159 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), ISSN: 1858-2656 (p); 2721-4036 (e) Vol. 18. No. 2 (2022), pp. 159-172 doi: 10.21831/jss.v18i2.46870.159-172 Online learning implementation in the faculty of social sciences during the covid-19 pandemic Dyah Kumalasari Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia Email: dyah_kumalasari@uny.ac.id Suhadi Purwantara Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia Email: suhadi_p@uny.ac.id Suranto Aw Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia Email: suranto@uny.ac.id Supardi Supardi Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia Email: pardi@uny.ac.id Grendi Hendrastomo Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia Email: ghendrastomo@uny.ac.id Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has revolutionized the field of education. Online learning is the right solution to replace in-person learning. Improvement and development of the online learning process are really needed to provide a meaningful learning experience for students. This study aimed to examine the implementation of online learning in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta/FIS UNY during the pandemic. The quantitative observational approach with a cross-sectional survey was employed with the qualitative method done in group discussions. The respondents were selected using proportional stratified random sampling on all study programs in FIS UNY. Data were collected through an online survey and limited interviews to investigate students’ and lecturers’ experiences of online learning more deeply. In FIS UNY, online learning was mostly conducted through online synchronous learning. Besides, online learning was done using a learning management system developed by the university (BeSmart). There were several factors that influenced the practice of online learning at the faculty, namely the availability of learning devices, speed and stability of internet connection, and conducive learning environment. As many as 25.6% of students had issues related to learning devices. Then, 66.9% of the students stated that they did not have a stable internet connection which caused problems during the learning process. At last, 62.79% of the students admitted that it was difficult to focus on the learning process because their learning environment was not conducive. Besides IT skills, students’ independence and learning motivation were the internal factors influencing the online learning process. Another issue related to online learning was the lack of responses and feedback from the lecturers on the activities done by the students. Keywords: BeSmart, Online learning, Pandemic 160 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 18, Number 2, 2022: 159-172 Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has changed social, economic, and educational settings. COVID-19 which has spread since the beginning of 2022 forces us to adapt, locks us in our houses, and changes all activities to the online mode. This virus has spread to more than 210 (223) countries in the world (Firdaus, 2020). It first infected people in Wuhan, Hubei Province in December 2019, and the outbreak evolved into a high-risk pandemic around the world (Ahani & Nilashi, 2020). Until recently, the pandemic has not been able to be fully controlled, so several activities must be limited. According to the website of the Indonesian COVID-19 task force, the number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases worldwide has reached 105,394,301, while in Indonesia 1,157,837 people have tested positive for COVID-19 (data as of February 7, 2021). This condition continues to worsen, causing the government to carry out wide-scale restrictions, especially at the micro level to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. The ever-increasing spread of COVID-19 has also affected the field of education. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all learning activities, including those conducted in universities, to be carried out remotely from home. Learning online learning is conducted both synchronous and asynchronous. The increase in COVID-19 case numbers required the Ministry of Education and Culture to postpone in-person learning in the even semester of 2020/2021 academic year (Ministry of Education and Culutre, 2020). Universities continue to use online learning, so the demand to continue to improve online learning emerged. Universities seek to bring the student learning experience closer so that the materials and minimum competencies of students were achieved despite the limitations. It had been eleven months since online learning was conducted. Various issues appeared one after another. It was caused by internet signals, internet quotas, and human resources both from lecturers and students who were not ready for online learning. These problems were a challenge for universities to continue to develop online learning. Various training and mentoring were carried out, however, the process of changing and increasing the capacity of facilities and human resources had not been significantly developed. In general, the problem was related to the internet network quality. Apart from the internet network problems, the students’ and lecturers’ skills in designing and conducting online learning needed to be improved. Students complained about the workload because there were too many assignments and online meetings. In addition, the inability of lecturers to manage online classes leads to ineffective online learning. Those issues should be solved by the universities by improving human resources and learning platforms that can support online learning. Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta had prepared a learning-based system called BeSmart. It is a moodle-based learning management system that simply serves online module that helps lecturers to design and disseminate online learning materials. This system can be accessed by all students. BeSmart has become a means of providing services for students while learning is done online. This platform has been used before the pandemic and is increasingly used during the pandemic. In its use, there are various obstacles encountered, ranging from the complexity of use to difficulties in development. The use of BeSmart in the Odd Semester of the academic year of 2020/2021 should be evaluated to see its overall performance and to improve the online learning process done in the previous semesters. In the online learning process conducted during the pandemic, the Faculty of Social Sciences strived to provide meaningful learning experiences for students. Therefore, there was a need to map and explore the condition of online learning that had been conducted. Mapping the condition was necessary because the results became the basis for analyzing the policy development by the faculty. The process of mapping was done by all parties including lecturers and students in order to obtain feedback about teaching-learning processes that were conducted online. Literature Review Online Learning The combination of technological and cellular mechanical learning has resulted in a great transformation in the educational sector. Online learning is a new form of learning in the early 21st century. It added cellular 161 Online learning implementation in the faculty of social sciences during the covid-19 pandemic (Dyah Kumalasari, et. all.) mechanics to the teaching-learning process. In relation to the online learning approach, Zeng and Luyegu state that the online learning method is essentially organizing various kinds of learning resources both in the contexts of formal and informal learning (Zheng & Luyegu, 2012). In a study, Cheon stated that online learning in every educational unit must be designed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). In this article, it was highlighted that utilizing mobile devices in learning was a new form of learning method (Jongpil Cheon a, 2011). When combined with TPB, online learning will affect student activity in the learning process, and as the result, the online learning that implements TPB will provide attitude control, more valuable advantages, and improve students’ comprehension of the materials being taught through the online method. In another study, Huang et al (Y. Huang, Hwang, & Chang, 2010) focused more on creative ideas that could be generated from online learning methods. The creative idea was generated from the combination of several learning applications. In their research, it was found that participants/users who used handheld devices such as smartphones and tablets with learning applications installed would generate creative ideas easily. Huang also proposed that online learning mechanisms could support collaborative learning. Jeng et al (A. H. Huang, 1997) focused on the importance of learning applications in teaching and learning strategies. His literature study emphasized the characteristics of online learning and analysis of learning strategies applied to the online learning environment. Previous research revealed that distance learning conducted using online learning applications could give students more freedom to be creative and develop their interest in learning, provided that the tasks given were structured so that they increased students’ curiosity (Zolkepli & Kamarulzaman, 2015). In essence, online learning is in line with learning digitalization. The implementation of online learning combines various kinds of teaching resources, both in formal and informal contexts, such as augmented reality, game-based learning, learning modules, social media, etc. Online learning is a more efficient strategy to conduct teaching-learning processes. Based on the studies mentioned above, it can be formulated that online learning is a form of distortion of space and time in the teaching and learning process. Teachers/lecturers and students can both look for various kinds of learning resources used recently, in the past, and in the future. Digital Transformation in the Pandemic Era In this day and age, digital transformation is not a new phenomenon, and it has been prepared by higher education institutions in the last decade (Kopp et al., 2019; Leszczyński et al., 2018). The development and disruption of technology as part of digital transformation has become a crucial issue lately along with the COVID-19 pandemic. The stakeholders at universities should focus on the issues related to the readiness of infrastructure and especially human resources to meet rapid changes and to be able to work and provide solutions (Bond et al., 2018; Sandkuhl & Lehmann, 2017). This digital transformation encourages continuous integration and improvement of management in order to adapt to new developing technologies (Abad-Segura et al., 2020) and the current pandemic conditions. Digital transformation in universities can be the accumulation of all changes and approaches done by the universities to be able to apply technology optimally. The process includes various strategic planning, building trust, elaborating ideas/innovations, reinforcing all parties involved, as well as developing knowledge, collaboration, and organizational action (Cameron & Green, 2019). Hiltz and Turoff (2005) suggest that digital transformation is a revolutionary modification in learning development at the higher education level in the future. This digital transformation changes the way in-person learning that is teacher-centered in nature into hybrid learning that applies technology and encourages student- centered learning. According to Hiltz and Turoff, online learning is a new social process that seeks to collect momentum to replace conventional in-person classes. Online learning is also often seen as a disruptive process. The COVID-19 pandemic is driving the transformation of higher education faster. New things used to normally be accepted slowly because of conventional structural management, but they should be accepted 162 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 18, Number 2, 2022: 159-172 quickly now (Strielkowski). This was what changed the online learning branding which was originally considered a burden to become a savior/messiah (Olasile & Emrah 2020). Digital transformation in higher education includes five aspects, namely (i) change, (ii) speed, (iii) technology, (iv) competence, and (v) finance. Digitization in universities should not be referred to simply as e-learning because online learning is only one of several features of digital transformation in universities. Online learning is the use of technological devices, tools, and the internet for education (Means et