142

International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research

Vol. 20, No. 5, pp. 142-158, May 2021
https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.5.8

Online Learning in the Quran Reading Class during

Covid-19 Pandemic

M. Wildan Bin H. M. Yahya

Universitas Islam Bandung, Indonesia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7544-1404

Taqia Rahman
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6850-2865

Asep Ahmad Siddiq and Parihat

Universitas Islam Bandung, Indonesia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0617-1305
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7559-8463

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced higher-education

institutions to switch to emergency online learning. This situation has
also challenged the Muslim communities and institutions across the
world to shift to the online mode of teaching Quran and Islamic studies.
This research explored undergraduate students’ and instructors’
perceptions of the emergency online learning of Quran reading in
Indonesia. Several aspects were analysed to compare the students’
perspective towards face-to-face class versus online learning, including
class interaction, learning experience, motivation, satisfaction and
comfort level. The study also compared students’ Quran reading
performance in the online-learning setting with the records from a
traditional face-to-face class during the previous year. The survey and
performance data were obtained from 923 students. The findings
indicated no significant difference in students’ performance between
Quran reading classes in face-to-face and online classroom settings.
Furthermore, although students and instructors felt that some aspects
had changed, they generally tended to accept the Quran class in online
mode. This is likely because, amidst the pandemic, students and
instructors have no other options except to adapt to the rapid change
and embrace the transition. Nevertheless, the study indicated signs of
fatigue and reduction in the students’ acceptance of the Quran online
learning over time.

Keywords: Quran reading; e-learning; Muslim student; reading skill;

Quran recitation

©Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
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1. Introduction
The spread of the new COVID-19 corona virus has led to serious changes in
social interaction and organisation around the world, including the profound
interruption of the education sector (Murphy, 2020). As the United Nation’s
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reports, the
pandemic has affected the education of more than a billion students in 137
countries worldwide (UNESCO, 2020). The pandemic has resulted in the closure
of higher-education institutions and schools all over the world, consistent with
government guidelines for implementing social distancing that might help to
contain the infection and reduce overall fatalities from the virus (Rashid &
Yadav, 2020). As a result, educators and learners have had to quickly adapt to
remote learning online (Carrillo & Flores, 2020).

This situation also challenged the Muslim communities and institutions across
the world to shift to the online mode of teaching Quran and Islamic studies. In
many places, such as Africa, Southeast Asia, Malaysia and Pakistan, the Quran
learning and reading class traditionally takes place in classes or masjid (mosque)
through a face-to-face approach, and assessments use pencil and paper (Raja
Yusof et al., 2011).Teaching Quran recitation and its rule (tajweed) is quite
different from other subjects; evaluating oral performance is the means of
measuring students’ skills and learning outcomes (reading, flow, elocution,
pronunciation, tempo and segment prolongation).During the session, students
typically sit in front of a bench on the floor and the instructor sits at the front of
the classroom. The instructor then asks the students to open up the textbook or
the Quran and locate a certain page, or surah, to recite together. For practice, the
instructor would call on each student individually, listen to his Quran recitation
and correct the student’s reading with the right pronunciation and tajweed (Noh
et al., 2013). No doubt, the face-to-face approach is the best teaching method.
However, under the current circumstances, Muslim communities had to shift to
the online mode of teaching Quran to reduce face-to-face contact and contain the
spread of COVID-19. The rapid, abrupt and forced shift from face-to-face to
distance/online learning has introduced not only many questions and
constraints on the quality and effectiveness of education, but also opportunities
to investigate.

The current study investigated students’ performance in Quran-reading skills

during emergency online learning in an undergraduate program as a case study
in Indonesia. The study also examined students’ and instructors’ perceptions of
the adoption, use and acceptance of Quran online learning during the pandemic.
Furthermore, the study explored the key issues of Quran online learning,
compared with face-to-face classroom learning. The following sections review
the literature addressing the rise of online learning during the COVID-19
pandemic and the resulting learning of Quran reading. The authors then
describe the research methods and presents findings and discussion, before
drawing conclusions. In particular, this research was performed to:

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1- Measure the performance of students in Quran online learning to examine

whether the online learning can potentially substitute the face-to-face learning
environment;
2- Investigate the student’s level of acceptance of Quran online learning; and
3- Determine the benefit and disadvantages of Quran online learning as
compared to face-to-face classroom learning.

