THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ONLINE LEARNER-CENTERED IN

TEACHING ENGLISH TO MILLENNIAL STUDENTS DURING THE

PANDEMIC

Nur Fadhila Tunnisa S

State Institute of Islamic Studies of Bone (IAIN Bone)

Email: dhila0802@gmail.com

Abstract

The implementation of teaching during this pandemic is a new defiance

for every teacher. The the lack of knowledge to access the technologies keep to
pester some educators. Furthermore, students may know more about the latest
information or knowledge on the internet than teir teachers do. Both teachers and
students may face some other impediments during the online course. However,
this paper is aimed to ferret out the best solution for the problems that may be
found by them in online course. By using online learner-centered method,
hopefully the process of learning and teaching English will be led to become such
an effective, mood-increasing, and good-quality course.

Keywords: online learner-centered, teaching english, millennial students,

pandemic, e-learning.

Introduction

Based on Michael perspective (2013:27), he defined e-learning as a

learning system that is formulated in order to use an electronic system or
computer to support a learning process.1 Online learning system is no longer a
strange thing in nowadays. In accordance with the rapid development of
technology, online learning can easily be found on the internet. Prior to this
pandemic, online learning activities were sometimes carried out by teachers as an

1
Guru Pendidikan. (2020). Pengertian E-learning – Karakteristik, Manfaat, Kelebihan,
Kekurangan, Jenis, Komponen, Para Ahli. Available at
https://www.gurupendidikan.co.id/pengertian-e-learning/. Retrieved on January 17th, 2021.
additional option to provide more information and knowledge for students who
had not been taught in school.

However, during this pandemic, online learning is trully the main learning
system which has been implemented as a displacement of offline learning system
due to the must of keeping social distancing in order to avoid the spread of
COVID-19.2 This newest learning system has made both teacher and students face
many problems. Teachers are required to be able to create a pleasant learning
method during the online meeting. In addition, teachers are also required to
present a well-planned and effective learning within limited time.3

One of subjects that needs a good method in order to gain students

enthusiasm in learning is English. As one of the subjects that students are less
interested in, even when learning takes place in the classroom, teaching English
using an online learning system is a challenge for teachers who will teach this
subject. Whereas, another possible problem is that students can access all the
teaching materials over the Internet with ease and at this point, students can
become more aware than the teacher about the development of information and
knowledge of English.

Related to the problems above, teachers should find a way to increase

students interest in learning English so that the students do not lag in learning
English, since English is one of the most important aspects of the current era of
globalization. Teachers also should explore more about English. They should
develop their linguistic insight related to English as well. Those all are on foot of
they have to carry out their role as a provider of direction and an intermediary
source for each discussion activity, capable of correcting students’ mistakes, and
not preceded by students in terms of the breadth of English knowledge.

2
Handarini, O. I. (2020). Pembelajaran Daring Sebagai Upaya Study From Home (SFH)
Selama Pandemi Covid 19. Jurnal Pendidikan Administrasi Perkantoran, 8(3), 496-503.
3
JPNN (2020). Lima Tantangan Guru dalam Pembelajaran Daring dan Solusinya.
Available at https://www.jpnn.com/news/lima-tantangan-guru-dalam-pembelajaran-daring-dan-
solusinya. Retrieved on January 17th, 2021.
 Based on these things, in order to hold a fun learning process and increase
the activeness and enthusiasm of students in learning English, the solution that
can be applied is the learner-centered method in online learning system. In
addition, the application of the learner-centered method is expected to cover the
lack of information regarding the knowledge of English for students and teachers.
Through this method, students can exchange the information regarding the latest
knowledge of English they have acquired. This journal conduct a qualitative
elucidation about the significance of online learner-centered based on the situation
that have been experienced by students during their virtual class in this pandemic.

Discussion

Online Learning System/E-Learning during the Pandemic

WHO (World Health Organization) announced the name of new virus,

namely Corona Virus (COVID-19) on February 11th, 2020. WHO also confirmed
that some countries in Asia have been infected by COVID-19, such as China,
Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, and so on. Due to this problem,
Indonesia has experienced crisis in many sectors just like the other countries. In
order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the government has taken several steps.
One of the steps taken by the government is the application of social distancing,
therefore people have started to work from home (WFH), meanwhile in the field
of education the class will conducted virtually through online meeting based on
minister circular letter number 302/E.F2/KR/2020.4

E-learning is a system of learning using electronic devices and basically

under the condition of formal teachig.5 It has been appeared and used in this
century (21st century). Looking back in this pandemic, e-learning has been applied
for about a year as a substitute for an offline class. In general, e-learning is no

4
Mardiah, H. (2020). The Use of E-Learning to Teach English in the Time of the Covid-
19 Pandemic. English Teaching and Linguistics Journal, 1(2), 49-55.
5
Economic Times. Definition of ‘E-learning’. Available at
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/e-learning. Retrieved on January 18th, 2021.
longer a strange thing. Even before the pandemic of COVID-19, e-learning has
been applied by several school and university for certain purposes.

