A Study on the Use of Online Learning System (OLeS) among Academic Staffs in Private Higher Education Institutions.

Abstract

There is a significant transformation for higher education to confront intense competition, enhance the academic program to meet the challenges of this competition and develop new teaching and learning strategies to fulfil the demand of the global marketplace. Furthermore, the rapid growth of internet-based innovations has resulted in changes in teaching approaches, and learning development manifested in different forms of e-learning. Even the traditional method such as tutorials and face-to-face tutorial lecturers are still strongly dominant, and higher education intensively invests in learning technologies to facilitate greater quality enhancements in students learning experiences. This study was conducted to explore the uses of the online learning system (OLeS) in the teaching and learning process among lecturers in Kolej Poly-Tech Mara Alor Setar. This study employed a qualitative approach; semistructured interviews and online learning records. The population of study consisted of 41 lecturers and was conducted November in 2018. Thematic analysis was used for semi-structured interview data, whereas Descriptive Analysis was utilized to analyse the online learning records. Through the thematic analysis; three main themes were revealed such as management encouragement and support, lecturers’ positive attitudes toward the use of online learning and the benefits of online learning towards students. Overall, the result showed positive attitudes among lecturers toward the uses of online learning due to the management efforts and perceive usefulness. Hopefully, these findings enhance our understanding of the uses of online learning in higher education, indicating several issues to consider while implementing online learning in teaching and learning.