Alternation African Scholarship Book Series #02 (2020) Technology-based Teaching and Learning in Higher Education during the Time of COVID-19

Abstract

Using the example of a public university in Zambia, the chapter explores how students responded to new modes of programme delivery in the context of Higher Education institutional closures and COVID-19. It draws on the technology acceptance theoretical framework and an interpretative case study, which was informed by the thematic analysis of documents and interviews with selected university students as end users of e-learning. The chapter shows that while the students' responses were characterised by both reluctance and acceptance of e-learning, the students did not express misgivings about e-learning, except for barriers to accessing it (some of which were beyond institutional control, but situated in the wider context in Higher Education provision in the country). It concludes that the student responses were driven by the perceived ease of use of e-learning platforms on the one hand, and the perceived benefits of e-learning on the other, and recommends that specific contextual realties of students as end users for the effective implementation of e-learning should be taken into account. It therefore contributes to emerging global discourses on the impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education systems and provides insights for enabling institutions to evaluate their responses in programme delivery during pandemics.