Microsoft Word - Aziz 19574-61248-4-ED.docx Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE)| p-ISSN 2655-920x, e-ISSN 2656-2804 Vol. 5 (1) (2023) 1-12 1 Using Digital Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Good Online Program in Higher Education Using Digital Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Good Online Program in Higher Education Aziz Awaludin1, Harun Joko Prayitno2, Muhammad Izzul Haq3 1School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA 2Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Indonesia 3School of Social Work, McGill University, Canada DOI: 10.23917/ijolae.v5i1.19574 Received: August 17th, 2022. Revised: December 6th, 2022. Accepted: December 9th, 2022 Available Online: December 13rd, 2022. Published Regularly: January 1st, 2023 Abstract This study aims at documenting the experience and perceptions of an Indonesian university professor in regard to teaching using digital media during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Ample research has pointed out that the use of digital technologies can raise both potentials and challenges. This study exam- ines the two contrasting perspectives by considering the current health disaster, the COVID-19 pandemic, which can add to the complexities of the virtual education in Indonesia. Research on virtual education in the context of Indonesian higher education during the pandemic is very limited and, thus, this study has gained its significance. We used qualitative methodology to approach this investigation with interview as the data collection technique and thematic analysis as its method of analysis. The results of this study present some key insights into the ways to integrate digital technologies within higher education instruction and what crite- ria to consider when selecting digital media. We argue that using digital technology helped educators facilitate teaching and learning regardless of the health crisis they were facing. This paper can be of use for educators in higher education to find ways in infusing digital media in their everyday instructions. Keywords: covid 19 pandemic era, digital media, digital technology, good online programs, online community, virtual education Corresponding Author: Aziz Awaludin, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA Email: awaludin@wisc.edu 1. Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected almost all countries in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) de- clared the COVID-19 outbreak firstly identi- fied in Wuhan, China, as a pandemic on March 12, 2020 (WHO Director-General’s Opening Remarks at the Media Briefing on COVID-19 - 11 March 2020, 2020). Per No- vember 24, 2021, Our World in Data recorded there were about 26 million people infected by the virus and more than 5 million of them died (“Coronavirus (COVID-19),” 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic is considered a biologi- cal disaster. According to Kumar (2020), what qualifies biological disasters includes natural scenarios relating to disease, disabil- ity, or even death massively due to bacteria, viruses, toxins, or other microorganisms among the earth’s creatures (humans, ani- mals, and plants). The COVID-19 has caused devastating medical and socioeconomic prob- lems around the globe. Steinfield (2020) ar- gues that the COVID-19 pandemic is chang- ing the structures, rhythms, and routines of many contexts including education for an Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education http://journals.ums.ac.id/index.php/ijolae Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE)| p-ISSN 2655-920x, e-ISSN 2656-2804 Vol. 5 (1) (2023) 1-12 Using Digital Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Good Online Program in Higher Education 2 unknown period. As of now, we have wit- nessed how the world of education has shifted from in-person learning to remote virtual learning so massively. Indonesia has its own story about the pan- demic and education. The country is among those which close schools the longest. Nearly 18 months have passed since schools in Indo- nesia were closed to reduce the rate of trans- mission of COVID-19 (Indonesia: After 18 Months of School Closures, Children Must Safely Resume Face-to-Face Learning as Soon as Possible, 2021). Millions of Indone- sian students have been affected by school and university closures. The Indonesian gov- ernment has been strongly urged to find a way out of this precarious situation. In this paper, we investigate how a virtual class at one pub- lic university was run by documenting a fac- ulty member’s perceptions and attitudes when using digital media for teaching and learning. This paper may be of use for educators in uni- versities to inform practices to better integrate digital media in their instructions. a. The Context: Indonesia In the 64th anniversary event of Indone- sian Padjadjaran University whose theme “Towards a Hybrid University Transfor- mation,” Nadiem Anwar Makarim, the Minis- ter of Education, Culture, Research and Tech- nology (MOECRT), said distant learning dur- ing the Covid-19 pandemic has been an emergency route. According to him, the route has been taken to prevent a so-called “learn- ing loss” (Siswadi, 2021). The MOECRT minister explained that during the last one and a half years there had been many changes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in higher education contexts. One of the big- gest reforms in the world of