Overcoming Difficulties in Managing Online Learning in the Era of Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract


INTRODUCTION
Learning is the basic key to quality education (Amora & Fearnley, 2020;Bhaumik et al., 2020;Bond, 2021). The quality of education requires proper management of learning and requires policies that enhance the professional development of teachers and access to adequate infrastructures, such as policy discourse that imposes market-based and competitive rationality (Jarvis, 2017). Quality of learning management must be maintained in any conditions, including emergencies in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic. One way of managing learning in this era is through online learning (Khairiah et al., 2022), as Zhang explained that emergency learning policy initiatives during the covid-19 pandemic must be carried out, by suspending classes without stopping learning (Zhang et al., 2020). Online learning is technology-based learning, learning anytime, anywhere, without time gaps in student competency and achievement (Ulum & Pamungkas, 2020). Online learning has strengths and reaffirms in forming existing structural gaps, so that efforts to overcome the problems of online learning do not materialize due to access difficulties, which ultimately form gaps in student competence and achievement. (Basuony et al., 2020). The gap in learning services creates inequality among students (Efriana, 2021). Thus, efforts to overcome online learning difficulties through providing remedial teaching, providing repetition of material (enrichment) activities, providing learning motivation, developing good attitudes and study habits, so that there are no gaps in student competence and achievement.
Learning in the Covid-19 pandemic era is online learning, distance learning or home visit learning which is learning that can be accessed anytime and anywhere, without time and space limits. However, this learning cannot run smoothly and cannot be enjoyed by some students, especially students who live in remote areas, who do not have supporting facilities, internet network (Amalia & Fatonah, 2020). Learning in the Covid-19 pandemic era from the teacher's perspective is the responsibility of a teacher in managing the class, and the teacher is the spearhead in the learning process (Hadar et al., 2020). Teachers are required to be able to master technology, because the main media in conveying learning material to students is through technology. Learning from a student's point of view is online learning which has two sides, namely its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that the learning process is carried out at home, so that students feel safe from the dangers of contracting Covid-19, while the disadvantage is that students do not understand some of the topics given by the teacher, so students are not able to work on and complete them, even though there is assistance through webmeeting, but the meaning cannot be captured. Signal constraints become obstacles that cause the teacher's explanation to be unclear and cannot be understood by students (Kuchma, 2019). Therefore, learning in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic is not effective.
Learning from the Covid-19 pandemic era with all its advantages and disadvantages. As explained by Lina (2019) the advantages of online learning are more effective and efficient; students are more lethargic to study subject matter independently, expand the reach of learning, while the drawbacks are difficult to apply if the infrastructure is not supported, internet access is not evenly distributed in every place, and the facilities owned by students are uneven (Lindawati & Rahman, 2019). The impact is that students are not able to dig up information, knowledge, understanding and insight about online learning through internet media such as Google and YouTube (Efriana, 2021). Students tend to get bored and find it difficult to obtain material when studying online, unless it is explained face to face, teachers have difficulty conveying material that may be difficult for students, and parents have difficulty accompanying their children during online learning because parents lack the ability, time and funds (Riyan Rizaldi et al., 2021). The main problems of online learning are internet networks, data packet costs, limited number of smartphones, ineffective learning, one-way learning, the difficulty of implementing moral education-based character education. (Riska et al., 2021). Thus, the main problem of learning in the Covid-19 pandemic era is inequality in the readiness of infrastructure and internet networks.
Learning in the Covid-19 pandemic era has become a problem in the process of implementing education in Indonesia, including madrasah education. 50Madrasah Aliyah educational institutions in Bengkulu province which became an empirical study have used the Ministry of Religion's E-learning which is an application with various features supporting the implementation of online learning during the co-19 pandemic (Riyan Rizaldi et al., 2021), using the Nearpod application which is a trending media application with a design and many interesting features, such as Virtual Field Trip and Time to Climb. Virtual Field Trip as a feature that can provide an overview of a place and can be seen up to 3600 degrees, while Time to Climb can invite students to work on quizzes in a unique and interesting way by choosing a character to answer. This application can foster teacher creativity and motivation in developing insights and ideas for making online learning media (Fatqurhohman, 2022) provide motivation to learn for the satisfaction of the students themselves, so they can understand and learn well first (Adlika et al., 2021). However, due to limited ownership of technological devices, internet networks, technological literacy, and skills, online learning is not effective.
Teachers have been trying to overcome the difficulties of online learning in Madrasah Aliyah, Bengkulu Province. Through improving teacher skills which is the potential for smoothness in the learning process with student competence and achievement as a result of teacher work (Khairiah & Sirajuddin, 2019). Skills are the abilities possessed by a teacher in carrying out their main duties, functions, and responsibilities in accordance with their scientific field (Tovkanets, 2021). A person's skills are based on talents, interests, habits, perseverance, and interests to be achieved (Fuller, 2021). Skills, experience, and discipline are efforts to overcome teacher difficulties in the learning process (Blumenfeld et al., 2020). However, there are some teachers of Aliyah madrasah in Bengkulu who are unable to carry out their professionalism because they are not skilled in utilizing advances in information technology according to global trends and realities (Khairiah et al., 2022), so teachers have difficulty carrying out their main duties, functions, and responsibilities as professional teachers in the learning process, including some students, do not have technological equipment and internet networks including the lack of technological literacy, and this has an impact on the level of achievement of student competence and achievement during the Covid-19 pandemic era (Fatqurhohman, 2022). Therefore, improve the skills of teachers and students in facing the advancement of information technology in the learning process.
The purpose of this study is to map the form of efforts to overcome the difficulties of managing online learning that took place during the Covid-19 pandemic at Madrasah Aliyah in Bengkulu. The importance of this research is to overcome learning difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic so that it can still provide learning opportunities to students who cannot take part in conventional face-to-face learning. The importance of overcoming learning problems including equitable distribution of learning services and quality of learning in Aliyah madrasah in Bengkulu, especially for educational institutions, teachers and students need to adopt information progress, technology and communication, as well as improving digital skills in line with emerging global trends and realities in the world of education. At least 3 (three) questions can be formulated as follows; (1) How to manage learning during the COVID-19 pandemic at Madrasah Aliyah in Bengkulu; (2) How the implementation of learning (digital skills of teachers and students) is in line with global trends and realities; and (3) How is the teaching and learning process (communicative, responsive, and student activities and learning outcomes) during the Covid-19 pandemic at Madrasah Aliyah in Bengkulu. These three questions are answered in the following section of the article.

