ASM656 - Digital Innovation and Society

FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
MARA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
BACHELOR IN OFFICE SYSTEMS

MANAGEMENT (HONS.)
(BA232)
DIGITAL INNOVATION AND SOCIETY

(ASM656)
FINAL PROJECT (PART A)

(ISSUES & OPPORTUNITIES DURING PANDEMIC)
Prepared by:
NOOR ADLINA BINTI RASHID
2019717535
BA232(5E)
Prepared for:
SIR MOHD FAIZUL HASSAN
Submission date:
07.01.2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NO. CONTENT PAGE

1. Acknowledgement 3
2. Introduction 4
2.1 About the Pandemic 4
2.2 Utilisation of IT During Pandemic 5
2.2.1 IT for My Basic Needs 6
2.2.2 IT for My Family Members Needs 7
2.2.3 IT for My Community Needs 8
3. Issues & Challenges of IT During Pandemic 11
3.1 Issues & Challenges on e-Leaning During Pandemic 11
3.2 Issues & Challenges on Remote Working During Pandemic 12
3.3 Issues & Challenges on Communication and Social Connection 14
During Pandemic
4. Opportunities of IT During Pandemic 17
4.1 IT Offers Fast-Paced Communication 17
4.2 IT Shifts Education Level 18
4.3 IT Speeds Digital Transformation 18
5. Conclusion 20
6. References 21
2 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬
‫الحمد هلل رب العالمين والصالة والسالم على أشرف األنبياء والمرسلين‬
......‫ام بعد‬,‫وعلى اله وأصحابه أجمعين‬
First and foremost, praises and thanks to the Allah, the Almighty, Alhamdulillah,
for the blessing showed upon me for the successful completion of my assignment. I express
my deep sense of gratitude to my lecturer of Digital Innovation and Society (ASM656) course,
SIR MOHD FAIZUL HASSAN for teaching me and for the guidance and encouragement
throughout my project report.
In this paper, I will describe the utilisation of information technology (IT) as it fulfils my
basic needs as well as my family and my community basic needs. This paper will also look
into the issues and challenges occurred by the usage of IT in our daily lives during the
present turbulent COVID-19 pandemic environment. Despite the issues and challenges, this
paper will come out with opportunities created by IT in making myself, my family and my
community able to adapt to the critical situation of pandemic outbreak.
Next, I would like to thank my parents for their endless encouragement and
motivation which really help me in completion of this project. Finally, I am deeply thankful to
my classmates for the support and willingness for time they had spent in helping me. I am
very grateful to all parties involved in this assignment because without their support and
valuable suggestion it would not have been possible for me to complete this assignment
within the prescribed time.
Thank you.

2. INTRODUCTION
2.1 ABOUT THE PANDEMIC
COVID-19 Worldwide Infectious Disease
The world has recently been rocked by the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), the source of
pandemic of acute respiratory syndrome (COVID-19) disease. The pandemic outbreak of
COVID-19 has forced a critical situation of health globally. World Health Organization
(WHO) declared the pandemic a “public health emergency of international concern” in
January 2020, (WHO, 2020). More than 4 million people worldwide had been infected with
this disease as of May 15, 2020, which results into 282,309 deaths as reported by the New
York Times (2020) based on data provided by various sources including WHO.
Governments’ reactions around the world have ranged from physical distancing to partial or
total lockdowns of their country populations to dilute the rate of transmission of this COVID-
19 infectious disease. "Lockdown" can refer to anything from mandatory geographic
quarantines to non-mandatory recommendations to stay at home, closures of certain types
of businesses, or bans on events and gatherings (Lindsay Wiley, 2020). By April 2020,
almost half of the world's population had been cooped up, to stay at home, with more than
3.9 billion people in more than 90 countries or regions being ordered and enforced to stay at
home by their governments to deter the spread of the lethal COVID-19 virus (Alasdair
Sanford, 2020). Countries and regions around the world have imposed lockdowns on
varying degrees. Some may have restrictions based on time and some include total
movement control. Only important businesses are permitted to stay accessible and carry out
the business. Schools, universities and colleges have closed countrywide or at local basis.

