COVID-19 and Emergency Migration to Remote Teaching in a Public University in the Maldives: Challenges, Solutions, and Lessons Learned

Yıl 2024, Sayı: 69, 122 - 132, 13.06.2024

Visama Hassan , Dheeba Moosa

https://doi.org/10.26650/JECS2023-1367089

Öz

Institutions of higher education worldwide were forced to implement emergency remote teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This scenario presented several issues for university lecturers and students. This study examines the challenges, experiences, and lessons learned by lecturers at a public university in the Maldives when forced to conduct ERT during the pandemic using an exploratory sequential mixed-method. The respondents most frequently cited unreliable internet connection (83.9%) and internet cost (76.8%), while 75% reported difficulty in motivating students and meeting their varied needs (64.3%). Access to technology (66.1%) and performance assessment (62.5%) were also mentioned. Challenges included internet, technology, student support, learning, and evaluation. The lecturers learned new skills during the pandemic, which was a positive outcome. Lastly, they stressed training, assistance, and the crisis readiness of the university.

Anahtar Kelimeler

COVID-19 pandemic, Emergency Remote Teaching, Challenges, Maldives, Higher Education Institution

Etik Beyan

All subjects gave their informed consent for inclusion before they participated in the study. The study was conducted in accordance with the international best practice and protocols of the IUM ethics committee.

Destekleyen Kurum

Islamic University of Maldives

Proje Numarası

1

Teşekkür

We would like to thank the reviewers and editors for their time and consideration.