al., 2009). Tallent-Runnels et al. (2006) point out that the continuous increase in technological innovation and internet accessibility has increased motivation for online learning since the beginning of the decade. However, Joshi et al. (2020) state that the success of online learning is much debated because there is no direct contact between students and instructors. Hodges, et al. (2020) stated that the experience of having planned online learning is more of a response to the crisis. Several researchers consider online learning conducted during the pandemic as “emergency distance learning” because the learning process is different from real online learning that is effective and high quality. Effective online learning is an online teaching and learning process that increases the number of research publications, prioritizes certain principles, and is designed from a prototype, theory, ethics as well as assessments that are based on the quality teaching and learning design (Hodges et al., 2020; Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020). Effective online learning is the result of careful lesson design and planning and the application of an organized model to design and develop learning (Branch & Dousay, 2015). The absence of a thorough design and development process (Branch & Dousay, 2015) in the online learning process during the pandemic has caused controversy and has made it ineffective because of the lack of planning caused by the emergency situation (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020; Hodges et al. al., 2020; Vlachopoulos, 2020). Methods Research Design This study employed the quantitative observational design with a cross-sectional survey approach. This type of survey is conducted at one time and is not done continuously within a predetermined period of time (Ivankova, 2006). This research was conducted to examine the extent of the implementation of online learning at the Faculty of Social Sciences, both through the general platform and the special platform developed by UNY. In this present study, surveys were the main technique to map online learning at the Faculty of Social Sciences. To support the findings and verify the collected data, the qualitative method was employed by doing a focus group discussion. The combination of both methods was needed to explore the conditions of the online learning process at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Data Collection This research was conducted from February to July 2021. The data were collected using online questionnaires. In addition to the questionnaire, which was the main data collection instrument, online limited group discussions were conducted with students to gain insight related to online learning practices. The respondents were selected using proportional stratified random sampling based on the existing study programs at FIS UNY. To answer the research questions, the researchers designed a questionnaire and individual interview guidelines with a focus group discussion model to understand the students’ online learning experiences. The survey items were developed by reviewing other studies developed using design-based research. DBR is a paradigm that includes pedagogy and tools to help develop and maintain learning environments (Gallardo-Echenique, Marqués-Molías, Bullen, & Strijbos, 2015). The main principle of DBR is to produce the most effective learning environment by implementing a continuous cycle of design, analysis, and redesign (Paul & Brown, 2016). Following the DBR principle, the survey measured the aspects of human resources (student and faculty) and the design associated with student satisfaction levels. In this present study, the former aspect is students, while the latter is learning structure and technical aspects. 163 Online learning implementation in the faculty of social sciences during the covid-19 pandemic (Dyah Kumalasari, et. all.) Data were collected from 757 respondents who were selected out of 3,918 students at the Faculty of Social Sciences. They were from Civic and Law, Geography Education, History Education, History Studies, Sociology Education, Social Science Education, Public Administration, and Communication Science study programs. The number of respondents from each study program is presented in Table 1 below. Study Program Number of Respondents Public Administration 103 Communication Science 17 History Studies 60 Geography Education 21 Social Science Education 164 Civic and Law 153 History Education 85 Sociology Education 154 Total 757 Results and Discussion Online Learning in the Faculty of Social Sciences Online learning had been carried out for almost 24 months. During this pandemic, the online learning model needs to be improved continuously. No one knows when the pandemic will be over, so there is a need to do continuous improvement in order to make learning run smoothly. The pandemic condition demands all universities to develop distance learning tools and instruments. The government regulation that prohibits to conduct in-person learning at universities needs to be addressed wisely by making improvements. The Faculty of Social Sciences at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta is affected by the pandemic. Online distance learning had been conducted since the beginning of the pandemic. Although UNY has a learning management system called BeSmart, it is not used optimally by lecturers and students. The lecturers mostly ask students to do assignments and conduct face-to-face online learning through various meeting applications. This needs to be improved in order to create an effective teaching-learning process that is similar to in-person learning in quality. During the pandemic that has occurred for two semesters, some issues were identified. Therefore, an evaluation needs to be done. In this context, there should be an identification of the student perceptions about online learning implementation. Based on the collected data, it was found that there was an improvement in online learning implementation in the odd semester of the academic year of 2020/2021. Online learning was originally dominated by tasks, but the number of tasks gradually began to decrease. Lecturers also used BeSmart although it was not optimal. The implementation of online learning at FIS UNY is identified from