scholarly journals Lecturer Autoethnographies of Adjusting to Online Student Interactions during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-168
Author(s):  
Sandra Makwembere ◽  
Obert Matarirano ◽  
Nobert Rangarirai Jere
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Student Interactions ◽  
Historically Disadvantaged ◽  
South African Higher Education

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed South African historically disadvantaged institutions, that had not yet reached advanced levels of technology use in teaching and learning, to find immediate solutions to salvage the disrupted academic year. Interactions with students, which had predominantly been face-to-face, shifted to various online platforms for lecturers to adopt emergency remote teaching approaches. Most of the lecturers were unprepared or incapacitated to make the shift to online environment. Studies have looked at the online teaching and learning experiences of students and lecturers during the COVID-19 pandemic but very few have taken an autoethographic approach to their inquiry and situated experiences in historically disadvantaged institutions. In this article, as lecturers, we use autoethnographies to provide an account of adjusting to interacting with students online during national lockdowns at a historically disadvantaged institution. The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) was applied to guide the study. This reflexive approach is valuable, as it captures professional encounters and reflections needed to understand the effects of rapid changes to teaching and learning in response to the pandemic. Given the education disparities that already existed between South African higher education institutions before COVID-19, the article contributes to the discourse on how historically disadvantaged institutions can advance higher standards of teaching and learning to serve students better. Our reflections point to the personal, technical and structural challenges of maintaining regular online interaction. Our findings show that different approaches and techniques were applied to adjust to virtual teaching and learning. As teaching and learning methodologies have the potential to ingrain social inequalities, we made recommendations on how to improve online interactions with students from historically disadvantaged contexts.

scholarly journals Preservice Training Amid a Pandemic in Ghana: Predictors of Online Learning Success Among Teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Nketsia ◽  
Maxwell P. Opoku ◽  
Ahmed H. Mohammed ◽  
Emmanuel O. Kumi ◽  
Rosemary Twum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Colleges Of Education ◽  
Learning Success

The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak has brought the world to a standstill, especially the education sector. Globally, it has claimed over two million lives, with over 100 million people infected, forcing schools to close down. This has reignited the importance of online teaching and learning for preservice teachers who comprise the next frontiers in providing online education to their future students. However, studies on online learning [OL] success among preservice teachers in developing countries, such as Ghana, remain scarce. Accordingly, this study mainly aimed to assess the predictors of OL success among preservice teachers in Ghana. Bandura’s social cognitive theory guided the study; in total, 526 preservice teachers were recruited from four colleges of education. Although the teachers were ambivalent regarding the success of OL, significant differences were found between the following demographics: gender, specialization, marital status, the preferred mode of learning, and the place of residence. Moreover, the study discussed the need for intensive information and communications technology education among preservice teachers, particularly women, developing their confidence in computer skills, and other recommendations.

A CUSTOMISED FRAMEWORK FOR EFFECTIVE PODCAST INTEGRATION IN A SOUTH AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-32
Author(s):  
Shane Pachagadu ◽  
Liezel Nel
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning Environment ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
South African Higher Education ◽  
Effective Integration

Numerous studies have explored the potential of podcast integration in teaching and learning environments. This paper first presents and organises perspectives from literature in a conceptual framework for the effective integration of podcasting in higher education. An empirical study is then discussed in which the guidelines presented in the framework were evaluated for applicability in a selected course at a South African University of Technology. Since the results of the study revealed a number of aspects not accounted for in the conceptual framework, the framework was customised to make it more applicable for the particular higher education environment. The customised framework identifies four principles and a series of related guidelines for the effective integration of podcasts in a South African higher education teaching and learning environment. This framework can become a valuable resource for effective podcast integration in similar environments.

Covid-19: Interdisciplinary Explorations of Impacts on Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
African Higher Education ◽  
Production Knowledge ◽  
South African Higher Education ◽  
The Impact

Premised on the disruption and lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic, and in meticulous response to the impact of the pandemic on higher education – especially in South Africa – this collection of chapters spotlights the effects, consequences, and ramifications of an unprecedented pandemic in the areas of knowledge production, knowledge transfer and innovation. With the pandemic, the traditional way of teaching and learning was completely upended. It is within this context that this book presents interdisciplinary perspectives that focus on what the impact of Covid-19 implies for higher education institutions. Contributors have critically reflected from within their specific academic disciplines in their attempt to proffer solutions to the disruptions brought to the South African higher education space. Academics and education leaders have particularly responded to the objective of this book by focusing on how the academia could tackle the Covid-19 motivated disruption and resuscitate teaching, research, and innovation activities in South African higher education, and the whole of Africa by extension.