The expected result of this study improved understanding regarding the

acceptance and effectiveness of online distance learning, especially in a Quran-
reading class. This research is a valuable contribution to enabling educators and
Muslim communities to improve the effectiveness of Quran-reading classes in a
situation that forces them to continue learning online.

2. Literature Review
2.1. Growth of Digital Technology for Virtual Learning and Online Education
The online learning setting for higher-education institutions is an emergency
strategy for following the COVID-19 physical-distancing protocol (O’Brien et al.,
2020). A broad variety of terms identifies online learning systems, such as: e-
learning’, remote teaching, distance learning, and emergency education
(Murphy, 2020). Online learning delivers educational programmes to students
whom distance has isolated from teachers, using the Internet, computer devices,
connectivity, and communication technologies. Online learning can be described
as educational experiences using various devices (e.g. computers, tablet,
smartphones, laptop) with Internet connectivity in synchronous or
asynchronous settings (Dhawan, 2020). The organisation of synchronous
learning enables students to attend a live class where educators and learners
have real-time interactions and direct feedback. However, in asynchronous
learning settings, the teaching and learning process does not occur at the same
time.

2.2. Previous Studies on Comparison of Face-to-Face and Online Learning

Several empirical studies analyse the quality and effectiveness of online learning
in comparison to traditional face-to-face learning, from various aspects. Online-
learning proponents argue that online learning offers several advantages,
including eliminating the barrier of distance, as it enables reaching any location
that offers a device and Internet access (Ni, 2013); providing learning
environments with increased convenience and flexibility (Capra, 2011); offering
time cost-effectiveness (Luaran et al., 2014) and enhancing the learning
experience with interactive media. However, opponents are aware that online
learners might feel isolated and disconnected (McInnerney & Roberts, 2004) and
anxious (Bao, 2020; Sundarasen et al., 2020), thus, possibly reducing students’
engagement and participation. Furthermore, for the instructors, preparing and
developing content for online learning may be more time-consuming (Capra,
2011) and less comfortable for the instructor (Fein & Logan, 2003), who may feel
a lack of control and the absence of real interaction (Coppola et al., 2001).

Many researchers have performed several studies regarding students’

performance in the two different learning modes. For example, Dondorf et al.

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(2016) compared the face-to-face classroom learning setting with an online

learning setting in a mathematics course in an undergraduate programme and
found that the students in the classroom performed much better than the
students in the online learning setting. The result could relate to reduced student
motivation in online learning. Patricia (2020), who investigated 270 college
students’ perception and acceptance of online learning, identified a similar
finding in emergency online learning during the pandemic, namely, a reduction
in the students’ cognitive skills (i.e. knowledge, focus, engagement, involvement
and interest). On the contrary, Ni (2013) provided evidence that students’
performance in a public administration class, as measured by grades, was
independent of the learning mode. Furthermore, Gonzalez (2020) analysed
students’ performance during the pandemic and concluded that students
performed significantly better in the online-learning format, compared to
student performance reflected in records of the face-to-face class from the
previous year.

2.3. Quran Recitation Learning

As of 2015, there were an estimated 1.8 billion Muslims around the world (Pew
Research Center, 2019). Approximately 80% of Muslims are non-Arab,
comprising around 1 billion people worldwide today. From the perspective of
their religious faith, this large number of people has a common need; they all
need to learn the Arabic language to enable them read the Quran. The Muslim
views the Quran as Allah's (God’s) words, preserved verbatim. Therefore, only
Arabic Quran is perceived as the Quran, and Quran in any other language is not
considered the Quran but rather the Translated Quran (Abdullah et al., 2016).

