Online vs Physical Classes During Severe Haze in Kuching, Sarawak: Rethinking Higher Education in a Crisis

There are some mornings in Kuching when the familiar skyline disappears behind a grey veil.

The air feels heavier. Visibility becomes poorer. The smell of smoke lingers. Students arrive on campus wearing masks, lecturers enter classrooms wondering whether outdoor activities should be cancelled, and parents begin asking an increasingly important question:

Should students still be attending physical classes when the air outside is unhealthy?

For colleges and universities in Kuching, Sarawak, haze is more than an environmental inconvenience. When air quality deteriorates significantly, it becomes an issue involving health, safety, academic continuity and institutional responsibility.

This creates a difficult dilemma for higher education institutions. Should classes continue physically because face-to-face education remains valuable? Or should institutions temporarily move lessons online to reduce students’ and lecturers’ exposure to polluted air?

The answer is not necessarily a simple choice between online learning and physical learning.

Instead, severe haze may be an opportunity for colleges and universities to ask a more important question:

How can we protect our students and educators without allowing a temporary environmental crisis to become an educational crisis?

The answer may lie in a flexible, carefully managed approach that places health first while preserving learning continuity.

Haze Is Not Simply “Bad Weather”

It is easy to treat haze as something that merely makes the sky look unpleasant. However, haze is an air-quality problem involving suspended pollutants and particulate matter.

Malaysia uses the Air Pollutant Index (API) to communicate air-quality conditions and their potential health implications. The Department of Environment explains that the API categorises air quality from good through hazardous levels and provides action criteria under the National Haze Action Plan (Department of Environment Malaysia, 2021).

The health implications become particularly important when fine particulate matter is present.

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies particulate matter, particularly PM2.5, as one of the pollutants with significant health consequences. Fine particles can penetrate deeply into the respiratory system and contribute to cardiovascular and respiratory problems (WHO, 2024).

Malaysia’s Ministry of Health similarly advises people to reduce outdoor physical activities and, where possible, remain indoors during haze. When outdoor exposure is unavoidable, appropriate respiratory protection such as N95 or P100 respirators may be considered (Ministry of Health Malaysia, 2026).

For students and lecturers, this raises a practical concern.

If travelling to campus, walking between buildings, participating in outdoor activities or simply spending several hours in an environment affected by poor air quality increases exposure, should educational institutions continue operating exactly as normal?

Perhaps not.

The Case for Physical Classes

Before declaring online learning the obvious solution, it is important to recognise why physical classes remain central to higher education.

A physical classroom offers something that technology cannot always reproduce perfectly: human presence.

Students can immediately ask questions. Lecturers can observe facial expressions and body language. Group discussions can develop organically. Friendships and professional networks can form. Practical activities, presentations, laboratory sessions and demonstrations can be conducted more naturally.

For some students, attending campus also provides structure.

The physical separation between “study time” and “personal time” can make it easier to maintain discipline. Students who struggle with self-management may find it difficult to maintain concentration when studying from home.

There is also an important social dimension.

College and university education is not solely about completing assignments and passing examinations. It is also about developing communication skills, teamwork, leadership, confidence and interpersonal relationships.

A student may learn the theory of teamwork from an online presentation.

But participating in a real team, negotiating different opinions, presenting an idea to classmates and solving a disagreement can create a very different learning experience.

Physical classrooms therefore remain valuable.

However, valuable does not necessarily mean appropriate under every circumstance.

The Case for Online Classes During Severe Haze

When air quality becomes seriously unhealthy, online learning offers one significant advantage:

It reduces the need for physical exposure.

Students can remain at home while attending lectures through platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet or the institution’s learning management system.

Lecturers can continue teaching.

Students can continue learning.

Assignments can still be submitted.

Discussions can still take place.

And most importantly, unnecessary travel and outdoor exposure can be reduced.

This is particularly relevant because haze does not affect every individual equally. The WHO notes that some groups are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution, including people with existing health conditions, children and older people (WHO, 2026).

Although college and university students are generally young adults, they are not a completely homogeneous population. Some may have asthma, respiratory sensitivities or other health considerations. Lecturers and staff may also have different levels of vulnerability.