MCO or Lockdown in Malaysia
In late January 2020, the first COVID-19 case in Malaysia was confirmed when it was
detected on travellers, who were from China arriving in Johor via Singapore on 25 January.
It was believed that this incident was due to the following of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hubei,
China. Under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 and the Police Act
1967, movement control order (MCO) was first implemented in Malaysia on 18 March 2020.
The largest localised cluster began to emerge in March linked to a Tablighi Jamaat religious
gathering held in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur in late February and early March. This cluster
has led to massive spikes in local cases and an exportation of cases to neighbouring
countries. By 16 March, our Ministry of Health (MOH) reported the virus has spread to
every state and federal territory in the country. Because of the increasing rate of
transmission over March, the government has extended this cordon sanitaire three times,
two-week period for each extension, until 12 May 2020. Malaysia government has enforced
the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) on 13 May and on 8 June moved into the
Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO). The Prime Minister in his announcement on
28 August said that this RMCO will be extended until 31 December (MDBC, 2020). People
were told to stay at home and all sectors such education (pre-schools, schools and
universities), business and workplaces were closed under this MCO. Consequently, many
have made the abrupt shift to working from home and unfortunately, millions have lost their
jobs.
2.2 UTILISATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DURING PANDEMIC
At first glance it may seem like stay-at-home for many people in the age of COVID-19
has nothing to be questioned since MCO and lockdowns are global measurements in
preventing the coronavirus from spreading. Once we understand that the worldwide COVID-
19 pandemic is a pressure that emerged beyond of our control, we will begin to see this
pandemic has affected thousands of people across the globe. This global and unpredictable
phenomenon has changed the way we did on a daily basis and affecting our lives. The
COVID-19 crisis has fundamentally changed many things - working, studying, shopping or
getting around. As for me, being a mother, an employee and currently a student, home has
become my office, my classroom even the gym at the same time. Therefore, the most
important feature of our experiences of time during this crisis is information technology (IT).
IT helps us to cope with our crash of roles and responsibilities such as a parent, spouse,
employee, employer, teacher and student during this pandemic as we face great uncertainty
about the future.

2.2.1 Information Technology for My Basic Needs
(i) Educational Needs
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the university, similar to other
educational institutions such as pre-schools, childcare and secondary and primary
schools dealt with vast challenges in transforming to the virtual learning
environments in accordance with the government’s order – movement control order
(MCO). Consequently, the UiTM classes interruption started in the middle of March
2020 and eventually terminated the classes at the end of the same month due to the
rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Nevertheless, in the absence of
face-to-face sessions, the ongoing MCO has changed the teaching and learning
processes to start using the online learning tool alone. UiTM has switched all classes
to the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode effective April 13, 2020 for all its
campuses across the country.
All academic activities are a mixed of asynchronous and synchronous method of

online learning. Asynchronous method refers to interaction without real-time while
synchronous is with real-time interaction. To help lecturers to reach their students
from a distance and to limit the learning interruption, UiTM also developed its online
learning platform named UFUTURE where students can participate learning without
real-time interaction activities on their pace, especially students with poor internet
connection or speeds. On top of that, to maximize learning through alternative
delivery modes, teaching and learning were also conducted through low-data
applications such as Telegram or Whatsapp. In my case, some of my lecturers used
video conferencing platforms such as Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams as
teaching methods. IT is a necessity for me to continue my study via ODL.
(ii) Psychological Needs
This pandemic has left our lives in distress and has surprised most of us
because the way we live and the things we did on a daily basis has changed. As a
student, extended studying time, bunch of assignments and communication
breakdown with lecturers sometimes are several factors to distress. ODL has
potential to have impact on the psychological well-being since students are prone to
get tense. Thus, to continue study via ODL mode is important but having a healthy
emotional state is equally important as it is. In the current pandemic, emotional well-
being has also become concern for mental health. Students must make time to pay
attention to their psychological well-being to ensure that they can make academic
progress.
Eventually, to be psychologically healthy, as a student, I have used social media
platforms such as Instagram as a means for social interaction and communication.
Taking a break from study is important and helps my mind to stay focused and re-
focus because it gives the brain a chance to relax. The use of smartphones helps to
facilitate this study-mode-off activity. Me myself browsing the internet during my
breaks, scrolling into my social media accounts on Facebook or Instagram and
watching videos on YouTube to entertain myself. Social media keep me updated on
the current issues and what my friends or relatives were up to. Sometimes I played
game that has been installed on my mobile phone. With the help of IT, as a student,
I can divert the attention from psychological pressures due to the hectic schedule of
my study that requires high commitment from myself.
2.2.2 Information Technology for My Family Members Needs
(i) Work and Educational Needs
The COVID-19 pandemic is turning upside down everyone’s work. More and
more organizations have to turn to remote work as necessary step to continue their
day-to-day operations to prevent the virus from spreading at the workplace as what
Government has enforced. It is a situation that has been playing out across the
country as the number of COVID-19 cases risers and more organizations were
forced to commit to the physical distancing practices. In other words, coronavirus
has made remote working the new normal.
My family members who has been affected by this situation were busy setting
their home-office (personal computers/laptops, printers, video-conferencing
equipment and others) since they need to perform their work off from workplace. Not
just that, this work setting at home are also being used for their children educational
purposes. Like what I have mentioned before, educational institutions such as pre-
schools, childcare and secondary and primary schools were forced to shut its
operations that resulted the parents to work with their kids at home. The parents and
their kids are leveraging the usage of IT to continuing to work from home and learn
off from school. Thanks to IT for helping them a lot with the changes due to the
COVID-19 crisis.