All Muslims must use the Arabic Quranic words and verses in their formal
prayers (i.e. salat), regardless of whether they are native or non-native Arab
speakers (Shihab, 2007). Reading the Quran is one of the strongly recommended
practices for Muslims, and it should be performed cautiously so that
pronunciation is not mistaken. This mandate has created an unusual social
phenomenon, namely, training many non-native Arab Muslims in the
complicated phonological rules of the Arabic language, in the context of
pronouncing and reciting the Quran correctly (Zarif et al., 2014). The Quran
reader must follow a law of pronunciation, intonation, prolongation, stress and
stretch, and tempo, to properly perform the recitation, referred to as the tajweed
rule (Czerepinski & Swayd, 2006). For this reason, reading the Quran is one of
the challenging tasks for most non-Arab-speaking Muslims, including those in
Indonesia.

In many places, instructors of the Quran, often known as Ustaz, have

traditionally taught the Quran-reading class in the face-to-face classroom (Raja
Yusof et al., 2011). However, in the last 10 years, several countries have
developed the Quran online class for Muslims who may not have convenient
access to a masjid (mosque) or madrasah (Islamic school). The Quran online class
mostly takes place in the synchronous learning environment, where the students
attend live lectures or online private classes using video conferencing software
and a program that displays pages of the Quran. The student reads the verse
and the tutor corrects him if he makes a mistake. Occasionally, the class also

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takes place in asynchronous learning environments, where the student learns

individually from speech-recognition software for the Quran, capable of
automatically checking the tajweed and identifying errors in Quran recitation.
Despite this increasing trend, Quran online learning has not been massively
adopted by many Muslims around the world, and to date, literature regarding
the students’ acceptance and its effect on Quran-reading performance has been
limited.

3. Methodology
3.1. Research Site, Participant and Research Design
This study aims to investigate students’ performance in an online Quran class
and their acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic of the emergency online
learning in undergraduate programs at the Universitas Islam Bandung
(UNISBA), Bandung, Indonesia. The students’ performance (grades) in six
online remote classes held between May 20 and August 21, 2020 (second
semester of the 2019/2020 academic year) were compared to students’
performance records from eight face-to-face classes run in 2019.The teaching
process during online class, including number of course meeting, course content
and tools, and assessment indicators, was designed as closely as possible to face-
to-face Quran class performed in previous years to provide comparable
conditions. The assessment indicators to gauge the students’ performance are
later discussed in the next section. All procedures were granted the university’s
ethical-practice approval. The Quran reading class is one of the required courses
at the university, designed for all students in any undergraduate study
programme and offered to the students three times every semester. Students
who earn a minimum grade of 60 points get a certificate, required for
graduation. Otherwise, a remedial class is offered to the student who does not
meet the course criteria. The course has been implemented for more than 30
years, regularly conducted in classes through a face-to-face approach and
assessed through class-interaction. However, following the rise of COVID-19
cases and starting on March 14, 2020, the university shifted to emergency remote
education using online settings.

Besides the student performance records, this study also used student survey
responses from six Quran online classes to assess the students’ perception of the
online learning system. Online questionnaires were distributed to the students
prior to the course and at the end of the lecture series. Students’ participation
was anonymous and voluntary, and those who agreed were required to
complete the consent form before filling out the questionnaires. A total of 937
students were asked, but only 923 students (557 female and 366 male) completed
the form. In the pre-course questionnaires, students were required to provide
their gender, year of study, age, study program, experiences in reading Quran,
and duration of study they expected to enable them to read Quran fluently. In
the post-course questionnaires, students were asked about their perception of
Quran online learning. The questionnaire for students included demographic
items, questions to assess students’ attitude towards face-to-face Quran class
versus Quran online learning, learning experience, learning comfort, motivation
to participate in the class, cognitive engagement, and class interaction. The

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questionnaire was adopted from the work by Ni (2013), (Dondorf et al., 2016)
and (Luaran et al., 2014) about the issues related to students during online
education. The questions are presented later in Figure 2 and Figure 3 in results
and discussions section. The respondents’ average age was 19.9 (SD =1.84) and
the reported course disciplines were: 26.82% Economics and Business, 17.7%
Religion and Education, 12.9% Engineering, 14.4% Basic Science, 8.2% Law and
4.4% other. Furthermore, to investigate the instructors’ perceptions, they also
received the questionnaire. The questionnaire for instructors included
demographic items, questions to assess instructors’ attitude towards the
changing role during online learning, instructor preparation program (demand
on their time), and interaction barriers. The questionnaire was adopted from the
paper presented by Kebritchi et al. (2017) concerning the issues related to
instructors during online education. The questions are presented later in Figure
5 in results and discussions section. Instructors who agreed to participate each
received an online questionnaire package to complete and return to the
researchers. A total of 11 instructors responded.

