THE EXPERIENCES AND FEELINGS ON THE IMPACT OF THE ONLINE AND DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL) DURING THE PANDEMIC COVID- 19 AMONG LECTURERS IN UITM PUNCAK ALAM, SELANGOR: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly spread across the globe, causing huge disruptions to everyday lifestyles, including in Malaysia. The government-enforced movement control order (MCO) forced the closure of all public and private educational institutions, affecting all the physical learning sessions as they must be shifted to online and distance learning (ODL). This has created stress among lecturers due to these unanticipated changes. A total of 12 participants were involved in this qualitative phenomenology design to explore their experiences of the ODL and how they cope with their stress. Face-to-face interviews were carried out with the guidance of a semi-structured interview format. Thematic analysis of the in-depth interview transcriptions found there were 6 themes, and 15 subthemes representing feelings, challenges, and ways of dealing with ODL. The study concluded that ODL during the COVID-19 pandemic can affect mental health and well-being among participants.