employment uncertainty as a matter of course, even before Covid-19. Unlike permanent staff, many part-time or contractual staffs do not enjoy social security or any other benefits such as insurance coverage or employment provident funds. They are also dependent on whether the courses they teach are being offered in that particular semester. Other times, the continuance of their contract is dependent on the favour of their direct superiors. However, when universities or colleges have to save costs, it is highly likely that contractual staff are the first to go.

Besides, one should not underestimate the mental stress that the staff have to face. Academic staff not only learn online teaching, perhaps even tweaking their lessons, managing students’ questions and complaints as well as marking papers, they also have to be more responsive to the students’ queries. This would mean a more proactive approach in responding to students’ emails on top of learning how to do online teaching. For those in the applied sciences in particular, it would be even harder for the academic staff to teach since they cannot use the tools in the laboratories. Meanwhile, non-academic staffs will have to manage the schedules, complaints and incessant queries from students and staff. All in all, the disruptions will increase the mental stress and raise the possibility of burnout among tertiary education employees.

IMPACT ON STUDENTS

Inadvertently, the students will also be negatively affected. To reiterate, the quality of teaching will be compromised as students can no longer enjoy the interaction in the lecture halls and tutorial rooms. In an online setting, it is harder for students to ask questions in a non-invasive way. In a lecture hall or tutorial room setting, everyone can observe each other’s body language and have eye contact. Such a setting is usually more conducive for debates and discussions. It is also through such a setting that students can listen to their peers’ contribution and continue their discussions outside the formal classes. However, an online classroom is not as conducive to such discussions.

Students from less-privileged backgrounds in particular will suffer even more. Their challenges include the lack of resources such as a computer to work, photocopy machine, internet access and a quiet space to study. But when students have to move back to study from home, they no longer enjoy these facilities. When at home, some students may also be distracted by family responsibilities.

Postgraduate students, especially those from the science stream will be most affected as they cannot work in their laboratories. Not only may they not be able to graduate on time, they would also have to worry about their finances and prospects of employability.

In all, one can surmise that the disruption caused by Covid-19 imposes additional mental stress and financial concerns for students. As many can no longer attend the traditional lectures or utilise the facilities in their schools, they may be tempted, at least those who can afford to do so, to purchase laptops and subscribe to a better internet package to minimize disruption. Hence, should online teaching last for a longer period, the less-privileged students will likely to suffer longer. One cannot rule out an increase in the rate of students dropping out from college. Above all, students who do not have strong social support will be most susceptible.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Online teaching has to be continued as long as the risk of Covid-19 exists. However, some degree of flexibility should be allowed. For instance, universities and colleges can allow staff to go to campus on staggered schedules to record their lectures and to settle their administrative work. Certainly, clear SOPs such as temperature checking, social distancing should be followed.

Students should also be allowed to meet their lecturers on appointment basis. Meetings can be conducted in an open space instead of a confined office and where physical distancing is maintained. This would truly help students who have a hard time adapting to online teaching. Less-privileged students should also be given the option to apply for additional assistance such as application to use facilities provided by the school. The school can then issue special passes for these students and stipulate that they can only be on campus for a specific period of time per day. Such arrangements will not only help in crowd control but also ensure that the less-privileged students will not fall behind.

At the administration level, sanitisation and disinfection will need to be conducted regularly. Markers also have to be pasted on floors to guide social distancing. Posters of hotlines for hospitals and counselling should also be visible for staff and students. Students or staff who need counselling should be encouraged to seek counselling services to avoid burnout.

Beyond the short-term measures, the entire tertiary education industry will have to innovate to thrive in a post Covid-19 scenario and many of these measures will need to be supported by the government. Malaysia’s new higher education director-general, Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Mustafa Ishak has stated a wish to boost digital education post-Covid-19. [5] While this is the right direction to go, this has to be complemented with affordable and reliable internet package and wider coverage in various parts of Malaysia. As classes move online in the foreseeable future, the government will need to tighten cyber security to defend computers, electronic systems and networks from malicious attacks. Recruitment of digital forensics have to be increased to support tertiary education institutions.