3.2. Tools and Mode of Teaching

The Bilhikmah Quranic approach that the author developed in the early 1990s
was used as the learning approach to Quran reading. It is a phonetic method
consisting of four books, starting with training in single Arabic letters with all
vowel symbols (harakaat) in Book 1 and the introduction of the connected form
of the Arabic letters in Book 2. Further, in Book 3, the symbols and letters are
combined with the progressive improvement of tajweed rule. In addition, Book 4
provides comprehensive rules of tajweed for advanced students/users. For each
book, the instructor of Bilhikmah begins with the overview of the basic rules and
how to speak the written word or letter, then asks the students to read
individually one set of phrases or more. The set of phrases that are presented in
Bilhikmah books are all derived from the Quran. The students must be competent
in each lesson before progressing to the next book. UNISBA has used the
Bilhikmah approach continuously to teach undergraduate students to read the
Quran.

In order to create equivalent learning experiences between the two teaching

modes (face-to-face and online), the material content and the arrangement were
structured to be as similar as possible. Table 1 displays the comparison of the
content delivery across the two teaching modes. The online teaching session
included 14 teaching meetings, each lasting 60 minutes, precisely the same
duration as the pre-lockdown face-to-face classroom meeting. Furthermore, all
course materials were delivered using Zoom teleconference software. The
students received physical and digital versions of the textbook and could choose
and use the version they found more convenient. During the learning process,
PowerPoint presentations replaced the blackboard. The instructor would display
the Arabic alphabet or Quran verses (depending on the class) to recite together.
The instructor would initially demonstrate the correct pronunciation of the
Arabic letters or the Quran verses, and the students would subsequently repeat
and replicate the recitation. During practice, the individual student would have
a private lesson with the instructor for about five-to-ten minutes. Like the face-

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to-face classroom, the instructor would call the students one-by-one to evaluate
their recitation. The remaining students were asked to mute their microphones
and practice on their own while awaiting their turn. Students with questions or
comments could type the question in the comments box or speak directly by
turning on their microphones.

Table 1. Comparison of Content Delivery

Mode of Teaching Classroom Online-learning
(control group)
Textbook and readings for tajweed theory Bilhikmah Bilhikmah digital
Discussions Classroom interactive Video conference
Lectures Instructor and board PowerPoint
Reading Assessment Classroom interactive Video conference

3.3. Students’ Performance Assessment Indicators

To assess the students’ performance during Quran online learning, similar to
face-to-face classroom learning, students were divided into different subclasses
based on their pre-course placement-test result. The placement addressed the
wide range of students’ skills in reading the Quran. Table 2 shows the indicators
and performance grades, according to the number of students who were placed
in seven different sub-classes based on their Quran reading skill. A similar
Quran reading-skills indicator system also appeared in a study by Supriyadi and
Julia (2019). The placement test was administered before the course started. The
students were individually asked to read the random verse in the Qur'an and the
instructor assessed the reading. In addition, the same tests were performed
again at the end of the course to evaluate the students’ improvement in reading
the Quran.

Table 2. Quran Reading Skills Indicators

No. Sub-class Key Features Performance
grade
1 Very Fluently and correctly reading cursive letters 80 – 99
Advanced Fluently reciting the makhraj
Correctly applying and comprehending the tajweed rule
Reciting the Quran with correct tempo and rhythm
2 Advanced Fluently and correctly reading cursive letters 70 – 79
Fluently reciting the makhraj
Somewhat correctly applying the tajweed rule in
reading
3 Pre-advanced Fluently and correctly reading cursive letters 60 – 69
Reciting the Quran with a slow tempo but not halting
Still incorrectly applying the tajweed rule in reading
4 Intermediate Be able to read the cursive letters but only 3 to 4 letters 50 – 59
Be able to read the makhraj is still incorrect or swapped
5 Pre- Be able to acknowledge single Arabic letters but some 40 – 49
intermediate letters are still frequently swapped
Slowly or haltingly reading the cursive letters
6 Elementary Be able to read the single Arabic letters but not the 30 - 39
cursive letters
7 Beginner Not be able to or barely acknowledge single Arabic <29
letters with the vowel

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4. Result and Discussion

4.1. Students’ Performance
The researchers obtained a total of 923 students’ performance data (grade)in the
Quran reading class in the online-learning mode, then compared them with the
control-sample data of 1,239 students in the Quran reading class conducted in
face-to-face learning mode in 2019 (before the pandemic). Table 3 shows the
comparison results.