education is the use of technology in learning. “Now technol- ogy must change the way students learn, especially to catch up during the pandemic,” he said (Siswadi, 2021). The minister asserts that learning must be meaningful and relevant so that students have sufficient provisions to face the real world. He urges Indonesian universities to establish the hybrid approach in the 21st learning such that the courses are designed in a more creative format using digital technologies (Siswadi, 2021). This spirit of reform can be traced to the ministry’s current policies which empha- size education reforms during the pandemic. The government revisits and revises the use of the special fund allocation to be directly trans- ferred to schools for purchasing digital de- vices (The 2021 National Education Day Podcast of President Jokowi and Minister Nadiem Makarim, 2021). The massive use of computers at schools and universities has been widely promoted such that the govern- ment bought hundreds of thousands of Chromebooks for student learning and en- hanced the hybrid-style learning, combining both in-person and virtually (The 2021 Na- tional Education Day Podcast of President Jokowi and Minister Nadiem Makarim, 2021). b. Virtual Learning in Higher Education According to Carliner (1999), virtual learning is educational resources that are of- fered on computers. This kind of learning al- lows both faculty members and students to manage to teach and learn in teleconferencing modes, using, for instance, Zoom, Google Meet, or other digital applications so that they can self-direct their academic activities in a distance. Virtual learning is also defined as a model in which geographical distance sepa- rates a tutor and students, and online delivery media are used to bridge that instructional gap (Huang, 2002). However, Ally (2008) asserts that virtual learning encompasses more than just the appearance and conveyance of Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE)| p-ISSN 2655-920x, e-ISSN 2656-2804 Vol. 5 (1) (2023) 1-12 3 Using Digital Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Good Online Program in Higher Education materials online, rather it also requires the in- clusion of the learner and the learning pro- cess. He explains that students use the Internet to access learning resources, such as interact- ing with contents, instructors, and other stu- dents, and attaining support throughout the learning process, and, thus, that they can gain knowledge, construct personal meaning, and grow from that learning experience (Ally, 2008). When it comes to what digital media for virtual learning to use, Pecay (2017) high- lights two criteria of “learning purposes” and “teaching purposes.” His study focuses on scrutinizing educators’ motives in using YouTube in their classes. The setting of the research was in-person where the digital me- dia was embedded along with teaching and learning practices. Educators used YouTube to explore some understandings of subject matters and, thus, develop their teachings. They considered the contents’ pedagogical and psychological aspects to better benefit their students (Pecay, 2017). In addition, stud- ying three different stakeholders of children, parents, and industry, Dias and Brito (2021) explored that the three stakeholders had con- trasting views on the criteria of selecting apps. For example, parents leaned on safety issues of digital media; children considered the fun aspects and their interfaces, while the industry highlighted the significance of a good user ex- perience. This study includes an educator’s opin- ions during the pandemic so it can add to the prolonged discussion of digital media criteria in contemporary virtual learning develop- ments. Digital technology has played and con- tinues to play a crucial role in the growth of virtual learning. It becomes an important long-term strategy for many universities. Given the rapid growth of this non-traditional learning and its importance for tertiary insti- tutions, it is imperative that universities deliver good online programs (Kim & Bonk, 2006). Also, Dumford and Miller (2018) ar- gue that it is critical to discover the current sit- uations and issues with virtual learning at higher education level to facilitate a better context for ways in which the student experi- ence might be improved. c. Two Faces of Digital Technology Inte- gration in Education The use of technologies can raise both potentials and challenges. By reviewing some relevant literature including research articles and books, we provide key insights as fol- lows. 1) Positivists’ perspectives We documented the proponents’ views of using digital media for learning. First of all, flexibility has become the most favorable theme that many educators and learners con- sider the online strategy can convey. Awaludin (2016) contends that online plat- forms can generate flexible learning in ways that students are able to manage their own learning pace. For example, they can slow down or speed up reading an article and pause or rewind a video learning. In addition, a stu- dent commuter can conveniently access learn- ing whenever and wherever so he or she can improve their studies (Awaludin, 2016; Oproiu, 2015; Owston et al., 2013). Fearon et al. (2011) give a wider perspective that re- mote speakers from industry or academia can be able to deliver a seminar event or keynote lecture through teleconferencing. Even when a participant misses the event, for