Reinforcing the Role of ICT in Enhancing Teaching and Learning Post-COVID-19 in Tertiary Institutions in South Africa

Abstract

The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in higher education is becoming more and more prevalent with the over-proliferation of technological development we find ourselves in. The educational landscape in South African tertiary institutions has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in increased use of ICT. In turn, this has transformed these institutions' teaching, learning, and research. Central to this transformation has been challenges facing both teachers and administrators, including the need for a great demonstration of the value of ICT through improved output on teaching, learning and research. This paper examines the use of ICT in enhancing teaching and learning in South African tertiary institutions during and post COVID-19. Using an extensive secondary review approach, the report observes that ICT has been widely embraced in tertiary institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. However, a minority of students and lecturers still lack the technological expertise to utilise modern technologies. In addition, limited funding in some rural universities hinders the purchasing of modern ICT equipment to support teaching and learning in tertiary institutions. The paper recommends increasing the value of ICT usage in the teaching and learning process post-COVID-19. Regular workshops and in-service training of both teaching staff, students and administrators in pedagogical issues and administration should be increased.

The Health Students’ Perception of Online Education amid the Pandemic

“…Different countries around the world tried to continue education with different distance education solutions (Basilaia, 2020;Konyana & Motalenyane, 2022;Moyo et al, 2022;Shava, 2022). In primary and secondary education in Turkey, the Ministry of National Education started to give lessons for different classes over the official state television.…”

Remote Teaching and Learning at a South African University During Covid-19 Lockdown: Moments of Resilience, Agency and Resignation in First-Year Students’ Online Discussions

“…Secondly, while students believed that every dark cloud has a silver lining, there were also some students who displayed resignation to the Covid-19 and remote learning challenges. This category of students capitalised on how the negative effects of remote learning and the Covid-19 lockdown, as well as the worsening socioeconomic problems in post-apartheid South African communities did indeed affect their academic performance (Alex, 2022;Dison et al, 2022;Shava, 2022).…”

“…For some first-year students, it is an opportunity to participate in their long-awaited "university experience"; for others, it is an overwhelming experience with its own fears and anxieties. For university managements, Covid-19 has provided an opportunity to reimagine the idea of higher education, to respond to new, efficient and seemingly more productive ways of learning and working revealed by Covid-19 (Dison et al, 2022;Mbhiza, 2021;Shava, 2022).…”

“…Several studies have documented the South African government's failures, including a lack of political will to address educational inequalities in basic and higher education. It is well-known that while schools in urban and opulent suburbs are resource-rich, many schools in black communities are severely underresourced (see, for example, Alex 2022; Marongwe & Garidzirai, 2021;Mtshweni 2022;Shava 2022). In the above comment, the student's memory of the school system in South Africa is a snapshot of the two disparate worlds that continue to influence the scholastic experiences of students and the failure of the state to address socioeconomic constraints in the schooling system.…”

Taking Full Advantage of the COVID-19 Era to Intensify the Use of Information and Communication Technology Tools in Higher Education Institutes

“…In addition, the speed and breadth of information distribution, the depth of knowledge sources, knowledge preservation, and learning process quality may all be impacted by the usage of ICT tools in higher educational system. Shava (2022) opined that students in higher education will need to be ready and willing to seek out new sources of knowledge. Hence, for these learners, the ability to use ICT apparatuses will be a necessary precondition.…”