METHODS
This research on overcoming the difficulties of managing online learning in the Covid-19 pandemic era used a descriptive qualitative method. The population in this study were all Madrasah Aliyah teachers in Bengkulu province, totaling 970 teachers from 50 Madrasah Aliyah (MA) institutions, both public and private. Primary data includes profiling of madrasah heads, heads of administration and teachers, motivation, types of difficulties, and solutions taken by heads and teachers for each difficulty they experience. Secondary data consists of teacher literacy and attendance, statistical evaluation results and teacher competency tests. Primary data and secondary data are used as a basis for analysis in efforts to overcome difficulties in managing online learning during the co-19 pandemic.
The samples in this study were 15 (ten) teachers and 15 (ten) students who were randomly drawn from three regencies / cities in Bengkulu, namely; 5 teachers and 5 students from Bengkulu City, 5 teachers and 5 students from South Bengkulu Regency and 5 teachers and 5 students from North Bengkulu, then conducted indepth interviews about the experience of implementing online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Data is processed through 3 stages (1) Data reduction as a process of organizing data in a more systematic form; (2) Displaying data as an effort to present research results in tabular form (in the form of interview excerpts); and (3) Verification of the analyzed data is similar to Huberman's theory (Huberman, 1990), then the data were analyzed through four steps namely; summary, reflection, interpretive, and action.

RESULTS & DISCUSSION
Various efforts have been made by the Aliyah madrasah in Bengkulu to overcome difficulties in managing online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. Such as providing opportunities for students to get learning, improving digital skills for teachers and students, adopting technology, information and communication according to global trends and realities, and maintaining the quality of learning by providing adequate technology/infrastructure devices. However, the reality on the ground shows that there have been various difficulties in various parties, including teachers and students in the online learning process, such as uneven learning services due to the absence of internet connectivity and internet signals, unable to follow global trends and realities, are unable to maintain the quality of education because they are unable to provide infrastructure and are unable to have technological devices such as standard cellphones for online learning, do not have an internet quota package. At least 3 (three) main points can be explained as follows; (1) learning management during the Covid-19 pandemic; (2) the implementation of the learning process (digital skills of teachers and students) in line with global trends and realities; and (3) the teaching and learning process (communicative, responsive, as well as student activities and learning outcomes) during the Covid-19 pandemic in Madrasah Aliyah, Bengkulu Province.