At the college or university level, educators will need additional training in the use of online teaching tools and recording tools. Above all, universities and colleges will have to allocate additional funding to subsidize less-privileged students.

Post-MCO scenario, each school or faculty will also have to establish a crisis response team consisting of faculty members, student representatives, and senior administrators. IT should also be made compulsory for senior management staff to attend crisis management and crisis communication seminars to help them better prepared for black swan scenarios.

The Covid-19 has certainly impacted the tertiary education industry. Tertiary education institutions in Malaysia faced financial losses, disruptions in schedules and ongoing classes while staff and students face additional stress. In the medium term, rising unemployment among contractual staff is to be expected as tertiary education institutions find ways to cut costs.

Covid-19 has also widened the disparity between the privileged and less-privileged students. More than ever, the Higher Education Ministry needs to consult all public and private tertiary education institutions in Malaysia to navigate the post Covid-19 world. Universities and colleges also need to be better prepared for unexpected crisis situations.

[1] “Hundreds of university staff to be made redundant due to coronavirus”, The Guardian, viewed 5 May 2020 , https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/02/hundreds-of-university-staff-made-redundant-due-to-coronavirus

[2] Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission. 2018. Internet Users Survey 2018: Statistical Brief Number Twenty Three. Cyberjaya: Selangor Darul Ehsan

[3] Kimbrough L. “Field research, interrupted : How the Covid-19 crisis is stalling science”, Mongabay, viewed 5 May 2020 https://news.mongabay.com/2020/04/field-research-interrupted-how-the-covid-19-crisis-is-stalling-science/

[4] “Asian universities face online assessment hurdles in virus crisis”, The World University Rankings, viewed 6 May 2020 https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/asian-universities-face-online-assessment-hurdles-virus-crisis

[5] Rajaendram R. “New Higher Education DG aims to strengthen sector”, The Star, viewed 7 May 2020 https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/05/06/new-higher-education-dg-aims-to-strengthen-sector#cxrecs_s

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• Published: 15 October 2022

Assessing the challenges of e-learning in Malaysia during the pandemic of Covid-19 using the geo-spatial approach

• Adi Jafar 1   na1 ,
• Ramli Dollah 2   na1 ,
• Nordin Sakke 1   na1 ,
• Mohammad Tahir Mapa 1   na1 ,
• Ang Kean Hua 1   na1 ,
• Oliver Valentine Eboy 1   na1 ,
• Eko Prayitno Joko 3   na1 ,
• Diana Hassan 4   na1 &
• Chong Vun Hung 1   na1  

Scientific Reports volume  12 , Article number:  17316 ( 2022 ) Cite this article

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• Infectious diseases

The outbreak of the pandemic Covid-19 has transformed the education system in most countries worldwide. Following the lockdown measures in Malaysia, the Malaysian education system has fully transformed from conventional learning to online learning or known as e-learning as an alternative to minimize social contacts and physical communication to curb the transmission of Covid-19. In this regard, this study aims to identify the challenges faced by students in higher learning institutions throughout Malaysia during the implementation of the e-learning program. This study is based on a large sampling consisting of 2394 students from both public and private universities. The result from this study is analyzed through inferential methods such as the Spatial Analysis, the Principal Component Analysis, and the Mann–Whitney U test and through descriptive methods using the frequency analysis and the percentage analysis. Findings from this study suggest that location significantly influenced the challenges faced by students throughout the implementation of e-learning in higher learning institutions. For example, students in rural areas which can be identified as “vulnerable groups” are more likely to face both technical and connection with the internet access, tend to have a declining focus on learning and are prone to physical health problems, facing social isolation and low digital literacy compared to students in urban areas. Based on geographical analysis, students in Sabah, Perlis, and Melaka are most at risk of facing e-learning challenges. An anomaly case of students in Kuala Lumpur, however, posed another different result compared to other cities as they confront similar challenges with students in rural areas. This study provides the nuances of location and its implications for vulnerable groups that may put them at disadvantage in the e-learning program. Findings from this study will help to inform the relevant authorities and policymakers in improving the implementation of e-learning in Malaysia, especially towards the vulnerable groups so that it can be delivered more systematically and efficiently.

