A Critique of Online Learning in Higher Education during the Coronavirus Lockdown Level 5 in South Africa

Abstract

Despite adapting to the lockdown necessitated by the Coronavirus pandemic, Higher Education Institutions in South Africa have acknowledged that continued lockdown further jeopardizes the 2020 academic calendar. This paper looks at what the Higher Education response has been to continue with academic activity at the onset of Lockdown Level 5. The use of electronic tuition through various media channels has been highlighted since the announcement of lockdown, at all levels of education. While this approach may constitute work-in-progress, it also poses many challenges, chief of which is the high cost of Internet access and data. In this paper, an analytical literature review was conducted using communication media analysis through desktop research. Two conceptual structures, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Two-way Communication Model (TCM), underpin the study. The paper found that the Coronavirus pandemic and lockdown have forced HEIs to rethink their teaching and learning strategy on the run; that online learning has begun but with varying degrees of success and that implementation presents challenges. Further monitoring post lockdown, to establish the effectiveness of the HEI response, is vital.