The digitalization of learning and teaching practices in higher education institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

In the year 2021, the world was exposed to and is still facing a health pandemic, the Covid-19 pandemic. The modes of learning and teaching had to adapt to the unexpected challenges and multiple demands on education because of the turbulent waters of Covid-19. The situation remains fluid as there is an international and national escalation of the infection rates and as lockdown restrictions are lifted, institutions of higher education are having to re-shape and adapt the rigid learning and teaching approaches to be more flexible and provide solutions to these challenges. This article reports on the transformation of learning and teaching practices in higher education institutions in South Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this article is to reflect on how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the modes of learning and teaching, despite several challenges that are still prevalent in these spaces. The article employs a qualitative research methodology approach and uses desktop research as a data collection tool. The findings revealed that the learning and teaching spaces are evolving to adapt to the circumstances, irrespective of the challenges, as it is an ongoing transformative environment that should ensure that these challenges are not exacerbated.

Keywords

Higher education fourth industrial revolution digital transformation online learning

Introduction

Section 29 of the Constitution of South Africa 1996, provides that everyone has the right to basic education, including adult basic education. Conversely, the right to quality education is restricted in certain instances, depending on the availability of proper infrastructure and resources. This perpetuates inequality as students residing in rural areas depend on the institutional facilities to provide the enabling spaces and platforms to ensure quality education. A myriad of challenges, such as poor socioeconomic backgrounds and financial constraints, contribute to the academic performance of students. Additionally, the shift to online (digital) learning has presented an array of uncertainties. However, despite the existence of significant policies that were formulated to address the educational inequalities, some students are still experiencing socioeconomic, academic and financial challenges to meet the demands of completing their degrees within a stipulated time frame.

Covid-19 has presented a new set of challenges in higher education institutions. These challenges have forced the stakeholders to rethink the learning and teaching practices to accommodate greater flexibility and deal with complexities in a short period. With the advancement of technology, the implementation of electronic initiatives in the learning and teaching practices in higher education institutions during Covid-19 has become an integral catalyst for the transformation of higher education.

The White Paper on Higher Education, 1997 (South Africa, Department of Education, 1997: 2) states that transformation of the higher education system should “reflect the changes that are taking place in our society as an attempt to redress inequalities.” In addition, The White Paper on Higher Education, 1997 states that the higher education system should meet the pressing national needs and respond to new realities and opportunities.

With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), technological advancements hold great possibilities for assisting higher education institutions in addressing challenges of learning and teaching. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools are used to “communicate, create, disseminate, store and manage information that is integral to the teaching-learning interaction by replacing chalkboards with interactive digital whiteboards” (Blurton, 2002). As of January 2019, South Africa had 31.18 million Internet users, of which 28.99 million were mobile Internet users (Clement, 2019). The Internet is changing the way people live today. This implies that more and more people will rely on the Internet for information. Many organizations’ top priority has quickly shifted to digital transformation (Seres et al., 2018). Higher education is one of the sectors that is influenced by digitalisation, and it faces a variety of challenges because of the environment’s rapid and diverse changes (Ng’ambi et al., 2016; Oliver and Jorre De St Jorre, 2018; Seres et al., 2018). The term “digital transformation” refers to the “changes that digital technology causes or influences in all aspects of human life” (Stolterman and Fors, 2004). Digital transformation is a journey, not a destination (TechCentral.ie, 2018), in which new technologies will require a constant evolution of working approaches, systems and processes throughout the system, to add value to users (Higher Education Authority (HEA), 2019). The phenomenon of digital transformation is studied extensively in a variety of academic fields (Seres et al., 2018). To survive and thrive, higher education and its leaders, like every other sector, must consider the digital transformation agenda.