Table 3. Performance of Students in Online vs. Classroom Learning

Average Performances
Number of
Mode of learning Pre-course
students Post-test Differences
test
Classroom learning 1,239 66.15 70.95 +4.80
Online learning 923 65.32 70.31 +4.99
On average, the students in the face-to-face classroom improved their
performance from 66.15 on the placement test to 70.95 on the post-course test.
Comparatively, in the online-learning students achieved, on average, 65.32 on
the pre-course test and 70.31 on the post-course test. Thus, the face-to-face
classroom students increased their performance by 4.80%, whereas the students
in the online setting improved their performance by 4.99%.In comparison,
Figure 1 displays the results for each individual student. The students’ grades on
the pre-course test appear on the x-axis, while the results of the post-course test
appear on the y ordinate. The blue dotted line displays the trend line for the
students’ performance in face-to-face learning mode whereas the orange dashed
line represents the trend line for online-learning students.
100
PTclassroom = 0.646 PcTclassroom + 28.07 Classroom
R² = 0.63
80
Online Learning
Post-test (PT)

60
Linear (Classroom)

40 Linear (Online
PTonline = 0.676 PcTonline + 26.28 Learning)
R² = 0.61
20

0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Pre-course test (PcT)

Figure 1. Performance of Students in Online vs. Classroom Learning – Individual

Results

The graph illustrates both trend lines showing a steady increase, indicating that
students who performed well on the pre-course test were more likely to score
better on the post-test, and vice versa. The correlation coefficient of the
classroom trend line is 0.63, while the coefficient for the online-learning trend
line is 0.61. Several outliers were found for both learning modes. In general, the
result in the figure shows that students performed similarly in the face-to-face
classroom and online-learning mode. Moreover, the trend line of the online-class

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students was slightly higher than that of the face-to-face students. This is likely
due to the lack of students’ performance data at a grade below 40, the limitation
of this study.

Furthermore, Welch’s t-test, which Ruxton (2006) recommends for samples with
unequal variances and sample sizes, was performed to assess the statistical
significance. The results indicated no statistical significance between the online
and classroom learning in this research (p = 0.1203), indicating that student
performance in Quran reading, as measured by grade (on a scale of 0–100), is
independent of the learning mode. The result is similar to findings in previous
literature (Gonzalez, 2020; McLaren, 2004; Ni, 2013), suggesting that students
performed comparably in both face-to-face and online-learning modes.

4.2. Students’ Perceptions

In addition to the performance assessment, the survey was also administered
after the course to assess the students’ perception of and satisfaction with the
online course, compared to traditional classroom learning. Several factors were
analysed, including class interaction, learning experience, motivation,
satisfaction and comfort level, and Figure 2 presents the results. In terms of
learning comfort, the majority of the students reported a ‘medium’ feeling about
the comfort level of participating in the online format. Surprisingly, 25% and 3%
of students perceived a moderate and a significant increase, respectively, in
comfort level during the online class. Previous research supports the finding
(Hanafi et al., 2019), stating that Quran lessons in online format can enhance
students’ comfort because the environment is less intimidating than the
traditional classroom, for students who are reserved and afraid of direct and
open feedback from either the instructor or their classmates. When asked about
the quality of their learning experience, more students perceived that the
experience improved when the class performed in the online setting, compared
to the traditional classroom learning. However, despite the positive opinions
about online learning, the majority of the students felt that the quality of
interaction with other students and the instructor decreased, along with a
slightly reduced motivation level. Motivation is one of the important keys
affecting students’ behavioural intention to achieve a goal during the learning
process. Highly motivated students are likely to participate in self-monitoring
activities that support them in achieving their goals (Kemp et al., 2019). Thus,
the reduction in motivation is an essential challenge during the shift to an
online-learning setting.

