LETTERS: It has been a year since the nation lifted most Covid-19 restrictions, particularly the travel ban, marking the resurgence of our pre-pandemic era.
A similar narrative unfolds in our education system, albeit with a predominantly hybrid approach to teaching and learning.
However, one must question whether university students have adapted to the return to normalcy.
The crux of the matter lies in the pre-university experiences students encountered prior to their enrolment.
This trend was observed across all education levels, where online teaching was the sole modality during the pandemic.
Despite the concerted efforts of educators to captivate students' attention and foster engagement in virtual classrooms, interactions facilitated through screens often fall short of replicating the benefits offered by physical classrooms.
Additionally, the commitment of attending online classes for days over the past few years has proven to be a significant challenge for students and educators.
To tackle this predicament, educators resorted to pre-recorded videos, which allow students to access content at their convenience but offer limited opportunities for interaction.
These factors have shaped students' current disposition, particularly their motivation to engage with individuals in their surroundings.
In essence, their involvement tends to be passive on numerous fronts.
Upon entering university, this same mindset carries over onto the campus, posing a predicament for university educators.
Students are ill-prepared to participate in classroom activities due to their exposure to predominantly online learning.
While similar issues may have existed in the past owing to a spoon-fed educational system preceding university, the situation is exacerbated by the dearth of physical interactions in the current context.
My recent experience exemplifies an absence of meaningful exchanges between educators and students.
Tertiary education has undergone a transformation, shifting from the traditional unidirectional mode of instruction to interactive and collaborative learning.
Students are expected to play an active role in the classroom, participating in activities as basic as question-and-answer sessions.
I believe that the same circumstances apply to those who commenced their campus life during the pandemic.
Nevertheless, the impact appears to be less pronounced than what I encountered.
Educators bear a responsibility to raise awareness and motivate students, stimulating their interest in pursuing various subjects.
However, success in this endeavour relies on the involvement of students themselves, as they must awaken from their complacency and recognise the necessity of physical and active engagement in the classroom.
Failure to do so sets in motion a vicious cycle whereby future graduates are not equipped to think critically and engage with others in their professional endeavours.
DR GOH CHOON FU
Senior lecturer
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Universiti Sains Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times