several indicators presented as follows. Learning Readiness The online learning process requires a variety of equipment. Supporting equipment is needed in the learning process to optimize indirect communication. In online learning, gadgets are crucially needed to comprehend learning materials, view images, and communicate. In addition to hardware, internet connection plays an important role in online learning. Internet connection and internet quota are very essential. Internet quota is the price that needs to be paid by the users to be able to access the internet network by the provider. Student learning readiness should be identified because strategies to conduct online learning should be determined. The pandemic requires all the faculty to think about the most effective strategy for delivering 164 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 18, Number 2, 2022: 159-172 material to students. From the collected data, it was found that most of the students have supporting facilities for online learning, such as computers, tablets, laptops, and smartphones. As many as 74.4% of FIS students have adequate tools to carry out distance learning through e-learning. However, it should be noted that there are still 25.6% of the students whose supporting tools are inadequate. This issue should be solved, so alternatives to distance learning should be developed to accommodate all students’ needs, especially students from specific study program that needs computers with high performance to access applications. This condition may hinder the learning process because not all students have high performing computers. Online learning, which has been implemented for almost 2 years brings classic problems. If the supporting devices are mere sufficient in online learning that mostly utilizes the network, internet connection becomes the main focus. Indonesian geographic conditions lead to various internet connection problems/instability. As many as 44% of the students are satisfied with the internet connection in their area. The absence of wifi is one of the causes of network instability. Some students (22.9%) consider that the existing network at their location is unstable, while 33.2% of students consider that there are no significant obstacles in accessing the internet network. One of the requirements to get an internet connection is internet data/quota. At the beginning of the pandemic, the government through the Ministry of Education and Culture provided quota subsidies for students of around 10-15 GB per month. This program was like an unexpected windfall for them as they needed more data packages for online learning. From the results of the focus group discussions, it was found that the purchase of quotas took the most dominant factor in students’ spending. Before the pandemic, some students claimed that they could spend 3-10 GB per month, but since the pandemic and online learning, the need for internet quota had doubled. The support from the Ministry of Education and Culture was quite helpful and was widely used by students to carry out online learning or access lecture materials. Most of the students (64.2%) claimed that they felt the benefits of the program, while 35.8% of them thought that the program did not help them a lot. One of the reasons is because at the beginning of the pandemic the quotas were limited. This quota could not be used to access various social media and was restricted to accessing educational websites and online meeting applications. The students pointed out that at the beginning of the pandemic, there were still not many lecturers who used online meeting platforms. Learning materials were obtained from YouTube, or sent through various existing platforms, including social media. When the quota given was limited, students had to spend extra funds to buy quotas/data packages to access those contents without limitation. In addition to the problem of the quota that cannot be used to access all contents, students felt that some lecturers somehow forced them to use one of the online meeting platforms. During online learning, Zoom Meeting is one of the most popular and mostly used applications. For the students, this application has a weakness because it needs a lot of quota. From the focus group discussion, it was found that Google Meet is much lighter than Zoom, thus taking less quota. In addition, several lecturers asked students to always turn on the camera, and this takes quite a lot of quota. Of the various learning situations that support the learning process, there is one important point that is rarely analyzed but becomes a vital factor for conducting the learning process. That factor is the condition of the learning environment which refers to the climate, the situation, and other resources needed for learning. Learning environment refers to the condition of the house that functions as a place for learning that determines the conditions and supports student learning. When students are on campus, they get all the supporting facilities, including a conducive environment for learning. There are comfortable chairs and space, and distractions can be minimized because when students are in classrooms, they can focus on studying without outside distractions. In distance learning, this ideal condition is not fully present. Only 37.2% of the students stated that their living/learning environment was conducive. As many as 42% of the students stated that their living environment was not conducive, and 20.7% of them pointed out that their learning environment was not supportive. In the focus group discussions, students said that sometimes parents or families often did not know the pattern of student learning. Sometimes their parents/family called and asked for help when they were having a 165 Online learning implementation in the faculty of social sciences during the covid-19 pandemic (Dyah Kumalasari, et. all.) class. Moreover, the noisy conditions in the neighborhood got them distracted because their houses were close to busy areas. In addition, the atmosphere of the location was not comfortable and quiet enough for the students to study. Technology Capability Distance learning due to the pandemic leaves two opposing sides. On the one hand, it erodes the culture and normal in-person learning processes that have been taking place; on