Coronavirus Pandemic in Morocco: Measuring the Impact of Containment and Improving the Learning Process in Higher Education

Hibbi, Fatima-Zohra; Abdoun, Otman; Haimoudi, El Khatir

doi:10.18178/ijiet.2021.11.1.1485

Cited by 16 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Lack of ICT infrastructure was concerned with the students’ inability to have access to technology (possessing a personal computer/smartphone and affording the Internet) to engage in synchronous and asynchronous online courses. This result supports the same theme discussed in studies conducted before COVID-19 ( Bornman, 2016 ; Lembani et al, 2020 ; Owusu-Ansah, 2018 ) and during the pandemic ( Bachiri & Sahli, 2020 ; Hibbi et al, 2021 ). In the past, parents were possibly sharing their personal computers and smartphones with their children.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Even though some students had access to the online courses, they did not have the chance to engage in oral and immediate interaction with their teachers and receive feedback on their work. Lack of oral communication was also found to be prominent in online learning in other higher education institutions in Morocco during the lockdown ( Hibbi et al, 2021 ). The absence of interaction, which plays a role in improving online learners' communicative skills in English (see Wang, 2004 ), minimised teachers-student contact as a fundamental characteristic of foreign language online courses ( Don, 2005 ) and maximised the amount of transactional distance between the teachers and their students.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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The unexpected transition to distance learning at Moroccan universities amid COVID-19: A qualitative study on faculty experience

Jebbour

2022

Social Sciences & Humanities Open

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This study aimed to examine how faculty view the experience of the unexpected transition to distance learning as the only option to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The phenomenological research design was adopted to account for faculty experience when delivering online language courses. Data were collected through email interviewing with Moroccan university teachers. 20 male faculty members, drawn from a purposeful sample, participated in this study after the completion of a seven-week period of delivering English classes at a distance. Thematic coding analysis was used to approach the participants' answers. Results illustrated how the teachers’ experience of delivering language classes involved lack of ICT infrastructure and lack of student engagement, while creating opportunities for flexibility in the time and pace of teaching and learning and increased learner-content interaction. Based on these results, implications for implementation and research were provided.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The unexpected transition to distance learning at Moroccan universities amid COVID-19: A qualitative study on faculty experience

Jebbour

2022

Social Sciences & Humanities Open

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“…The situation is extremely worsening in under developed countries [21]. There is no doubt that students do not have equal opportunities to study online efficiently due to different living conditions, domestic duties, and other factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distance Learning during Lockdown: Satisfaction Assessment among Moroccan Trainee Teachers

Boumaaize¹,

Madhi²,

Soulaymani³

et al. 2021

IJIET

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Like everywhere in the world, the sudden onset of the coronavirus pandemic and the consequent closure of schools has imposed distance education as a compulsory alternative. Therefore, teachers have switched to distance education; students have been invited to join the platforms set up. Similarly, Regional Center for Education and Training (CRMEF) has been mobilized to ensure the continuity of the pre-service training for future teachers. This research aims to assess the distance education satisfaction of future teachers during confinement. A descriptive study was conducted by using the Google Forms tool. No less than 360 trainee teachers from the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra Regional Center (CRMEF) participated in the study. A qualitative approach was carried out to develop the construct. After validation of the questionnaire by the research committee, the questionnaire was self-administered. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined. A total of 360 responses were received (30% men and 70% women). Cronbach's alpha of the questionnaire turns out to be 0.8. On the whole, 58.33% of the confined trainees were dissatisfied about distance learning. 60% of the participants did not have computer equipment, while 73.33% reported that they have connection and network problems. Switching to distance learning was not a choice. Remains the best solution to complete the modules of the qualifying training of trainee teachers before their assignment. Empirical research findings and recommendations need to be taken into consideration to practice this approach in the post-pandemic period.

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“…When was declared a pandemic on 20 March 2020, countries in all corners of the world implemented national school closures; affecting students (Adnan & Anwar, 2020;Cucinotta & Vanelli, 2020). The outbreak of COVID-19 and the emergence of online teaching presents concerns for researchers and educators in contexts as diverse as India (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020), China (Bao, 2020), Greece (Karalis & Raikou, 2020) and Morocco (Hibbi, Abdoun, & El Khatir, 2021) and deepened our understanding of the ramifications of COVID-19 on educational matters. For example, a growing number of universities across the world were reported to have either postponed or cancelled all campus events such as workshops, conferences, sports (both intra-and inter universities), and other activities (United Nations, 2020).…”

Section: Affiliationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress of an African student during COVID-19 and beyond in higher education: Re-colonisation of decolonisation?

Kgari-Masondo,

Chimbunde

2021

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Following the closure of educational institutions, after the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019, even though grossly unprepared, universities sent their students home and adopted the online teaching approach to continue with the education of their students. However, little was done to assist most African students who were living in the rural context and trying to shake off the constraints of colonisation. Using the decolonisation lens, this qualitative case study used the lecturers' personal experiences and observations from the South African and Zimbabwean higher education context to report on the educational progress of the African student during COVID-19. Discussions of the two lecturers who communicated via WhatsApp, telephone and email were thematically analysed to generate data. Findings suggest that while the online teaching was regarded as the only way forward in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, it had remnants of colonialism that hampered the progress of the African student; thereby derailing the decolonisation project. The study suggests the employment of Umuntu Akalahlwa pedagogy as it safeguards humanisation of all students to avert the re-colonisation of the decolonised. The rationale for this article is thus to contribute towards the need for Umuntu Akalahlwa pedagogy in higher education given the background of COVID-19 and the socioeconomic status of the African student.

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Coronavirus Pandemic in Morocco: Measuring the Impact of Containment and Improving the Learning Process in Higher Education

Cited by 16 publications

References 3 publications

The unexpected transition to distance learning at Moroccan universities amid COVID-19: A qualitative study on faculty experience

The unexpected transition to distance learning at Moroccan universities amid COVID-19: A qualitative study on faculty experience

Distance Learning during Lockdown: Satisfaction Assessment among Moroccan Trainee Teachers

Progress of an African student during COVID-19 and beyond in higher education: Re-colonisation of decolonisation?

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