Therefore, a blanket assumption that everyone can tolerate the same level of haze exposure would be inappropriate.

Online Learning Is No Longer an Emergency Experiment

One reason online classes are increasingly realistic during environmental disruptions is that higher education has already gained substantial experience with digital learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced universities and colleges around the world to rapidly adopt remote teaching. A systematic mapping review by Bond et al. (2021), covering 282 empirical studies, demonstrated the enormous scale of research and experimentation that emerged around online teaching and learning in higher education.

This does not mean that online learning is automatically better.

It means that higher education institutions now possess something they did not have to the same extent before the pandemic:

experience.

Lecturers have become more familiar with digital platforms.

Students have become more accustomed to virtual classrooms.

Learning management systems have become more established.

Digital assessment and electronic submission systems have become more normal.

Consequently, temporarily shifting selected classes online during severe haze is no longer necessarily an extraordinary disruption.

It can be part of an institution’s educational continuity strategy.

But Online Learning Has Its Own Problems

Moving classes online during haze may protect students from outdoor exposure, but it would be unrealistic to suggest that online learning has no disadvantages.

The first problem is engagement.

A student may log into a virtual lecture without actually participating. The camera may be switched off. Attention may shift towards social media, household activities or other distractions.

Research into student engagement during emergency remote teaching has highlighted the complexity of maintaining meaningful student participation in online environments (Yang et al., 2023).

The second problem is self-discipline.

Online learning requires students to manage their own time, concentration and learning behaviour. Research on self-regulated learning in online higher education has found that time management, metacognition, effort regulation and critical thinking are associated with academic achievement (Broadbent and Poon, 2015).

In simple terms:

Online learning gives students greater flexibility, but flexibility also requires greater responsibility.

The third challenge is technology.

Not every student has an equally strong internet connection, suitable device, quiet study environment or reliable access to electricity.

A student living in a crowded household may struggle to concentrate during a three-hour online lecture.

Another student may have limited broadband access.

Another may be sharing a laptop with family members.

Therefore, moving online does not automatically make education more accessible.

What About Lecturers?

The haze debate is often framed around students, but lecturers deserve equal consideration.

Lecturers may also need to travel to campus.

They may teach several consecutive classes.

They may supervise practical activities.

They may spend time moving between classrooms or buildings.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Health has emphasised that employers have responsibilities concerning the safety, health and welfare of employees during haze conditions (Ministry of Health Malaysia, 2025).

For higher education institutions, this suggests that haze management should not focus exclusively on students.

A responsible institutional policy should consider:

• students;
• lecturers;
• administrative staff;
• security personnel;
• maintenance workers;
• laboratory staff;
• campus visitors; and
• individuals with greater vulnerability to air pollution.

A healthy campus is not simply one with functioning classrooms.

It is one where the institution actively considers the environmental conditions under which teaching and learning take place.

The Parent’s Perspective: “Is My Child Safe?”

For parents, the issue becomes even more personal.

When parents send their children to college or university, they expect the institution to provide not only education but also a reasonably safe learning environment.

During periods of serious haze, parents may understandably question whether travelling to campus is necessary.

They may ask:

“Could my child attend the same lecture from home?”

“Does the student really need to travel through unhealthy air just to sit inside a classroom?”

“What happens if my child has breathing difficulties?”

These are legitimate questions.

At the same time, parents also want their children to maintain academic progress.

They do not want haze to result in cancelled classes, missed assessments or delayed graduation.

This is where flexible education becomes particularly valuable.

Instead of choosing between health and education, institutions can attempt to protect both.

The Real Winner May Be a Hybrid Model

Perhaps the most useful answer to the online-versus-physical debate is not to choose one permanently.

Instead:

Use the right mode for the right situation.

A college could establish a temporary haze-response framework based on air-quality conditions.

For example:

When air quality is acceptable

Physical classes can continue normally.

Campus activities, face-to-face discussions, practical sessions and student engagement activities can proceed.

When air quality becomes unhealthy

Institutions could reduce unnecessary outdoor activities, provide health advisories and allow greater flexibility for students with health concerns.

