Corona Virus Disease or COVID-19 has become a pandemic that has spread in
Indonesia since March 2020. One of the most significant impacts has occurred in the
learning process within the university with the presence of the e-learning concept through
distance learning systems of networks and digital-based. Distance learning has increased
information retention and improved the skills of the academic community in using
various applications used in the learning process. Displacement of learning methods that
are so fast will also provide less conducive conditions and thus become a challenge in
educational institutions. This research was conducted to describe the ability of students in
information retrieval and the use of several applications, the majority of which are used
in the learning process at one of the faculties at UIN Imam Bonjol Padang. The research
method was carried out through the distribution of online questionnaires related to the
effectiveness of the implementation of distance lectures, the constraints experienced, and
the ability to use applications that are used from the student's perspective. The results
show the ability of students in searching electronic information and the use of
applications that are commonly used, in this case, Google Classroom, Zoom, and
WhatsApp. The results showed that 82.9% of FAH students disrupted the WhatsApp
Group application as a flexible application in utilizing digital learning media.
Keywords: Distance Learning; Information Seeking Behaviour; Information
Technology; COVID-19; Islamic Higher Education.