Curriculum delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for remote tutoring and learning

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed challenges within traditional instructional approaches in various learning contexts, highlighting a greater need for curriculum transformation. With the disruption of face-to-face instruction, remote teaching, learning, and tutoring are proving to be pedagogic solutions for engaging with students to ensure the continuation of successful teaching and learning. Therefore, it is important that virtual experiences align with the curriculum and instructional approaches. This investigation aimed at exploring how tutors can introduce remote learning and tutoring in an undergraduate module in the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). We also wanted to examine tutors’ ability to motivate students to use their mobile devices for study purposes during formal tutorials. A qualitative exploratory inquiry determined how mobile devices could support remote teaching and learning and tutoring. Through an in-depth literature review, focus group interviews with five tutors, and questionnaires answered by approximately 400 second-year students, data was collected. Challenges that were identified the additional hours required by lecturers and tutors to deliver much-needed support after hours and only students with the needed resources and access could benefit from the support, the digital divide was of concern. Successes identified linked to students’ appreciation of the importance of implementing a tutoring system that fits the 21st century context. A tutoring system that is not only compliant with modern technological advancements but that it consistent with the global expectation to equip students with relevant skills. This investigation revealed that tutors could serve as catalysts for motivating students to use their devices for study purposes. The findings also revealed that there is a greater need for remote (virtual) tutoring that is student-centred for effective learning to occur, especially under remote learning conditions.