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Introduction

Educational achievement is one of the most important milestones in determining the quality of life. A low level of educational achievement is often associated with shorter life expectancy, poor health, and poor immunity during illnesses 1 . As such, the effectiveness of the education system must be emphasized to assist students’ achievement in education as this will affect the quality of their life. This includes reforms and improvements in educational policy and the delivery of teaching methods.

The outbreak of the pandemic Covid-19 which began in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019, has changed the educational system worldwide) 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 . The pandemic has shifted from conventional face-to-face teaching to distance learning, or known as e-learning, including education at the tertiary level 6 , 7 . The shift in the education system took place drastically in the wake of the current need worldwide to reduce social interaction to curb the transmission of the Covid-19 8 . However, this drastic change comes with hurdles as many developing countries are still new to the practice of e-learning 9 . Moreover, there are technological, facilities, and technical barriers that are prevalent in developing countries toward the implementation of e-learning. These include inadequacy of information and technology of communication (ICT), poor infrastructure facilities 9 , poor internet access 10 , deficit source of electricity 11 , poor living environment to learn at home 12 and low digital literacy among teachers and students 13 .

Moreover, e-learning also poses several backdrops for the well-being of students. This includes mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and stress 14 , physical health problems 15 , social isolation 12 , decreased sleep quality 16 and negative impact on academic achievement 17 . However, geography and location also create a further disparity in the challenges of the e-learning system, particularly between rural and urban areas. For example, Zhu 18 found that there is a digital divide between students in urban and rural areas in China. Almost half of the students in rural areas were unable to follow the e-learning program due to their limited ownership of electronic devices. Additionally, demographic factors have a significant impact in determining the amount of difficulty encountered by students. Cleofas and Rocha 19 found, for instance, that the possession of computers (laptops and desktops) and low internet connection among college students with low socioeconomic position in the Philippines correlated to high levels of COVID-19-related anxiety.

Therefore, each of the problems and challenges in e-learning should be addressed accordingly using different mechanism empowerment strategies. However, before alternatives or resolutions are taken to minimize the barriers in e-learning, it is crucial to understand the nuances of problems that have been faced by students based on the consideration of their geographical location. This is to ensure the strategy and efforts to improve the e-learning system are more effective and systematic to mitigate the variety of challenges faced by students. Unfortunately, studies related to the challenges of e-learning from a geographical approach, particularly based on the mapping analysis and the differences in spatial aspects, are extremely rare and limited. The geographical approach which refers to the use of geospatial and mapping analysis is vitally important to demonstrate the varieties of barriers in e-learning, uniquely depending on the location, especially in developing countries.

Malaysia is considered a developing country that continues to implement e-learning, especially at the tertiary level 20 . Recent developments on Covid-19 show that the pandemic is an endless crisis and exacerbated by new variants such as the Delta, Omicron and Deltacron 21 . This inevitably became the main factor that led to the continuation of the e-learning system in Malaysia. However, so far, there has been no comprehensive study in the country that addresses the challenges of e-learning faced by students. This would be the main contribution of this study which aims to explore the challenges of e-learning through the utilization of geo-spatial and mapping analysis throughout all states, including the federal territories in Malaysia.

Study design

This study uses a quantitative approach. According to Jones et al. 22 , a survey is the most convenient method to accommodate a large sampling size. Therefore, due to the large sampling size, this study applies a cross-sectional survey to understand the challenges of e-learning among students in higher education in Malaysia. To eliminate social and physical interactions to reduce the risk of Covid-19, the data collection for this study has been conducted online using the KoBoToolbox application.