(ii) Social Well-Being Needs
As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, government has

enforced important restrictions on the people’s movement. During the current social
distancing orders, it might be hard to socialize. This time may be challenging for
people to connect with each other physically. According to Dr. Gerardo Chowell,
Chairman of Population Health Science at Georgia State University, the ability of the
virus to spread in the population could increase in due to the number of contacts you
have per day with relatives, friends and co-workers. Within this context, technology
can have a deep effect on people’s lives. It helped people to foster social cohesion
while respecting the physical distancing. People are now turning to creative means
to stay connected.
Stay‐at‐home orders may cause ambiguity between work/school and leisure.

During these times of social distancing, my family members find it helpful to connect
with others through virtual means such as FaceTime, group chats and social media
platforms to schedule “happy hours” with each other. We have been using
technology to celebrate family member’s birthday (virtual party) and even throw
encouragement to family members on how to survive this pandemic with whatever
efforts they have took in place. To increase positivity in coping with COVID-19
pandemic, we find that leveraging technology is the effective, indeed essential way.
With the help of technology, we can keep the sense of belonging, that family
members are always here and want to listen and want to talk, even though we are
socially isolated.
2.2.3 Information Technology for My Community Needs
(i) Health Needs
Health industry without a doubt has been the most affected by the pandemic.
Ministry of Health (MOH) have reacted quickly, sometimes even faster than our
national government, to order lockdowns, prepare hospitals and other facilities, that
involve health workers. MOH also ensures the provision of medical equipment and
supplies. Since MOH carries the crucial role in handling this COVID-19 crisis, IT has
been the key to coordinate these decisions and as a tool for storing, retrieving,
sending and distributing the information. MCO has restricted the movement of
people and also the operations of businesses and work due to physical distancing
rules. Within this context, technologies plays effect on community’s daily lives to
ensure them have access to health services, access to information and

communication especially about the disease. Therefore, local government and
regional governments have relied heavily on the use of IT to monitor, anticipate and
influence the spread of the disease.
For example, our government has developed the MySejahtera apps to help in
managing the COVID-19 outbreaks. People in my community usually refer to the
latest information updated in this apps for updates on the number of cases and
COVID-19 hotspots. The apps can show us an area with reports on COVID-19
cases within the last 14 days. Another resource available via the app with regards to
digital healthcare services which includes links to several virtual health advisory
providers, online clinic bookings and even health screening facilities near you. One
more example on the utilisation of IT in order to avoid the spread of coronavirus in
communities is QR code has been created and should be placed at the entrance of
businesses and public premises to facilitate tracing of COVID-19. This is proven to
be more efficient in comparison to finding potential contacts using the old-school pen
and book writing method. The society now have to learn and adapt to this new norm
and practise the 3S SOP – Sanitize (hand), Screen (body temperature) and Scan
(QR code) each and every time they want to enter a business or public premise to
help to reduce the number of outbreaks in Malaysia.
(ii) Physiological and Social Needs
Physiological needs are the basic needs of human being. These needs are the
biological requirements for human survival such as water, shelter and food. Our
country has declared restrictive measures, such as MCO or stay at home orders to
maintain the pandemic at a local level. Due to this total community lockdown, people
were forced to transform to the use of information technology for various purposes in
their daily lives. The pandemic has made people to open eyes to focus on the
advantages of the virtual world within the confines of their cribs. Stay-at-home orders
have made the option of getting basic things for daily use might be limited at this
time. Therefore, more and more creative ways have been implemented for such
particular purposes. As in my community that I am currently living, the emergence of
social technologies has created a platform for us to communicate. For example, we
communicate using Whatsapp platform through a communication group named by
our residential, Jualan Online Setia Tropika. By using this platform, we buy-and-sell
with each other, and not just limited to buying and selling activities, we also shared
information with each other. Most of the participants in this group are food sellers
who operates their small businesses from home. Since we are all being locked down
in our cribs, most of us buy food from sellers in this group.