Higher education institutions’ digital transformation is a process of technological and organisational changes brought about primarily by the advancement of digital technologies (Menendez et al., 2016). Olivier (2014) researched the integration of technology into theological education at the University of South Africa (UNISA). According to Olivier (2014), to transform educational approaches, a commitment to adapt to changing educational environments and flexibility is essential. This commitment to adapt to a changing educational environment must include the ongoing training of staff and students in technology, as well as research on how to use technology in a pedagogically viable manner (Olivier, 2014). Additionally, the development of ICT skills has been identified as a critical element of students' future full and active societal participation (OECD, 2015). Access to technology and technological literacy are among the challenges of a developing country such as South Africa. These challenges are frequently referred to as the digital divide, which refers to those who have access to technology and technological skills versus those who do not (Cloete, 2015). Furthermore, most of these challenges were exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Students from rural areas do not have access to an Internet connection and certain students are living in environments that are entirely unfavourable to learning, such as overcrowded homes with inadequate or unacceptable facilities (Ramolobe, 2020). As of 12 March 2020, 46 countries on five continents declared school and university closures to contain the spread of Covid-19 (Huang et al., 2020). This prompted governments and tertiary institutions all over the world to implement new policies to continue teaching practices during Covid-19 (Ali, 2020). The Covid-19 outbreak was unexpected, prompting many universities to opt for online learning to limit the spread of Covid-19 (Ali, 2020; Lei and Medwell, 2021). Online education, on the other hand, provides an environment in which all, and often marginalised, voices can be heard, contributing to increased student participation as well as collaborative learning. Despite the benefits of online learning, some challenges need to be addressed to increase and boost the quality of online teaching and learning (Ramolobe, 2020). Bao (2020) conducted a report in China on Covid-19 and online higher education teaching. Bao (2020) argues in her study that shifting all the current courses online in a matter of days is a huge and disruptive move. Since online courses require an extensive lesson plan design, teaching materials, such as audio and video content, as well as technology support teams are needed to teach effectively.

This article investigates the digitalisation of learning and teaching practices in higher education institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic. From the onset, the introduction of online learning presented higher institutions in South Africa with several challenges for both students and lecturers. As a result, this paper seeks to uncover which digital and educational technology is currently used in teaching and learning processes, as perceived by students and teachers.

Digitalisation in higher education institutions

Higher education digitalisation is a transformative process (Seres et al., 2018) that has a significant impact on all the activities of higher education institutions (Crittenden et al., 2019; Rampelt et al., 2018). Digitalisation pervades all processes, locations, formats and goals of higher education teaching, learning, research and work. This digital transformation includes the creation of new infrastructures as well as the increased use of digital media and technologies for teaching and learning, research, support services, administration, and communication, as well as the need for students and faculty to acquire new (digital) skills for their current and future workplaces (Rampelt et al., 2018). Recent research (Curaj et al., 2015; Seres et al., 2018; Wilms et al., 2017) indicates that universities should prepare students for a very different future. Furthermore, Rampelt et al. (2018) emphasise the importance of providing “a clear understanding of how digital technologies can enrich the student experience in Higher Education.” Universities are places where innovation is planned, tested and implemented; thus, a mutually dependent relationship between universities and technologies should be anticipated (Grosseck et al., 2020). According to PWC (2018), digital is here to stay. During the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, large-scale, national efforts to use technology to support remote learning, distance education, and online learning emerged and developed rapidly (Murgatrotd, 2020; Ramolobe, 2020). The Covid-19 outbreak was unexpected, prompting many universities to opt for online learning to limit the spread of Covid-19 (Ali, 2020; Lei, 2020). This disruption has an impact on and is changing higher education and academia, and it is expected to continue (PWC, 2018).

Digitalisation is not only a new challenge but also a powerful tool for addressing key challenges in higher education in the 21st century. Digital technologies are pervasive in our professional and personal lives (Effoduh, 2017). Over the last two decades, for example, African higher education has used technology in teaching and learning. With the advent of South African democracy in 1994, much optimism was evident in policy documents about what could be done to make higher education more inclusive (Leibowitz and Bozalek, 2014). Furthermore, the nature of higher education, how it is delivered, and the role of universities in society and the economy are changing and will continue to change significantly in the coming decade. Universities compete for students, academics and funding all over the world, and only those that stay relevant and leverage new digital capabilities will benefit in this digital age (PWC, 2018). Digitalisation has transformed the learning and teaching spaces from traditional ways of classroom or lecture learning and teaching to a virtual electronic platform. Du Plessis et al. (2019) contend that electronic learning (e-learning) is the “delivery and administration of learning by making use of a computer, network or web-based technology to support the growth and development of individuals.” Technology improves and advances constantly and higher education institutions cannot afford to exclude themselves from the advancements as an emerging technology has influenced the way e-learning is taking place.

