WITH the extension of the Movement Control Order (MCO) and the possibility that schools may remain closed for some time over the Covid-19 pandemic, 16-year-old Nur Irdina Azree is in a quandary.
Although she finds the extension of the SPM examination dates refreshing, she is still worried about exam readiness and getting enough practice in answering all the exam questions.
That was when she discovered FullAMark -- an online learning portal for students that contains educational resources prepared by writers of Berita Harian's (BH) education pullouts DIDIK, MINDA and SKOR for students.
The portal offers core subjects, namely Bahasa Melayu, English, Science and Mathematics for Year 5 and 6, as well as for Form Three, while for SPM, there is Bahasa Melayu, English, Mathematics and History.
Science and Mathematics are offered in dual languages for all levels.
For a month during the initial part of the MCO, students enjoyed free usage of the online portal. From May 1 until June 30, FullAMark will be made available at a reduced price of RM50 for a six months subscription.
Nur Irdina, who studies at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara Serting, Negri Sembilan, said it was easy to access practice questions and the notes for each lesson topic was up to date.
"I find that the portal contains quite an exhaustive list of topics following the syllabus. Under each topic are plenty of practice questions in the examination format," she said.
She said a key feature of FullAMark she finds crucial is the 'Notes'. "This is where students can find all the tips and information about the exam paper or question, such as how much time a student need to spend to do the essay in Bahasa Melayu Paper 1, what are the format of the question, how many objective questions from form 4 and how many questions are from form 5, etc.,"
"All the information will definitely help the student to prepare their exam better and focus on the area that they need to improve," she explained.
Another Form Five student who wished to be known only as Chua recently signed up to FullAMark during the MCO period.
He said: "I find that there are interesting learning options in the learning portal. With interactive features such as a two-way communication between student and teacher, students are able to highlight the problems they face in a particular subject to the online teacher (called the eCikgu) and get the help needed."
He said that there is also a feature where students can submit subjective style answers and essays to be marked by the eCikgu.
"Our essay will be marked by an e-teacher. The e-teacher also shows clearly what is our mistake, and also how to rewrite the correct sentence.
"This definitely benefits us as students as we can submit the essay as per the exercise online and the essay will be marked. Then it will be easy for us to understand our errors and improve in the future," said Chua.
The e-Cikgu feature offers live interaction with students where students can get feedback on anything they do not understand as well as comments on their answers.
Registered online users can also interact live with peers i.e. other students who are also studying at the same time and exchange ideas and knowledge.
Although the UPSR and PT3 exams have been cancelled, students are likely to have other cognitive assessments at the school, district or state levels. Selection for fully residential schools (SBP) will also still require a good academic and co-curricular achievement.
As such, students have been urged and advised to continue to study at home, or wherever they are at, via e-learning. Here's where they can make use of FullAMark as a home-based learning platform to remain on track with their studies and revisions in line with the school syllabus.
FullAMark also gives parents the flexibility to monitor their children's progress while keeping up with their studies. Mohamad Zaini Md Noor, a parent from Cheras, Selangor who had recently signed up his son for the online portal said that the e-learning platform is godsend especially after the MCO was implemented.
"My son can't go to school and attend extra classes at school. FullAMark helps to fill his free time, as well as reviewing all subjects at home," said Mohamad Zaini.
His son Aqeel Hazimi Mohamad Zaini, 12, who goes to Sekolah Kebangsaan Bandar Tun Hussein Onn (2) finds the writing section for English and Science subjects most challenging.
"I will make use of the notes and exercises in FullAMark to practise and revise," he said.
"For the objective questions I can check my answers straight away. But for the subjective questions, I will post my answers online and wait for the e-Cikgu to give me feedback," he added.
As for teachers looking for online resources, and platforms to carry out teaching and learning (Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran -- PdP) during the MCO, FullAMark can provide greater control over students with the FullAMark Class feature.
With this feature, teachers can now focus on creating dynamic lessons for their students that allow better engagement. They can also provide additional content by assigning quizzes and monitoring students' progress online.
Wan Firdaus Yahya who teaches PT3 and SPM level Science at SMK Seri Lipis, Pahang said that education portals such as FullAMark are important to facilitate teachers and students in finding information, as well as be alternative learning materials throughout the MCO.
"I find it interesting and am exploring the possibilities of using the portal with my classes online since no physical lesson is possible," she said.
To find out more about the e-learning portal and how to subscribe, visit www.fullamark.com.my.
