Securing the cybersafety of South African online high school learners beyond COVID-19

Abstract

The unprecedented online learning that took place at several schools during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is predicted to continue on the same trajectory when learners return to classroom learning. Continuing with online learning implies that learners will spend most of their time learning and socialising online, which exposes them to cybersecurity risks. Hence, this study investigated strategies for securing the cybersafety of online learners at South African high schools. The study adopted an interpretivist approach, and qualitative data were collected from school teachers. Fifteen school teachers from five private high schools in Centurion, Pretoria, were interviewed, and the data were thematically analysed. All the schools were multiracial and English-medium schools. The teachers from the schools were selected to participate in the study because they had experienced online learning during the times of COVID-19. The study proposed cybersafety strategies that are centred around providing cybersafety policies, conscientising learners about cybersecurity risks (awareness), preventing cyberbullying, discouraging the consumption or production of inappropriate content and protecting learners from Internet addiction.Transdisciplinarity Contribution: The proposed practical strategies for securing the cybersafety of online learners are valuable for promoting safe and responsible use of Internet-connected devices in online learning. The strategies encourage schools to integrate Internet-connected technologies and overcome cybersecurity risks in online learning.

Infrastructure, human capital, and online teaching during COVID-19 disruptions: Teachers’ experiences at five South African private schools

“…South African schools were encouraged to take up online teaching and learning only with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic (Maree, 2022). Some challenges identified as affecting this transition were cyber safety issues, unreliable network connectivity, limited coverage in rural areas, and expensive bandwidth (Chipangura & Dtendjo-Ndjindja, 2022;Mukuna & Aloka, 2020). Mukuna and Aloka (2020) found that online teaching and learning in rural areas was mainly constrained by poor connectivity to the internet network, slow connections, and broadband costs.…”

“…To meet their obligations, teachers required a variety of online teaching tools (König et al, 2020). Teachers needed, inter alia, subject-specific online tools (Mishra & Koehler, 2006); online tools to manage classrooms; and online tools to ensure that students were disciplined, ethical, and cyber-protected (Chipangura & Dtendjo-Ndjindja, 2022). When schools provided numerous new tools in a short period of time, the situation became highly complex for teachers.…”