According to Shelly et al. (2010: 519–521), many education and training institutions have resorted to e-learning, using completely online or blended, hybrid or mixed modes approaches. Shelly et al. (2010: 519–521) differentiate between the different modes of delivery, as indicated in Table 1.

Table 1.

Different modes of education and training.

Mode	Description
In-class/face-to-face/traditional learning	This mode of delivery includes no technology or online resources. Instruction takes place in a traditional classroom.
Web-enhanced or mediated learning	Limited technology is being used. A web page will be used to post the schedule or assignments and due dates for a course with the actual education or training still taking place in class.
Blended/hybrid or mixed methods	This mode of delivery blends online and face-to-face instruction techniques. Online discussions and content will take place with limited face-to-face meetings a few times during a semester/year.
Fully online	All the learning is interactive; activities take place online, including discussions and assessments.

Source: Shelly et al. (2010: 519–521).

Methodology

This article adopted a qualitative approach to critically review the relevant literature, specifically on transforming learning and teaching within a digital space in higher education institutions in South Africa. To select South African and global literature on digitalisation and its impact on the transformation of learning in South African higher education institutions, a criterion-based sampling method was used. The data were collected, planned, implemented and systematically recorded in accordance with the hermeneutic framework, which was used to integrate the analysis and interpretation of literature (Boell and Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2014). The title, abstract and full text of all selected desktop sources were screened. Moreover, a search was conducted by combining the following terms: higher education institution transformation, digitalisation, teaching and learning, and Covid-19. As a source of reference, some articles on e-learning and technology in higher education were used. As a result, the literature was gathered using electronic bibliographic databases and databases from various disciplines and websites, such as Journal Storage (JSTOR), Google Scholar, Africa Online Journals, Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus. These databases are the most relevant scientific information platforms that access scientific databases and the most significant publications of the various disciplines, more specifically, challenges of digital transformation in higher education institutions.

Systematic review of related literature

Based on the collected literature on digitalisation and its impact on the transformation of learning in South African higher education institutions, this section systematically synthesizes the literature analysis of the four topics that are central to this study. These themes shall include introduction of massive open online courses (MOOC); digital transformation barriers in higher institutions; digital transformation during Covid-19; and online Collaborative Learning (OCL).

Introduction of massive open online courses

The global launch of MOOCs (massive open online courses) has posed a challenge to the education sector in recent years, and despite resistance and reluctance, new modes of delivery have had to be adapted to meet the needs of industry and students. Change is scary, but it is necessary, and university departments were frequently slow to implement necessary measures to improve learning and teaching practices in their institutions where the traditional lecture format is still the norm (Grando and Calonge, 2014). However, seemingly, every month a new university is announcing its entry into the massive open online courses (MOOC) market (Marshall, 2014). MOOCs are the high-profile modern face of open education. Much of the material released as ‘open’ content is commonly provided for individual use but remains under the creator’s control and cannot be modified, amended or reused by others without their permission. Many academics believe that the target audience for open resources is not students but rather other academics, teaching similar courses who will simply use it as is (Brent et al., 2012; Marshall, 2014).

Early MOOC experience suggests that popular subjects are likely to pique the interest of hundreds of thousands of people, far too many to credibly participate in any effective community without significant effort in structuring their participation. Inevitably, this implies that communities will have to be formed continuously, building on the original “parent” community in a process akin to “forking” open-source projects. This then introduces inevitable inefficiencies as changes cannot easily be shared between different communities (Marshall, 2014). MOOCs, an emerging online instruction format, has drawn thousands of people from all over the world to learn about topics of interest without regard for time or geography. MOOC participants interact with course content, instructors and their peers via a MOOC platform, which collects a large amount of data on how students use various MOOC features. Such analytics can provide valuable insights into students’ learning behaviours as well as the design of MOOC instruction. Although MOOCs (massive open online courses) have yet to gain the traction that many expected, a new wave of innovative teaching techniques has arrived, and academics are investigating new methods of teaching that are supported by digital technologies. MOOCs are far from the end of digital disruption in educational methods (PWC, 2018). One of the primary reasons for using learning analytics in MOOCs is to predict students’ learning performances and outcomes, using data which are generated by students’ learning progress and learning styles (Avella et al., 2016).

