COVID-19 and online learning experiences of Solomon Islands students at the University of the South Pacific

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the experiences of Solomon Islands students during the shift to online, remote teaching during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It utilises the tokstori to collect data from 16 Solomon Islands students of the University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Suva and Honiara campuses. It is framed and analysed data using Khan’s eight dimensions of gauging successful e-learning experiences. Prior to COVID-19, many of the courses at the USP were offered in blended mode, which encompasses both online and face-to-face delivery. However, with a sudden move to fully online offerings, and the associated fears resulting from the unknowns of COVID-19, this was disruptive and traumatic for many students. However, analysis identified several key factors aiding student success including many Solomon Islands students being able to eventually cope with the disruption and displayed independence and resilience. It is also found that Solomon Island students got to experience new applications and tools such as, for example, having to be in Zoom or having to sit an online exam. This study has potential to inform higher education institutes (HEIs) in the Pacific Islands and beyond, and the need to carefully navigate the practical realities of the islands in the interaction between digital technologies, instructors and students to facilitate online learning post-pandemic.

Review on the use of eLearning in teacher education during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Africa

“… Open access to learning materials 3 Murphy [ 62 ] and Mukhtar et al [ 60 ]. eLearning is cost-effective 4 Dorovolomo et al [ 27 ], Favale et al [ 34 ] and Yikici et al [ 87 ]. Enhancing the student-centeredness educational system …”

“…Governments of the world have to re-think the alternative ways including employing eLearning in their programs. As observed by Dorovolomo et al [ 27 ], Górska [ 39 ], and Renes [ 76 ], eLearning plays a significant role in widening access to education and enrolment of students. The Internet has become one of the vital ways to ensure the availability of materials for both research and students’ learning [ 11 , 80 ].…”

“…COVID-19 has created and imposed unique challenges that impede education provision [ 68 ]. Thus, the use of eLearning has received censurable support in educational systems, especially during COVID-19, because it is believed to sustain the students’ learning when both teachers and students are separated in time and space [ 16 , 27 , 78 , 88 ]. Africa receives special interest regarding the eLearning because while at least every country has been impacted by this pandemic differently, it was initially anticipated that African countries would be more vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic and severely affected due to the poor economy and a lack of the copying strategies such as health infrastructure, professional doctors, and technology [ 16 , 66 , 80 ].…”

“…The literature on the use of eLearning in education during the COVID-19 pandemic has been abundant. See, for example, Abdelfattah et al [ 3 ], Adeoye et al [ 4 ], Agarwal et al [ 5 ], Barron et al [ 15 ], Coman [ 22 ], Dorovolomo et al [ 27 ], Elumalai et al [ 32 ], Favale et al [ 33 ], Flores and Gago [ 34 ], Georgiadou et al [ 36 ], Heng and Sol [ 42 ], Ingram [ 43 ], Lavonen and Salmela-Aro [ 53 ], Liang [ 52 ], Mwakyusa and Ng'webeya [ 63 ], Mukhtar et al [60], Murphy [ 62 ], Nikou et al [ 69 ], Suru and Matete [ 81 ], Tan and Chua [ 82 ] and Zhang et al [ 88 ]. Many developed countries use ICT such as ZOOM, Skype, Google groups, Google meetings, and other eLearning programs, especially when the students and their teachers are separated in time and space during the COVID-19 pandemic and in similar situations [ 5 , 27 , 34 , 53 , 88 ].…”

Student Resilience in the Management of Technology in Times of the Pandemic

“…La pandemia ha trastornado todos los sistemas educativos del mundo, su impacto en especial durante el periodo de confinamiento (Weidlich & Kalz, 2021) (Lozano-Díaz et al, 2020), ha puesto en evidencia las brechas existentes a nivel del uso de los recursos digitales en la comunidad educativa, debido al incremento de manera abrupta en su empleo (Portillo et al, 2020) producto de la emergencia sanitaria. En algunos casos esto ha resultado perturbador y traumático para muchos docentes y estudiantes (Dorovolomo et al, 2021), mientras que otros lo han percibido como una evolución en el aprendizaje (Appolloni et al, 2021). La pandemia ha develado una realidad ya conocida, en nuestro medio, los docentes no se encontraban preparados para desarrollar una educación en forma remota (Carmen Segura Rondan et al, 2021), careciendo muchos de ellos de la experticia en el uso de instrumentos (Nandy et al, 2020) (Martínez-Garcés & Garcés-Fuenmayor, 2020, los alumnos, en especial aquellos provenientes de una población con menos recursos económicos, marginados, corren el riesgo de abandonar de manera permanente la escuela (Reuge et al, 2021); esto implica menos oportunidades en su desarrollo personal; manteniéndose así la esencia desigual de las estructuras existentes en lugar de transformarlas (Educativa & Grossa, 2020).…”