Page 18 - Jurnal Kurikulum BPK 2018

through the use of the emoticons or by facilitating the line of communication between them. Most
importantly it assisted in the teaching and learning process.

Discussion on the Critical Factors for the Sustainability of the Initiative

To sustain the initiative, there are four critical factors. The first factor is the fast, effective
and reliable delivery of messages and replies. It enabled the senders to get the message across to
many people instantly at the press of the button. The male English lecturer used this because he
could contact his students very fast as they were all under one WhatsApp group. The male monitor
concurred that it was a medium of communication between the lecturer and the students outside
the lecture room. The History lecturer also supported this point by saying that it was generally
very effective and fast communication. Even the Head of the Language Department reiterated that
messages regarding changes of lecture time and place were transmitted quickly resulting in prompt
replies from the recipients. It had basically proven to be effective and thereby sustainable.
The second factor is the question of convenience, i.e. it is useful and easy to use. The female
coordinator shared that the convenience of using WhatsApp aided her in carrying out her duties
properly. The male monitor also agreed that it was convenient by saying it was very useful and he
really wanted the method to be continued next semester so that they could keep on utilizing it.
Even the Head of the Language Department said he used it because it is convenient in addition to
being free. Even lecturers appreciate the fact that it is a lightning fast, easy-to-use and reliable
service provided with no charge. Both the students and the Head claimed that they used the service
because it was convenient. This helps it to be highly sustainable.
The third factor the change initiative can be sustained is it helped the lecturers to forge
good rapport with their students. In the institution concerned, academic lecturers are assessed on
their teaching and learning strategies by their students at the end of every semester. Hence, the
necessity of having good rapport with the students is of utmost importance to the lecturers
concerned. The male English lecturer did this through the use of emoticons to soften the impact
of his messages especially to remind them to finish their work or to see him. In his own words:
“Sometimes I can attach emoticons. These youngsters can understand this “emo” better than
the instruction. To soften down total impact and make it friendlier.” He continued by saying
“Yes and also to have good rapport with students to show them I am also like them, using
the latest trends, using the “emo”. Therefore, using WhatsApp enabled the lecturer to be
innovative, approachable and to be trendy like them. He further added “I am going to use this
one because it is the simplest way of getting to my students. Of course for better interaction
with students…”
Even the History lecturer admitted it was very useful. “Amat berguna, memudahkan
pelajar untuk bersoaljawab. Pelajar dapat bertanya serius berkaitan pelajaran yang
diajar”. Using WhatsApp enabled him to forge better rapport with his students as it ease the
interaction process between him and his students. They were able to ask him serious questions
online relating to the subject taught. The students were also in favour of having this online form
of communication to connect with their lecturers. The female student had this to say “So this
WhatsApp group need to be made for every subject we can ask the lecturer or even our
friends about the assignment…” By using WhatsApp they could forward any queries they had
regarding their assignments even after working hours.
The fourth reason the change initiative can be sustained is that it helped in the teaching and
learning process. This was verified earlier by the History lecturer who used it as a medium between
him and his students. They used it to forward questions to clarify the topics taught. He also used

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