Recruitment procedure

This cross-sectional survey was performed from 21 October 2021 to 6 December 2021. Respondents in this study are drawn from 9 private universities and 18 public universities throughout Malaysia (comprising 12 states and 2 federal territories). The sample size was determined using the purposive sampling technique with 2394 respondents. The minimum sample size to represent the total population exceeding 1,000,000 people or infinity with a 99% confidence level is capped at 463 people 23 . Therefore, the sample size for this study totaled 2394 respondents can be considered sufficient to represent the total population in Malaysia and the size has exceeded the required minimum sampling size. This study uses two popular social media platforms in Malaysia, WhatsApp and Facebook, to identify potential respondents.

Study instrument

Some of the survey instrument questions of this study were emulated and modified from previous studies by Kim et al. 24 , Zembylas et al. 25 , and Adnan and Anwar 26 . These articles are written in English. The papers include a number of questions that are deemed appropriate for this study. Therefore, some of the questions in the articles (in English) were rewritten with a simpler format (in Malaysian) while retaining their original intent and meaning. The objective is to condense this study's e-questionnaire so that it is easier to understand, and respondents may spend less time answering questions. In general, this survey instrument contains two sections: the background information of the respondents (Part A) and the challenges faced by students in higher education during e-learning (Part B). Each question can be answered in the form of a Likert scale with five answer choices ranging from ‘1 (= strongly disagree) to ‘5 (= strongly agree). The total number of questions in Section B is 35 variables. Each of the questions in Section B is constructed in negative. This implies that a higher score indicates a greater degree of difficulty and vice versa. To verify the instrument's validity and reliability can be delivered and utilized in excellent condition, a pilot study with 50 respondents should be conducted beforehand 27 , 28 . The results of the analysis found that all variables (35 variables) were valid for use since the value of the correlation coefficient (r xy ) is greater than the critical value for the Pearson’s Correlation coefficient r 29 The minimum value of the correlation coefficient of this study is 0.299 exceeding the critical value for the Pearson’s Correlation coefficient r with a level of significance of 0.5%, which is 0.273 30 . The results of the reliability test also showed an alpha value of 0.935. This means that the research instrument for this study is suitable due to its alpha value in the excellent category 31 .

Statistical analysis

The collection of raw data is analyzed using the IBM SPSS Version 26. To explain the respondents' background, this study utilized descriptive analyses such as frequencies and percentages. Apart from descriptive analysis, this study analyzed data using spatial analysis such as the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Mann-Whitney U test.

The PCA functions as a data mining technique to summarize the 35 variables of "Construct B" into six components. The objective of the PCA analysis is to find and extract any essential information from the statistical data and to summarize this information as a collection of new orthogonal variables called principal components 32 , 33 . Since the value of the loading factor (commonality) of Variables B1 and B19 is less than 0.5, both variables had to be removed first before performing PCA analysis for the second time 34 , 35 . Bartlett’s test for the second time demonstrates that the PCA analysis showed a significant result (Χ 2  = 54959.59, df = 528, p < 0.05), thus indicating that the sample of in this study was eligible for factorization. The number of components was determined with the help of Scree Plot, as shown in Fig. 1 . Based on the figure, six components were produced with eigenvalues higher than 1 36 .

Component number.

The cumulative value of variance from 6 components that were produced was 67.78 percent (Table 1 ). This means that 67.78% of the challenges faced by students in higher education in Malaysia are represented by these 6 components 37 . According to Williams et al. 38 , in the field of humanities, the variance described was as low as 50–60%. Subsequently, this examination's absolute variance rate should be acknowledged.

The results of the PCA analysis are introduced as a thematic map utilizing the Geography Information System (GIS), where the purpose is to demonstrate the dissemination of examples based on selected themes 39 . In order to produce a thematic map, the results of the PCA analysis will be merged with the spatial data. These spatial data were generated from open source which can be found at https://data.humdata.org/ . This spatial data indicates the administrative boundaries of states in Malaysia. The State name, which is the primary key of the data, is then used to link these sets of data. The challenges of tertiary students were indicated on a choropleth map that depicts the allocation of values based on the recognition of color tones. A characteristic break then uses the order technique to progress the characterization by reducing the variation within classes and increasing the variance between each variant 40 .