Physiological needs also require us to have a healthy body and not only having
to meet our basic needs such as water and food. Proper amount of sleep and
regular exercise can help us to achieve a healthy body. However, the chance to go
to the gym or jog at the park might not be available at this time. Now that many
people are on stay-at-home orders, my community also focus on searching for
innovative ways to keep healthy. An innovative interaction has taken place between
a classic community and a virtual community where my community developed at-
home virtual workouts program. Here, we have not only rounded up great at-home
workouts that will cost us nothing, but we also pun in time to stay healthy during
pandemic. This virtual communication has reduced the dullness of home quarantine
foster stronger the relationship of the community within its group members. Thus, IT
is more than important in meeting the physiological and social needs among the
community at the times of pandemic.

3. ISSUES & CHALLENGES OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
DURING PANDEMIC
COVID-19 pandemic has impact every aspect of the life of every individual in society,
including the way we work, live and learn, from the economy to household income and from
social security to individual human rights. In addition, the pandemic has had substantial
effects on much more than economy. It has affected society, politics, culture, education,
healthcare, travel and personal lifestyle. Information technology (IT) is a great facilitator tool
in fulfilling the needs of myself, my family members and my community that I am living with.
However, the issues and challenges with the utilization of IT is undeniable.
3.1 ISSUES & CHALLENGES ON ONLINE LEARNING DURING PANDEMIC
The education sector is one of the sectors world-wide that is currently facing a huge
impact as a result of COVID-19. Universities were forced to shift their teaching to e-learning
and blended learning modes. Lecturers have had to adapt to this change, both by way of
teaching and the assessments process. This has generated several issues and challenges
for both lecturers and students such as:
(i) Rapid shift to online learning
➢ Even though UiTM has already practiced the integrated face-to-face and online
learning approach in the classroom since few years ago, however, the force of
using online platforms in learning, with the absence of face-to-face meetings is
challenging. Unexpected and fast transition to online learning, with insufficient
internet coverage in certain areas and little preparation resulted to the poor
user experience of myself continuing my study through the online and distance
learning (ODL) mode.
(ii) Lack of supervision
➢ Lecturer and student have lack of face-to-face interaction during ODL mode.
Physical absence of the lecturers hinders the development of relationship
between the lecturer and its students. Even though ODL offers great flexibility,
it might be difficult for the lecturers to monitor what are the students doing and
to ensure all of them learning at the same learning pace. Sometimes, I might
feel left alone and disappointed and without the physical presence from my
lecturer make me questioned the quality of my work.

(iii) Limited internet connection
➢ Internet is already an integral element of education during this pandemic time.

Online learning is highly dependent on internet access. Some of the students
may not get to fully experience the online learning due to unstable or
inadequate internet connections. For instance, with online learning, some of
my nieces/nephews were left behind because insufficient internet connections
at their housing areas. Along with poor connectivity is their parents had to
experience the added cost of procuring new digital devices (gadgets such as
mobile phones or tablets) and also mobile data cost so that their kids can have
access to online education.
(iv) Lack of concentration
➢ In normal classes or lectures, students may have better understanding on the

topic being discussed because they can concentrate on the lectures and can jot
down important information. However, through online learning, I find it hard to
focus sometimes on the topics that are being discussed as I cannot stay focus
due to the several factors such as housing situations and connection distraction
due to bad weather.
(v) Home commitments
➢ Online learning also presents challenges for students with caring

responsibilities in which they have to care for a child, disabled elderly or
relatives. For instance, a student from a family among my community that is
badly affected by the MCO have to help with the house chores and work to
help parents gain extra income. In addition, it is a bit challenging for them to
focus on the lessons since they are loaded with home commitments.
3.2 ISSUES & CHALLENGES ON REMOTE WORKING DURING PANDEMIC
COVID-19 forced companies to change to remote working quickly. It is a whole new

world for those who have never worked from home before the COVID-19 outbreak. Nothing
about our lives is a typical anymore during pandemic including the typical workday. This
pandemic crisis has necessitated a rise in remote working, but there are issues and
challenges to broader adoption although this migration went reasonably well in a short
period of time.

