Poll Results

KUALA LUMPUR, 12 October 2020 – Findings from the UCSI Poll Research Centre indicated substantial readiness of the users towards mobile learning (m-learning).

Its director, Associate Professor Dr Pek Chuen Khee stated that while the public is ready, the infrastructures provided especially involving the internet connection can still be improved, citing the recent cases of TM reducing the upload speed on their Unifi plan and one student from Sabah who took her online examinations on top of a tree just to get better Internet connectivity.

“M-learning is not something new. Even without COVID-19, this method is needed for today’s new generation. Here in Malaysia, the public has shown that they are ready to move forward to the m-learning era but we found out that we need to accustomed our current teaching methods to better fit the m-learning mode.”

“The government needs to play a vital role to ensure that the internet connection which is the foundation of the infrastructure is solid enough because whether we like it or not, we need to acknowledge that IT is the life to m-learning,” he said in a statement today.

He added, with the current COVID-19 pandemic, the acceptance towards m-learning has increased immensely and what was seen to be impossible previously had turned into reality.

In a research done involving 518 respondents, Dr Pek highlighted that 65 per cent of the respondents stated that they used their mobile phones at home for learning purposes, while another 18 per cent at their workplace and the remaining 16 per cent used their mobile phones at school or learning institutions.

From the 518 respondents, a total of 68.1 per cent of them agreed that the usage of mobile phones for learning purposes is very useful and it is easy to gain information while another 59.5 per cent stated that their learning productivity increased when using mobile phones.

59.3 per cent of the respondents intended to continue using their mobile phones for learning purposes in the future. Another 58.7 per cent planned to use their mobile phones more frequently for learning purposes.

58.5 per cent of the respondents acknowledged that mobile learning is more interesting and 53.3 per cent of them agreed that m-learning is appropriate with the current learning situation. In the meantime, 49 per cent of the respondents stated that most of the people in the community frequently used mobile phones to learn.

According to Dr Pek, mobile learning method is one the ways to move forward and more learning institutions need to stay relevant in today’s evolving world.

“Loads of people had to go through m-learning during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period and some of them want to continue using this method to gain knowledge. However, some people prefer to be physically in class for their learning.

“We need to be ready to understand the flexibility of this new learning method but it requires discipline as well as good practical skills to use the applications and tools,” he added.

Dr Pek also remarked that the improvement of the infrastructure that includes a stable internet connection, high-quality computer appliances or tablets, cameras and audio systems are significant to ensure that the learning process can run smoothly.

About UCSI Poll Research Centre The UCSI Poll Research Centre (UCSI-PRC) is a public opinion research company owned by the UCSI Group. Its main objective is to utilise original and scientific research methodologies to investigate and analyse public opinions and attitudes.

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