COVID-19 Pandemic and Higher Education: Leveraging on Digital Technologies and Mobile Applications for Online Learning in Ghana

Abstract

Since mid-March 2020, educational systems worldwide and particularly Ghana were under increasing pressure to use the new Digital Technologies (DTs) and mobile applications (apps) to assist teachers in guiding students to continue with online learning activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is aimed at assessing the utilization of DTs and apps tools by students during the COVID-19 pandemic and how those technologies have affected online learning in institutions of higher education in Ghana. The researcher adopted an online survey and exploratory-based design that utilized quantitative and qualitative approaches to purposively collect data from N=784 students from three major public universities in Ghana. Also, the study applied Uses and Gratification as the theoretical basis in understanding the utilization of DTs and their possible limitations for remote learning during the peak of COVID-19 in Ghana. This study reported that the specific DMTs and mobile apps used by students in higher education for online learning are smarts phones and apps such as Class In, Zoom, Skype, and Instagram live stream. This study also revealed that Personal Learning Network (PLN) such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter were also actively used by students for remote online learning. Again, the study shows that 77.1% of students in the sampled three universities were fully aware of the DTs and apps utilized for online learning during COVID-19. Also, the findings from this study report that students in higher institutions identified unstable electricity for continuous online learning, especially for those students in rural areas, unreliable internet service, poor WiFi connections, expensive smartphones / laptops, and high cost of inter bundle as key challenges of using DMTs and mobile apps for online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, on the perceived usefulness of DTs and mobile apps among students for online learning in higher educational institutions, the findings from this study suggest that DMT’s and apps were of great benefit to students for remote online learning.

Motivation for Mobile Learning: Teacher Engagement and Built-In Mechanisms

“…Mobile applications exist as an assistive technology and are not intended to replace the lecturer or to shape the learning process; they are a step in the planned process. This relates to the involvement of educators who provide assistance as needed in the process [18].…”

Students’ Acceptance and Perceptions of Perceived Usefulness of Mobile Learning Devices in Higher Educational Institutions

“…The number two factor established is that all education applications have used usability assessments, neither do we discover guides or structures to assess them. It can create issues with several users who are not so conversant with mobile expertise and hence have restrictions on their relations and understanding of training applications (Brantes Ferreiram et al, 2013;Demuyakor, 2021). This indicates an urgent requirement to expand the knowledge among learners using smartphones as a form of m-learning.…”

Investigating Factors Influencing Students’ Behavioral Intentions Towards Mobile Learning Devices in Higher Educational Institutions

“…Given the autonomy in learning that comes with MLDs with little facilitation from teachers or instructors, Marquina (2018) suggests that well-informed decision-making is fundamental to career-building while at the same time adding up on the already acquired knowledge. This partly self-driven approach further abets students towards multitasking skills when they switch from one subject to another at their convenience (Alpert, 2016;Coman et al, 2020;Criollo-C et al, 2021) as compared to a well-coordinated classroom that takes a formal approach, with some researchers further indicating that even outside the formal learning setups, MLDs have now become a hub for exchanging knowledge amongst the peers belonging to higher educational institutions, who only need a portable mobile phone or tablet to access subjects of their choice (Ally & Prieto-Blázquez, 2014;Castro et al, 2016;Demuyakor, 2021). Chen et al (2021) view MLDs as an all-inclusive platform for higher learning that aids learners to break away from the classroom environment and enjoy their own space without being specific to a particular subject continues to yield results in facilitating education and development of skills, although in some cases, a few numbers of learners still prefer the traditional teaching methods.…”