Equitable education: Virtual modes of instructional delivery
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20853/40-1-6600Keywords:
instructional delivery, equitable education, learner presence, digital equity, material equity, digital capital, community of enquiryAbstract
Higher education institutions have been confronted with an epidemic-driven shift to virtual teaching and online learning, and this poses a challenge to sustaining equality in education. Consequently, higher education institutions must be innovative and develop a contingent delivery mode of instruction to ensure pedagogical efficacy to transform teaching and learning and make education more accessible to all students. Given the realities of the exponential growth of students wanting to further their education, the pedagogical efficacy of digital modalities is not enough if the complex, wicked problem of digital equity is not addressed. Thus, there is a need for new ecologies of learning to enable higher education institutions to move beyond the brick-and-mortar. Through educational equity and the community of inquiry lens, we explored the different modes of instructional delivery, such as blended, hybrid, and online learning, with the aim of generating insightful and meaningful data on the various modes of instructional delivery. This article aims to present an understanding of the epidemic-driven shift to virtual teaching and online learning and demonstrate the value of implementing virtual teaching and online learning in an unequal and resource-constrained society to contribute towards digital inclusion and equitable access. An intra-method mixing approach was adopted. Thematic analysis was used to examine the descriptive responses to the open-ended questions, and simple descriptive statistics was used to analyse the numerical data of the close-ended question. Our findings identified elements of teaching presence, learner presence, social presence, cognitive presence, material equity, digital equity, and digital capital as contributing factors to the choice of the different modes (blended, hybrid, and online learning) of instructional delivery in an unequal society.
Downloads
References
Akoojee, S., and M. Nkomo. 2007. "Access and quality in South African higher education: the twin challenges of transformation". Human Sciences Research Council, 21(3), 385–399.
Alexander, J., M. Barcellona, S. Mclachlan, and C. Sackley. 2019. "Technology-enhanced learning in physiotherapy education: Student satisfaction and knowledge acquisition of entry-level students in the United Kingdom". British Journal of Educational Technology, 27(1063519), 1–14.
Amory, A. 2010. "Education technology and hidden ideological". Educ Technol Soc, 13(1), 69–79.
Anderson, T. 2016. "Theories for learning with emerging technologies". Emerging Technologies in Distance Education, 7(1), 7–23. http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120177
Anderson, T., and J. Dron. 2011. "Three generations of distance education pedagogy". International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(3), 80–97. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v12i3.890
Arkorful V, and N. Abaidoo. 2015. "The role of e-learning advantages and disadvantages in HE". International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, 12 (1), 29–42.
Aydin, B., and V. Demirer. 2022. "Are flipped classrooms less stressful and more successful? An experimental study on college students". International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-022-00360-8
Barbayannis, G., M. Bandari, X. Zheng, H. Baquerizo, K. W. Pecor, and X. Ming. 2022. "Academic Stress and Mental Well-Being in College Students: Correlations, Affected Groups, and COVID-19". Frontiers in Psychology, 13(May), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.886344
Befus, M. K. 2016. Digital Thesis Room: A thematic synthesis of Community of Inquiry research 2000 to 2014. https://dt.athabascau.ca/jspui/handle/10791/190
Bennett, S., K. Maton, and L. Kervin. 2008. "The Digital Natives Debate". British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(5), 775–786.
Bizcommunity. (2023). Digital Learning Hub opens in shopping mall. https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/500/237290.html#. Accessed on 09 August 2023
Black, P. 2010. "Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment". Granada Learning. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172171009200119.
Bliuc, A., P. Goodyear, and R. A. Ellis. 2007. "Research Focus and Methodological Choices in Studies Into Students ’ Experiences of Blended Learning in Higher Education". The Internet and Higher Education, December. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2007.08.001.
Boelens, R., S. Laer, S.Van, and B. De Wever. 2015. "Blended learning in adult education : towards a definition of blended learning". The Internet and Higher Education, June, 5–7.
Bourdieu, Pierre; J. Richardson. 1983. The Forms of Capital - , Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (1983). 241–258.
Chinembiri, T. 2020. "Despite Reduction in Mobile Data Tariffs, Data Still Expensive in South Africa". Research ICT Africa, April, 1–6. https://africaportal.org/publication/despite-reduction-mobile-data-tariffs-data-still-expensive-south-africa/
Choudhury, S., and S. Pattnaik. 2019. "Emerging themes in e-learning : A review from the stakeholder’s perspective." Computers & Education, 144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103657.
Cuban, L. 1986. Teachers and machines: The classroom use of technology since 1920. Teachers college press.
Czerniewicz, L., N. Agherdien, and J. Badenhorst. 2020. "A Wake-Up Call : Equity, Inequality and Covid-19 Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning". Postdigital Science and Education, 946–967.