Mann-Whitney U test, on the other hand, is to evaluate the differences in perception between students in urban areas and students in rural areas on the e-Learning system, where it is, by mathematical terms, elucidated as

where \(n_{x}\) is the number of participants or observations in the first group, \(n_{y}\) is the number of participants or observations in the second group, \(R_{x}\) is the sum of the ranks assigned to the first group, \(R_{y}\) is the sum of the ranks assigned to the second group.

Ethical considerations

All methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. This study is conducted following the guidelines of the Ethics Committee set by the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Review Board (Ref No UMS/FSSK6.2/100-2/2/3). All participants are supplied with an informed consent at the beginning of the online survey. In addition, this study provides written information, including its purpose and objectives in order for the respondent to understand before they participant in this study. There is a guarantee of privacy, anonymity, and confidentiality for all participants.

Demographic characteristics

Of the total sample of this study, 1,723 (72%) were women, and only a total of 671 (28%) were men. Most of the respondents of this study also consisted of students who were married (2,339, 97.7%), Muslim (1,722, 71.9%) and pursued their studies at public universities (2,283, 95.4%). Further information regarding the demographic background of the respondents is shown in Table 2 .

Challenges of e-learning

The results of the PCA analysis found that students in higher learning institutions faced six main challenges during the implementation of e-learning in Malaysia (Table 3 ). The main challenge of the e-learning can be seen with the aspect (Co1) of declining focus on learning (var (X) = 18.91%), followed by (Co2) the deterioration of physical health (var (X) = 12.62%) and (Co3) mental health disorders (var (X) = 11.41%). In addition, students also confronted issues with (Co4) technical and internet connection problems (var (X) = 10.37%) and (Co5) social isolation (var (X) = 7.36%). The last challenge is related to (Co6) which refers to students' inability to follow e-learning (var (X) = 7.11%).

Comparison of e-learning challenges by state in Malaysia

Based on the assessment of geographical considerations, each locality in Malaysia posed different challenges in e-learning. For example, students in Sabah are most likely to experience problems with technical and internet connection (Z-Scores = 0.1758) and low digital literacy (Z-Scores = 0.1000) (Figs. 3 b, 4 b). On the other hand, students in Kuala Lumpur enjoyed the most sophisticated technical and internet facilities for e-learning compared to students in other states in Malaysia (Z-Scores = -0.6373) (Fig. 3 b). However, students in Kuala Lumpur are most likely to experience a decreased focus on learning (Z-Scores = 0.3347) and social isolation problems during e-learning (Z-Scores = 0.2000) (Figs. 2 a, 4 a). Students in the states of Perlis and Malacca are most likely to suffer from physical health (Z-Scores = 0.4226) and mental health (Z-Scores = 0.2913) problems (Figs.  2 b, 3 a).

Challenges of e-learning from the aspect of the decreased focus on learning and physical health problems (the images were generated and modified from open source ‘Malaysia—Subnational Administrative Boundaries’ ( https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-mys ) using ArcGIS Desktop 10.8.1 ( https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-desktop/overview ).

Challenges of e-learning from the aspect of mental health problems and, problems with technical and internet connection (the images were generated and modified from open source ‘Malaysia—Subnational Administrative Boundaries’ ( https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-mys ) using ArcGIS Desktop 10.8.1 ( https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-desktop/overview ).

Differences in students' perceptions of e-learning challenges in urban and rural settings

The study also found significant differences concerning the challenges of the implementation of e-learning between students in urban areas and students in rural areas. This includes the aspects of decreased focus on learning (p ≤0.01), physical health problems (p = 0.001), problems with technical and internet connection (p ≤ 0.01), social isolation (p = 0.002) and low digital literacy (p ≤ 0.01). Compared to students in urban areas, students in rural areas are more likely to experience such problems (Co1, Co2, Co4, Co5 & Co6). However, for mental health problems, it was found that there was no significant difference (p = 0.297) between students in urban and rural areas as shown in Table 4 .

