Online Instructional Supervision in an Advanced Higher Education

Abstract

The continuity of learning in graduate and post-graduate education was ensured through online instructional supervision during the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative aligns with the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4), emphasizing the preservation of quality education amidst unprecedented challenges. The pandemic-induced shift to online learning environments underscored the critical need for robust supervisory practices that promote equitable and inclusive education for all students in the graduate studies. Employing a phenomenological approach, this study explored the experiences of 15 internal stakeholders involved in online instructional delivery at a state-funded university. The thematic analysis yielded five key insights: the lived experiences of internal stakeholders during the pandemic, transformative shifts in work and learning dynamics, perceptions of the internal stakeholders on online supervision, strategies for effective online supervision, and the opportunities and challenges inherent in this modality. Despite inherent limitations, online instructional supervision in advanced higher education during the pandemic proved to be both complex and transformative. The study recommends ongoing investment in human capital and technological infrastructure by educational institutions to secure sustainable educational outcomes for graduate and post-graduate students in the long term.