Dlamini, R. 202). "Interactivity, the heart and soul of effective learning: The interlink between internet self-efficacy and the creation of an inclusive learning experience". South African Journal of Higher Education, 37(2). https://doi.org/10.20853/37-2-5105
Dlamini, R., and N. Ndzinisa. 2020. "Universities trailing behind: Unquestioned epistemological foundations constraining the transition to online instructional delivery and learning". South African Journal of Higher Education, 34(6), 52–64. https://doi.org/10.20853/34-6-4073
Du Preez, P., and L. le Grange. 2020. "The COVID-19 Pandemic, Online Teaching/ Learning, the Digital Divide, and Epistemological Access". Alternation African Scholarship Book Series (AASBS): Rethinking the Humanities Curriculum in the Time of COVID, 1(December), 90–106. http://alternation.ukzn.ac.za/Files/books/series-01/01/06-Du-Preez.pdf%0Ahttps://doi.org/10.29086/978-0-9869936-1-9/2020/AASBS01
Dziuban, C., C. R. Graham, P. D. Moskal, A. Norberg, and N. Sicilia. 2018. "Blended learning: the new normal and emerging technologies". International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 15(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-017-0087-5
Espinoza, O. 2007. "Solving the equity-equality conceptual dilemma: A new model for analysis of the educational process." Educational Research, 49(4), 343–363. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131880701717198
Ferri, F., P. Grifoni, and T. Guzzo. 2020. "Online learning and emergency remote teaching: Opportunities and challenges in emergency situations". Societies, 10(4), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc10040086
Frønes, T. S., A. Pettersen, J. Radišić, and N. Buchholtz. 2021. "Equity, equality and diversity in the Nordic model of education-contributions from large-scale studies". In Equity, Equality and Diversity in the Nordic Model of Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61648-9_1
Garrison, D. R., T. Anderson, and W. Archer. 2000. "Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education model. The Internet and Higher Education". The Internet and Higher Education, 2((2-3)), 87–105.
HEFCE. 2009. Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of technology: A Revised Approach to HEFCE’s Strategy for e-Learning, Bristol: Higher Education Funding Council for England. March.
Hodges, C., S. Moore, B. Lockee, T. Trust, and A. Bond. 2020." The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning." Educause, 1–12. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-
Jansen, J. 2004. Changes and continuities in South Africa’s higher education system, 1994 to 2004. Changing class: education and social change in postapartheid South Africa. Oxford University Press Southern Africa.
Jantjies, M. 2020. How South Africa can address digital inequalities in e-learning. https://theconversation.com/how-south-africa-can-address-digital-inequalities-in-e-learning-137086
Johnson, B., and F. Turner. 2003. Data collection strategies. Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioural research. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Khoza, S. B., and C. B. Mpungose. 2020. "Digitalised curriculum to the rescue of a higher education institution". African Identities, 00(00), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2020.1815517
Kreijns, K., F. Van Acker, M. Vermeulen, and H. Van Buuren. 2014. "Community of Inquiry: Social presence revisited". E-Learning and Digital Media, 11(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.2304/ELEA.2014.11.1.5
Laufer, M., Leiser, A., Deacon, B., Perrin de Brichambaut, P., Fecher, B., Kobsda, C., & Hesse, F. (2021). Digital higher education: a divider or bridge builder? Leadership perspectives on edtech in a COVID-19 reality. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 18(1), 51.
Lai, G. H. C. 2015. "Seamless flipped learning : a mobile technology- enhanced flipped classroom with effective learning strategies." Journal of Computers in Education, 2(4), 449–473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-015-0043-0
Linder, K. 2017. "Fundamentals of Hybrid Teaching and Learning". New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2017, 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20222
Mail&Guardian. 2020, November 10. Digital Learning Hub opens in shopping mall. Mail&Guardian. https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/500/237290.html
Majola, M. X; P. K. Mudau. 2022. "Lecturers’ Experiences of Administering Online Examinations at a South African Open Distance E-Learning University during the COVID-19 Pandemic". International Journal of Educational Methodology, 8(2), 275–283.
Mataka, T. W., T. Mukurunge, T. Bhila. 2020. "Virtual teaching and learning: a sad reality of the “haves” and “have nots”, the teacher’s voice in Zimbabwe during COVID 19 pandemic." International Journal of All Research Writings, 1(12), 8–14.