Students' geographical location at higher learning institutions has a crucial influence in determining their capacity to fully engage in the e-learning programme. Therefore, to ensure the effectiveness of the implementation of e-learning throughout all states in Malaysia, the government and policymakers should prioritize the overall improvements of e-learning, particularly for students in rural areas. Students in rural areas are more likely at a disadvantage given the variety of challenges they face due to poor basic infrastructure and facilities compared to students in urban areas. In addition, students in rural areas are more likely to experience challenges such as a deteriorating focus on studying, physical health issues, technical difficulties, a poor internet connection, social isolation, and a lack of digital competence in e-learning programme than students in urban areas (Refer to “ Differences in students' perceptions of e-learning challenges in urban and rural settings ” section). The results of this study are consistent with several previous research findings that students in rural areas are more commonly faced with technical issues and connection problems 11 as well as low digital literacy 41 during the implementation of the e-learning program.

A careful and detailed assessment of this study showed that students in Sabah scored the highest technical fault, poor internet access, and scored the lowest digital literacy (refer to Figs.  3 b, 4 b). This is not a surprise as Sabah is the poorest state in Malaysia 42 . Most of the districts and towns in Sabah are considered rural areas, and these areas are socially and economically backward in Malaysia. Sabah also scored the slowest economic growth rate compared to the 12 states in Malaysia 43 . Basic infrastructure facilities such as electricity supply, telecommunication network coverage, and roads in the state are still far behind compared to other states in Malaysia 44 . Therefore, it is not surprising that more than half (52%) of students in Sabah face difficulties during the e-learning program throughout the implementation of the national lockdown in 2020. Students in Sabah are commonly faced with a lack of internet access and the ownership of electronic devices (i.e., smartphones, computers, laptops) 45 . In turn, the low percentage of electronic device ownership among rural students will indirectly influence their improvement in digital literacy 46 .

Challenges of e-learning from the aspect of social isolation and low digital literacy (the images were generated and modified from open source ‘Malaysia—Subnational Administrative Boundaries’ ( https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-mys ) using ArcGIS Desktop 10.8.1 ( https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-desktop/overview ).

University students with digital literacy and low internet access do not necessarily experience a decline in focus on learning. An anomaly was shown with students in Kuala Lumpur who are more likely to experience a decrease in focus on learning than students in Sabah (Fig.  2 a). Besides that, university students in Kuala Lumpur also scored the highest social isolation compared to students in other states in Malaysia (Fig.  4 a). At the same time, technical and internet facilities in Kuala Lumpur are considered the most sophisticated among all states in Malaysia (Fig.  3 b). This implies that increasing internet access and digital literacy alone will neither boost academic accomplishment (increased learning focus) nor the degree of interaction amongst college students during e-learning. On the other hand, educators (lecturers, teachers, and tutors) should pay special attention to issues involving pedagogical elements that are critical in improving the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning.

While the government could improve the implementation of e-learning, the improvisation of internet facilities and digital literacy is not enough to address the overall issues with e-learning. As shown in the case of Kuala Lumpur, even though students are equipped with good facilities and internet access, they are still vulnerable to other social issues such as isolation and decreased focus on learning.

Effective teaching strategies attract students to follow e-learning programs 47 . Therefore, in this pandemic era, educators need to be more creative, innovative and provide various teaching techniques to assist the focus and boost the interests of their students in the e-learning program. From a pedagogical point of view, the role of educators (lecturers, teachers, and tutors) should also be taken into account to improve the quality and effectiveness of their teaching. In addition, through the implementation of the e-learning program, the interaction between teachers and students must also be conducted two-way communications 48 . In other words, the teaching system must shift from the view of the learner as a sponge to the learner as an active construction of meaning 49 .

Two-way communication may assist in improving the psycho-emotional state as it would allow both individuals to engage openly 50 . This certainly would generate positive feelings of being validated through an interactive engagement between both individuals. In the context of e-learning, the two-way interaction between students and faculty members, including lecturers is limited. The barriers to two-way communication should be minimized, particularly through student relationships that are often defined through friendship. Social engagements among students themselves would certainly reduce the social isolation that university students in Malaysia commonly face. Educators should thus establish a teaching strategy and a comprehensive module to eliminate impediments to student communication and engagement. This would surely increase the students' interest in e-learning and improve their overall academic performance.

