Challenges of Teaching and Learning under Lockdown at Wits University: Implications for the Future of Blended Learning
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-5895/14226Keywords:
Covid-19, teaching and learning, wellbeing, higher education, blended learning, South AfricaAbstract
In response to social distancing regulations of 2020 aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, universities had to rapidly transition from face-to-face learning to Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERTL). University students and staff faced many barriers to reliably accessing online platforms, together with widespread psychosocial challenges associated with the pandemic. This article reports on these challenges, juxtaposing the experiences of university staff members and students at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits). This study used a mixed methods design and drew on two university-wide surveys for staff and one for students, followed by in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). Of those invited, 9% of the student body and 7% of staff responded, with 43 students and 22 staff members participating in the interviews and discussions. Three overarching challenges emerged for both staff and students: 1) physical limitations, including poor access to reliable internet, compounded by persistent power outages; 2) pedagogicalchallenges as staff and students adjusted to a new learning modality; and 3) balancing aspects of personal life and wellbeing with work and studies, including remaining productive while contending with family responsibilities and emotional challenges brought about by the pandemic. The study highlights several issues, including structural considerations and the importance of promoting a sense of community and belonging, that should be considered as the University transitions to blended learning.
References
Arroll, Bruce, Felicity Goodyear-Smith, Susan Crengle, Jane Gunn, Ngaire Kerse, Tana Fishman, Karen Falloon, and Simon Hatcher. 2010. “Validation of PHQ-2 and PHQ-9 to Screen for Major Depression in the Primary Care Population.” The Annals of Family Medicine 8 (4): 348–53. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.1139. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.1139
Badaru, Kazeem Ajasa, Kemi Olajumoke Adu, Emmanuel Olusola Adu, and Ntombozuko Duku. 2022. “Teaching in a Pandemic: An Exploratory Study into University Instructors’ Perceptions of Work-from-home Opportunities and Challenges during the COVID-19 Lockdown in South Africa.” International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research 21 (7): 286–304. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.7.15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.21.7.15
Bates, Anthony William. 2022. Teaching in a Digital Age: Guidelines for Designing Teaching and Learning-Third Edition. Vancouver: Tony Bates Associates Ltd. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev3m/.
Bekker, Tanya, and Nazir Carrim. 2021. “Education Lecturers’ Perceptions of Organising Systematic Online Teaching and Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic Conditions in 2020 at Two Selected Universities in South Africa.” Journal of Education n84. https://doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i84a03. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i84a03
Fouche, Ilse, and Grant Andrews. 2022. “‘Working from Home Is One Major Disaster’: An Analysis of Student Feedback at a South African University during the Covid-19 Lockdown.” Education and Information Technologies 27 (1): 133–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10652-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10652-7
Hodges, Charles, Stephanie Moore, Barb Lockee, Torrey Trust, and Aaron Bond. 2020. “The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning.” Educause Review. 2020. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning.
Gittings, Lesley, Elona Toska, Sally Medley, Lucie Cluver, Carmen H. Logie, Nokubonga Ralayo, Jenny Chen, and Jane Mbithi-Dikgole. 2021. “‘Now My Life Is Stuck!’: Experiences of Adolescents and Young People during COVID-19 Lockdown in South Africa.” Global Public Health (6): 947–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2021.1899262. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2021.1899262
Habib, Adam, Mamokgethi Phakeng, and Tawana Kupe. 2020. “Three South African Vice-Chancellors Paint a Post-COVID Picture for Universities.” The Conversation. August 2, 2020. Accessed 11/07/2023. https://theconversation.com/three-south-african-vice-chancellors-paint-a-post-covid-picture-for-universities-143490.
