Lecturers' perceptions of blended teaching in the Post COVID-19 Era: A case study of a University in Lesotho

Abstract

The study reports on implementing blended learning and teaching in the post COVID-19 era at a University in Lesotho. Research indicates that COVID-19 has necessitated the adoption of blended teaching and learning across the entire education domain. This suggests that traditional face-to-face teaching approaches were no longer appropriate due to the restrictions imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus. Therefore, online teaching and learning became the only way lecturers in higher education, most especially in the selected University, could engage with their students. Therefore, the study sought to explore the implementation of blended teaching and learning in post COVID-19 at Limkokwing University. An interpretive paradigm was adopted in this study using a qualitative approach confined within a case study, and face-to-face interviews with lecturers (n=20) were used for data collection. Latent thematic analysis was the method used for analysing the emerging themes. Findings from interviews with lecturers reveal that blended teaching and learning is essential because it fosters learner-centredness through access to a plethora of electronic resources in several digital archives. Thus, the study recommends that blended teaching and learning should be adopted as a strategy for teaching and learning in Lesotho Universities.