Learning Management in the Covid-19 Pandemic Era
The management of learning in the Covid-19 pandemic era experienced difficulties from various parties, both teachers and students, such as the level of opportunity to get learning services for students (Khairiah et al., 2022). Students experienced learning difficulties during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was marked by some students not being able to take part in learning optimally, because they lived in remote hamlets/villages far from internet reach, difficulty with internet connectivity, power outages, unstable and uneven networks, plus again some students do not have technological devices for the learning process (standard cellphones), because parents cannot afford to buy these technological devices due to poor socioeconomic pressure factors, so students experience communication difficulties, information that even some students cannot participate at all in the online learning process implemented by the madrasa. Institutions unable to manage learning are characterized by their inability to provide equitable distribution of educational services to the community due to the limited level of ownership of technology, internet networks and technological literacy. As the results of interviews with several Aliyah madrasah students in Bengkulu explained that "I cannot take part in online learning because I live in a rural area far from the reach of the internet, and my parents are unable to provide technology, so I cannot follow the learning process," Likewise another student explained that "I have difficulty with internet connectivity, the lights are off, the network is uneven and unstable, so I can't follow the learning process, because the signal is often intermittent" then reinforced by several other students, namely "we don't have an android cellphone, we only have a normal cellphone, and can't be used for online learning, the cellphone can only be used for just communication, our parents only have one cellphone to use with parents and younger siblings who are also at school, so I can't follow the learning process during   We teachers found difficulties to provide motivation, service or consultation on complaints of learning constraints to students continuously, because students do not have standard technological devices, and do not have an internet network. So that students cannot participate in the learning system optimally, and do not optimally carry out parenting activities to parents of students regarding the learning process, so that parents pay attention to children's learning at home.

Motivation
of learning, and opportunities to get learning services are not evenly distributed Informants 4 Informants 5 Informants 6 The level of communication between us teachers and students does not run smoothly, because students do not have technological devices, and the internet network is uneven, so that the delivery of messages by teachers to students in notifications to change attitudes, opinions or behavior as a whole either directly or indirectly is not proceed according to existing plans and standards Interpersonal communication skills are not optimal.
Informants 7 Informants 8 Informants 9 We teachers still have limitations related to technological literacy such as the level of ability to use technology and information applications effectively and efficiently in various contexts, such as the world of academia and education, learning and teaching, learning assessment, because among us who are older it becomes difficult to tinker with technology, so that learning does not run smoothly.
Ownership, literacy towards technology is not optimal.

Informants10 Informants11 Informan12
Limitations in collaboration between teachers and students such as forms of interaction, discussion, compromise, collaboration related to students who are directly or indirectly involved, because students cannot go to madrasas in line with the rules of keeping a distance during the Covid-19 Not able to collaborate.
pandemic, and students have limited devices technology and internet networks are not smooth, so collaborative learning cannot run smoothly. Informants13 Informants14 Informants15 In independent learning students are not yet skilled, such as active learning methods or processes in accordance with the abilities possessed by individuals to develop each individual to achieve a certain competency, which is not related to the presence of the teacher, faceto-face meetings in class, and the presence of school friends , so that learning during Covid-19 without the presence of a teacher in class learning activities are not active. Independent learning skills are not maximized.

Implementation of learning (digital skills) in line with global trends and realities
Implementation of learning during the covid-19 pandemic, teachers experienced various difficulties in the teaching and learning process, marked by some teachers who were not skilled at using this new technological advancement (digital literacy), were not skilled at tinkering with technological devices, were unable to adopt advances in technology, information and communication according to global trends and realities, so that teachers are unable to carry out their main tasks, functions and responsibilities as professionals. Including the difficulties of students who are unable to provide technological devices, internet networks plus students who do not have technological literacy also complicate the implementation of learning in the Covid-19 pandemic era. As the results of interviews with 15 Aliyah madrasah students in Bengkulu explained the difficulty of following the implementation of online learning in line with global trends and realities. "The learning process was not effective, the teacher only gave orders, we didn't know what he was ordering, the signal was intermittent," several other students also explained that "implementing learning in the Covid-19 pandemic era was very difficult for us, because we didn't have cell phones. standard, don't have a signal and don't even have a data plan, in the end we can't participate in learning," another student also explained that "sometimes we were told by the teacher to come to the madrasa just to take homework assignments, but there was no time to explain it, because we had to keep our distance, so we don't know, what should we do. I am unable to adopt new technological, information and communication advances, unable to keep up with current global trends and realities, such as technology-based learning because madrasas do not prepare technological devices for the learning process, and the internet network is uneven, often intermittent in the learning process , was unable to facilitate and inspire as well as student learning creativity, so that learning during the co-19 pandemic was ineffective.
Not able to facilitate, inspire, student activity Informants 10 Informants 11 Informants 12 I was not able to communicate with students, and was not optimal in providing information to students, because students did not have standard technological devices for the learning process, and did not have an internet network, so that what I informed students occurred different responses from students, it was difficult to achieve goals learning in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was not able to encourage and make models of responsibility and digital society to students resulting in ineffective online learning.
Not being able to push into a digital society Informants 13 Informants 14 Informants 15 The process of implementing learning in the Covid-19 pandemic era, teachers are unable to become a model for learning in the digital era, due to limited literacy, plus students do not have technological devices, no network, signals are often intermittent, so students cannot participate in learning and teachers are unable make the model of how to learn to students, and learning is not effective.