instance, because of illness, he or she still can catch up online. Second, digital technology tools can fa- cilitate collaborative activities (Oproiu, 2015). Students can do group work, share ideas and even challenge others’ opinions via the online platform in, as Loh et al. (2016) Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE)| p-ISSN 2655-920x, e-ISSN 2656-2804 Vol. 5 (1) (2023) 1-12 Using Digital Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Good Online Program in Higher Education 4 said, much easier ways of learning. According to Fearon et al. (2011), universities can en- courage larger collaboration with industry practitioners, for example, to foster and im- prove the learning itself. Further, they de- scribe that the online environment could facil- itate the development of transferable skills for junior accountants and enabled helpful revi- sion aids for both undergraduate and graduate students participating in the study (Fearon et al., 2011). Even as simple as collaboration with peers in doing homework can be carried out online (Oproiu, 2015). We think espe- cially in the time of the pandemic this practice has been commonly implemented by many students and their teachers too. Third, the virtual mode of learning is ca- pable of motivating students in their studies. A study by Owston et al. (2013) found that students were satisfied with the online strat- egy as they could understand subject matters very well and, thus, be motivated in their learning to achieve better grades. López-Pé- rez et al. (2011) clarify that students at the University of Granada had positive attitudes toward learning and gained better achieve- ment, shown in their final scores. Lastly, from an economic point of view, according to Loh et al. (2016), studying in the distance can re- duce transport costs. As mentioned earlier, the commuter, distant or ill students can still ac- cess learning wherever they are. Other than breaking distance issues and saving travel time, technology also possibly eliminates some transport fares (Loh et al., 2016). Along with these potentials follow some constraints that need to discuss. 2) Sceptics’ perspectives Despite the potentials discussed earlier, technology-based learning is, borrowing Selwyn's (2016a) word, messy and contrib- uting to serious problems that need attention. First and foremost, students often feel bored when dealing with static technological de- vices. Selwyn (2016a) argues that digital tech- nology neglects humanization acts of learning and teaching because people’s relationships and social contexts in which they act and learn vary and, thus, affect their learning. Students like meeting their peers in person and talking to each other. In the digital sphere, these ac- tivities can be done very limitedly (Selwyn, 2016a). For example, after a Zoom class is over, the room is ended, no small talks after the class. Furthermore, the technology could not accommodate student desires to socialize and interact with their peers. Albeit some online platforms provide such mingling spaces for students to connect with each other, Zhang and Kenny (2010) found that students they studied could not make much use of the tools. What normally happened in the virtual model was that most students were passive; there were limited activities that could be done in the online environment. Selwyn (2016) con- tends that technology increases and worsens obstructive behaviors among students by, for example, not contributing to group activities in a meaningful way. In addition to the final point in Selwyn's (2016) argument, some studies still problem- atize the collaboration matter which has been claimed to be facilitated virtually. Students show negative attitudes to learning because they lack opportunities to collaborate with their colleagues (Loh et al., 2016). Loh et al. (2016) add that these negative perceptions can influence the effectiveness of group work, considering that traditional face-to-face meet- ings are able to spark student creativity. It is important to consider that learning should not just promise ‘collaborative works only’, but, more importantly, it needs to encourage qual- ity collaboration among students so they can improve their learning. Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE)| p-ISSN 2655-920x, e-ISSN 2656-2804 Vol. 5 (1) (2023) 1-12 5 Using Digital Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Good Online Program in Higher Education Another challenge is related to the quality of online materials provided by universities. Specifically, in the research on university stu- dents, Weaver et al. (2008) found that student responses elevated main issues, such as: poor quality teaching (e.g., appropriate teaching activities, feedback, and level of interaction), poor use of technology (e.g., inappropriate file types uploaded, little use of available fea- tures, large file sizes), and lack of adequate maintenance to online sites (e.g., out-of-date information and broken links). In this paper, we are going to examine the two perspectives. Moreover, the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic can add to the complex- ities of the virtual education phenomenon. To my knowledge, studies on virtual education in the context of Indonesian higher education during the pandemic are very limited. What we mean by “studies” is research articles pub- lished in peer-reviewed journals. Therefore, this study gains its significance to extend the conversations around the issue in the recent Indonesian context. We would like to provide important eval- uation of the issues of online instruction dur- ing the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims at addressing two research questions (RQ); they are: (a) RQ1: How does an Indonesian professor perceive the use of digital media for teaching and learning during the pandemic; (b) RQ2: What are the criteria used when se- lecting digital media. 