Academic and Institutional Readiness towards e-Learning to Inform Policy and Practice in an Evolving Post-School Education Sector

Autor/inn/en	Omidire, Margaret Funke; Aluko, Folake Ruth
Titel	Academic and Institutional Readiness towards e-Learning to Inform Policy and Practice in an Evolving Post-School Education Sector
Quelle	In: Perspectives in Education, 40 (2022) 1, S.62-79 (18 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Omidire, Margaret Funke) ORCID (Aluko, Folake Ruth)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0258-2236
DOI	10.18820/2519593X/pie.v40.i1.4
Schlagwörter	Readiness; Electronic Learning; School Policy; Educational Policy; College Faculty; Foreign Countries; Distance Education; COVID-19; Pandemics; Instructional Effectiveness; Teacher Attitudes; Faculty Development; Teaching Experience; Well Being; Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Schulpolitik; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Fakultät; Ausland; Distance study; Distance learning; Fernunterricht; Unterrichtserfolg; Lehrerverhalten; Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Afrika
Abstract	Prior to the occurrence of the global COVID-19 pandemic, some African higher education institutions had already adopted a hybrid-mode for all their programmes, including distance education. Policies and strategies were put in place to improve the practices, skills and competencies of staff and students. However, the closure of education institutions globally due to the pandemic resulted in the rethinking of current education practices and highlighted the inherent inequalities in the system. This baseline qualitative study, underpinned by the Affordance theory, explores the appropriateness of education responses that were utilised and interrogates the readiness of educators for e-Learning during the pandemic. The participants were purposively selected educators (n=11) from distance and contact African institutions. The study sought to contribute to the reconceptualisation of policies and strategies for distance education provision using e-Learning approaches, which have now become a mainstream reality for the post-school education and training (PSET) sector. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the rich data. The findings identified the successes and shortcomings of facilitating e-Learning at a distance during the pandemic. Some participants felt ill-prepared for the extent of work required to be well equipped to use this approach. In many cases, it was felt that support strategies could have been better structured. Further analysis highlighted possible restructuring that should occur to meet the needs of educators in the twenty-first century and to survive any future pandemics through greater use of e-Learning. Evidence-based recommendations for policies are discussed. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	University of the Free State Faculty of Education. P.O. Box 339, Bioemfontein 9300, South Africa. Tel: +27-51-401-2368; e-mail: PiE@ufs.ac.za; Web site: http://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/index
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01