Most universities and other higher education institutions adopted numerous blended learning methods to overcome the challenges of lockdown restrictions and the need for social distancing. While most restrictions have been lifted, universities are still left to deal with the fallout of the methods adopted during the height of the pandemic.
The pandemic brought about many uncertainties for teaching staff as they had to navigate various avenues of learning, most of which were used for the first time ever but these teaching methods have now become the new normal.
On 28 June 2023 the Higher Education Leadership & Management (HELM) hosted their eighth webinar where they discuss and explore pertinent issues affecting higher education and how blended learning has contributed to education.
HELM Senior Associate Dr Birgit Schreiber facilitated a conversation between Professor Lis Lange, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Teaching and Learning at the University of Cape Town, and Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Johannesburg. During this conversation, they explored how the 4th Industrial Revolution is affecting higher education in the context of ongoing change.
When asked about some of the more invisible or not so obvious changes in learning that have developed as a result of the pandemic, Professor Lange mentioned that in a way, Covid-19 accelerated some projects and programmes that were already underway.
Some Institutions were in the very beginning stages of introducing remote learning and incorporating more digital technology to help support and advance teaching methods. When the pandemic hit, institutions had no other option but to steer in the direction of these teaching methods.
Another concern was that universities and teaching staff were not adequately prepared to execute remote teaching and blended learning.
“However, most times as academic institutions, we assume that our staff is equally competent in using digital platforms. The reality, to the contrary, came as a shock,” said Professor Marwala.
Technology has evolved so much over the years and institutions had that to their advantage when teaching staff had to resort to remote learning.
”We take it for granted that digital skills are certainly the new norm in terms of literacy of the 21st century,” he said.
Professor Marwala added that it was a very uncertain and difficult assignment ensuring that students are equipped with all the necessary resources and tools so they can participate in the online learning sessions.
“The devices that we gave to 28 000 students, with monthly data, did not guarantee students’ access to learning, simply because, depending on where you come from, the level of connectivity differs quite markedly,”
Professor Lange highlighted that Covid-19 impacted students very differently based on race and class, as some came from socioeconomic backgrounds where they were able to adapt to the new norm more efficiently than others.
“There is a lot in our society that we are not seeing because we are fixated on the short-term questions,” she said.
“We are failing to distinguish between long-term historical processes that were already taking place and specific moments along the duration of Covid-19, We are not seeing the more structural situation. It is vital that we understand the context in which we are operating and what it means to live in these times.”
Although many institutions have gone back to normal operations and are conducting contact classes, the blended learning methods that were cultivated during the pandemic are certainly not just a modality confined to the Covid-19 era but in fact, it is a new form of learning that universities will have to incorporate going forward.