E-learning during the pandemic of COVID-19 enable teacher and students

connecting to one another in an online system. Generally there are two kinds of e-
learning based on the exertions: 1) Synchronous circumstances are conducted in
real time. This type of e-learning allows the participants to be in contact one
another in a given time. The examples are video converence, online meeting /
presentation, and many more. 2) Asynchronous circumstances have a flexible
time. The learning process can be held at any time, such as e-mail, forum on blog,
discussion group on a social media platform, etc.6

Millennial Students

According to Howe and Strauss perspective, millennials are those who

were born in 1982 to 2005. They have been pondered to be totally distinct from
the previous generations. They have never seen the world with no computer,
phone, technology, and internet. Instead of seeing those things as devices and
tools, they see them as an essential part of their lives.7

Millennial students are supposed to experience a disparate method in

learning. They have been expected to become brilliant generations and change the
sector of education into a higher level in a perpetual period. Generally, millennial
students defined as smart students, have a strong desire to study, enjoy to do more
than one job at the same time, give a quick response, and everything which is
brilliant have already labelled as the images of millennial students. Due to these
specifications, there is a body of a study states that traditional teaching structures
(basically implies to teacher-centered method) or lecture-type approach is no
longer appropriate for millennial students.8
6
Mardiah, H. (2020). The Use of E-Learning to Teach English in the Time of the Covid-
19 Pandemic. English Teaching and Linguistics Journal, 1(2). 49-55.
7
Therrell, J. A., & Dunneback, S. K. (2015). Millennial Perspective and Priorities.
Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 15(5), 49-63. doi:
10.14434/josotl.v15i5.19068
8
Cynthia R, P., & Joseph E, Trainor. (2014). Millennial Students and The Flipped
Classroom. ASBBS Annual Conference: Las Vegas, 21(1). 519-530.
Impediments of Teaching English to Millennial Students with an Online
Learning System during the Pandemic

As mentioned above, that millennial students mostly have characters and

learning styles that tend to be more active. In addition, they tend to have high
curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. They also enjoy challenges and new things
in learning as well. Because of these things millennial students tend to feel bored
with monotonous learning methods such as the lecture approach by the teacher.
they feel constrained by the lack of freedom to express opinions or develop ideas
related to the material being taught.

The online learning system during this pandemic certainly had a big
impact on the quality of education for millennial students. Even so, it cannot be
denied that online learning has obstacles on various sides. The first obstacle is
related to the readiness of baby boomers teachers. For millennial educators, even
though it has not been running optimally, the policy of promoting e-learning is not
something that is burdensome. But for teachers or lecturers who were born into
the baby boomers generation, online learning is a formidable challenge because it
requires more preparation such as designing complete learning materials, ranging
from methods, instruments, to the learning curriculum.9

Teachers are required to be able to design innovative learning methods by

utilizing the internet. However in reality, most teachers are still not used to
teaching using an online learning system. They have not been able to adapt to
teaching English with online class duration that is shorter than the class duration
at school. This results in not maximal transfer of knowledge and material to
students. In addition, what is often an obstacle is that teachers run out of ideas and
do not know what kind of learning method to apply to this online learning system.

Due to this lack of preparation and ideas, teachers tend to use the lecture-
type approach during online classes. At a more severe case, there are teachers who

Jendela Kemendikbud. (2020). Mitigasi Potensi Menurunnya Kualitas Pendidikan dan

9

Petakan Solusinya. Available at https://jendela.kemdikbud.go.id/v2/berita/detail/mitigasi-potensi-

menurunnya-kualitas-dan-petakan-solusi. Retrieved on January 19th, 2021.
are apathetic about this and even underestimate virtual classroom meetings. This
kind of teacher tends to be lazy to conduct virtual meetings, and prefer to assign
work to their students. Lack of guidance from teachers is a major obstacle in the
online learning system that has been held during the Covid-19 pandemic. Based
on a survey from UNICEF on Public Perceptions of Covid-19, 38 percent of the
total respondents said they only got a little guidance and explication related to the
subject matter through the online learning system during this pandemic.10

This condition has occured due to the lack of communication with the
teacher during the virtual class. Learning through social media such as WhatsApp,
and e-learning applications is generally followed by many students with one
teacher, so that the teacher cannot answer and provide opportunities for all
students to ask questions.

