Differences in the experience of lecturers and students on distance learning in higher education in Indonesia: case study in the pandemic of Covid-19

Abstract

The pandemic of Covid-19 has radically changed the learning systems among higher educational institutions, especially in Indonesia. Before the Pandemic, the learning activity is implemented face to face, and it suddenly turns into a distanced learning. The main objective of this research is to analyze the differences in the lecturers' and students' experiences in distanced education due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It employs a quantitative research design. Data are collected through a direct survey of the lecturers and students. The number of respondents is 123 lecturers, and 404 students. The instrument used is a questionnaire. Data are analyzed by using two approaches, index categorization and difference test with Branded Response Model. The study results show that the distanced learning process is measured under three categories, and significant differences are found in the thesis supervising activity. It concludes that the supervision for the students' thesis cannot be implemented in the distance because it necessitates interactive communication and in-depth discussion. Be-sides, it also needs an emotional connection between the lecturer and the student. Therefore, the supervising process should be ideally implemented face to face. Meanwhile, differences in the lecturers' and students' experiences are not found in the learning and assessment activities. They can be easily conducted in distance or other approaches, including Blended Learning.