The Challenges and Initiatives of Teaching Product Design’s Course Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the schools and universities around the globe, including Malaysia, were compelled to cease their operations and migrate to online teaching and learning environment. Along with this ‘forced approach’ to learning, the educators were faced with several barriers and challenges that need to be addressed. This paper intends to determine the challenges of teaching and learning Product Design courses in Malaysian universities using the online environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also highlights some of the strategies and initiatives adopted and adapted by the lecturers of this course in surmounting those challenges. Using a real-time video interview, data were collected from 10 respondents from various faculties of Malaysian higher education institutions offering product design courses. The findings of the study point to a range of difficulties in teaching Product Design courses online, including the need for more delicate interactions to ensure efficiencies in teaching and learning design courses, as well as the evaluation methods to achieve design learning and design outcomes.