Lecturers could consider recording lectures or providing supplementary online materials.

When air quality becomes seriously unhealthy

Institutions could consider temporarily moving suitable theoretical classes online.

Students could attend lectures remotely while lecturers conduct classes digitally.

When conditions become hazardous

The institution could consider stronger measures, including temporary suspension of physical campus activities where appropriate, while maintaining academic continuity through online learning.

The exact response, however, should always follow current advice from relevant Malaysian authorities and the institution’s own emergency-management policies rather than relying on a generic threshold.

Not Every Class Can Go Online

This is where the discussion becomes more complicated.

A three-hour Business Management lecture can probably be transferred online relatively easily.

A discussion-based Economics tutorial can also be conducted virtually.

A Marketing presentation can potentially be delivered through a video-conferencing platform.

But what about:

• laboratory experiments?
• nursing practical sessions?
• engineering workshops?
• culinary training?
• clinical education?
• technical skills?
• hands-on demonstrations?

These activities may require physical facilities.

Consequently, a blanket policy of “everything goes online” may not be educationally appropriate.

Instead, institutions should classify courses according to their learning requirements.

Theory-heavy courses

These are generally easier to move online temporarily.

Discussion-based courses

These can use online breakout rooms, polls, forums and collaborative activities.

Practical courses

These may require modified schedules, smaller groups, alternative activities or postponement.

Assessments

Institutions should determine whether examinations can be conducted online securely or whether they should be rescheduled.

The objective is not simply to move everything onto a screen.

The objective is to preserve learning outcomes while minimising unnecessary health risks.

The Lecturer’s Classroom Can Become a Digital Classroom

A lecturer’s role becomes particularly important during a temporary transition to online teaching.

Simply switching on a webcam and delivering the same two-hour lecture may not produce the best learning experience.

Instead, lecturers can redesign lessons.

A 120-minute lecture could become:

20 minutes – introduction and key concepts

15 minutes – video, case study or current example

20 minutes – lecturer explanation

15 minutes – online poll or quiz

20 minutes – breakout-group discussion

15 minutes – group presentation

10 minutes – question-and-answer session

5 minutes – summary

This approach can make online classes more interactive.

Research on online learner satisfaction has identified factors such as learner characteristics, engagement and course delivery as important areas influencing students’ online learning experiences (Martin and Bolliger, 2022).

Therefore, successful online education is not merely about technology.

It is about pedagogy.

Students Also Have a Responsibility

The shift to online classes cannot succeed if students treat the arrangement as an unexpected holiday.

“Online class” does not mean “no class”.

Students should still:

• attend lessons punctually;
• participate in discussions;
• complete assignments;
• ask questions;
• maintain academic integrity;
• communicate with lecturers;
• meet deadlines; and
• manage their study schedules responsibly.

In fact, online learning during haze can become an opportunity to develop an important graduate attribute:

self-directed learning.

Employers increasingly value individuals who can manage their time, work independently, communicate digitally and remain productive under changing circumstances.

Therefore, learning to study effectively during a temporary disruption is itself a valuable life and career skill.

The Digital Divide Must Not Be Ignored

However, institutions must be careful not to assume that every student has the same technological resources.

A student with a modern laptop, fast fibre internet and a quiet study room has a very different online learning experience from a student relying on a smartphone and unstable mobile data.

This creates an important question of educational equity.

If colleges move online during haze, they should consider providing:

• downloadable lecture materials;
• recorded lectures where appropriate;
• flexible submission arrangements;
• low-bandwidth learning resources;
• alternative participation methods;
• reasonable attendance policies;
• access to campus facilities when conditions permit; and
• support for students experiencing technical difficulties.

The goal should be flexibility without lowering academic standards.

What Should Colleges and Universities in Kuching Do?

Rather than waiting until haze becomes severe, higher education institutions could develop a formal Haze Academic Continuity Plan.

Such a plan could include five key components.

1. Monitor

Monitor official air-quality information and relevant government advisories.

Malaysia’s API provides an established framework for communicating air-quality conditions and associated health implications (Department of Environment Malaysia, 2021).