The surveys also asked the students about their perception of the online learning
setting, on a scale of 2 (strongly agree) 1 (agree), 0 (neutral), -1 (disagree) and -2
(strongly disagree). The results, the distributions and the average score of the
students’ perceptions appear in Figure 3. Students tended to feel that online
learning is useful during studies but is more time-consuming than face-to-face
learning, although most of them perceived the statement neutrally. The majority
of the students tended to disagree that online learning can provide more benefits
than drawbacks. Moreover, most students claimed that they have learned more
effectively in the face-to-face learning setting.

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Although students felt that some aspects had slightly changed when they moved
to online learning, they generally tended to accept online learning. This could be
because the pandemic has likely made the students initially hesitant to change
more accepting of the emergency online-learning mode. After all, they had no
other options than adjusting to this new situation. These results also accorded
with the research by Ayebi-Arthur (2017), a case study of college students in
New Zealand, severely affected by earthquake activity. The author observed that
the college students were more open to emergency online learning after the
catastrophic incident.

In comparison to traditional classroom Mean (N=923)

Students' response distribution
instruction, in this online course ....

1. The quality of my learning experience 3% 26% 27% 41% 3% 0.17

2. The quality of interaction with other

21% 38% 23% 16% 2% -0.59
students
3. The quality of interaction with the
15% 35% 30% 18% 2% -0.43
instructor
4. My motivation to participate in class
activities
8% 25% 38% 25% 4% -0.08

5. My comfort level of participating in class

6% 24% 43% 24% 3% -0.07
activities

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Definitely Decreased (-2) Somewhat Decreased (-1) No Change (0)

Somewhat Increased (+1) Definitely Increased (+2)

N = 923, Rated on a 5-Point Scale

Figure 2. Post-Course Questionnaire about Online Learning Interaction

Questions Students' response distribution Mean (N=923)

1. Online learning is useful during the

5% 21% 45% 21% 8% 0.05
studies

2. Online learning is more time-consuming

5% 24% 40% 21% 10% 0.07
compared to classroom learning (reversed)

3. Online learning suffi ciently replaced the

7% 19% 32% 31% 11% 0.21
classroom learning

4. I would have learned more effectively in

2% 6% 30% 34% 28% 0.80
the face-to-face learning setting (rev ersed)

5. Online learning can give more

14% 26% 40% 17% 3% -0.30
advantages rather than disadvantages

6. I will recommend online learning 13% 21% 35% 22% 9% -0.08

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Strongly Disagree (-2) Disagree (-1) Neutral (0) Agree (+1) Strongly Agree (+2)

N = 923, Rated on a 5-point scale (red = strongly disagree (-2), yellow = neutral (0), green
= strongly agree (+2))
Figure 3. Post-Course Surveys about the Students’ Perception of the Online Learning

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Furthermore, students are susceptible to ‘online learning fatigue’, the sense of

boredom and exhaustion that students feel from attending many live lectures
multiple times (Wiederhold, 2020). On a variety of occasions, the continuous use
of technology may cause fatigue. Sitting for a prolonged amount of time in the
same setting will induce both emotional and physical drains. In this study, to
investigate the students’ perception of online learning repeatedly over time, the
responses were analysed for two different periods; May to June 2020 (𝑁=228),
the early stage of online learning, and July to August (𝑁=694), the stage when
online learning had been fully implemented. For each period, the students were
asked whether they recommend the Quran recitation class in online learning
mode. The results appear in Figure 4.

The findings showed that students’ acceptance of the online mode in the
learning period of July to August (-0.53) was significantly lower than the early
period of the online-learning shift (0.21). The t-test result showed the statistically
significant difference between the students’ acceptance during the early period
and several months later (p = 0.000). Students likely were still excited the first
time they switched to emergency online learning and gradually became
exhausted after several months with countless online classes. Previous studies
supported such results (Bao, 2020; Lee, 2020; Sundarasen et al., 2020; Wang &
Zhao, 2020), suggesting that online learning can be one main cause of student
stress and anxiety.