Kaynakça

• Aboagye, E., Yawson, J. A., & Appiah, K. N. (2021). COVID-19 and E-Learning: The Challenges of Students in Tertiary Institutions. Social Education Research, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.37256/ser.212021422 google scholar
• Bad News To Dhiraagu And Ooredoo. Starlink Sharing Could Lower Internet Prices. (2021). https://maldivesfinest.com/blog/internet-price-starlink-dhiraagu-ooredoo google scholar
• Bao, W. (2020). COVID-19 and online teaching in higher education: A case study of Peking University. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2(2), 113-115. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.191 google scholar
• Ezra, O., Cohen, A., Bronshtein, A., Gabbay, H., & Baruth, O. (2021). Equity factors during the COVID-19 pandemic: Difficulties in emergency remote teaching (ert) through online learning. Education and Information Technologies, 26(6), 7657-7681. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10632-x google scholar
• Ferri, F., Grifoni, P., & Guzzo, T. (2020). Online Learning and Emergency Remote Teaching: Opportunities and Challenges in Emergency Situations. Societies, 10(4), 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc10040086 google scholar
• Hebebci, M., Bertiz, Y., & Alan, S. (2020). Investigation of Views of Students and Teachers on Distance Education Practices during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science, 4, 267-282. https://doi.org/10.46328/ytes.v4i4.113 google scholar
• Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020, February 27). The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online google scholar
• Learning. Retreived from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning google scholar
• Huang, R. H., Liu, D. J., Tlili, A., Yang, J. F., & Wang, H. H. (2020). Handbook on facilitating flexible learning during educational disruption: The Chinese experience in maintaining undisrupted learning in COVID-19 outbreak | Unesco IIEP Learning Portal. Smart Learning Institute. Retreived from https://learningportal.iiep.unesco.org/en/library/handbook-on-facilitating-flexible-learning-during-educational-disruption-the-chinese google scholar
• Jelinska, M., & Paradowski, M. B. (2021). Teachers’ Perception of Student Coping With Emergency Remote Instruction During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Relative Impact of Educator Demographics and Professional Adaptation and Adjustment. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648443 google scholar
• Kamal, T., & Illiyan, A. (2021). School teachers’ perception and challenges towards online teaching during COVID-19 pandemic in India: An econometric analysis. Asian Association of Open Universities Journal, 16(3), 311-325. https://doi.org/10.1108/AAOUJ-10-2021-0122 google scholar
• Kebritchi, M., Lipschuetz, A., & Santiague, L. (2017). Issues and Challenges for Teaching Successful Online Courses in Higher Education: A Literature Review. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 46(1), 4-29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239516661713 google scholar
• Khalil, R., Mansour, A. E., Fadda, W. A., Almisnid, K., Aldamegh, M., Al-Nafeesah, A., Alkhalifah, A., & Al-Wutayd, O. (2020). The sudden transition to synchronized online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study exploring medical students’ perspectives. BMC Medical Education, 20(1), 285. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02208-z google scholar
• Mishra, L., Gupta, T., & Shree, A. (2020). Online teaching-learning in higher education during lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 1, 100012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yedro.2020.100012 google scholar
• Mohmmed, A. O., Khidhir, B. A., Nazeer, A., & Vyayan, V. J. (2020). Emergency remote teaching during google scholar
• Coronavirus pandemic: The current trend and future directive at Middle East College Oman. Springerprofessional.De. https://www.springerprofessional.de/en/emergency-remote-teaching-during-coronavirus-pandemic-the-curren/18140818 google scholar
• Mutisya, D. N., & Makokha, G. L. (2016). Challenges affecting adoption of e-learning in public universities in Kenya. E-Learning and Digital Media, 13(3-4), 140-157. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042753016672902 google scholar
• Nyerere, J. (2020). Kenya’s university students and lecturers face huge challenges moving online. The Conversation. Retreived from http://theconversation.com/kenyas-university-students-and-lecturers-face-huge-challenges-moving-online-136682 google scholar
• Özüdoğru, G. (2021). Problems faced in distance education during Covid-19 Pandemic. Participatory Educational Research, 8(4), 321-333. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.21.92.8.4 google scholar
• Pokhrel, S., & Chhetri, R. (2021). A Literature Review on Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Teaching and Learning. Higher Education for the Future, 8(1), 133-141. https://doi.org/10.1177/2347631120983481 google scholar
• Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guardia, L., & Koole, M. (2020). Online University Teaching During and After the Covid-19 Crisis: Refocusing Teacher Presence and Learning Activity. Postdigital Science and Education, 2(3), 923-945. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y google scholar
• Rotas, E. E., & Cahapay, M. B. (2020). Difficulties in Remote Learning: Voices of Philippine University Students in the Wake of COVID-19 Crisis. 15(2). 147-158. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4299835 google scholar
• Rosalina, E., Nasrullah, N., & Elyani, E. (2020a). Teacher’s Challenges towards Online Learning in Pandemic Era. LET: Linguistics, Literature and English Teaching Journal, 10(2), 71-88. https://doi.org/10.18592/let.v10i2.4118 google scholar
• Roy, D. (2020, November 5). 5 problems you can face in online learning and how to deal with them. India Today. Retrieved from 31 October 2021, from https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/5-problems-you-can-face-in-online-learning-and-how-to-deal-with-them-1738361-2020-11-05 google scholar
• Schlesselman, L. S. (2020). Perspective from a Teaching and Learning Center During Emergency Remote Teaching. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 84(8). ajpe8142.https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe8142 google scholar
• Sia, J.K.M., & Abbas Adamu, A. (2020). Facing the unknown: Pandemic and higher education in Malaysia. Asian Education and Development Studies, ahead-of-print. 10(2), 263-275. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-05-2020-0114 google scholar
• Stelitano, L., Doan, S., Woo, A., Diliberti, M. K., Kaufman, J. H., & Henry, D. (2020). The Digital Divide and COVID-19: Teachers’ Perceptions of Inequities in Students’ Internet Access and Participation in Remote Learning. Retrieved from https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA134-3.html google scholar
• The WHO Just Declared Coronavirus COVID-19 a Pandemic. (2020, March 11). Time News. Retrieved from https://time.com/5791661/who-coronavirus-pandemic-declaration/ google scholar
• Thurab-Nkhosi, D., Maharaj, C., & Ramadhar, V. (2021). The impact of emergency remote teaching on a blended engineering course: Perspectives and implications for the future. SN Social Sciences, 1(7), 159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-021-00172-z google scholar
• Turugare, M., & Rudhumbu, N. (2020). Integrating technology in teaching and learning in universities in Lesotho: Opportunities and challenges. Education and Information Technologies, 25(5). 3593-3612 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-10093-3 google scholar
• Vlachopoulos, D. (2020). COVID-19: Threat or Opportunity for Online Education? Higher Learning Research Communications, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.18870/hlrc.v10i1.1179 google scholar