Final Year Mathematics Students Perception of e-Learning and Instruction During the Covid-19 Era

Abstract

The current trend of most tertiary teaching to reach out students in different modes such as distance, weekends and sandwich resorts largely to online system. The Covid-19 pandemic brought up various lock-down strategies in most countries. This allowed most universities such as Valley View University (a Premier Private University in Ghana, West Africa) to start with online lesson delivery modes to help maintain their academic calendar. The aim of this study was to investigate into the perception final year students and lecturers in the Mathematics Education department had on the Online Learning System during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown era. The study adopted an explanatory investigation design through a sample size of 378 respondents comprising 36 lecturers and 342 students. Students’ and lecturers’ response to questionnaires put in a Likert Scale were investigated in numerous descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed that lecturers registered a higher positive perception of online learning than students. This variation was however not significant. Specifically, lecturers perceived an increased flexibility in online learning, with learners utilizing a wide range of learning sources. Student interest however decreased in terms of the absence of in person meetings, promotion of students learning, ensuring autonomous learning environment, the absentness of cooperative learning strategies and among others. It was recommended that universities who resort to online means of teaching and learning should resource teachers and learners with the necessary accoutrements to help sustain their interest and minimize stress of teaching and learning. Researchers are however encouraged to further investigate into other factors necessary to sustain learners’ and teachers’ interest in coping with online (e-learning) modes.