Students’ Perceptions and Constraints on Learning Calculus Courses Online

Abstract

Calculus is one of the compulsory courses especially for undergraduate students in many fields of study. Based on the preliminary studies, most of the students reported that calculus was a challenging subject to comprehend. Meanwhile, during the Pandemic crisis, most educational institutes have transformed the initial face-to-face learning approach to online learning process in order to ensure academic activities can be carried out. This shift in the learning process can signal a brand-new issue among university students. Thus, using a quantitative approach, this study aims to explore the perceptions among Calculus courses students through online approach as well as the constraints that they face. The instrument of data collection was carried out through questionnaire. It was programmed using Google Form and distributed using Whatsapp application to the respondents consisted of 82 students from Calculus courses in Diploma in Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak Branch, Tapah Campus. Analysed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 25.0, data from the questionnaire used in the study indicates five findings regarding students' perceptions and constraints towards online learning; the two-way communication between students and lecturer is going well regardless of not having physical classes, the problem of accessing internet factor was related to students’ placement factor, the non-conducive learning environment factor was related to students’ adaption to online learning factor, the difficulty of having group discussion factor was related to the lack of home facilities factor and lastly, the uncomfortable of doing online presentation was related to the factor of lacking confidence in front of the camera. The findings also suggest that the educators should try to accommodate the students’ needs during online teaching and learning process.