the other hand, it forces individuals to adapt to technology. In the early days of the pandemic, almost all students were technologically backward; they do not expect that the technology prepared and expected would come and had to be used. The process of technological adaptation is one of the starting points for individuals to switch and normalize the situation in distance learning. Everyone’s thinking that learning cannot be done without face-to-face interaction, for sure, should be buried and everyone has to learn to use technology, especially the internet as a bridge for the learning process. The condition where the students and lecturers cannot meet was facilitated by technology in the network that helps and connects the academic community without face-to-face interactions. The experience of almost a year of learning with technology provided digital competence for students. In terms of technological capabilities long before the pandemic, the younger generation of university students was technology literate, even when the pandemic lasted, this generation did the fastest adaptation to the new technology-based ecosystem in the network. From the data collected, the majority of students are proficient in using various learning support devices. However, the Faculty also did not turn a blind eye to the fact that there were still 32.6% of students who still needed assistance in using technology devices, especially in the use of interactive applications. In this context, lecturers can be the spearhead to expand students’ technological capabilities. Lecturers not only operate learning applications but also provide opportunities for students to be directly involved in managing the learning process. Through this method, the lecturers indirectly also provided an experience for students to use technology in the learning process. In addition to being proficient in using supporting devices (hardware), students were also accustomed to using the internet, both search engines and social media to find material as well as being part of the learning process. As many as 98.8% of students were accustomed to using and surfing the internet to access information. Moreover, 97.1% of them were skillful in using social media such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or YouTube. Regarding the data, it becomes a strong foundation for the development of online learning for students. The lecturers can empower students’ abilities by providing support and challenges to construct knowledge that is carried out independently by students. Through various platforms, lecturers only needed to direct and guide students to explore the digital world, a paradise of unlimited information. Independent Learning One of the characteristics of online learning is to encourage independence in students. Online learning in higher education has entered an era called heutagogy where an individual becomes the determinant of the learning process. Students in distance learning are required to have the ability to manage learning independently. Learning resources that are widely available in cyberspace become ammunition for students to develop their knowledge through independent learning. Based on the data, it is known that the majority (65.9%) of students at the Faculty of Social Sciences (FIS) felt they did independent learning, and 30.4% feel did not optimally carry out independent learning so they still needed assistance or direction. Independent learning becomes an important learning aspect for the development of online learning at the faculty. However, students who were not yet independent in learning needed to be facilitated so that understanding and meaning of knowledge could run optimally. Although the majority are able to study independently, online learning is considered unable to provide equal opportunities for all students to express opinions/ideas during learning. As many as 43.6% of students thought that they found obstacles in conveying ideas online. This was identified because the majority of the lecturers used a synchronous model which made not all students able to 166 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 18, Number 2, 2022: 159-172 convey ideas. Asynchronous patterns using various online modes such as BeSmart should be used because they provide equal opportunities for students to convey ideas. This condition also correlated with students’ ability to remember and reformulate the material. As many as 41.3% of students were less able to do it. However, 46.9% of students were able to follow and understand the lecture material delivered. Of the various ways of delivering material, online lecture models and learning videos could help students comprehend the material. Also, 53% of students responded positively to the online material, while 47% needed more alternatives and other variations in understanding material other than videos and online lectures. The independent learning data also illustrate that in terms of study time, students were willing and able to provide time to study for 7-10 hours per day online. However, quite a lot of students also found it difficult to manage their time, because the focus of learning was distracted by various activities in the neighborhood. This can be overcome by implementing distance learning through the combination of synchronous and asynchronous models. Through this model, students have the flexibility to choose the best time to study without reducing the essence or time to study. Learning Motivation The independence that is promoted in online learning is not only stimulated by conditions beyond the individual such as the environment, devices, and other infrastructure but is also driven by desires and efforts that grow within the individual. In online learning, motivation to learn becomes crucial, because the characteristics of online learning that highlight independence are based on learning management developed personally. In this context, learning motivation is significant for students to learn. From the data obtained, motivation is an obstacle in the online learning process. Boredom with doing too long online learning has an impact on student learning motivation. One of them is related to the student’s concentration when studying. The majority of students were unable to concentrate continuously. Only 18.2% of