The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Australia occurred on January 25, 2020. Various efforts were made to prevent the COVID-19 spreads in Australia, such as the closure of international airports to reduce cross-border mobilization. The Australian Government has prohibited travel to or from a country with high transmission rates, such as China from February 1; Iran, March 1; South Korea, March 5; and Italy, March 11 (https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/). The airport is still closed except for Australian citizens and permanent residents of Australia (permanent residents). Various strict regulations were made, such as strict guarding distance rules, mandatory quarantine for people who have just entered Australia for two weeks at a quarantined hotel, and if they violate this rule, they will be subject to a fine of around 50 million rupiahs or more depending on the respective state. Based on the latest data from the Australian Department of Health (https://www.health.gov.au/), as of September 15, 2020, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Australia was 26,692 with 816 deaths which are very low compared to other countries.
The teaching and learning process at universities has not escaped the impact of this pandemic. At the university where I am currently studying, Macquarie University (MQ), located in Sydney, restrictions on-campus access and a shift in the teaching and learning process from offline courses to online lectures. Interestingly, before the COVID-19 pandemic situation, lectures at MQ combined online learning resources in the lecture process called iLearn https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/tools-and-resources/ilearn. On this iLearn platform, all lecture materials such as lecture guidelines, reading lists, assignments, and even lecture videos are stored in this system to make it easier for students to recall the course material being taught. Even on this platform, there is an online discussion room with monitoring from lecturers so that students are asked to submit ideas, ideas, or responses to their friends’ opinions as a form of active participation in lectures. Even in some courses, this level of participation has a special weight value accumulated in the final grade of the course.
Not only related to lecture content, but the iLearn system also has a StudyWISE feature that is a feature for students to develop various skills. For example, this feature contains various workshop or seminar information on making a good presentation, reference and cite using EndNote or Mendeley, even how to answer various assignments (such as how to compile a good essay) others. This feature also provides special features for students and lecturers to maintain their mental and physical health, especially in difficult times like today. As teachers, we are also required to see the teaching and learning process, especially in assignments, by giving special consideration to students affected by COVID-19 according to applicable requirements regardless of the quality of learning. Most of the activities related to the development of student skills are managed by the library so that the library is not only a place to borrow and return books, theses, and other reading but as a place to learn to develop skills to make it easier for students to achieve optimal learning outcomes, of course, done online considering the current situation.
With this iLearn platform, students at Macquarie University are already accustomed to using online learning resources so that when there is a transition from offline to fully online study, students are not too surprised and can adapt more quickly and easily. Furthermore, students have been trained to become independent learners by exploring and honing their critical thinking in the learning process. By focusing the learning process on students, students are trained not only as passive recipients of knowledge but also as active learners who can effectively solve problems. They also can process and utilize information and be able to optimally utilize technology as a provision for students to face increasingly competitive global competition, what is more, in this pandemic era, which requires changing offline lectures to be online. The online learning process cannot be denied that it will be a form of a new normal learning process that will continue to occur in the future. With this system, the accountability and transparency of the teaching and learning process can be recorded and structured to realize good lecture governance.
Alhamdulillah, because FridayAlhamdulillah, because the number of COVID-19 cases in Sydney, in particular, can be controlled, the offline learning process has started two months ago by strictly following health protocols. Various efforts have been made, one of which is COVID-safe ambassadors who travel around the campus to ensure students and lecturers comply with all health protocols. Hopefully, this COVID-19 pandemic can end quickly, and all of us will always be given health and strength in facing the new era of normality with optimism. Stay alert by adhering to health protocols.
Sandy Arief, Lecturer at the Department of Economic Education, Doctoral Candidate & Research Assistant at Macquarie Business School, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.