The Academic Demoralization of Students in Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Academic moralization, which has been internalized through educational institutions with teacher supervision at schools, now falls into a decline in line with the implementation of distance education due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This article aims to show that an educational system that does not offer in-person teaching leads to students ignoring the values of academic morality, such as plagiarism, discipline, and responsibility. This article employs a qualitative descriptive method by relying on online news mapping data as a secondary source and verified data from interviews with elementary school students as the primary source. The results of this study indicate that online education as a learning solution during the pandemic has caused students to plagiarize, cheat, rely on others to complete their tasks, and lose an overall sense of discipline and responsibility. This study suggests a new direction of moral education that does not only rely on teacher supervision but rather builds the wisdom of students' independence upon learning.

Merdeka Belajar in an Online Learning during The Covid-19 Outbreak: Concept and Implementation

Nadiem Makarim, the Minister of Education and Culture, released "Merdeka Belajar" (Freedom to Learn) as his revolutionary program by the end of 2019. It aims to make significant changes in the world of education. The current study aims to demonstrate the understanding of primary school teachers’ understanding of the concept and implementation of Merdeka Belajar during Covid-19. Data were obtained through surveys via Google-Forms and in-depth interviews via WhatsApp with twenty primary school teachers at private and public schools around DKI Jakarta, Bogor, and Banten. In contrast, secondary data is obtained from previous research and online news directly related to this study. They were analyzed through restatement, description, and interpretation stages. The investigation resulted that the teachers having conceptually understood the program of Merdeka Belajar well. They agreed and accepted the program to reform and improve the education quality and the changes of times. The problem lies in the practical implementation due to the limited number of teacher movers in every school unit as creators, innovators, and role models for the other teachers. Besides, the lack of supporting infrastructure for online learning and the teachers’ mastery of technology also hinder the program’s success. Finally, this study recommended the need to socialize with the community, hold more teacher training, increase the number and distribution of teacher movers, and improve teachers’ skills in using information and communication technology in the learning process. © 2021

Urban Fortification and the Contestation of Space: A Case Study in Kayu Putih Housing Complex

Since the tragedy of May 1998 riot in Jakarta, there have been attempts by the community to protect themselves and their properties. The efforts to add protections are achieved through fortification of the area where they live, so that it is closed and difficult to access for outsiders other than the residents. This fortification effort is against the 21st principle of The Charter of New Urbanism that encourages urban areas to be more open, letting cities become friendly places for people, inclusive, and more enliven. This principle aims to create a more dynamic contestation [1] in urban spaces as an effort to improve the livelihood of the city residents, and yet fortification as a protective effort is contradicting the very principle. The Kayu Putih area is chosen as the study area because the author has been part of the residents of the area and witness the development of the fortifications from May 1998 incident up till now, the period of Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study reviews how the fortifications affect the contestation of spaces [2] within the urban setting, and sees its impact on its society [3]. This research uses qualitative method by carrying out field surveys ethnographically in order to access the phenomena and see the impacts that come up. In addition, supporting questionnaires are used to see residents’ opinions on fortification, spatial use patterns, and the impact of fortification from time to time on their daily activities and towards the urban space. This study found interesting patterns, especially on the surrounding gates, which became sort of fortresses of the compound/area. Even though the gates closed or have limited access, its existence opens other opportunities for activities, which will not appear if the gates remain open. This research hopefully helps urban designers to consider the expected security [4], as well as the social aspects of fortification and its openness, so that there would be balances between the fortification effort and the contestation of its urban space. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.