Besides school children being left in the dark about their studies, parents and teachers have been scrambling to find online learning platforms to fill the absence of everyday classrooms.

Speaking to FMT about the new normal that Malaysians have had to embrace, Idrus Mohd Satha, CEO of Learning Port said while this was a totally new experience for many adults, the younger generation was comfortable with learning using digital media rather than textbooks.

Established in 2013, Learning Port has more than 30,000 subscribers and focuses on quality student-centred, curriculum-based interactive online content.

The programme has also seen a whopping 300% increase in users since the movement control order (MCO) was implemented in mid March this year in efforts to stem the spread of the potentially deadly coronavirus.

“Students have been unable to attend school or tuition due to the MCO. However through our programme, parents and teachers can assign modules and questions each day according to a schedule, thus allowing students to learn just like they would have done in school under normal circumstances.

“Parents can also view reports to see the progress of their child’s learning experience,” Idrus said.

Learning Port Interactive consists of two main products, My Lessons and Question Banks.

My Lessons consists of over 2,300 learning modules for Year 1 to Form 5 students following the latest KSSR and KSSM syllabuses.

Each module consists of animated videos, notes, interactive activities and mini-games. Students find these forms of interactive lessons engaging and this makes their learning experience more effective.

There are videos to provide step-by-step explanations of concepts, followed by short notes displaying information as mind maps for higher retention, after which students practise their understanding through interactive activities.

Meanwhile, the Question Banks section consists of over 40,000 questions in exam-paper and test-paper formats for all topics from lower primary to higher secondary.

Each exam paper even comes with complete explanations for each answer along with hints and exam tips.

Understandably, e-learning has its fair share of issues, most notably weak internet connection. However, Idrus reassures that the programme requires only a minimum 3G bandwidth to function without interruption.

“As our modules are hosted on the internet, our lessons are downloaded only as much as required for each module. Our Question Banks don’t take up much data.

“With a limited data plan, students can view all the Question Banks and limited lessons within the data limit. Our PT3, UPSR, and lower primary modules require lesser data than SPM.”

To attract curious students and parents alike, Learning Port Interactive is currently offering every new subscriber a free one-month trial period once they sign-up.

During this period, students will enjoy complete access to Learning Port Interactive’s full content.

Those interested to continue their e-learning lessons after the month is up have to pay RM39.90 per subject for lessons and RM29.90 per subject for the Question Banks.

The fees are a one-time payment for year-long access to their products.

Idrus believes that Learning Port Interactive will continue to benefit students even once the MCO is lifted completely and schools re-open.

“After all, students are more comfortable with learning digitally as it is multimedia-rich, engages all their senses, and provides them with easy access anytime, anywhere.

“They can view lessons again and again and practise questions until they are confident,” he said, adding that Learning Port Interactive will continue to be a valuable resource for engaging and effective learning, and open the doors to success in exams.