The Significance of Online Learner-Centered in Teaching English through E-

learning

Related to McCombs & Whisler perspective, learner-centered defined as

an approach used in learning that is centered on students individual learning,
which involves practice, outlook, aptitude, attentiveness, necessity, with main
focus on increasing knowledge, skills, and creativity of students at the same
time.11 Learner-centered education enables students to interact one another and
discuss about certain topics, answer the other questions, also present their works.
There are a learning pyramid which were created by the National Training
Labolatories in Betel, Maine. The pyramid shows the percentage that students
achieve related to several approaches. The top four of the pyramids are passive
learning methods. In comparison, the lower three levels are active learning

10
Edoo.id. (2020). 5 Kendala Utama yang Dihadapi Siswa Selama Belajar Daring di
Masa Pandemi. Available at https://www.edoo.id/2020/08/29/5-kendala-utama-yang-dihadapi-
siswa-selama-belajar-daring-di-masa-pandemi/. Retrieved on January 19th, 2021.
11
McCombs, B. L., & Vakili, D. (2005). A Learner-Centered Framework for E-Learning.
Teachers College Record, 107(8). 1582-1600.
approaches. It obviosly shows that active learning methods during the learning
process can bring good quality of learning.12

Based on all the obstacles faced in the online learning process, the online
learner-centered method can be a solution to these problems. Firstly, the problem
of lack of communication between the teacher and students during the online
learning can be overcome by applying an online learner-centered approach.
Through this method, students can learn actively and seek as much knowledge
and information on the internet related to the subject matter of English that has
been taught. Students can overcome the lack of information from the teacher
through active learning styles in this online learner-centered approach.

Instead of giving assignments to students that contain many questions

related to linguistic theory without giving an opportunity to students to develop
their insights and critical thinking skills, teachers should give more interesting
assignments, for example asking students to make explanatory videos
accompanied by explanations addition to the linguistic theory. Students can add
some of their personal opinions about the topic discussed. In this way, students'
critical thinking skills are also enhanced and unconsciously it also develops their
communication skills through the video presentations they make.
12
The Peak Performance Center. (2012). The Learning Pyramid. Available at
https://thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/learning/principles-of-
learning/learning-pyramid/#google_vignette. Retrieved on January 19th, 2021.
 Apart from the above benefits, online learner-centered is also useful as a
means of exploring students' knowledge, abilities, creativity, and willingness to
learn through e-learning. With this advantage, online learner-centered can make
the online learning system feel more alive and less monotonous. Virtual learning
will be more enjoyable for students and teachers, and learning objectives will still
be achieved even through an online learning system.

Conclusion

The pandemic of COVID-19 that spreads around the world has had
significant impacts on many sectors, including education. Various obstacles in the
online learning process, including teaching English, have sprung up inevitably as
a result of the shift in school learning systems to virtual learning systems.
However, online learner-centered can be one solution to overcome the lack of
information and knowledge through the online learning system during this
pandemic.

References

Guru Pendidikan. (2020). Pengertian E-learning – Karakteristik, Manfaat, Kelebihan,

Kekurangan, Jenis, Komponen, Para Ahli. Available at
https://www.gurupendidikan.co.id/pengertian-e-learning/. Retrieved on January
17th, 2021.

Handarini, O. I. (2020). Pembelajaran Daring Sebagai Upaya Study From Home (SFH)
Selama Pandemi Covid 19. Jurnal Pendidikan Administrasi Perkantoran, 8(3),
496-503.

JPNN (2020). Lima Tantangan Guru dalam Pembelajaran Daring dan Solusinya. Available at
https://www.jpnn.com/news/lima-tantangan-guru-dalam-pembelajaran-daring-dan-
solusinya. Retrieved on January 17th, 2021.

Mardiah, H. (2020). The Use of E-Learning to Teach English in the Time of the Covid-19
Pandemic. English Teaching and Linguistics Journal, 1(2), 49-55.
Economic Times. Definition of ‘E-learning’. Available at
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/e-learning. Retrieved on January
18th, 2021.

Therrell, J. A., & Dunneback, S. K. (2015). Millennial Perspective and Priorities. Journal
of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 15(5), 49-63. doi:
10.14434/josotl.v15i5.19068

Cynthia R, P., & Joseph E, Trainor. (2014). Millennial Students and The Flipped
Classroom. ASBBS Annual Conference: Las Vegas, 21(1). 519-530.

Jendela Kemendikbud. (2020). Mitigasi Potensi Menurunnya Kualitas Pendidikan dan

Petakan Solusinya. Available at
https://jendela.kemdikbud.go.id/v2/berita/detail/mitigasi-potensi-menurunnya-
kualitas-dan-petakan-solusi. Retrieved on January 19th, 2021.

Edoo.id. (2020). 5 Kendala Utama yang Dihadapi Siswa Selama Belajar Daring di Masa
Pandemi. Available at https://www.edoo.id/2020/08/29/5-kendala-utama-yang-
dihadapi-siswa-selama-belajar-daring-di-masa-pandemi/. Retrieved on January
19th, 2021.

McCombs, B. L., & Vakili, D. (2005). A Learner-Centered Framework for E-Learning.

Teachers College Record, 107(8). 1582-1600.

The Peak Performance Center. (2012). The Learning Pyramid. Available at

https://thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/learning/principles-
of-learning/learning-pyramid/#google_vignette. Retrieved on January 19th, 2021.