students were able to stay concentrated in participating in online learning, the rest found it difficult or sometimes experience disturbance from the environment, signal, and internet data quota. Interestingly, students did not hesitate to ask their lecturers or friends when they had difficulties. As many as 61.2% of students asked lecturers or friends when they had difficulties in the learning process. Meanwhile, the learning model that students prefer was relatively balanced. Some students were excited and enjoyed learning online, but some students were not satisfied and not used to online learning. From the focus group discussions, students wanted more variations in the use of online learning models, both synchronously and asynchronously. Synchronous with virtual face-to-face learning brings students closer like when studying in an offline mode, but sometimes they were constrained by signals and quotas so that the learning process was not optimal, while asynchronously students could learn flexibly and the asynchronous model was also much enjoyed by students. Interestingly, in learning motivation, encouragement, or collaboration with friends is also significant. Students found it easier to understand the material with the help of friends. As many as 54.1% of students needed friends’ help to understand the material and have a discussion. This shows that although online learning was very individualistic, students also hoped that there would be discussions. Students were also keen on challenges in the learning process and 56.1% of students were challenged to explore new topics in the material. A positive point of online learning during the pandemic was the higher involvement of lecturers and students. According to students, the lecturers always tried to give motivation. However, the motivation still needed to be supported by openness to discuss and answer student questions through communication. As many as 44.5% of students feel that the lecturers during online learning took a long time to respond. Whereas, essentially, online learning needs to be accompanied by ease of communication, because it is the only way to develop knowledge and find out/ask something that students do not understand. Usefulness Online learning that had to be carried out during this pandemic had both positive and negative sides for 167 Online learning implementation in the faculty of social sciences during the covid-19 pandemic (Dyah Kumalasari, et. all.) students. As many as 33.8% of students stated they have gained experience and skills through online learning; 41.5% revealed that it was not enough and 24.8% of students felt that they did not obtain improvement in their abilities while studying online. This also correlated with the ease of participating in online learning. Based on the data, students still had difficulty participating in online learning. These difficulties were revealed in the focus group discussions that learning difficulties were found due to unstable network/signal conditions; the lecturer initially gave more assignments with brief explanations; the students were not ready to study independently; there are too many applications used by the lecturer. Also, some lecturers felt that students still needed to increase their capacity in using technology. Although online learning made it easier for students to learn, the interaction between lecturers and students was still minimum. Only 26.1% of students feel that online learning could improve the interaction between students and lecturers. The remaining 73.9% think it was still difficult to interact with the lecturers. This condition needs to be followed up by developing training to improve competence and build engagement between the lecturers and students. One good thing about online learning is flexibility. Through online learning, learning activities can be conducted anytime and anywhere. As many as 70.9% of students consider that the positive side of online learning is the learning ease. BeSmart E-Learning Practice in Distance Learning Distance learning at the Faculty of Social Sciences had been planned long before the pandemic. The option to develop online learning is an alternative to seeking the use of technology in the lecture process. Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta has a policy for the implementation of blended learning where lectures can be conducted through conventional in-person and online classes. This online lecture is supported by the BeSmart learning management system (LMS). The academic community has been introduced to this LMS for a long time, but due to the pandemic conditions, it provides a strong motivation to quickly implement BeSmart in every course. BeSmart is a learning management system that integrates all learning needs into one platform. Through BeSmart students can learn by listening, viewing various media and learning resources, and participating actively in discussions or activities designed by the lecturers. BeSmart is a new form of online learning that combines synchronous and asynchronous activities. During online learning, BeSmart becomes the main LMS used by lecturers and students. LMS BeSmart The BeSmart Learning Management System is developed based on the Moodle application which is widely used in developing online learning. Moodle is an open-source platform that can be developed by every agency and becomes a reference platform for universities in Indonesia, including the online learning system (SPADA) developed by the Ministry of Education and Culture. This LMS has the advantage of being able to be developed and has complete features to present and carry out learning practices. BeSmart can be used for every course which includes the learning materials/sources, discussion activities, assignments, and evaluations. Initially, using BeSmart for the first time requires adaptation, but BeSmart has been developed until now; it has been in Version 3 which is integrated with online meetings such as Zoom and Google Meet to simplify and enrich alternative material delivery. The BeSmart user interface is also continuously improved so that it makes students comfortable, especially when it is opened via a smartphone, and is lightweight so that it is easily accessible. Based on the results of the study, the ease of access to BeSmart was also felt by students, 