scholarly journals Online Teaching With M-Learning Tools in the Midst of Covid-19: A Reflection Through Action Research

10.28945/4761 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minh Q. Huynh ◽  
Eraj Khatiwada
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Frame Work

Aim/Purpose: In the midst of COVID-19, classes are transitioned online. Instructors and students scramble for ways to adapt to this change. This paper shares an experience of one instructor in how he has gone through the adaptation. Background: This section provides a contextual background of online teaching. The instructor made use of M-learning to support his online teaching and adopted the UTAUT model to guide his interpretation of the phenomenon. Methodology: The methodology used in this study is action research through participant-observation. The instructor was able to look at his own practice in teaching and reflect on it through the lens of the UTAUT conceptual frame-work. Contribution: The results helped the instructor improve his practice and better under-stand his educational situations. From the narrative, others can adapt and use various apps and platforms as well as follow the processes to teach online. Findings: This study shares an experience of how one instructor had figured out ways to use M-learning tools to make the online teaching and learning more feasible and engaging. It points out ways that the instructor could connect meaningfully with his students through the various apps and plat-forms. Recommendations for Practitioners: The social aspects of learning are indispensable whether it takes place in person or online. Students need opportunities to connect socially; there-fore, instructors should try to optimize technology use to create such opportunities for conducive learning. Recommendations for Researchers: Quantitative studies using surveys or quasi-experiment methods should be the next step. Validated inventories with measures can be adopted and used in these studies. Statistical analysis can be applied to derive more objective findings. Impact on Society: Online teaching emerges as a solution for the delivery of education in the midst of COVID-19, but more studies are needed to overcome obstacles and barriers to both instructors and students. Future Research: Future studies should look at the obstacles that instructors encounter and the barriers with technology access and inequalities that students face in online classes. NOTE: This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 18, 173-193. Click DOWNLOAD PDF to download the published paper.

scholarly journals Online Learning in a South African Higher Education Institution: Determining the Right Connections for the Student

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothy Ruth Queiros ◽  
Mary Ruth De Villiers
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
South African ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
The Right

<p class="3">Online learning is a means of reaching marginalised and disadvantaged students within South Africa. Nevertheless, these students encounter obstacles in online learning. This research investigates South African students’ opinions regarding online learning, culminating in a model of important connections (facets that connect students to their learning and the institution). Most participants had no prior experience with online learning. Their perceptions and barriers to learning may apply to other developing countries as well.</p><p class="3">A cross-sequential research design was employed using a survey among 58 fourth-year students who were studying a traditional paper-based module via open distance learning. The findings indicated certain essential connections:  first, a <em>strong s</em><em>ocial presence </em>(through timely feedback, interaction with facilitators, peer-to-peer contact, discussion forums, and collaborative activities); second, <em>technological aspects</em><strong> </strong>(technology access, online learning self-efficacy, and computer self-efficacy); and third, <em>tools</em><strong> </strong>(web sites, video clips). The study revealed low levels of computer/internet access at home, which is of concern in an ODL milieu heading online.   Institutions moving to online learning in developing countries should pay close attention to their students’ situations and perceptions, and develop a path that would accommodate both the disadvantaged and techno-savvy students without compromising quality of education and learning. The article culminates in practical recommendations that encompass the main findings to help guide institutions in developing countries as they move towards online teaching and learning.</p>

scholarly journals Examining Technology Acceptance in Learning and Teaching at a Historically Disadvantaged University in South Africa through the Technology Acceptance Model

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Clever Ndebele ◽  
Munienge Mbodila
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Technology Acceptance Model ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Historically Disadvantaged ◽  
Acceptance Model

The exponential growth in the use of technology for learning and teaching in the higher education sector has imposed pressure on academics to embrace technology in their teaching. The present study sought to examine factors underlying technology acceptance in learning and teaching at a historically disadvantaged university in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Premised on the mixed methods approach and undergirded by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), both a pre-coded and an open-ended questionnaire were used to collect data. Data from the pre-coded questionnaire were analysed through the descriptive statistical approach. The qualitative data from the open-ended questionnaire were analysed through content analysis. The study found that most academic staff believe and see the value that ICTs bring in their teaching and learning practices. In addition, they are aware that technology use in education improves learning and teaching, and they are willing to embrace the use of technology to improve their practices. Based on the findings, we recommend intensification of lecturer training in the use of technology for teaching and learning to enable them to embrace it in their teaching practice. Furthermore, the institution needs to put in place support systems for academic staff to empower them to have continuous access to devices and internet connection for technology integration in teaching and learning. We recommend establishment of e-learning communities of practise in the university that will allow lecturers to assist each other as well as share best practices in the use of technology for teaching and learning.

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