Semarang – The Covid-19 pandemic that has been present since mid-March 2020 has a major impact on the sustainability of all sectors of life in Indonesia. Including the education sector that has provided new experiences for every element, from high-ranking agency officials to students. This huge impact is felt equally by every level of education, including tertiary institutions.

As an effort to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) Diponegoro University through Circular No.2912 / UN7.5.7.1.2. / EP / 2020 officially announced the implementation of online lectures in March 2020 after the government confirmed a positive case of Covid-19 in Indonesia. Online lectures are carried out by utilizing various facilities such as SIAP Undip, Kulon Undip, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp groups, and so on. This online lecture lasts until the end of the odd semester and will continue to be held in the next even semester.

Yolanda Audrey, a student of the 2019 class of Communication Science undergraduate study program told about the online lectures she has run. He said that online lectures and offline lectures felt very different. As an overseas student who lives far from her family, she feels the atmosphere of the college is more pronounced when studying offline and her enthusiasm for learning has decreased since studying online because of the boredom she feels at home.

Unlike Tubagus Alnur Muhammad, a student of the 2020 bachelor of Communication Science study program. As a new student, he admitted that he was very happy to be able to attend lectures even though he was online.

“Initially, it was difficult until finally it was able to run smoothly and I got used to it, but it felt less effective because there was no intense interaction. The rest are many positive things that can be taken from online lectures, “said Tubagus.

Everything has advantages and disadvantages. Yolanda and Tubagus both argue that the advantage of online lectures is that the time is more flexible so that there is no reason for students to be late. Learning becomes easier because you can be anywhere.

“The assignments given are also more varied, ranging from making papers to creative videos, so train students’ creativity according to the subject,” said Yolanda.

According to Tubagus, internet network constraints are the main drawback of this online lecture, because not all lecturers and students have a stable internet network and it can interfere with teaching and learning activities. Meanwhile, Yolanda added that online lectures made campuses too “flexible” in arranging replacement class schedules such as holding alternate lectures late at night. Besides, online tuition allows some students to not fully attend class.

To overcome the various obstacles she feels, Yolanda often steals time to spend time and entertains herself with her friends who can relieve boredom so that she can refocus while studying online. Meanwhile, Tubagus feels the need to improve the quality of the internet network by installing WiFi and is more concerned with the condition of lecturers and friends who experience problems on the internet network.

During the online lecture, Yolanda admitted that the Department of Communication Studies has provided and made many efforts to implement this online lecture a success.

“The Communication Science Department certainly supports all lecture activities, starting from the emergence of specialized surgical webinars, so that science students can be more triggered and have the feeling of going to college. Then there is a commvoice to voice the voices of students to the lecturers so that we can be closer to the lecturers and can evaluate the performance of lecturers and students in the learning system, “he said.

Both Yolanda and Tubagus hope that in the future online lectures can be carried out better. Besides, Tubagus expects interactive communication between lecturers and students.

“My biggest wish is that lecturers and academic staff should be briefed further on online lectures. It is even better if we rush offline so that all activities will be more effective, but even if you have to go online, hopefully, the campus can provide a more adequate and effective system in learning, so that students and lecturers are more comfortable in online classes, “concluded Yolanda.

Writer : Dinda Khansa Berlian