A critique of "understanding the unintended consequences of online teaching"
Abstract
In an ever-changing environment, (of which the “ever-changing” was recently made more prominent due to a world-wide pandemic), humankind either needs to adapt or die. The question however remains: to what extent should we adapt to the “new”? Accepting the fact that each reader would glean and react to different aspects presented in the article “Understanding the unintended consequences of online teaching”, I herewith present my opinion and use this opportunity to raise my concerns regarding the article. The critique of a largely unchallenged characterization of online teaching is a sign of growing intellectual vibrancy in the field which can foster innovative ideas for teaching methods. The objective of this critical note is not to reiterate the case for understanding the unintended consequences of online teaching, rather it is written in the pursuit to expand on what has been published thus far to advance online higher education pedagogy and to highlight the importance and value of academic research in an ever-changing environment.
Downloads
References
Adnan, M. and K. Anwar. 2020. “Online Learning amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Students’ Perspectives.” Online Submission 2(1): 45‒51.
Ali, W. 2020. “Online and remote learning in higher education institutes: A necessity in light of COVID-19 pandemic.” Higher Education Studies 10(3): 16‒25.
Bacharach, S. B. 1989. “Organizational theories: Some criteria for evaluation.” Academy of Management Review 14(4): 496‒515.
Brown, A., J. Lawrence, M. Basson, and P. Redmond. 2022. “A conceptual framework to enhance student online learning and engagement in higher education.” Higher Education Research & Development 41(2): 284‒299.
Clark, R. C. and R. E. Mayer. 2016. E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. John Wiley & sons.
Collins, C. S. and C. M. Stockton. 2018. “The central role of theory in qualitative research.” International Journal of Qualitative Methods 17(1): 1609406918797475.
Coman, C., L. G. Țîru, L. Meseșan-Schmitz, C. Stanciu, and M. C. Bularca. 2020. “Online teaching and learning in higher education during the coronavirus pandemic: Students’ perspective.” Sustainability 12(24): 10367.
CoSN. 2020. “COVID-19 Response: Preparing to Take School Online.” https://www.cosn.org/sites/defaults/files/COVID-19%20Member%20Exclusive_0.pdf.
Deacon, D., M. Pickering, P. Golding, and G. Murdock. 2007. A practical guide to methods in media and cultural analysis. 2nd Edition. London: Hodder Arnold.
Dumford, A. D. and A. L. Miller. 2018. “Online learning in higher education: Exploring advantages and disadvantages for engagement.” Journal of Computing in Higher Education 30(3): 452‒465.
Gannon, F. 2001. “The essential role of peer review.” EMBO reports 2(9): 743‒743.
Gasaway, L. N. 2002. Drafting a faculty copyright ownership policy. University of North Carolina.
GSMA. 2020. The mobile economy: Sub-Saharan Africa 2020. Report.
Guba, E. G. and Y. S. Lincoln. 1994. “Competing paradigms in qualitative research.” Handbook of qualitative research 2(163‒194): 105.
Hanson, N. R. 1958. Patterns of discovery: An inquiry into the conceptual foundations of science. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Hardman, J. 2020. “Into the abyss: Online teaching/learning in a pandemic.” Mail and Guardian 4 May: 31. Cape Town.
Hardman, J., K. Shankar, T. Crick, F. McGaughey, R. Watermeyer, V. Ratnadeep Suri, and R. Chung. 2022. “‘Does anyone even notice us?’ Covid-19’s impact on academics’ well-being in a developing country.” South African Journal of Higher Education 36(1): 1‒19.
Lawrence, J., A. Brown, P. Redmond, and M. Basson. 2019. “Engaging the disengaged: Exploring the use of course-specific learning analytics and nudging to enhance online student engagement.” Student Success 10(2): 47‒59.
Levy, S. 2003. “Six Factors to consider when planning online distance learning programs in higher education.” Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration 6: 1‒16.
Machaba, F. and T. Bedada. 2022. “University lecturers’ preparedness to use technology in teacher training of mathematics during Covid-19: The case of Ethiopia.” South African Journal of Higher Education 36(1): 171‒192.
Mbhiza, H. and D. Muthelo. 2022. “COVID-19 and the quality of mathematics education teaching and learning in a first-year course.” South African Journal of Higher Education 36(2): 189‒203.
Naidoo, G. M. and C. Israel. 2021. “A Critique of Online Learning in Higher Education during the Coronavirus Lockdown Level 5 in South Africa.” African Journal of Development Studies (formerly AFFRIKA Journal of Politics, Economics and Society) 11(1): 127‒146.
Peirce, C. S. 1935. Collected papers. Scientific metaphysics, ed. C. Hartshorne and P. Weiss, Vol. VI. Harvard Univ. Press.
Redmond, P., A. Heffernan, L. Abawi, A. Brown, and R. Henderson. 2018. “An online engagement framework for higher education.” Online learning 22(1): 183‒204.
Rudman, R. J. 2021. “Understanding the unintended consequences of online teaching.” South African Journal of Higher Education 35(4): 1‒12.
Saldaña, J. and M. Omasta. 2016. Qualitative research: Analyzing life. Sage Publications.
Silverman, D. 2013. Doing qualitative research: A practical handbook. Sage.
Stone, C. 2019. “Online learning in Australian higher education: Opportunities, challenges and transformations.” Student Success 10(2): 1.
Timmermans, S. and I. Tavory. 2012. “Theory construction in qualitative research: From grounded theory to abductive analysis.” Sociological Theory 30(3): 167‒186.
Waghid, Y. 2019. Toward a philosophy of caring in higher education: Pedagogy and nuances of care. New York: Palgrave-MacMillan.
Waghid, Y. 2021. “On the unintended consequences of online teaching: A response.” South African Journal of Higher Education 35(4): 13‒15.
Waghid, Y. and N. Davids. 2017. Education assessment, and the desire for dissonance. New York: Peter Lang.
Waghid, Y., F. Waghid, J. Terblanche, and Z. Waghid. 2021. Higher teaching and learning for alternative futures: A renewed focus on critical praxis. New York: Palgrave-MacMillan.
Wanner, T. 2014. “Parallel Universes: Student and Teacher Expectations and Interactions.” ergo 3(3).
Winkler, H. 2021. Why “South Africa’s electricity blackouts are set to continue for the next five years.” The conversation 30 March.
World Bank. 2020. “Remote Learning and COVID-19. The use of educational technologies at scale across an education system as result of massive school closings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to enable distance education and online learning.” file://E:/PC/Rapid-Response-Briefing-Note-Remote-Learning-and-COVID-19-Outbreak.pdf.
Woodside, A. G. and E. J. Wilson. 2003. “Case study research methods for theory building.” Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing 18(6/7): 493‒508. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620310492374.
Copyright (c) 2022 Suzanne Kieviet
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