50.1% acknowledged that BeSmart could be accessed easily. However, there were still many students who complained about the difficulty of accessing BeSmart. From the focus group discussions, students revealed that using BeSmart is sometimes complicated; there is no notification so if they do not check directly, sometimes they are left behind. The access speed to BeSmart by some students was considered slow enough. As many as 42.1% of students felt that access to BeSmart was not fast. This was possible because there were no special applications that were embedded/could be installed on smartphones so the process of using it seemed heavy. Light access to 168 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 18, Number 2, 2022: 159-172 smartphones was the main thing because the majority of students access online learning by using smartphones instead of laptops. In addition to the ease and speed of access, other things that students pay close attention to were the attractiveness of the content, the presentation of the material, and the display of the homepage as a whole. In terms of presentation developed by lecturers, it began to develop and became more interesting; as many as 37.9% of students admitted that the display of BeSmart material was interesting. However, there were still many students (62.1%) who felt that the presentation of material at BeSmart needed to be improved. This is in line with students’ statements that sometimes, the information on material or activities at BeSmart was unclear. Some lecturers also did not change the instructions on the material for each meeting. In terms of the BeSmart homepage, 62.4% of students feel that the display was still unattractive. This was homework for lecturers to develop and make BeSmart in each course attractive. Students also wanted initial information on the main page of BeSmart, making it easier to find out what activities students will do later. Learning Process via BeSmart The learning process through BeSmart was different for each course lecturer. Each lecturer had variations and different ways of delivering material. From the focus group discussions, students revealed that almost every lecturer had their own BeSmart account, and was routinely used for online learning. However, there were still some lecturers who relied on online virtual face-to-face meetings continuously without using BeSmart. For some students, this is burdensome, especially when many conditions made them unable to concentrate on participating in virtual face-to-face learning. Signals and quotas were the main obstacles, and then sometimes some parents were not supportive when students were joining online classes. In delivering the material through BeSmart, the students stated that some of BeSmart had been completed with materials, but many were incomplete. As many as 42.8% of students stated that the material displayed on BeSmart was complete, 41.7% felt it was fairly complete, and 15.5% felt it was incomplete. Completeness of the material included information, activities, learning resources, and evaluation. The materials were compiled in such a way according to the objectives of the lecture and presented every week, and students will learn through a sequence of materials and learning resources provided by the lecturers. Each face-to-face interaction will encourage students to be active either in discussions or in activities of quizzes or assignments. One thing the students care about was related to learning resources that were appropriate and comfortable for them. In addition to face-to-face lectures via zoom or google meet, students were also given the materials in the form of videos, articles, or other media developed by the lecturers. Each facilitator provided variations in developing media. Based on the data collected, the students’ satisfaction and acceptance of the material presented based on its form can be seen in the table below: Table 2. Student Acceptance of Learning Materials Based on Media Types Type Comprehension of Materials (in a percentage) Inconvenient Fairly Convenient Convenient Video/PPT with voice 15.3 38.2 46.5 PPT 23.6 44.5 31.8 From the data, most students felt comfortable receiving material in the form of learning videos or PowerPoint presentations with voice. This was a form of student need for an explanation of each material developed by the lecturers. Through video/voiced PPT, students could listen to the lecturer’s explanation of the material presented. Through this model, students could learn flexibly but still obtained sufficient explanations from the lecturers. 169 Online learning implementation in the faculty of social sciences during the covid-19 pandemic (Dyah Kumalasari, et. all.) However, in the data that there were no media that dominated in terms of comfort. Students considered some of the media inconvenient to use. This shows that in online learning, the development of media variations is crucial. Only one media developed did not satisfy students, so it was necessary to develop an alternative to provide an experience for students and minimize boredom during online learning. From the data, students need a variety of activities presented in BeSmart. As many as 39.5% of students want more variety to make online learning more fun. Through BeSmart, information, and activity instructions from the lecturers are important as the initial part for students to understand the activities and material presented. As many as 52.4% of students thought that the lecturer had provided quite clear instructions and information about online lecture activities, and 37.9% found it a bit unclear which indicated that there was still a need for improvement in delivery and explanation of important things that students must do. Instructions/information for students is important because of the characteristics of online learning: encouraging independence and avoiding many direct face-to-face interactions/offline mode, so the written instructions must be more detailed and easy to understand, including the steps that students must take well. Clear instructions will encourage students to participate in the online learning process. Student participation in online activities, especially discussions, was quite high. As many as 54.7% of students admitted that they always participated in discussions and responded to