The recent enthusiasm for massive open online courses (MOOC) in higher education presents a new challenge for educators who are seeking to generate highly active student learning within knowledge environments. MOOCs, while beneficial in many ways, emphasise individual learning in response to didactic instruction—while this is not the only model by which a MOOC could function, it appears to be the emerging norm (Quinton and Allen, 2014). Incorporating analytics into MOOCs can help to increase student engagement and improve learning outcomes. Researchers investigated ways to increase engagement and diagnose problems, using learning analytical algorithms (Lu et al., 2017). For instance, Lu et al. (2017) investigated the effectiveness of incorporating analytics into a programming course to increase students’ engagement in MOOCs. They used a parallelised action-based engagement measurement algorithm (PABA) to calculate students’ video views and forum posts to determine their levels of engagement. When a student’s level of engagement fell below a certain threshold, the instructor would receive a report and intervene. Their findings revealed that sending monthly reports to instructors increased their timely interventions, resulting in higher levels of behavioural, cognitive and emotional engagement of students. According to the findings of this study, it is critical for instructors to have easy access to their students’ online behavioural data and to provide nudges to those who are falling behind schedule.

Digital transformation barriers in higher institutions

Digital literacy is a major impediment to digital adoption in universities (PWC, 2018). All the stakeholders face a significant challenge in terms of digital literacy, which necessitates them updating their skills in the field on a global scale (Stolze et al., 2018). Digital literacy refers to the knowledge, skills and confidence required to use available technology and devices to achieve the desired results (PWC, 2018). Digital literacy entails the correct use of available data as well as the appropriate application of new technologies (Seiler and Fischer, 2021). There is some evidence of a link between digital literacy and the adoption of new technologies. According to PWC (2018), academics and staff may be hesitant to use tools in which they lack confidence, and they may be wary of participating in digital spaces where they may feel at a disadvantage to students (or digital natives, who have grown up with technology). Even though these digital natives are always connected and have mobile devices at their disposal, they rarely have the skills to use this technology effectively in a learning context. As a result, universities have a real responsibility to embrace digital, particularly when teaching, to ensure that students get the most out of new technology (PWC, 2018). Furthermore, universities must provide detailed information to their users about a variety of key assets. This includes information about their students, employees, professors and researchers, as well as their publications and patents, courses they teach, and research projects in which they are involved. However, it is difficult for universities to present a comprehensive, up-to-date, and consistent view of their key assets across the various digital communication channels and digital services.

Universities face new challenges because of the digital transformation. Universities must be able to provide complete, up-to-date and consistent information to their users across various communication channels and digital services (Maltese, 2019). The inherent complexity of the IT university ecosystem is at the root of this difficulty and such complications are unavoidable and beneficial. The use of various IT systems is essential to the myriad of business processes of universities, including institutional communication, library management, HR management, teaching and student support, research and technology transfer support, project management and fundraising, financial support, IT support, legal support, logistics, strategic planning, and many others (Maltese, 2019). Furthermore, university IT departments that must support digital initiatives are not always well equipped. Inflexible policies, ageing infrastructure, and a lack of experience working with digital agencies can all delay or prevent the implementation of new digital initiatives. Academics, staff and students who attempt to use digital technology in novel and innovative ways are frequently ‘shut down’ by IT departments fearful of losing control or concerned about risk and compliance (PWC, 2018). If those challenges can be met successfully, lecturers will be able to benefit from innovative solutions based on their expertise. Using digital technologies in teaching processes can also broaden their possibilities.

Digital transformation during Covid-19

Most governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions to halt the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. These nationwide closures affect hundreds of millions of students (Blurton, 2002). Although the reported cases of Covid-19 and associated deaths in African countries have been low in comparison to other continents, it is expected that the education of an African child will be the most affected after the Covid-19 period due to the economic and technological backwardness of most African countries (Blurton, 2002). According to a study conducted by Hedding et al. (2020), many higher education institutions were forced to scramble to put study material for students online due to Covid-19. Contact universities have had to develop innovative and flexible ways to provide students with both theory and practical components, as well as alternative forms of formative (and most likely summative) assessments. Academic personnel, on the other hand, typically have little, if any, expertise or education in pedagogy or online learning delivery. Academics with teaching responsibilities would also need to upskill and quickly become familiar with online learning platforms and everything that comes with them, including increased administration (Hedding et al., 2020). Higher education institutions in South Africa face a variety of challenges when it comes to online learning. Many students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, for example, do not have Internet access or cannot afford it due to a lack of network coverage, even though universities have made data available. There is also an acknowledgement that some students live in environments that are completely unsuitable for learning, such as overcrowded homes with inadequate or unacceptable facilities.