Survey Students' response distribution on

Mean
period I will recommend online learning platform

May-June 7% 18% 35% 25% 15% 0.21

N=228

July-August 15% 22% 35% 21% 7% -0.53

N=694

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Strongly Disagree (-2) Disagree (-1)

Neutral (0) Agree (+1)
Strongly Agree (+2)

Different Periods
N = 923, Rated on a 5-point scale
Figure 4. Students’ Acceptance of Quran Recitation Class in Online Mode over Two

4.3. Instructors’ Perceptions

The instructors were also asked to fill out a questionnaire after the course, about
their perceptions of the online-learning mode. The questionnaire package
contained questions from previous research, on several issues and challenges
related to instructors, including time management, transitioning from face-to-
face to online, instructors’ lack of interest in online courses and communication
barriers(Anderson et al., 2011; Crawley et al., 2009; Kebritchi et al., 2017). The
results appear in Figure 5.

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Questions Instructors' response distribution Mean (N=11)

1. I am satisfied with online teaching 18% 45% 37% 0.18

2. Online learning takes more time to

36% 9% 55% 0.18
prepare, plan, and teach (reserved)

3. I feel comfortable switching to the online -0.09

37% 45% 18%
for mat

4. With online learning I find difficulties to

communicate with the students (reserved)
36% 18% 46% 0.09

5. Online learning can give more

disadvantages rather than advantages 27% 18% 55% 0.27
(reserved)

6. I will recommend online learning

platform
0% 55% 45% 0.45

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Do not agree (-1) Undecided (0) Agree (+1)

N = 11, Rated on a 3-point scale (yellow = do not agree (-1), green = neutral (0), dark
green agree (+1)).
Figure 5. Post-Course Questionnaire about the Online-Learning Platform from
Instructor’s Perspective

Feedback responses were obtained from 11 instructors. Although the majority

tended to feel satisfied with the online-learning format, they also felt that it takes
quite a bit more time than face-to-face learning to design, prepare and teach the
online class 𝑛=6 (55%). The result agreed with previous studies (Capra, 2011;
Cavanaugh, 2005; Humphries, 2010), which show that online learning could
demand more instructor time. During the pandemic, the instructors had to
redesign and re-plan the curriculum, develop the content delivery and create the
new assessment method. This new activity resulted in overwork, anxiety and
stress among instructors and academic staff (Rashid & Yadav, 2020). Moreover,
in this study, the instructors did not feel comfortable switching to the online
setting 𝑛=4 (36%) and had difficulties interacting with the students 𝑛=5 (45%).
The discomfort may have been associated with their concerns about interacting
and communicating with the students; the surveys showed that the instructors
felt the reduced interaction with the students. Although in online learning, the
instructor is still able to communicate with students visually and audibly, it may
be the lack of the personal touch that reduces the effectiveness of the
communication. In the online-learning format, the instructors have difficulty
taking cues from students’ verbal and nonverbal interaction that they usually
had in the face-to-face classroom (Crawley et al., 2009). Instructors’ comfort level
with technology and online education is important, because it affects instructors’
desire to teach in an online setting (Fein & Logan, 2003; Osika et al., 2009).
Making sure that the instructors are comfortable with new technology and how
to utilize it is important for its effectiveness.

However, despite the issues arising during the online study, the majority of
instructors were satisfied with the online class and tended to recommend the
Quran class performed in the online-learning setting. Although most of them

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perceived it neutrally, surprisingly, no instructor rejected the online-learning

format. Similar to the student observation, it seems that amidst the pandemic,
instructors have no other choice but to adjust to the dynamic situation and
embrace the transition.

