The Covid-19 pandemic began in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and spread rapidly

throughout the world within months. The coronavirus (World Health Organization (WHO),

2020, has severely affected the economy. Every nation in this world, including the higher

education sector, is at risk. The global disruption by Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused

by a newly discovered virus has been described as catastrophic. The global lockdown resulted

in a lockdown of educational institutions as the situation worsened. Despite the fact that

different states have varied rates of COVID-19 infection, the pandemic has caused school

closures in every state in the nation affecting almost every single student in Malaysia.

Therefore, online learning was introduced to ensure that the students are not left behind. This

closure of schools, colleges, and universities created a stressful situation for educational

administration and forced them to adapt to online learning methods. The COVID-19

pandemic is quickly demonstrating why online education should be a vital part of teaching

and learning. By integrating technology into existing curricula, as opposed to using it solely

as a crisis-management tool, teachers can harness online learning as a powerful educational

tool. Some are wondering whether the acceptance of online learning would continue to

endure post-pandemic and how such a shift would affect the global education sector because

of the sudden implementation. However, the online learning platform started even before

Covid-19, and the technology in education has already gone through a rapid expansion and

adoption. For example, there has been a noticeable increase in the utilization of language

apps, virtual tutoring, video conferencing tools, and online learning software.

As with most instructional approaches, online learning offers advantages and disadvantages.

However, education through online learning is more effective with access to the right

technology, more convenient, and enables more opportunities for all special needs students. It

is obvious that this pandemic has completely disturbed the education system many claims

were already out of date. These changes offer us a preview of future schooling developments
that should be better for the long term. Education still can be delivered with the right

technology and give benefits to the learners. “E-learning tools have played a crucial role

during this pandemic, helping schools and universities facilitate student learning during the

closure of universities and schools (Subedi et al., 2020)”. All students that come from various

backgrounds including special needs students still can benefit from the online learning

methods. Students from every state in Malaysia could benefit the online learning because

they could access it just with the tip of their finger. This is mostly due to the students being

able to learn faster online; e-learning requires 40-60% less time to learn than in a traditional

classroom setting because students can learn at their own pace, going back and re-reading,

skipping, or accelerating through concepts as they choose. With the correct technology,

online learning is more efficient, comfortable, and gives all students with special needs more

chances.

First of all, the effective use of online educational tools in the classroom can boost student

engagement, assist educators in improving lesson plans, and enable personalized learning. It

also assists students in developing important 21st-century skills. Both the teacher and the

student can choose their own learning rate while they are taking classes online. Course

schedules at many universities are generally suitable for the majority of students. Some

pupils, though, are unable to or uncomfortable with that time for various reasons. Students

who study online can choose individualized learning objectives that fit their schedules. In

America, 44% say text messages or group messaging apps have helped them a lot to stay

connected with lecturers, 38% say the same about voice calls and 30% say this about video

calls. According to Project Tomorrow, 59 percent of middle school students say digital

educational tools have helped them with their grades and test scores. These tools have

become so popular that the educational technology market is projected to expand to $342

billion by 2025, according to the World Economic Forum. Technology enables continuous
access to educational resources. Classes can be completed entirely online using a laptop or

mobile device. Learning that is hybrid combines the use of technology from anywhere with

regular in-person classroom sessions. It is possible to use technology to tailor learning plans

for each student in both scenarios. Lessons can be designed based on student interests and

strengths. Students also can review videos in the lesson plan when they need to review class

material to gain a better understanding of key concepts. Educators can use the data generated

by these online activities to see which students struggled with certain subjects and offer

additional help and support.

The flexibility of online learning has made online education more convenient than the

traditional approach. With the ability to study anywhere, online learners can complete

coursework at home, in a coffee shop, or in a library. The students must present to the

location where their teacher and class are located, studying from anywhere in the globe is not

possible with traditional classroom instruction. However, it's simple with online training.

This advantage of online learning allows students to work in the environment that best suits

them. In Malaysia, 48% of students who are online learners do their online classes at cafes,

and libraries and 52% of students choose to attend their online classes at home. Based on

Ministry of Higher Education suggestions, students who have good accommodation at home

can do their online learning at home. More than that, statistics show students have a better

chance of scoring a good grade when they can study at a place they like. Online students are

able to plan study time around the rest of their day instead of the other way around. No hard

wooden chairs or tiny desks are required. You can work at your convenience, and spend an

enjoyable hour or two listening to lectures and completing assignments online. If you are

studying at home and cannot concentrate on your work, leave the house for a quiet place to

study or complete assignments. This can be just outside your house on the porch, in the
library, or a coffee house. This might be fantastic for people who are upskilling while they

are employed or for those who are completely altering their career path. You can maximize

your time and do as much studying as you can with flexible learning.

For students with mobility issues, this online learning setup considerably reduces the hassle

of physical tiredness. It also makes life easier for pupils who are visually or audibly

handicapped. Online learning gives disabled students more time and space to work so that

they can review materials and watch video lectures as many times as they need via eLearning.

This should give more opportunities for all special needs students. Many students and

teachers also face psychological problems during a crisis. There is stress, fear, anxiety,

depression, and insomnia that lead to a lack of focus and concentration. Disasters create

havoc in the lives of people (Di Pietro,2017). According to the United Nations Convention of

the Right of People with Disability [19], they need “reasonable accommodations” (that means

“necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or

undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the

enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental

freedoms”) to support their learning development. Additionally, for families and caregivers

of students with disabilities, distance learning is less convenient. Thanks to online learning,

family and caregivers may put an end to the daily struggle just like the students themselves.

It is to ensure the persons with disabilities enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with

others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms to support their learning development

and increase long-term retention of learning materials, goal setting, problem-solving,

determination, and self-regulation learning skills.

The absence of high-speed internet infrastructure plays a big role in why online education is

invalid. Rural residents must contend with erratic power supplies and outdated electronics

which will become a hindrance. This shows students in rural areas have limited internet

coverage to attend online learning. English language teacher Mohd Fakhrul Anwar, 34, who

is from Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Jemerli, Kuala Ketil, Kedah, said in rural areas the biggest

obstacle is that not all students have internet access or even electronic devices. Not even all

the teachers and students have access to all digital devices, the internet, and Wi-Fi. Lack of

proper digital tools, no internet connections, or Wi-Fi connections can cause a lot of

problems, and many students may miss out on learning opportunities as a result. However,

this should not be a problem if the authorities had given better accessibility to incapability

students. The Malaysian government took some initiative to provide 1GB of free internet

through selected telco companies throughout the Movement Control Order. Not only that,

higher education institutions can place students who have difficulty accessing the internet in

online learning classes and provide internet plans to each student. Therefore, issues in a rural

area could be avoided if all authority takes action to make sure not a single student is left

behind.

To sum it up, education through online learning is more effective with access to the right

technology, more convenient, and enables more opportunities for all special needs students.

This is because online education has a lot of advantages and it is an excellent method of

learning that can help a student's performance develop. The Internet is not always a bad

place. Online learning has definite advantages over face-to-face instruction when it comes to

teaching and learning, according to a new meta-analysis released Friday by the U.S.

Department of Education. After the COVID-19 pandemic when normal classes resume,

teachers and learners should be encouraged to continue using such online tools to enhance
teaching and learning. The size of the world is still expanding. And with every development,

new, previously inconceivable technology is discovered. The flow and focus of learning for

students have changed because of online education. Could the move to online learning be just

a temporary change to the education system and back to conventional teaching which is less

effective for education?