Teaching and Learning Process in the Covid-19 Pandemic Era
The teaching and learning process in the Covid-19 pandemic era created various difficulties for both teachers and students such as difficulties in communication, responsiveness, student activities, and achievements because students have limitations in Providing adequate technology/infrastructure devices, do not have technological devices such as standard cellphones for online learning, do not have an internet quota package. As the results of interviews with 15 Madrasah Aliyah students in Bengkulu said that "it was very difficult for us to communicate with teachers because we could not come to the madrasa during the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to keep our distance, communicate via online, we did not have an internet network," then another student explained about the difficulty of activities during the covid-19 pandemic "we are very difficult to be active in online learning, we are bored, tired because the internet network is intermittent where they live in hamlets far from the internet network," there were also students who explained that it was difficult to respond to the teacher's messages because the teacher's instructions were not clear, the network was intermittent and even the electricity often went out, so we could not respond to the teacher's orders. Then there were also those who said that "learning in the covid-19 pandemic era has decreased our achievements, because I often lag behind in learning and often cannot even enter online learning, because I don't have a technology device, don't have a data plan, don't have an internet network." my parents are unable to provide for these needs, because our parents are day laborers, during face-to-face learning before the covid-19 pandemic I was ranked 2nd while during the covid-19 pandemic I was ranked last, because they often don't go in and don't know how to do the assignments given by the teacher. For more details, see the teacher's experience in Table 3 below: Online learning is not effective, because it is difficult for teachers and students to communicate, resulting in the nondelivery of subject matter to students, due to the limited ability level of students in fulfilling the needs of technological devices, and internet networks, resulting in students not being able to participate in learning optimally

Communicative Difficulties
Informants 5 Informants 6 Informants 7 Informants 8 The learning process in the Covid-19 pandemic era created difficulties for various parties, especially teachers and students, students were unable to respond to teacher orders because students did not have adequate technological or infrastructure devices such as standard cellphones or laptops for online learning, did not have an internet quota package, so the learning process online learning is not running effectively Responsive Difficulty Informants 9 Informants 10 Informants 11 We teachers have difficulty activating students in the learning process because students are unable to provide standard cellphones or laptops, quota packages, signal networks or internet connectivity, so students cannot participate in the learning process, so they are unable to follow the professional standards applied by teachers, students are unable to learning activities during the covid-19 pandemic Poor students find it difficult to excel to do activities both mentally/ psychologically, mastery of knowledge and skills in subject matter, so that it is difficult to operationalize the value of the report card. Including there were several students before the covid-19 pandemic including outstanding students, but during the covid-19 pandemic these students were unable to achieve an achievement both in the academic and non-academic fields that were occupied at the madrasa.

