Websites as Pioneers for Covid-19 Information Dissemination in Higher Education: The Case of Tertiary Institutions in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

This paper sought to explore the dissemination of Covid-19-related information through websites in tertiary institutions in KwaZulu-Natal. The paper adopted a qualitative content analysis research method to collect Covid-19-related data from universities’ websites. The paper sought to identify patterns in recorded communication, thus it systematically collected data from a set of texts. The paper targeted all the universities in KwaZulu-Natal, namely: the University of Zululand, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mangosuthu University of Technology, and Durban University of Technology. Therefore, a census sampling was adopted to include all of them. The paper found that universities used their websites as pioneers for disseminating Covid-19-related information resources to their communities. The information posted on the universities’ websites was used to educate staff and students about how to prevent themselves from contracting the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the paper noted that universities were playing a crucial role in protecting students and staff members, and slowing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic by encouraging vaccinations within the institutions. Therefore, the paper concluded that universities were strategically positioned to help the country in the fight against the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic by increasing vaccine uptake among students and staff members, providing relevant and crucial information about Covid-19 vaccination, promoting vaccine trust and confidence, and establishing supportive policies and practices that made getting vaccinated as easy and convenient as possible.