(i) The workspace setup
➢ Some of my family members turned their living room or bedroom into their
home-office space. Not having a proper office for working at home means
that they are struggling to focus and to work at their very best as they can
when they are in office. Most of them used laptop rather than desktop
(personal computer) and I believe that it requires a hard work to perform work
using smaller laptop screen compared to desktop monitor at the office.
Furthermore, when they are working from their living room or bedroom, it is
hard for them to set clear boundaries between their work and home life.
Meanwhile, working from the couch can ruin the body posture and invites
pains and aches to the body. Everything becomes jumbled that can cause
them a greater risk of burnout.
(ii) Too many disruptions
➢ We know that all schools and childcare were forced to shut down its
operations. I can see that my family members who work from home with their
children around that sometimes may interrupt important calls or video meeting
where their toddler demands attention. Apart from that, they are sharing the
office with their spouse who is also having to work from home. This
immediate introduction of homeworking makes them experience a blurring of
the boundary between work and private life.
(iii) Hard to be motivated
➢ My family members are among the many workers who work from home find
that it is hard to maintain that work-from-home motivation for the long-term.
Some days they say workload is energizing and help them fell like they are
making powerful contributions to the team. But most of the days they find the
juggling act is exhausting. Their motivation tends to fluctuate from time to
time when the nature of their work keeps on changing – there are times they
have to work more hours to meet demand and there are times fewer hours
and responsibilities vanish.

(iv) It is isolating
➢ Working from home is not for everyone. Some people believe that working at
home might be beneficial to mental health, however being isolated at home
can trigger ill health. My family members who work from home once told me
that, being a remote worker, it is hard to keep regular contact with their
employer or co-workers and to stimulate cooperation between colleagues to
reach the togetherness.
(v) Low self-care
➢ People have recently started working remotely and it can be difficult for some
to adjust to a new way of life and changes to the routine, a new working
environment. Meeting the physical, social and emotional needs right now is a
bit more challenging than usual. Video chatting with friends and relatives is
not the same as meeting in person and wanting healthy diet might not be as
easy when trips to the grocery store are limited due to the MCO. Based on
my observations on my family members who are involved with working from
home, getting on top of their self-care really make a difference to their
mindset and how they feel. They might feel lonely at times and miss
spending time with their colleagues.
3.3 ISSUES & CHALLENGES ON COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL CONNECTION

DURING PANDEMIC
The uses of IT in communication during pandemic are transforming professional

activities and interactions in ways that challenge traditional assumptions about digital
communication. Digital communications are inherently capable of being more interactive,
more participatory, more decentralized and less hierarchical. As such, the types of social
relations and communities which can be built share these characteristics (Mitchell Kapor,
1993). We are living in a world where it seems that technology is taking over our lives,
slowly but surely, but given to the current situation we are in right now, technology does it
quickly and efficiently. Despite the benefits of digital communication, there are issues and
challenges that need to be taken care of.

(i) Social disconnection
➢ People tend to socialize and communicate thru digital services due to COVID-19
movement restriction measures that have been enforced by the government.
This can easily lead to a sense of disconnect and isolation. It is the nature of
human to have real contact. Many people may experience depression and other
forms of mental illness caused from the lack of real life contact. Without we
realize it, this technology usage in communication has made me, my family
members and my community connected while become disconnected.
(ii) Data security
➢ Massive amounts of data can be collected and stored when we communicate

through digital technology. Example of data is information with regards to
private information of an individual or organization. It is hard and challenging
to keep this data safe. For instance, we can see that most of organizations
are practicing the work-from-home method in accordance to social distancing
orders, which means they communicate about the organization. One single
breach can cause all private information falls into the unauthorized or
irresponsible parties such as criminals and malign entities.
(iii) Bad influence and crimes commit
➢ The use of emerging social networking platforms, such as TikTok and

YouTube have been the gateways for people to socialize in the virtual world,
even for the kids. Other than providing leisure to its users, these virtual
worlds seems to be fertile territory for criminals to operate. We know that
there are terrorism activities promoted thru social media where terrorists
encourage others. In isolated case, drug dealers using the dark web to trade,
exchanges information and paedophiles using chat rooms and other places to
groom potential victims, exchange dirty photos and videos. Therefore, it is a
bit worrying when we get to think what the kids are watching and doing on the
social networking platforms especially the most and trending platform today –
TikTok, where more and more kids flooded this apps by making variety of
short videos ranging from 3 seconds to 1 minute, such as dancing and
singing .

