PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE bioresources.com Ratnasingam et al. (2021). “WST online teaching,” BioResources 16(1), 403-416. 403 Effectiveness of Online Teaching and Learning of Wood Science and Technology Courses during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Early Evidences from a Survey of Malaysian Universities Jegatheswaran Ratnasingam, a, * Natkuncaran Jegathesan, b Hazirah Ab Latib, a Lee Yan Yi, a Manohar Mariapan, a Florin Ioras, c and Amir Affan Abdul Azim a Wood Science and Technology (WST) courses have been traditionally taught face-to-face in most of the universities worldwide, but the global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted classroom lessons, replacing them with online teaching and learning methods. To assess the effectiveness of these online methods, a survey of students and academics were carried out in several Malaysian universities offering the WST programs. The survey revealed that students were mostly challenged by the problems related to access to internet, computer hardware, and lack of communication. Further, the student-centered learning method was preferred, while non-technical courses were the most suited for online teaching and learning. In contrast, academics appear to prefer pre- recorded lectures and recorded videos as the most common method for teaching online, while continuous assessment of the student’s progress found limited application. The results found that to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning online of WST courses, factors such as connectivity, student’s preparedness, content design, pedagogical approach, peer communication, and the teacher’s presence, must be taken into consideration and improved. Keywords: Online learning; Wood science and technology; Assessment; Student-centered learning; Connectivity; COVID-19; Distance learning; Contact information: a: Department of Natural Resources Industry, Faculty of Forestry and Environment, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia; b: Faculty of Business, University of Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia; c: Enterprise and Innovation Center, Buckinghamshire New University, Queen Alexandra Road, High Wycombe, HP11 2JZ Buckinghamhire, England; *Corresponding author: jswaran1965@gmail.com INTRODUCTION In this digital age, teaching and learning are increasingly becoming dependent on computer and information technology (ICT), which also serves as a learning tool to promote efficient learning. Digital technologies can be used to connect and support learners working together, inevitably facilitating knowledge construction, collaboration, and reflection (Appana 2008). The prevailing connectivity achieved through the World-Wide- Web (WWW), where learners as well as knowledge creators connect with other participants with similar interests who can give feedback, is indeed the foundation of the digital age. Further, the digital age also allows for sharing and critiquing of knowledge as it is developed, thus making it possible to find the information in seconds. Unfortunately, this has resulted in lower importance accorded to remembering figures and facts, which are often regarded as the hallmark of the traditional learning method (Jones et al. 2008).