Humanization Online Teaching

Online learning can often result in students feeling isolated, making it essential for instructors to incorporate human touch into their instructions to alleviate this issue. This study assesses whether instructors at higher education institutions in Malaysia incorporated human touch in their online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic and examines students' experiences from the instructors' perspectives. The study utilizes the Principles of Humanized Online Learning, which emphasize the importance of building human connections and maintaining student engagement in online instruction, to identify the different elements of humanization in teaching. In addition, the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework is used to evaluate students' experiences, as it provides a comprehensive model for understanding the online learning process and how students' social, cognitive, and teaching presences interact with each other. A 37-item online questionnaire was constructed, covering demographic background, technology usage, human touch, and online learning experiences. The questionnaire was completed by 152 respondents from 22 higher education institutions in Malaysia. The results showed that instructors scored an average of 81.38% on humanized online teaching elements, while students' online learning experiences averaged 77.53%. The study reveals the various practices of humanization in online instruction based on the Principles of Humanized Online Learning and the significance of humanized online instruction in providing students with a positive online learning experience. The study findings can be useful for instructors looking to enhance their online teaching practices and improve students' learning experiences.