Mgqwashu, E. 2017. Universities can’t decolonise the curriculum. www.conversation.com/universities-cant-decolonise-the-curriculumwithout-%0Adefining-it-first-63948
Mpungose, C. B. 2020. "Emergent transition from face-to-face to online learning in a South African University in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic". Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-00603-x
Olapiriyakul, K., J. M. Scher. 2006. "A guide to establishing hybrid learning courses: Employing information technology to create a new learning experience, and a case study". The Internet and Higher Education, 287–"301.
Pascu, and Petcovici. 2021. Face-to-face, blended/hybrid and online teaching". Anale. Seria Stiinte Economice. Timisoara, 26, 113–117.
Ragnedda, M. 2018. "Conceptualizing digital capital". Telematics and Informatics, 35(8), 2366–2375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2018.10.006.
Resta, P., T. Laferrière, and R. Mclaughlin. 2018. Issues and Challenges Related to Digital Equity: An Overview. 987–1004.
Saichaie, K. 2020. Blended, Flipped, and Hybrid Learning: Definitions, Developments, and Directions. 164, 95–104. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20428.
Selwyn, N. 2004. "Reconsidering Political and Popular Understandings of the Digital Divide". New Media & Society - NEW MEDIA SOC, 6, 341–362. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444804042519.
Senanayake, A. C., A. Samarakkody, C. Malalgoda, D. Amaratunga, R. Haigh, C. Liyanage, R. Shaw. 2023. "Towards an Inclusive Disaster Education: The State of Online Disaster Education from the Learner’s Perspective." Sustainability, 15(14), 11042.
Shea, P., and T. Bidjerano. 2010. "Learning presence: Towards a theory of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and the development of a communities of inquiry in online and blended learning environments". Computers and Education, 55(4), 1721–1731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.07.017
Shetu, S. F., M. Rahman, A. Ahmed, M. F. Mahin, A. U. Akib, and M. Saifuzzaman. 2021. "Current Research in Behavioral Sciences Impactful e-learning framework: A new hybrid form of education". Current Research in Behavioral Sciences, 2(April), 100038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbeha.2021.100038.
Shin, M., and Hickey, K. 2021. "Needs a little TLC: examining college students’ emergency remote teaching and learning experiences during COVID-19". Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(7). https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2020.1847261
Siegelman, A. 2021. "Blended Learning, Hybrid Learning, The Flipped Classroom… What’s the Difference?" In Panopto. https://www.panopto.com/blog/blended-learning-hybrid-learning-flipped-classroom-whats-difference/
Soomro, K. A., U. Kale, R. Curtis, M. Akcaoglu, and M. Bernstein. 2020. "Digital divide among higher education faculty". International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00191-5
Swan, A. 2010. The Open Access citation advantage: Studies and results to date. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/268516/2/Citation_advantage_paper.pdf?msID=a2f4c223-3af2-44c3-afe5-8c823efea7fb&msID=29ed99ba-1ea3-47d0-9e21-a46a42fd6f05
Tech-drive. 2023. Tech-driven Innovation Sparks Investor Interest in South Africa’s Start-ups”. https://www.techinafrica.com/tech-driven-innovation-sparks-investor-interest-in-south-africas-start-ups/
Therborn, G. 2012. "The killing fields of inequality". International Journal of Health Services, 42(4), 579–589. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45140301
Ullah, K., S. T. Hussain Shah, S. M. Ali, and A. Khan. 2019. "Development and Validation of Technology Enhanced Learning Framework Driven by Flipped Methodology Learning Environment". Mehran University Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, 38(3), 667–686. https://doi.org/10.22581/muet1982.1903.12.
Vodafone. 2020. Using technology to help students learn from anywhere with connected education. Vodafone Business News. https://www.vodafone.com/business/news-and-insights/blog/gigabit-thinking/using-technology-to-help-students-learn-from-anywhere-with-connected-education. Accessed on 09 August 2023
WorldBank. 201). Inequality in South Africa: An Assessment of the African Southern Union Customs.
Yuen, A. H. K. 2011. Exploring teaching approaches in blended learning. 6(1), 3–23.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Millicent Motheogane, Fatima Makda, Reuben Dlamini, Fatima Makda, Joseph Mesuwini
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged, when works are cited.
Authors, copyright holders, may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, theses, dissertations, conferences and conference papers.
A copy of the authors' publishers version may also be hosted on the following websites:
- Non-commercial personal homepage or blog.
- Institutional webpage.
- Authors Institutional Repository.
The following notice should accompany such a posting on the website: This is an electronic version of an article published in SAJHE, Volume XXX, number XXX, pages XXX “XXX", DOI. Authors should also supply a hyperlink to the original paper or indicate where the original paper (http://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/SAJHE) may be found.
Authors publishers version, affiliated with the Stellenbosch University will be automatically deposited in the University Institutional Repository SUNScholar.
Articles as a whole, may not be re-published with another journal.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