2. Methods We used qualitative methodology to ap- proach this study. Hatch (2002) asserts that qualitative studies try “to understand the world from the perspectives of those living in it” (p. 7). In the qualitative approach, investi- gators seek to capture the perceptions of ac- tors in which they use as a foundation for their activities in a social context. For collecting data, we employed a semi-structured interview with Prabowo (pseudonym). We did the in-person interview in October 2021. Prabowo is an Indonesian professor who had been in the United States as a visiting scholar for three months (August-October 2021) when we interviewed him. While doing the visit and during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Prabowo also still carried out his distant instruction duty for his students in Indonesia. Regarding the data analysis, we used the- matic analysis (TA) to process the obtained information from the interview. According to Carliner (1999), TA as a qualitative strategy is mostly defined as a technique for research- ers to identify, analyze, and report patterns (themes) in data. To find the themes, we de- veloped five codes as shown in Table 1. 3. Results and Discussion We would like to present a perspective of Prabowo who conducted online teaching dur- ing the COVID-19 pandemic. a. The Tale of the Professor The professor reflected on his experience performing the online instructor role in the last one and a half years when we met him. He took the initiative to use digital media since the university where he worked did not pro- vide him with any kinds of learning media subscription and learning management sys- tems at all. Prabowo noted, “The university does not provide [any learning management system tools]. This is a self-initiated [re- sponse].” In this part, two main themes emerge from the data. The first is related to some po- tentials and challenges of both in-person and virtual learning during the COVID-19 related crisis. The second theme is about the criteria of media selection for helping him carry out the distance instructions. Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE)| p-ISSN 2655-920x, e-ISSN 2656-2804 Vol. 5 (1) (2023) xx-xx 6 Using Digital Media in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Tale of an Indonesian University Professor Table 1. Data Codes Codes Definitions Examples Potentials Enabling brought about using a certain mode of instruction “[With] the in-person mode, [first, I am able to cover] subject matters more maximally.” Challenges Difficulties faced by the profes- sor when teaching “In Zoom, it’s difficult for us to explain things more concretely.” Intuitive When digital media are easy to navigate “Even at the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020 there were still many (faculties) who used WA (WhatsApp) groups [for teaching].” Widely used When digital media are com- monly used “They are more familiar with Zoom.” Efficient When digital media are cost effi- cient as well as having quality services “Webex is taking so much data; it is the most expensive … the Mi- crosoft Team sounds like crap.” b. In-Person vs Virtual Instruction Prabowo provided his views on the po- tentials and challenges of both virtual and face-to-face modes of instruction. First of all, the professor said that the main strength of the virtual mode lied in its flexibility. “So, there are no rules for this meeting. Because of the pandemic, [the class] has become more open; it’s not too rigid … it is more flexible, yes.” He explained further that with this flexible nature, he and his team teaching were able to innovate in designing learning as effectively and possible. Prabowo said, “Then, the posi- tive thing is that this virtual [model] makes us more innovative; [we are triggered] to contin- uously develop [our learning design] again and again in the following semesters.” On the other hand, the professor high- lighted the main challenges of the virtual model were related to its practicality, espe- cially, when he wanted to interact with his stu- dents. “It’s a bit difficult to build interactions … in Zoom. It’s difficult for us to explain things more concretely; it’s hard to explain abstract theories. There is a gap, isn’t it?” The professor also said there was a problem by the Internet connections they had, saying, “The students [sometimes] have problems with the network … there are problems with Internet signal, connections ... because there are some students who live outside the cities [in vil- lages].” Figure 1. Potentials and Challenges of the Virtual Mode Potentials of the virtual Having Flexible Arrangements Stimulated To Innovate Challenges of the virtual Difficult To Interact Facing Technical Issues (E.G. Internet Connections) Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE)| p-ISSN 2655-920x, e-ISSN 2656-2804 Vol. 5 (1) (2023) 1-12 7 Using Digital Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Good Online Program in Higher Education In terms of the positive side of in-person