2. Communicate

Students, parents and staff should receive clear and timely announcements.

Confusion can create unnecessary anxiety.

3. Adapt

Move appropriate theoretical classes online when conditions warrant it.

4. Protect

Reduce unnecessary outdoor activities and provide appropriate health guidance.

5. Continue

Maintain academic activities wherever reasonably possible through digital platforms and flexible arrangements.

This transforms haze management from a reactive decision into a structured institutional strategy.

Online or Physical? Perhaps the Question Is Wrong

The debate between online and physical classes often assumes that one method must defeat the other.

But education is not a competition between two delivery modes.

The real question should be:

Which mode of learning provides the safest and most effective educational experience under the circumstances?

On a normal day, physical classes may offer the strongest environment for interaction, social development and practical learning.

On a severely hazy day, online classes may provide a safer alternative for theory-based learning.

On another day, a hybrid model may be the best solution.

This is the essence of adaptive education.

Haze Could Teach Us Something About the Future of Education

Perhaps the most interesting lesson from a haze episode is not about smoke at all.

It is about resilience.

Climate-related events, environmental disruptions, extreme weather and other unexpected circumstances may increasingly challenge traditional assumptions about how education should be delivered.

A resilient college or university should therefore be capable of answering:

Can learning continue when circumstances change?

The answer should be yes.

Technology should not replace the physical campus.

Neither should the physical campus reject technology.

Instead, the future of higher education may increasingly involve institutions that can move intelligently between physical, online and blended environments depending on students’ needs and external circumstances.

Recent research continues to examine how online and blended learning can influence engagement and learning outcomes, reinforcing the idea that digital education should be designed deliberately rather than treated simply as a substitute for physical classrooms.

A Grey Sky Does Not Have to Mean a Grey Academic Future

Haze may temporarily turn Kuching’s blue skies grey.

But it does not have to turn education into uncertainty.

For students, severe haze can be a reminder that learning is not confined to four classroom walls.

For lecturers, it is an opportunity to rethink how teaching can remain engaging beyond the physical classroom.

For parents, it is an opportunity to recognise that educational quality and student safety must go hand in hand.

For colleges and universities, it is a test of institutional preparedness.

The ideal response is therefore neither “always go online” nor “always come to campus.”

It is:

Be flexible. Be responsible. Be informed.

When air quality is safe, embrace the richness of face-to-face education.

When conditions become unhealthy, use technology intelligently.

When health risks become serious, prioritise safety without abandoning learning.

Because ultimately, the purpose of education is not simply to ensure that students are physically present in a classroom.

It is to ensure that they are safe, engaged, supported and still learning.

And perhaps that is the most important lesson a hazy day in Kuching can teach us:

A changing environment should not stop education from moving forward. It should challenge education to become more adaptable.

References

Broadbent, J. and Poon, W.L. (2015) ‘Self-regulated learning strategies & academic achievement in online higher education learning environments: A systematic review’, The Internet and Higher Education, 27, pp. 1–13.

Bond, M., Bedenlier, S., Marín, V.I. and Händel, M. (2021) ‘Emergency remote teaching in higher education: mapping the first global online semester’, International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18, Article 50.

Department of Environment Malaysia (2021) Air Pollutant Index (API). Putrajaya: Department of Environment, Ministry of Environment and Water.

Martin, F. and Bolliger, D.U. (2022) ‘Developing an online learner satisfaction framework in higher education through a systematic review of research’, International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19, Article 50.

Ministry of Health Malaysia (2025) Health Advisory for Workplaces During Haze. Putrajaya: Ministry of Health Malaysia.

Ministry of Health Malaysia (2026) Actions to Take During Haze. Putrajaya: Ministry of Health Malaysia.

World Health Organization (2024) Ambient (outdoor) air pollution. Geneva: World Health Organization.

World Health Organization (2026) Health effects of air pollution: evidence and implications: technical brief. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Yang, D., Wang, H., Saleh Metwally, A.H. and Huang, R. (2023) ‘Student engagement during emergency remote teaching: A scoping review’, Smart Learning Environments, 10, Article 24.