Online collaborative learning

Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) is a well-known teaching approach in online education. It entails people cooperating, exchanging ideas and perspectives, establishing a shared understanding of specific themes, and creating collaborative products (Magen-Nagar and Shonfeld, 2017). OCL is a theory that was proposed by Linda Harasim. The theory emphasises the Internet as a source of learning through encouraging cooperation and knowledge creation (Demuyakor, 2020). Harasim (2017) defines the new theory of knowledge acquisition as one that focuses on collaborative learning, Internet use and knowledge development. For this study, the researchers determined that Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) was the best model to employ in this study. The purpose of using Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) is to better understand how students and academic institutions embrace and use technology for learning and teaching.

OCL is a well-known teaching approach in online education. According to Harasim (2012), shifting to teaching and learning on the Internet has several advantages and Harasim predicts that the concept of e-learning will result in the creation of a large-scale educational network. In certain cases, Harasim (2012) draws on Alberto Barabasi’s perspective on the power of networks. OCL is thought to aid in three stages of knowledge acquisition and building. Among them are the following:

• Idea generating: This is a phase in which brainstorming will happen. Divergent concepts are brought together during this period.

• Idea organising: This is when students compare, analyse, and categorise the many concepts that have been created earlier, once again via debate and argument.

• Intellectual convergence: Intellectual synthesis and consensus occur during this stage. Assignments are written in the form of essays and collaborative pieces of work and students are encouraged to agree to disagree (Harasim, 2012).

Harasim (2012) depicts this process in the following diagram:

Source: Harasim (2012: 95).

OCL is founded on social constructivism because learners are encouraged to address problems jointly through conversation. OCL improves the interaction between students and instructors while also instilling a feeling of social presence (Resta and Shonfeld, 2013). When direct human contact is lacking in remote learning, this sensation can help to alleviate students’ loneliness, which is especially essential during stressful times (Morgan, 2020). This feeling also helps to improve students' learning and their capacity to adapt to different teaching techniques, which is beneficial in helping them grasp the complexity of teaching and increasing their desire and pleasure (Harasim, 2012). Despite the growing body of research on OCL and emerging online teaching techniques during the pandemic, little is known about student teachers’ impressions of the impact of crises on both their personal growth and their development as student teachers, encountering OCL in their training (Lei, 2020). Their perspectives are significant since they are not just students but also the future generation of educators (Lei and Medwell, 2021).

Conclusion

A review of the literature was conducted on the digitalisation of learning and teaching practices in higher education institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic. This article has contributed to and clarified the current literature on the digitalisation of learning and teaching methods. It emphasises the importance of lecturers and students in the future adoption of digitalisation of learning and teaching practices. This article also provides several critical success indicators for adopting OCL. The article has delineated some of the most challenges and obstacles relates to the digitalisation of learning and teaching practices in higher education institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic. The challenges identified in this article cannot simply be wished away, and the Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly transformed learning and teaching practices in Higher Education around the world. The findings of this article revealed that the Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) approach is best suited to address online teaching because it identifies gaps in the learning and teaching process. This is critical in ensuring that the transition to digital learning is not only gradual, but also encourages critical conversations and debates between students and instructors. The study also recommends that future online courses share the ideas, concepts, and difficulties of this teaching style from the start in order to improve students’ abilities and motivation, particularly in volatile learning and teaching environments. The article acknowledges the importance of adapting to a constantly changing learning and teaching environment that cannot be considered static. Furthermore, learning and teaching practices in South Africa and around the world have had to shift gears and become more responsive to all students in order to ensure that no student is left behind.

Footnotes

Declaration of conflicting interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iDs

Amina Jakoet-Salie

Kutu Ramalobe

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