A PEDAGOGICAL SHIFTS IN THE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION: RESPONSE TO COVID-19 IN THREE AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

The outbreak of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in a pedagogical shift whereby
most of the universities globally are opting for online teaching as opposed to face-to-face teaching. The
three understudied universities have migrated from face-to-face to online teaching. The purpose of this study
is to assess quality enhancement measures put in place by the understudied universities on online platforms
created. Kolb’s learning theory was used as a theoretical framework. The study employed a qualitative
approach with a case study design. The interpretive paradigm was followed to interpret the quality
enhancement measures of online teaching in three African universities. Data were collected through
documents analysis of three universities understudied. Policies, memorandums, letters, and all
communication media of Online Distance Learning (ODL) for three universities were also interrogated to
determine the extent of quality that has been put in place for online teaching. The results of the study
revealed that all the three universities effectively prepared the online platforms which included training of
lecturers. However, on the site of students’ preparedness, all the universities were found not ready to deal
with students’ challenges that emerged due to abrupt migration to online teaching. The results also revealed
that all the universities understudied did not put in place any quality enhancement measures as part of the
transition from face-to-face to online teaching. The study concluded that the universities understudied were
rapidly transitioning to online teaching and learning in response to COVID-19 without considering quality
issues and also other challenges that strongly emerged on the site of students. The study recommends that
the universities revisit the transition plan to deal with student’s challenges and also accommodate quality
issues in the process.