DISCUSSION
Research that analyzes empirical studies in overcoming the difficulties of managing online learning in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic in Madrasah Aliyah, Bengkulu Province, has found that fundamental changes in the learning process have caused difficulties in the learning process due to the level of ability to own technological devices with the acquisition of educational services, for example, if you do not have a standard cellphone, internet connectivity, internet network, then you do not get learning services, if you are not skilled in using global digital, and are unable to adopt or are unable to respond to technology, information and communication trends in global reality, then learning services are not achiness, because they have been structured by technological devices, infrastructure, Standard cellphones for the learning process and internet quota packages, thus causing the quality of Madrasah Aliyah education in Bengkulu to be difficult to achieve. Unlike previous research which explained that online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic is an expectation of the equal distribution of learning and the quality of education during the technology-based Covid-19 pandemic, services without time and space limits do not have justification. (Barger, 2020).
The results of this study shown that; (1) on the one hand, there has been a fundamental change or transformation in the management of Madrasah Aliyah in Bengkulu. Technology that is integrated in the world of education through the learning process has redefined the concept of efforts to overcome the difficulties of the learning process and structure the relationship between the equitable distribution of learning services and the quality of education based on technology; (2) On the other hand, the results of this study are the basis for seeing that there has been a basis that has a fundamental consequence on the difficulty of equitable distribution of learning services and the quality of education during the Covid-19 pandemic. Teacher and student difficulties in digital skills such as; difficult to adopt the latest technology, information, and communication based on global trends and realities, difficulty in communicating, responding, activities and difficulty achieving shiva achievement competencies, and has made a fragile commitment in achieving equitable distribution of learning services and quality of education at Madrasah Aliyah in Bengkulu.
The results of this study also explain that efforts to overcome the difficulties of online learning are no longer educational institutions based on a mode of production which is structured over the division of labor between education managers who are bound by the values of collective togetherness, but has been structured by technology consumption methods where the needs of technology, information and communication have become a force that changes the equitable distribution of learning services to children, nation and the difficulty of the quality of education. The condition of this kind of educational institution shows that technology is very important even though technology offers unlimited services, anytime, and anywhere (Barger, 2020), However, it also causes various problems such as not having technological devices, disruption of internet network connectivity, not having quota packages and not understanding using technology, information and communication, and lack of response to global reality trends integrated in online learning.
In line with fundamental changes in efforts to improve the quality of learning in the Covid-19 pandemic era, action efforts are needed to overcome difficulties in the online learning process. Equitable distribution of learning services, education, and quality of education through technology is a problem experienced by both institutions and individuals, therefore an action plan is needed in fostering, managing learning and providing basic infrastructure, such as; (1) providing internet connectivity, internet network/internet signal; (2) improving digital skills in line with global trends and realities through education and training so that teachers are able to take advantage of technological advances in the online learning process; (3) improve the ability/literacy of teachers and students in adopting advances in technology, information, and new communications according to global trends and realities; and (4) improving the quality of learning at Madrasah Aliyah by providing technological devices/technology infrastructure which are a requirement for online learning and facilitating internet quota packages as well as smooth and even internet connectivity.

CONCLUSION
Various efforts have been made in overcoming the difficulties of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic by Madrasah Aliyah in Bengkulu. Among them are providing internet connectivity or internet signals, improving digital skills in line with global realities, improving the ability and technological literacy of teachers and students, as well as providing technological devices, distributing internet quotas, providing learning motivation assistance with friendly communication outside of class hours, building the concept of independent learning, develop knowledge, character and spirituality (cognitive, affective and psychomotor aspects), use hybrid learning media (combined asynchronous and synchronous), use blended learning models, home visits, online consultation services through cheerful learning forums using zoom meetings, create Learning From Home (create collaboration between madrasahs and students' parents).
At the student level, there are some students who are unable to provide technological devices, internet connectivity, networks and internet signals, because socioeconomic class families are poor and live in villages far from the reach of the internet, resulting in students being unable to capture the message of teachers and teachers being unable and unskilled at conveying knowledge in line with global trends and realities, the learning process is uncommunicative, inresponsive, inactive and difficult to achieve student competence and achievement, and the online learning process is ineffective.
Suggestion; For educational institutions to immediately promote and adopt educational technology, information and communication to all relevant elements, prepare standardized learning infrastructure, improve digital literacy and skills in line with global trends and realities, conduct education and exercises to teachers and students so that the online learning process runs effectively. This paper has limitations in data sources, because it only relies on one area of Bengkulu province in Indonesia, so it cannot be used as a strong foundation in policy formulation in general. The formulation of policy as lesson learned requires in-depth and extensive surveys and interviews of informants to be used as the basis for policy formulas. Surveys and interviews of a number of readiness of human resources, educational facilities, infrastructure, and on ongoing services, and interviews with informants for experience of abilities, skills, readiness, and responses that can be a solid basis for the goal of improving educational services. Further studies can accommodate a wider and more diverse source of data on overcoming learning in every condition including crisis conditions in Indonesia, so that it can be a source of knowledge and deep understanding in managing learning and better quality of education in the future.