Conclusion and recommendations

This study concluded that geographical location and residential environments impacted students' overall ability and effectiveness to participate in the e-learning program. Students in rural areas are more likely to face technical and connection problems, decreased focus on learning, physical health problems, social isolation, and low digital literacy than the urban students. Despite the distinctive case of students in Kuala Lumpur, the overall result from this study demonstrates that students in rural areas can be considered vulnerable groups facing more risks to various health and social problems as entailed in this study, especially in Sabah, Perlis, and Malacca. Therefore, priority should be given to the most vulnerable groups to ensure these students have the same privileges and opportunities in education as students in urban areas. Findings from this study are critical to inform the relevant policymakers and the government to improve the overall implementation of e-learning in Malaysia. This study provides the nuances of geographical location, especially towards the vulnerable groups, to inform the relevant policymakers and the government to improvise basic infrastructure and facilities so that e-learning can be conveniently accessible to all students in Malaysia. In addition, other pertinent social issues such as mental health and physical health throughout the implementation of e-learning also require an evaluation and intervention from the relevant policymakers to ensure the well-being of students is assured throughout the implementation of e-learning. This study also recommends that teaching professionals (lecturers, teachers, and tutors) who are actively engaged in the e-learning teaching process enhance their pedagogical skills. When e-learning is implemented, effective teaching strategies, in addition to technological factors, connection issues, and poor digital literacy, play a crucial role in enhancing academic achievement and minimizing social isolation among students. Moreover, this study contributes significantly to unveiling the varieties of e-learning challenges based on the intricacies of geo-spatial analysis and mapping which are currently limited in the literature on e-learning during the pandemic Covid-19. The novelty of this study will undoubtedly contribute to the existing literature on understanding the challenges of e-learning for better improvements in the education system in Malaysia.

Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to extend enormous gratitude to all parties involved in this research especially Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) for all software licensing involved and the respondents who participated in this study.

Author information

These authors contributed equally: Adi Jafar, Ramli Dollah, Nordin Sakke, Mohammad Tahir Mapa, Ang Kean Hua, Oliver Valentine Eboy, Eko Prayitno Joko, Diana Hassan and Chong Vun Hung.

Authors and Affiliations

Geography Programme, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Adi Jafar, Nordin Sakke, Mohammad Tahir Mapa, Ang Kean Hua, Oliver Valentine Eboy & Chong Vun Hung

International Relations Programme, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Ramli Dollah

History Programme, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Eko Prayitno Joko

Mathematic Programme, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Diana Hassan

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Conceptualization, A.J., R.D.; N.S, D.H, A.K.H., C.V.H., data curation, A.J., R.D.; N.S., A.K.H., D.H, O.V.E, C.V.H., methodology, A.J., E.P.J., O.V.E, M.T.P.; validation, R.D., O.V.E, N.S.; formal analysis, A.J., and R.D.; investigation, M.T.P. and N.S.; writing—original draft preparation, A.J. writing—review and editing, R.D.; N.S., E.P.J., A.K.H., O.V.E, and M.T.P. visualization, N.S, O.V.E and C.V.H.; supervision, A.D, R.D., E.P.J.; project administration, A.J. and R.D.; E.P.J.; M.T.P., and N.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Jafar, A., Dollah, R., Sakke, N. et al. Assessing the challenges of e-learning in Malaysia during the pandemic of Covid-19 using the geo-spatial approach. Sci Rep 12 , 17316 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22360-4

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In Malaysia, schools were closed on 18 March 2020, disrupting learning for five million students. To keep children learning, the Ministry of Education launched an  online teaching and learning platform  nationwide. The national platform has kept 3 million children learning during school closures and will continue to play an important role after gradual school reopening starting 24 June 2020 as part of the country’s approach of blending face-to-face and online learning.

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