Harris, Paul A., Robert Taylor, Brenda L. Minor, Veida Elliott, Michelle Fernandez, Lindsay O’Neal, Laura McLeod, Giovanni Delacqua, Francesco Delacqua, Jacqueline Kirby, and Stephany N. Duba. 2019. “The REDCap Consortium: Building an International Community of Software Platform Partners.” Journal of Biomedical Informatics 95 (1): 103208. Academic Press Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2019.103208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2019.103208
Krull, Greig E., and Fiona MacAlister. 2022. “Rapidly Orienting Academic Staff for Emergency Remote Teaching: Responsive Approaches for Academic Professional Learning.” Academic Voices, January, 283–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-91185-6.00029-x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91185-6.00029-X
Laher, Sumaya, Katherine Bain, Nabeelah Bemath, Victor de Andrade, and Tasneem Hassem. 2021. “Undergraduate Psychology Student Experiences during COVID-19: Challenges Encountered and Lessons Learnt.” South African Journal of Psychology 51 (2): 215–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246321995095. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246321995095
Landa, Nhlanhla, Sindiso Zhou, and Newlin Marongwe. 2021. “Education in Emergencies: Lessons from COVID-19 in South Africa.” International Review of Education 67 (1–2): 167–83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-021-09903-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-021-09903-z
Maslow, Abraham H. 1943. “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Psychological Review 50 (4): 370–96. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/h0054346
Motala, Shireen, and Kirti Menon. 2020. “In Search of the ‘New Normal’: Reflections on Teaching and Learning during Covid-19 in a South African University” 26 (1): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.10520/ejc-sare-v26-n1-a6.
Nyar, Annsilla. 2021. “The ‘Double Transition’ for First-Year Students: Understanding the Impact of Covid-19 on South Africa’s First-Year University Students.” Journal for Students Affairs in Africa 9 (1): 77–92. https://doi.org/10.24085/jsaa.v9i1.1429. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24085/jsaa.v9i1.1429
Olawale, Babawande Emmanuel, Bonginkosi Hardy Mutongoza, Emmanuel Olusola Adu, Isaiah Omodan Bunmi, and Ac Za. 2021. “COVID-19 Induced Psychosocial Challenges in South African Higher Education: Experiences of Staff and Students at Two Rural Universities.” Research in Social Sciences and Technology 6 (3): 179–93. https://doi.org/10.46303/ressat.2021.37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46303/ressat.2021.37
Republic of South Africa. 2020. Declaration of National State of Disaster: Disaster Management Act, 2002 by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Government Gazette. South African Regulation 3 (3) Section 27 (2) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act no. 57 of 2002). Accessed 30/05/2023. https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202003/43096gon313.pdf.
van-Schalkwyk, François. 2020. “Reflections on the Public University Sector and the Covid-19 Pandemic in South Africa.” Studies in Higher Education 46 (1). https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1859682. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1859682
Spitzer, Robert L., Kurt Kroenke, Janet B.W. Williams, and Bernd Löwe. 2006. “A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder: The GAD-7.” Archives of Internal Medicine 166 (10): 1092–97. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
Themane, Mahlapahlapana Johannes, and Layane Thomas Mabasa. 2022. “Epistemic Access and Success of Historically Disadvantaged Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A South African Experience.” Perspectives in Education 40 (1): 18–38. https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v40.i1.2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v40.i1.2
Visser, Maretha, and Eloise Law-van Wyk. 2021. “University Students’ Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Ensuing Lockdown.” South African Journal of Psychology 51 (2): 229–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/00812463211012219. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00812463211012219
Wagner, Fezile, Wagner, Ryan G, Kolanisi, Unathi, Makuapane, Lerato, Masango, Mxolisi, and Gómez-Olivé, Frances Xavier. 2022. “The Relationship between Depression Symptoms and Academic Performance among First-Year Undergraduate Students at a South African University: A Cross-Sectional Study.” BMC Public Health 22 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14517-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14517-7
Wits. 2019. “Wits Learning and Teaching Plan 2020-2024.” Johannesburg.
“Wits 2020 Annual Report.” 2020. Johannesburg. Accessed: 20/07/2023 https://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/students/academic-matters/documents/2020%20Annual%20Report.pdf.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Fezile Wagner, Mxolisi Masango, Shirra Moch, Greig Krull, Ryan G. Wagner, Laura Dison, Diane Grayson
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2024-03-20
Published 2024-04-24