learning, Prabowo stated that “[With] the in- person mode, [first, I am able to cover] sub- ject matters more maximally. Second, I can explore [when] explaining things and the in- teraction [between me and students] is max- imized … Because my class is a theory course, it needs more depth, [requires] con- crete examples; [I usually use] whiteboards to explain the lessons.” He pointed out social and practical aspects of delivering subject matters in the conventional classroom set- tings. On the other hand, regarding challenges, the professor admitted that in the traditional face-to-face learning, Prabowo felt the struc- ture was rigid and he took the system for granted. “[Because we have] rules and prede- termined classroom locations and schedules … it is not that flexible.” And the professor said that he could not change that status quo. Figure 3. Potentials and Challenges of the in-Person Mode To summarize, here we create a matrix (see Table 2) listing the potentials and chal- lenges Prabowo encountered when teaching. c. Learning Media Criteria Furthermore, we explored the ways the professor picked up the digital media he and his students used to facilitate learning. When it came to choosing certain media or applica- tions for learning, the professor revealed three main criteria; the learning media had to be: widely used, intuitive, and efficient (Sukmawati et al, 2020). This part includes some important excerpts from the interview transcripts that we classified into the three categories of learning media criteria in the case of Prabowo. Firstly, in the initial phase of his distance teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, the professor used WhatsApp, a widely used mes- saging application among faculty members and students, to make learning possible. “Even at the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020 there were still many (faculties) who used WA (WhatsApp) groups [for teaching]. [We] chat via WA groups,” said the professor. In the daily activities, Prabowo used WhatsApp to communicate with his relatives, fellow professors, and students. In Indonesia, Potentials of The In-person Covering Subject Matters More Maximally Having More Social Interactions In the Classroom Able To Deliver Lesssons More Practically Challenges of The In-person Constrained With the Rigid System Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE)| p-ISSN 2655-920x, e-ISSN 2656-2804 Vol. 5 (1) (2023) 1-12 8 Using Digital Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Good Online Program in Higher Education WhatsApp has been a widely used messaging media. Table 2. The Matrix of Potentials and Challenges for Both In-Person and Virtual Modes Matrix Virtual mode In-person mode Potentials • The professor was able to flexibly ar- range the class • The professor was stimulated to continu- ously innovate his teaching • The professor could cover subject matters more maximally • The professor was able to create more social interactions in the classroom • The professor was able to maxim- ize the use of the classroom facili- ties when delivering lessons. Challenges • The professor found it hard to interact with the students. • The professor usually had problems with technical issues, such as poor internet connections. • The professor was constrained with the rigid system of the in-per- son mode. In doing so, he explained how the teach- ing happened on WhatsApp, “So, [I and stu- dents] chat with each other. You know what I mean. Some students were creative; maybe because they were tired of typing, they used the voice note feature [to respond to my in- struction]. Or the lecturer, me, used the voice notes too or used video recorded.” Also, they eventually used Zoom to facilitate teleconfer- encing learning. “Back in 2020, when the COVID-19 was still high, sometimes they also Zoomed with their friends because they couldn’t go out to meet people … They are more familiar with Zoom.” Secondly, another key criterion was that when selecting new media, Prabowo per- ceived that the applications needed to be intu- itive. The main reason for using the Zoom ap- plication is its easy-to-navigate features. “[Zoom] is more practical, easier, simple, es- pecially for sharing screens,” said the profes- sor. He then compared Zoom with another ap- plication stating, “Well, many [faculties] are not used to using Google Meet [because] the features are bit different [from other applica- tions], especially regarding its share screen feature. At first, I didn’t really know where to share my screen either.” The last criterion was about the effi- ciency aspects of the learning media. The pro- fessor noted that there were some teleconfer- encing applications that consumed so much data, less efficient for him and his students (Hermita et al, 2022). “After trying [some applications], some were very wasteful, taking so much data, some didn’t have quality sound or visuals. So, I’ve compared those 5 applications. For ex- ample, Webex is taking so much data; it is the most expensive. Then, the Microsoft Team sounds like crap, right?” Prabowo was concerned about the data usage and qualities of digital media. He also argued that even though using Zoom was not free when compared to Google Meet, for ex- ample, but the quality Zoom had was the main reason for the professor placing the applica- tion on the first rank. “Google Meet is still pretty good [but] it’s the second choice [after Zoom]. At the end of the day, the choice is still to use Zoom.” Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE)| p-ISSN 2655-920x, e-ISSN 2656-2804 Vol. 5 (1) (2023) 1-12 9 Using Digital Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Good Online Program in Higher Education d. So, What? This study aims at exploring a university professor’s perceptions about teaching using digital media in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its emergence in 2019, the Coronavirus disease has transformed many aspects of education in the world including In- donesia, especially, regarding the way educa- tors deliver their lessons; virtual education has been a common practice for the last two years. The Indonesian government has en- acted several important policies in responses to the situation; distributing Chromebooks to students, enhancing the implementation of hybrid learning in universities, and allocating special funds for purchasing internet data are among the very (if not “the most”) critical steps the current administration has taken. Through a careful investigation, this study presents some key findings of how Prabowo, an Indonesian faculty member, viewed digital technology integration and what criteria he considered when selecting digital media. we argue that using digital tech- nology helped the professor facilitate teaching and learning regardless of the health crisis he experienced (Prayitno et al, 2019). But, some challenges follow the practice, especially re- garding technical issues (e.g. the internet con- nections) and building interactions with stu- dents. The professor emphasized flexibility brought about by the virtual mode for his teaching activities. This resonates with Fearon et al. (2011) and Awaludin (2016) who assert that flexibility has been one of the key strengths of flipping classrooms online. The finding also rejects Selwyn's (2016a) ar- gument which states that the online system is boring because technological tools are consid- ered static. Further, Prabowo explained the compounding effects from having the flexibil- ity in which he was able to improve his teach- ing more and more. Owston et al. (2013) has pointed out this motivation for learning as- pect, but they focus on students only. This finding extends the conversation that even ed- ucators are encouraged to learn more in im- proving their instructions. However, doing the activity virtually made it the professor difficult to build inter- actions with his students. This finding contra- dicts Oproiu (2015) and Loh et al. (2016) who claim that virtual learning can harness collab- orations within an online community. Prabowo compared it with the face-to-face class that he was able to communicate with students in person. That real-life condition makes the interactions more fluid, compared to the virtual space which limits the class to facing computer screens. In this case, Selwyn (2016a) critiques the humanization acts of vir- tual learning. The professor felt that in-person classes can better equip him with physical fa- cilities to help him teach better. Due to the pandemic, he has no other options but to run a virtual mode. This finding adds to the conversation of digital media users and stakeholders’ motives when choosing digital apps, for example, as studied by Pecay (2017) and Dias and Brito (2021). Moreover, because the study was con- ducted within the timeframe of the COVID- 19 pandemic, we are conviced that the results can be of reference for some serious problems brought by the pandemic. For instance, many today’s educators are in the situation where they are offered plenty digital media. This re- search can guide them on what media to choose from their disposals. 4. Conclusion As the objective of this study is to scruti- nize a faculty member’s teaching experience during the pandemic, this investigation pro- vides pivotal aspects of how to integrate digi- tal technologies within higher education in- struction. With the empirical data, this Indonesian Journal on Learning and Advanced Education (IJOLAE)| p-ISSN 2655-920x, e-ISSN 2656-2804 Vol. 5 (1) (2023) 1-12 10 Using Digital Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: Good Online Program in Higher Education research extends some understanding from the previous studies being assessed. To conclude the discussion, we present three useful recommendations for educators when assessing digital media. These recom- mendations are based on the criteria men- tioned by Prabowo in the interview. With all the limitations the professor had (the pan- demic, the lack of support from the university, and his visit to the United States), he believed that these three important criteria can be of significance for other educators as well. (1) Consider selecting digital media widely used by students; (2) Choose intuitive digital tools for ease of delivering learning materials; (3) Use efficient digital media for learning in ways that they can save you and your students some money, but at the same time have qual- ity services. Finally, we hope this exploration can shed light to educators in higher education, essentially, in utilizing digital media and em- bracing best practices as well as alleviate some of their burdens during the difficult time. 5. References Ally, M. (2008). Foundations of educational theory for online learning. In The the- ory and practice of online learning (2nd Edition, pp. 15–44). Athabasca University Press. Awaludin, A. (2016). 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