(iv) Cyberbullying
➢ As the digital sphere has expanded and technology has advanced,

cyberbullying has become increasingly in common. Cyberbully or online bully
is bullying with the use of digital technology, be it on social media platforms,
messaging platforms or gaming platforms. As more and more people are
socializing through digital platforms, this has opened bigger chance for users
to hide their identities. There are people who use fake identities for
scamming and defrauding activities. This cyberbullying phenomenon have
increased dramatically and the scariest thing in our cyber world today is
paedophiles use fake identity to gain access and befriend children.
(v) Over-reliance on digital tools
➢ People are doing things in different way from before the pandemic hits.
People are now perform shopping through online, as well as paying bills,
working and socializing. Even to entertain themselves, people are now
watching music concerts or live shows online. Therefore, reliance upon
mobile phones, computers and other digital gadgets has become common to
myself, my family members and my community. It is as if we cannot live
without digital tools, especially our mobile phone.

4. .OPPORTUNITIES OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DURING
PANDEMIC
How will the world, especially daily life be different with the help of information technology
(IT) during this pandemic? During the COVID-19 pandemic, IT plays a important role in for
society to keep function during quarantines. Everything we do now are affected by IT. IT is
involved in how people do business, how people trade, how people work, how people
produce goods, how people learn, how people seek medical services and even how people
entertain themselves. Despite the issues and challenges that have been discussed in the
earlier chapter of this paper, it is important for us to keeping up with the opportunities as a
result of the usage of IT that has helped people to adapt to the critical situations during
pandemic.
4.1 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY OFFERS FAST-PACED COMMUNICATION
Communication activities with the help of IT is instant. As soon as the sender hits the
‘Submit’, ‘Enter’ or ‘Send’ key, the message is available to the audience in a blink of eyes.
The business or organization benefit instant communication is obvious where there is little to
no delay of valuable information being sent to individuals, customers or the organization.
Work has become easier, informing colleagues the status of project, scheduling an all-hands
meeting and acknowledging customer complaint are all accomplished in a very fast-paced
mode. People are now able to adapt to the new normal situations where almost everything
can be done online, without have to be physically present to help slowing down the
transmission of the coronavirus.
On another note, we can see how our government fully utilized the IT for the fast-
communication of information with regards to the pandemic. As a consequence of the
pandemic, the consumption of public service content rose exponentially, driven in large part
by news. At the earlier stage on crisis, people were waiting to watch live broadcast on the
updates on the number of cases and latest enforcement actions that government will
enforced. The information then widely spread by the viewers through other digital
communication platforms such as Whatsapp and Telegram. Other than sharing information
on the crisis updates, Ministry of Health (MOH) advertised hygiene practices by sharing
infographics on proper hand washing and standard operating procedure (SOP) via Facebook,
Instagram and Twitter. IT is now very important in dissemination of information and
guidelines when dealing with the pandemic.

4.2 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SHIFTS EDUCATION LEVEL
IT also presents a great opportunity for education. It is indeed that there are many other
critical factors need to be focused in times of pandemic, but it is important to see that
education is also a factor to be addressed too. The COVID-19 has made schools all over
the world upended its operation. We can see that our educational institutions were forced to
utilize IT to create best ways of learning through information technology that include digital
and online resources. Students and teachers/lecturers are now moving their communication
online. They are now adapting to a new lifestyle of learning. Teachers and students,
regardless of age working together to limit the education interruption as possible by using
video conferencing and sharing files through available online platforms.
While some may believe that this unplanned and rapid move to online learning will result
in a poor user experience, others believe that a new hybrid model of education will emerge,
with significant benefits. The integration of IT in education will eventually become an integral
component of school education because technology evolution now allows many things we
have not believed possible. On a light note, however, the global pandemic opened up
opportunities for our country to upgrade its educational delivery mode and focus more
attention to the emerging technologies. Due to the large scale of IT usage, this is the best
time of innovation of new ideas on the digital platforms for delivering the education. Besides,
the best tools and techniques also can be discovered to shift the education level to the next
level that definitely will continues after the pandemic get over. Coronavirus pandemic is a
chance to use technology to reboot and reform our education system to better serve the next
generation.
4.3 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SPEEDS DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
Digital transformation has made us do our things differently than before. Digital
transformation leverages existing knowledge to create totally different business model by
using information and computer technologies. Today we can see how the pandemic has
normalised remote work and how this hybrid way of working impact on how we communicate,
connect and create. Wok-from-home or remote working has become necessary and
widespread solution, although before the COVID-19 lockdown, it was not widely adopted in
our country. The adoption speed of digital technologies has speeded in response to COVID-
19 crisis. Without a doubt, these changes could be here for the long haul.
Terms such as telecommuting, teleworking, working from home, working at home,