questions from the lecturers, 38.6% did not fully participate, and 6.7% did not/rarely participate in discussions on BeSmart. From the study of focus group discussions, high student participation was due to the source of attendance data and through BeSmart, students who had written their opinions would automatically be recorded. However, the students also admitted that the discussion room at BeSmart provided equal flexibility and equality for all students to express their opinions, something that according to students could not be done in virtual face-to-face learning where only a few of the students were active. Some students who did not take part in the discussion admitted that they experienced unstable signals and their motivation got lowered, while those who did not always join, also mentioned that sometimes the signal became an obstacle, the instructions and deadlines given by the lecturer were not clear until there was no response from the lecturers in the discussion forum. The absence or lack of response from the lecturer in discussion forums is something that deserves attention. As many as 43.2% of students felt that lecturers did not always respond to questions and discussions. This was also felt by students regarding feedback; the assessment of the tasks was rarely responded to by the lecturers. In general, online learning practices on BeSmart have been running; however, several important aspects, especially in interactions between students and lecturers, need to be improved. Some lecturers have not integrated BeSmart for recording the students’ attendance, including the information that needs to be clarified, while minimizing the same information between materials. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic that has hit Indonesia since March 2020 has changed the paradigm in the learning process while accelerating technological adaptation in the realm of education. Distance learning using the online model, which had been gradually being prepared as a learning supplement, suddenly turned into the only option when all human activities were restricted, and in-person lectures could not be held. Online learning is a way for the academic community to continue the learning process without being disturbed by location and time. Learning is finally encouraged to be carried out independently. In practice, the application of online learning is not as easy as the theory, where there is a perfect impression that is manifested through the representation of online learning. Online learning does not fully run smoothly. Based on the results of a study conducted at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, several factors causing ineffective online learning were revealed. These factors included (1) the availability of learning tools where at FIS there were still 25.6% of students finding constraints with these learning support devices; (2) the speed and stability of the internet connection, where 66.9% of students admitted that they were constrained by the stability of the internet connection which sometimes ruined the learning process; (3) internet quotas; with 170 Journal of Social Studies (JSS), Volume 18, Number 2, 2022: 159-172 the subsidy of the Ministry of Education and Culture, quotas were no longer a barrier; (4) learning environment, where students learned sometimes did not support the learning process, 62.7% admit that it was difficult to concentrate because the condition was not supportive. In addition, technological ability and independence, learning motivation are also internal determinants of students’ ability to take online lectures. The technological capabilities of FIS students need to be continuously developed in line with the increasing variety of online platforms and the constantly changing technological developments. The lecturers need to share experiences in using technology with students so that students are not only objects but also subjects who can participate and learn to use technology in online learning. The characteristics of online learning that are full of individual initiatives require independence and motivation from students. Independence is important because some of the learning processes are not controlled directly by the lecturers but are oriented to the student’s initiative to learn. Synchronous and asynchronous models developed in online learning require the active role of students to engage and participate actively. No direct interactions can lower students’ motivation. As many as 81.8% of students find it difficult to concentrate during online learning. This finding is important because, in the learning process, even the minimum disturbance will distract the knowledge transfer and learning experiences. Boredom becomes the main problem that continues to undermine online lectures due to the long-time students do not meet and interact directly with the lecturers and friends. Efforts to conduct interesting online learning using the BeSmart Learning Management System (LMS) still encounter various obstacles. BeSmart which is developed by UNY and used by the entire academic community provides a new space for delivering material and promotes interactions between the students and lecturers. In practice, the development of learning resources through BeSmart needs to be continued. Information and instructions for use continuously need to be completed, including the development of the BeSmart user interface which is continuously improved to make it easier for students to access it. Based on the data collected, students want alternative learning resources that are challenging and varied. An important point in the practice of online learning through BeSmart is related to the low response and feedback from the lecturers to activities carried out by students. As many as 63.2% considered the response and feedback from the lecturers to questions, discussions, and input on the assessment were still minimum. This condition needs to be improved as a form of developing and strengthening online learning at the Faculty of Social Sciences. References Abad-Segura, E., González-Zamar, M. D., Infante-Moro, J. C., & Ruipérez García, G. (2020). Sustainable management of digital transformation in higher education: Global research trends. Sustainability, 12 (5), 2107. 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