Taylor’s Lakeside Campus prepares for face-to-face learning

By Denilson Triadiapta

Malaysia Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad

(Image Source: The Star)

The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) has recently issued a statement to reopen campuses in the country by mid October.

One of the institutions opening soon is Taylor's University Lakeside Campus in Subang Jaya, which retains many international students, most of whom are still studying from their respective countries.

Some of these students are keen to return to Malaysia as soon as possible, due to their struggles with online classes.

They prefer coming to classes physically and meeting up with friends, rather than studying from their homes since the beginning of the pandemic.

However, not all students support this reopening plan from the government.

“I do not support full face-to-face learning, unless the module requires me to use specialized equipment like production equipment, studio and more,” said Ian Isaiah Anak Danald, a student at Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus.

“Although Taylor’s requires students to be fully vaccinated, it is still possible for people to catch Covid-19,” he added.

According to the campus website, full face-to-face learning will still be accompanied by several provisions, such as the number of students in each class being limited to about 25 to 50 percent.

Many lecturers and tutors are pretty excited about the upcoming face-to face teaching and learning transition next month.

“I completely agree with this plan, because as a lecturer we have a different feeling between teaching online or face-to-face,” said Hardip Singh Rekhraj, a lecturer at Taylor’s School of Media and Communication.

Currently he teaches his classes fully online, but feels this kind of teaching is not going to work, especially if it's for the long term.

“In face-to-face learning, students have a better social experience with lecturers and tutors, also with friends which would help them to understand the lesson even better,” he adds.

He hopes to return to face-to-face learning in future, free of online or hybrid learning.

“We are pleased that Taylor’s University students have access to online learning, but we have to note that not all students out there are lucky enough to have access to the internet,” he said in an online interview via Zoom last week.

Despite the pros and cons, the government feels that the reopening plan seems inevitable because essential sectors such as schools and universities need to reopen sooner or later, albeit with several COVID-19 precaution plans in place.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad said all higher learning institution students will be able to return to their campus after being fully vaccinated, including international students.

To do that she encourages the Ministry of Health to focus the vaccination program onto students and teachers in all states, this would support and succeed the reopening plan.

She said the reopening should be done in stages, starting 15 October, at which point the government will begin to monitor the progress closely.