Emergent transition from face-to-face to online learning in a South African University in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic

The study is situated in the South African higher education context, historically dominated by face-to-face, lecturer-centered teaching. COVID-19 triggered a system-wide shutdown of campus-based instruction and a rapid shift to online learning. While e-learning offers flexibility and continuity of instruction, systemic inequalities and a persistent digital divide threaten its feasibility, especially for disadvantaged students. The research aims to understand students’ experiences of the transition from face-to-face to online learning and to identify why these experiences occur, with the purpose of proposing alternative pathways that enable equitable access to effective e-learning during pandemic-induced disruptions and beyond.

The paper frames learning in the digital age through connectivism, emphasizing learning as forming connections among human and non-human nodes and the importance of current, networked knowledge. It reviews educational technology as encompassing physical (traditional and modern) and online resources alongside pedagogical rationales. Traditional physical resources (books, chalkboards) remain foundational but can promote teacher-centered approaches; modern devices (computers, smartphones) expand access when strategically integrated. Learning management systems (e.g., Moodle, Canvas) are widely adopted but vary in efficacy due to customization, usability, costs, and alignment with local needs and policies. Social media platforms (WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter) are pervasive, mobile-friendly, and support interaction; students often act as prosumers, creating and sharing content. Despite potential, the digital divide persists across access (first-level), skills/usage (second-level), and outcomes (third-level), particularly affecting students in remote or under-resourced settings. The review highlights the need for policy, capacity building, and blended solutions that link LMS with social media and conferencing tools to support synchronous and asynchronous learning.

Design: Two-year postdoctoral qualitative case study at a South African university (School of Education). Sampling and participants: Purposive and convenience sampling of 26 students enrolled in a curriculum studies program. Data generation: (1) E-reflective activity (two weeks), (2) two Zoom group meetings (approximately 40 minutes each), and (3) a WhatsApp structured interview session (~35 minutes). Meetings and interviews were recorded to support trustworthiness (transferability, dependability, confirmability, credibility). Data analysis: Systematic inductive and deductive analysis. Open coding was conducted directly from recordings (not transcribed) to preserve meaning. Codes were mapped onto categories informed by the theoretical framework and literature; remaining codes were organized into categories, then fused into three overarching themes. Research questions: (1) What are students’ experiences of the transition from face-to-face to e-learning? (2) Why are their experiences the way they are in online learning? Ethical and quality considerations: Use of recording for accuracy; strategies to ensure trustworthiness are noted.

- Theme 1: Online resources and access. Students reported heavy reliance on institutional communications and resources hosted on Moodle. However, limited or no internet access, data costs, and residence in remote areas hindered engagement with online lectures, downloading materials, and submitting assessments. Students expressed frustration with deadlines and unclear guidance about platforms. In contrast, many leveraged zero-rated or low-data social media (WhatsApp, Facebook) to communicate and collaborate, partially mitigating access issues, but noted insufficient training on new tools. - Theme 2: Physical resources. Students depended on traditional materials (books, module outlines) as stopgaps when online access was constrained. Many lacked laptops (despite prior institutional provision) and relied on smartphones. The cost of devices, data, and routers, plus distance from Wi-Fi hotspots, impeded participation. International and remote-area students faced added logistical and financial burdens. - Platform integration and pedagogy. Moodle was often used as a depository rather than an interactive environment and was not well integrated with video-conferencing, recording, or social media tools. Students preferred familiar, user-friendly social platforms for communication. The absence of clear e-learning policy, instructional design support, and capacity building contributed to confusion and inconsistent engagement. - Digital divide as primary barrier. Access to internet and technological resources (first-level digital divide) was the most significant constraint, despite many students possessing requisite skills (second-level). This curtailed the benefits and outcomes of e-learning (third-level) during the transition. Overall, the study identifies the digital divide, inadequate institutional planning/policy, insufficient integration of platforms, and limited capacity building as key barriers to realizing effective e-learning for disadvantaged students during COVID-19.

The findings address the research questions by showing that students’ experiences of the rapid transition were shaped by structural and infrastructural inequities. Limited internet access, device scarcity, and data costs constrained engagement with LMS-based activities and online assessments, explaining why experiences varied and often skewed negative for disadvantaged students. While online resources are crucial for continuity, their effectiveness depends on thoughtful integration (LMS plus conferencing, recording, and social media) and supportive pedagogy, policy, and training. Social media’s ubiquity and zero-rated access provided practical communication channels, suggesting that officially incorporating such tools can bridge gaps. Traditional physical resources remained important as a fallback, underscoring the value of blended strategies that accommodate diverse access conditions. The results highlight the need for institutional e-learning policies, instructional designers, capacity building, and infrastructural support (devices, data) to align environmental demands with students’ abilities and contexts, thereby mitigating the digital divide and making online learning more equitable and effective.

The study concludes that the digital divide is the principal barrier to effective e-learning during the COVID-19 transition. Customizing Moodle and integrating it with complementary tools (e.g., Zoom, recording software, social media) can better meet disadvantaged students’ needs, but must be supported by free or subsidized data, provision of devices and routers, and access to blended learning spaces (e.g., community libraries) when feasible. University-wide e-learning policies, instructional design support, and structured capacity building for students and lecturers are essential. The paper calls for increased investment in infrastructure at both university and community levels and recommends planning for continuity amid disruptions (pandemics, protests). Future research should further explore pragmatic and theoretical pathways to reduce digital inequities and enhance the inclusivity and resilience of higher education.

- Single-institution qualitative case study in a specific South African School of Education limits generalizability beyond similar contexts. - Small sample size (n=26) provides depth but restricts breadth of representation across programs and institutions. - Data were coded directly from recordings without transcription; while intended to preserve meaning, this may affect auditability and external review of analytic decisions. - Rapidly evolving pandemic context and policy shifts may limit the temporal generalizability of specific practices and student experiences reported.