Investigating the online teaching experiences of educators during the Covid-19 lockdown
| dc.contributor.advisor | Constandius, Elmarie | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Pashaliev, Elinza | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Visual Arts. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-02-25T14:45:25Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-04-29T09:40:38Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-04 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-11 | |
| dc.description | Thesis MA (VA)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for educational transformation as schools and universities had no choice but to implement online learning during government mandated lockdowns worldwide. The shift to a digital pedagogy required educators to rapidly adapt and create an online curriculum while presenting classes in a virtual format. South African students were sent home to study remotely and faced a series of challenges from their home environments, such as unreliable access to the internet and lack of self-direction and motivation to work independently. Some of these challenges originate from a history of segregation and inequality where the infrastructure of poorer communities has not been developed sufficiently to sustain online activities or provide optimal learning conditions. Contemporary theories of learning advocate the need for the social dimension of peer discussion and collaboration to facilitate a holistic learning process and foster student engagement, ultimately resulting in attention and retention. Working in isolation, some students fell behind in their studies while others remained unstimulated during teacher-led virtual lessons. With little time to explore online learning theory and curriculum design, and understand the digital medium, many of the experiences recorded in the study were negative. Despite this, there were positive experiences relayed such as enhanced creativity and innovation, with students finding problems to solutions and improving their digital skills and capabilities. Although online learning was implemented as an emergency measure at the time, there are many advantages of adopting online learning for the future. These include wider access for more students, affordability, convenience and diverse engagement activities. These advantages, among others, warrant consideration of the potential long-term implementation of online learning in the South African education system. To better understand how to design and facilitate a digital curriculum, this research study set out to investigate the experiences of seven educators working at different tertiary institutions that offer courses in art, design and entrepreneurship. The study was interpretive in nature and sampled participants purposively in a case study design focused on collecting responses about the transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample size was kept small in line with the limitations and boundaries of a mini-thesis. The data presented was collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews and reveals details about the personal experiences of these educators and the students they taught. From their responses, two main themes were identified: the challenges of online education as well as effective curriculum design and student engagement. A third theme on the future of online education is explored in the final chapter of this research paper. Future studies on this topic could provide more responses from a larger case study group of educators and students to gain a comprehensive picture of the transition to online learning during COVID-19. As the impact of COVID-19 on education is a relatively new phenomenon, this study may contribute to the developing field of knowledge around the impact of the pandemic and the lockdowns in the field of education. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die COVID-19-pandemie het gedien as 'n katalisator vir opvoedkundige transformasie, deurdat skole en universiteite geen ander keuse gehad het as om aanlynleer tydens die wereldwye regerings- inperkings te implementeer nie. Die verskuiwing na 'n digitale pedagogie het vereis dat opvoeders vinnig aanpas om 'n aanlynkurrikulum te skep en klasse in 'n virtuele formaat aan te bied. Suid-Afrikaanse studente was huistoe gestuur vir afstandstudies en moes aanlynonderrig ontvang. Daar was 'n reeks uitdagings; soos tuisomgewings wat nie optimaal gerig is tot studeer nie, onbetroubare toegang tot die internet, sowel as 'n gebrek aan selfdissipline en motivering om onafhanklik by die huis te werk. Die oorsprong van sommige van hierdie uitdagings kom uit 'n geskiedenis van segregasie en ongelyke ontwikkeling waar die infrastruktuur van armer gemeenskappe nie voldoende ontwikkel het om aanlynaktiwiteite te onderhou of optimale leeromstandighede te volhou nie. Kontemporere leerteoriee bepleit die behoefte aan die sosiale dimensie van portuurbespreking en samewerking, om 'n holistiese leerproses te fasiliteer en studentebetrokkenheid te bevorder, wat uiteindelik aandag en retensie tot gevolg het. Deur in isolasie te werk, het sommige studente ‘n agterstand ontwikkel in hulle studies, terwyl ander ongestimuleer gebly het in virtuele lesse wat deur opvoeders gelei was. Met min tyd om aanlynleerteorie en kurrikulumontwerp te verken en die medium te verstaan, is dit logies dat baie van die ervarings negatief was. Daar was egter ook positiewe ervarings; soos verbeterde kreatiwiteit en innovasie onder studente wat probleme vir oplossings gevind het , asook verbetering in digitale vaardighede en vermoens. Alhoewel aanlynleer destyds as 'n noodmaatreel geimplementeer is, is daar baie voordele verbonde aan die aanvaarding van aanlynleer op die langtermyn. Dit sluit in wyer toegang vir meer studente, bekostigbaarheid, gerief en diverse betrokkenheidsaktiwiteite wat oorweging van die potensiele langtermyn-implementering van aanlynleer in die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysstelsel regverdig. Om beter te verstaan hoe om 'n digitale kurrikulum te ontwerp en te fasiliteer, het hierdie navorsingstudie ondersoek ingestel na die ervarings van sewe opvoeders by verskillende tersiere instellings wat kursusse in kuns, ontwerp en entrepreneurskap aanbied. Die studie was interpreterend van aard met doelbewuste steekproefneming in ‘n gevalle-studie ontwerp wat daarop gefokus was om studente en opvoeders se belewing van die oorgang na aanlynleer, tydens die COVID-19 pandemie te bepaal. Die steekproefgrootte is klein gehou in lyn met die beperkings en grense van hierdie mini-tesis. Die data wat aangebied is, is deur kwalitatiewe semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude ingesamel en verskaf besonderhede van die persoonlike ervarings van hierdie opvoeders en die studente wat hulle onderrig het. Uit hul response is twee hooftemas geidentifiseer: die uitdagings van aanlynonderwys en studentebetrokkenheid en effektiewe kurrikulumontwerp. ‘n Derde tema wat die vooruitsigte van digitale leer bespreek, word in die laaste hoofstuk uitgele. Toekomstige navorsing behoort te fokus op ‘n groter aantal deelnemers van opvoeders en studente ten einde meer gedetailleerde inligting te kry van deelnemers se belewing van die oorgang na aanlynleer tydens COVID-19. Aangesien die impak van COVID-19 op onderwys ‘n relatief nuwe verskynsel is, kan hierdie studie bydra tot die ontwikkelende veld van kennis. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Masters | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | x, 85 pages | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124910 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Web-based instruction | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Internet in education | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Education, Higher -- Effect of technological innovations on | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Virtual reality in higher education -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Education, Higher -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Covid -19 (Disease) -- Social aspects | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Investigating the online teaching experiences of educators during the Covid-19 lockdown | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |
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