Challenges and Interventions of E‑learning for Underresourced Students amid Covid‑19 Lockdown: A Case of a Zambian Public University

Abstract

This article reports the challenges of e‑learning faced by under-resourced students in a Zambian public university during the 2020 Covid‑19 lockdown. The article further examines the interventions made by the university to mitigate the challenges of e‑learning faced by under-resourced students. The article is based on empirical data derived from an online closed- and open-ended questionnaire completed by 73 under-resourced students, and an interview with two university staff. The quantitative and qualitative data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis respectively. The article provides evidence that under-resourced students encountered various challenges related to e‑learning categorised under the following interlinked themes: technical, environmental, psychological, sociocultural, financial, and material. Lack of ICT facilities/devices (laptops, smartphones, tablets and desktops), internet, electricity, and support systems were the most critical barriers to e‑learning. Findings further showed that the sampled university made efforts to mitigate the challenges faced by students during e‑learning amid the 2020 Covid‑19 lockdown. However, there were no focused interventions to specifically address the actual challenges under-resourced students encountered. Regrettably, this suggests that the needs of under-resourced students were overlooked. Thus, the authors suggest strategies universities should put in place to uphold the participation of all students during e‑learning regardless of the circumstances.

Virtual reality in the social sciences

“…Although the first online learning platforms were launched already in the late 1990s, very few faculties in the social sciences used them actively for class preparation and implementation. This situation changed during the COVID19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 when faculties had to rearrange their working structures and move classes to online environments to continue teaching (ALMUSHAR-RAF; BAILEY, 2021;FAWAZ;SAMAHA, 2021;KOMBE;MTONGA, 2021). The given circumstances downgraded learning experiences in many countries where neither infrastructure nor equipment was available to a sufficient level.…”

Access to Quality Education among Students with Special Needs amidst Covid-19: A Review on Challenges and Prospects

“…The shift in instructional approaches and strategies was confronted by limited time to plan and develop effective curricula for emergency situations (Cousik, 2022). Learning resources were limitedly in place to enable off-campus or online learning (Kombe & Mtonga, 2021). Assessment strategies and monitoring of students' learning were also not efficiently done to develop the three major domains; cognitive, psychomotor and affective domain.…”

Impacts of COVID-19 on the school experience of children and adolescents with special educational needs and disabilities

“…Racially marginalized and low-income students with SENDs had disproportionately experienced less access to in-person instruction as well as consistent, live instruction during virtual schooling due to limited district offerings, inadequate staffing, deficient access to high-speed internet, variation in health and safety concerns, and trauma from the pandemic more broadly [ 5 , 31 , 39 ]. Under-resourced schools and communities of color often have had limited capacity to provide tablets or laptops for all students or to purchase expensive (though largely untested) educational technology platform subscriptions, which may help promote student engagement among students with SENDs [ 40 , 41 , 42 ]. These pandemic-driven disparities have widened the already expansive inequalities for marginalized students, including those at the intersection of such identities [ 28 , 31 , 39 , 43 , 44∗∗ , 45∗∗ ].…”