working remotely, virtual work, e-work, e-commuting, mobile work, flexible workplace,
digital nomads, and freelancing have all been used to describe the current modes of

work and to jump start digital transformation of the workforce. Digital transformation has
quickly become a must due to the COVID-19 disruption. Digital transformation is more than
just the implementation of a new technology. It requires the adoption of a “digital workforce”
mindset. The digital transformation of the workforce and the evolution of the work
environment is driven by the sudden need for work from home. Mass adoption of
telecommuting has become a vital business change since the outbreak of the virus. People
nowadays have no choice other than were forced to be adapted to this new way of working
and being forced to innovate since work-from-home has suddenly become mandatory during
pandemic. And this change is here to stay.

5. CONCLUSION
All of us know how chaotic it was during the early time where COVID-19 rocked the
world. People became insecure, health institution became busy, all place were told to be
closed. The lockdown and restriction of the movement order (MCO) has opened our eyes
on the importance of the spirit of togetherness. It is clear that information technology (IT)
plays a huge role in making this global pandemic more bearable. People are now embracing
everything that IT has to offers and utilizing it to maintain a sense of normality during these
uncertain times.
Technology has become a part of our daily lives. IT makes us dependent on it to

complete our everyday activities during pandemic. We have been forced to jump into a
dramatic shift in digital usage with impacts on all aspects of work and life. How this change
plays out remains largely dependent on our responses to shaping the emerging trends and
the future. Using the power of IT, together we can unite to reach and educate all to build
better world especially during pandemic times. However, it is important to look critically at
the problems that may arise due to the usage of IT in our daily lives during this pandemic
outbreak. It is every part responsibility to focus on the effort to work on the issues and
challenges because we may see things that we do not see.
On another note, embarking on a new challenge of doing things in our everyday life
today can be frightening. We often pay more attention on the outcome if we fail to adapt,
rather than focusing on the opportunity behind every situation. Despite of understanding the
challenges and its solutions, we should see challenges as an essential part of growing and
developing as a person, community and nation. John F. Kennedy famously said, “Crisis is
composed of two characters – one represents danger and one represents opportunity”.
Hence, sometimes the world needs a crisis to turn challenges into opportunities. Crisis
reveals numerous ways that may offers unexpected benefits for societies, countries and
humanity.

6. REFERENCES
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https://www.nst.com.my/education/2020/04/586565/uitm-moves-online-learning-
mode
Afandi H. (2020, August 7). Why We Need to Keep Scanning the COVID-19 QR Code.
NST News. https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/bots/2020/08/614772/why-we-need-
keep-scanning-covid-19-qr-code
Anita A. (n.d.). Impact of COVID-19 in Our Lives. Retrieved January 2, 2021 from
https://www.voicesofyouth.org/blog/impact-covid-19-our-lives
Cathy Mae D. (2020, August 26). Socio-Educational Implications of Technology Use During
COVID-19. Retrieved January 2, 2021 from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hbe2.214
Chee I. (2020, June 12). MySejahtera App: Here’s What You Need to Know. Retrieved
January 2, 2021 from https://www.lowyat.net/2020/214773/mysejahtera-app-what-
you-need-to-know/
Dana Rose. (2020, August 6). Technology as Coping Tool during the Coronavirus Disease
2019 (COVID-10) Pandemic. Retrieved January 3, 2021 from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smi.2975
Engle J. (2020, March 20). How is the Coronavirus Outbreak Affecting Your Life?. NY
Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/20/learning/how-is-the-coronavirus-
outbreak-affecting-your-life.html
Goodman P. (2020, July 8). 17 Disadvantages of Digital Technology. Retrieved January 3,

2021 from https://turbofuture.com/misc/Disadvantages-of-Digital-Technology
Holohan M. (2020, March 20). 5 Ways to Connect with Friends and Family While Social
Distancing. Retrieved January 3, 2021 from https://www.today.com/health/how-
connect-friends-family-while-social-distancing-t176391
Journal of Ahima. (2020, August 25). Working from Home during COVID-19: Challenges
and Solutions. Retrieved January 3, 2021 from https://journal.ahima.org/working-
from-home-during-covid-19-challenges-and-solutions/

