The spread of the Covid-19 virus throughout the world—including Indonesia—is affecting the education system. The Government of DKI Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, began Monday, March 16, 2020, and began to close teaching and learning activities to avoid the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
Until Sunday, March 15, 2020, at least 66 universities in Indonesia have temporarily stopped lectures with a face-to-face system in the classroom. This decision was taken by considering a letter from the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Health, and the WHO Protocol.
The number of educational institutions that have changed the teaching system from face-to-face meetings in class to online may continue to grow, especially amid an increase in Corona cases in Indonesia which until Sunday (3/15/2020) to 117 cases.
Do you think the online system can be applied as a knowledge transfer methodology in the education system? Some conditions that must be met the transfer of information and knowledge through online can provide maximum results.
1. Equitable internet network
Without information technology that is evenly distributed in every educational institution, an online learning system cannot be implemented. Especially in Indonesia, the uneven power of the internet network has not been a problem in itself. Internet speed in Indonesia is still inferior to other Asean countries. According to Speedtest Global Index data (May, 2019), Indonesia is in the 112th position in the world with an average download speed of 17.02 Mbps. This means that Indonesia is only superior to Cambodia and Myanmar.
In fact, the number of internet users in Indonesia has increased sharply. Based on data from the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (May, 2019), the number of internet users in Indonesia reached 117.17 million from a population of 164 million.
Unfortunately, the increase in the number of users is not followed by equal distribution across the vast territory of Indonesia. The biggest internet penetration in Indonesia is still in Java which reached 55 percent and followed by Sumatra by 21 percent. Some regions even have not been able to access the internet or can only be accessed by certain operators.
Technological sophistication must be optimized for the advancement of education.
2. Reliable system
There must be a reliable online education system and this system must be ensured. Some of the leading campuses in the world that have implemented learning with online systems long before Corona broke out, can be adopted, of course, with a number of adjustments.
3. Learner culture
In addition to the field of information technology infrastructure that needs to be built, the culture of learners must also be built both among educators and among students. Learning does not always have to be face-to-face in the classroom, knowledge can be obtained in various ways and in various aspects of life.
All stakeholder must have the character of learners to progress themselves and their people. Learner culture cannot be born by itself. This is the result of a long and long struggle.
4. Responsive of students
The change from a face-to-face system in the classroom to an online system, can not run optimally without a responsive attitude from students because media transfer technology through the internet has many shortcomings. Although close to the internet media and various social networks, most of the younger generation spends more time on unproductive activities such as gaming addiction, and chatting on social media. The use of the internet as a medium for learning, is still very small.
Those are some aspects that need to be considered in replacing the face-to-face lecture system in the classroom with an online system. Apart from the Corona outbreak over no, this system needs to be developed for use in a variety of situations and conditions. Its weaknesses must be suppressed so that it can provide maximum results in the transfer of knowledge.[]