Overall, students and instructors tend to accept the Quran class in online mode.
The study indicated that altering the Quran reading class to an online setting can
be quite simple. Commonly used video-conferencing software can accommodate
the main features of learning Quran reading, namely, the real-time audio, visual
and text. Also, students are now regularly taught in online-learning formats
during the pandemic, and they seem to have adapted to the change. Despite all
these promising adjustments, several issues relating to online students and
instructors were identified. Issues relating to students covered their readiness,
reduced motivation, difficulties in classroom communication, potential fatigue
and rising anxiety. Issues related to instructors included reduced comfort level,
difficulties in classroom interaction and time-management concerns. Higher-
education institutions play a critical role in improving the standard of online
education by helping students, instructors and the development of the learning
content (Kebritchi et al., 2017). The potential fatigue and anxiety that the student
feels during online learning must be relieved in many ways, to make sure that
students can successfully and effectively participate in online learning (Bao,
2020). Proactive initiatives to support the well-being of students and academic
staff are now required during the pandemic (Flores, 2020). Regarding issues
related to instructors, the higher-education institution must provide sufficient
training and professional development for the instructor on how to use the
current technology, as well as how to engage in online classes. During the
pandemic, the instructors are teaching in the context of emergency online
learning, but not necessarily properly designed learning (Murphy, 2020). Thus,
training is expected to help solve these issues in the future.

In addition, higher-education institutions can continuously assess—through

polls, evaluations, surveys, interviews and analysis of course design—what
contributes to better and more effective online learning during this pandemic.
As the assessment continues and the effectiveness of teaching and learning in
the online setting improves, we hope that students, too, can adapt to and benefit
from this new emergency online learning more effectively. Furthermore, to
improve the students’ learning experience during the emergency online learning
in the Quran reading class, instructors can develop such strategies as
incorporating multimedia to enhance the teaching content delivery. The rise of
the adoption of speech processing and recognition software for the Arabic
language (Noor Jamaliah et al., 2015) could benefit developing and
incorporating Quranic-verse-recitation recognition software into the design of
Quran online courses. The software can automatically check the tajweed, identify
errors in Quran recitation and show exactly where errors have occurred
(Mohammed et al., 2015). This option provides students with the chance to make
numerous attempts to master the Quran reading, without the need for instructor
supervision.

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5. Conclusion
This research explored undergraduate students’ and instructors’ perceptions
and acceptance of the emergency Quran online learning in Indonesia. Several
aspects were analysed, including class interaction, learning experience,
motivation, satisfaction and comfort level. The study also compared students’
Quran-reading performance on an online learning platform with the records
from a traditional face-to-face class from the previous year. The survey and
performance data were obtained from 923 students of the Universitas Islam
Bandung (Indonesia), between May and August 2020, when all universities had
to shift to distance learning because of the corona virus outbreak. The findings
indicated no significant difference in student performance between the online
mode and the face-to-face classroom setting. Furthermore, although students
and instructors felt that some aspects had changed, they generally tended to
accept the Quran class in online mode. This is likely because, amidst the
pandemic, students and instructors have no other options except to adapt to the
rapid change and embrace the transition.

While the online class provides a comparably effective learning alternative, we

should realise that online learning has its benefits and drawbacks. It is
reasonable that students feel fatigue or less motivated toward online learning.
The study indicated the reduction over time in the students’ acceptance of the
Quran online learning. It is likely that students were still excited when they first
switched to learning new technology and gradually became exhausted after
several months with countless online classes. Providing students with a support
plan, including phone numbers, email or online messaging where students can
contact staff, is important. In addition, it is necessary to provide proactive
initiatives to support the well-being of the students, instructors and academic
staff during the pandemic. We conclude that the online-learning setting is
practical, affordable and adaptable for use with Quran recitation classes in
Indonesia, beyond the prevailing pandemic, as students and instructors seem to
have become more open to the online learning setting.

6. Limitations
There are some limitations to this study. The initial student performance (grade)
in the face-to-face class and the online class were not at the same level and could
cause bias in the results (Hanafi et al., 2019). The research also had insufficient
data for students with an initial performance at a grade below 40; thus, the
performance of students with very limited Quran-reading skills was not known.
Another limitation of this research is that during the study, students were asked
about their perception of Quran online learning as compared to traditional face-
to-face learning. However, some students had not previously enrolled in the
traditional face-to-face Quran class in the university, and thus, they had no
comprehensive picture of the differences between the Quran class face-to-face
and in an online setting. Nevertheless, the pre-course survey result reveals that
the majority of the students had learned the Quran for years; hence, it is
expected that this would provide them with the clue of the typical traditional
Quran learning.

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