Langan-Riekhof M. (n.d.). Sometimes the World Needs a Crisis: Turning Challenges into
Opportunities. Retrieved January 6, 2021 from https://www.brookings.edu/research/
sometimes-the-world-needs-a-crisis-turning-challenges-into-opportunities/
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Digital versus Traditional Communication. Retrieved January 3,

2021 from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-businesscommunicationmgrs/
chapter/digital-versus-traditional-communication/#footnote-1032-1
Plitnichenko L. (n.d.). 10 Challenges of e-Learning during COVID-19. Retrieved January 3,

2021 from https://jellyfish.tech/10-challenges-of-e-learning-during-covid-19/
Ringel F. (n.d.) How the Pandemic has Changed Our Perception of Time. Retrieved
January 3, 2021 from https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-how-the-pandemic-
has-changed-our-perception-of-time-139240
Uni Solution. (n.d.). How the Recent Shift to Online Learning has Provided
Admissions Offices With Access to New Student Markets . Retrieved
January 3, 2021 from https://www.qs-unisolution.com/how-recent-shift-online-
learning-provided-admissions-offices-access-new-student-markets/
United Cities and Local Governments. (n.d.). Digital Technologies and the COVID-19
pandemic. Retrieved January 2, 2021 from
https://www.uclg.org/sites/default/files/eng_briefing_technology_final_x.pdf
Zeidner R. (2020, March 21). Coronavirus Makes Work from Home the New Normal. NST
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become-the-new-normal.aspx

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FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

MARA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

BACHELOR IN OFFICE SYSTEMS

DIGITAL INNOVATION AND SOCIETY

FINAL PROJECT (PART A)

NO. CONTENT PAGE

2.1 About the Pandemic 4

2.2 Utilisation of IT During Pandemic 5

2.2.1 IT for My Basic Needs 6

2.2.2 IT for My Family Members Needs 7

2.2.3 IT for My Community Needs 8

3. Issues & Challenges of IT During Pandemic 11

3.1 Issues & Challenges on e-Leaning During Pandemic 11

3.2 Issues & Challenges on Remote Working During Pandemic 12

3.3 Issues & Challenges on Communication and Social Connection 14

4. Opportunities of IT During Pandemic 17

4.1 IT Offers Fast-Paced Communication 17

4.2 IT Shifts Education Level 18

4.3 IT Speeds Digital Transformation 18

2 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

‫الحمد هلل رب العالمين والصالة والسالم على أشرف األنبياء والمرسلين‬

......‫ام بعد‬,‫وعلى اله وأصحابه أجمعين‬

3 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

2.1 ABOUT THE PANDEMIC

COVID-19 Worldwide Infectious Disease

4 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

2.2 UTILISATION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DURING PANDEMIC

5 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

(i) Educational Needs

All academic activities are a mixed of asynchronous and synchronous method of

(ii) Psychological Needs

2.2.2 Information Technology for My Family Members Needs

(i) Work and Educational Needs

7 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

As the coronavirus continues to spread around the world, government has

Stay‐at‐home orders may cause ambiguity between work/school and leisure.

2.2.3 Information Technology for My Community Needs

(i) Health Needs

8 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

(ii) Physiological and Social Needs

9 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

10 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

3.1 ISSUES & CHALLENGES ON ONLINE LEARNING DURING PANDEMIC

(i) Rapid shift to online learning

(ii) Lack of supervision

11 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

➢ Internet is already an integral element of education during this pandemic time.

(iv) Lack of concentration

➢ In normal classes or lectures, students may have better understanding on the

(v) Home commitments

➢ Online learning also presents challenges for students with caring

3.2 ISSUES & CHALLENGES ON REMOTE WORKING DURING PANDEMIC

COVID-19 forced companies to change to remote working quickly. It is a whole new

12 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

(ii) Too many disruptions

(iii) Hard to be motivated

13 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

(v) Low self-care

3.3 ISSUES & CHALLENGES ON COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL CONNECTION

The uses of IT in communication during pandemic are transforming professional

14 ASM656 Assignment 3 | Issues & Opportunities During Pandemic (Part A)

(ii) Data security

➢ Massive amounts of data can be collected and stored when we communicate