The research revealed that lecturers had to learn about the technology required for online teaching or they would “adapt or die”.
Research was conducted at two of the largest open distance universities on the African continent to understand how the COVID pandemic had impacted lecturers’ training and use of technology. Both universities of Africa were not prepared for the shift to remote teaching at the beginning of the pandemic, despite already using digital tools and online learning management systems to support students.
Lecturers in Africa were unprepared for remote teaching and had not received the necessary training, leading to a deluge of requests from lecturers wanting to master their institution’s learning management systems.
The conclusions supported the need for timely, precise, pertinent, and technology-appropriate training for academics. If not, it causes confusion among lecturers and prevents them from utilising current educational and student support technologies.
All university employees should pursue ongoing training to stay current and productive, especially those who are in charge of others’ professional development.
Although they were not required to use them and neither institution had comprehensive e-learning policies to control and enforce the transition, the pandemic marked the first time that lecturers were compelled to interact with the online teaching tools provided by their institutions. This meant that when it first started, many people had no idea how to use online learning tools.
The South African institution’s Centre of Professional Development was inundated with requests for training for Microsoft Teams during the lockdown in March 2020.
The information and communication technology departments of the universities received a deluge of requests for basic training on topics such as changing the password, backing up files, and using software like Microsoft Teams. Idealistically, these abilities should have been mastered before the pandemic.
The research also revealed that lecturers had to learn about the technology required for online teaching or they would “adapt or die”.
Requests for training increased, and many academics sought out training and advice from more technologically savvy colleagues. Participants reported that since the start of the pandemic, the overall level of computer and digital skills at their institutions has significantly increased.
Before the pandemic, lecturers who had already been effectively utilising the learning management systems and other digital tools offered by their institutions rose to the position of digital innovation champions.
One person who participated in the interview stated: “We had champions and ‘flowers’ that were flourishing who suddenly came out and helped through training, mentoring, and showing other colleagues how to do certain things.”
The researchers also discovered that the opportunities, advantages, and future of e-learning in Africa excited every research participant from both universities. They understood how technology could help by reaching students even in far-off places, thereby increasing access to higher education.
According to researchers, educational institutions should develop evaluation and monitoring strategies to continuously audit and evaluate their teaching staff’s digital proficiency.
Training and development must be relevant to teaching and learning through technologies, and e-learning policies must be in place to control and effectively implement online teaching and learning.