Abstract:

In early 2020, many universities in Malaysia and around the world were closed due to strict preventive measures and lockdowns to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) adopted an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) approach to ensure the continuity of educational delivery during the crisis (Tew Abdullah et al., 2022). The rapid transition to the ODL mode gave rise to issues and challenges in teaching and learning (Othman et al., 2022; Abdul Rahim & Choo, 2021). To investigate student perceptions on the adoption of ODL assessments during the pandemic, an online survey was used to collect responses from third-year undergraduate students at the Faculty of Pharmacy UiTM. Analysis of students’ responses revealed that students showed an overall negative perception towards ODL assessments. Most (94.4%) believed that the main obstacle to ODL assessments was the rise in mental health issues. Students also thought that the increase in workload had affected their personal life (90.5%). The findings from this present study further indicated a lack of effective communication between lecturers and students and inadequate provision of actual practices. Consequently, students felt that the ensuing issues and barriers might affect their preparedness for the pharmacy profession. Additional on-campus support for mental health and remedial classes could be provided in the post-pandemic era. Continuing professional faculty development in online pedagogy and assessment practices is needed to stay relevant. Teaching and learning in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world require students, faculty members, administrators and universities to remain prepared, agile and resilient.

Keywords:

COVID-19 Lockdown, Open and Distance Learning (ODL), Online assessment, Pharmacy education, VUCA world.