The Influence of COVID-19 on the Management Styles of ODeL Teacher Education Managers and Their Response to Supporting and Managing Staff in Crisis Times

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting national lockdown considerably impacted the institutional operations, in particular, those of an Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) University in South Africa. These crisis times significantly challenged managers at an ODeL teacher education college to find innovative ways of successfully managing their staff in working remotely. This exploratory, interpretivist phenomenological study was employed to explore teacher education managers' (TEMs') point of view of the crisis and consciousness as lived experiences managing staff working remotely during the pandemic. This study is underpinned by the theory of crisis leadership and ubuntu management style. One major finding revealed that the pandemic influenced and altered the management styles of TEMs and their response in managing staff during unprecedented times of a global crisis with no formal training in undertaking this mammoth task. Managers pioneered new ways of supporting staff working remotely during times of crisis. Based on this finding, a professional development seminar could be developed for managers to empower them to become versatile and resilient in times of crisis. Further research needs to be undertaken to determine, through a mixed-methods design, how TEMs employed stress management techniques for staff working remotely, which may yield different results. © Common Ground Research Networks, Christy Jean Kotze, Michael Moos van Wyk, All Rights Reserved.

STUDENT ACCESS TO AND COMPETENCE IN MIGRATING TO A FULLY ONLINE OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING SPACE

Aim/Purpose This article aimed to explore student perceptions and experiences of migrating to a fully online mode during COVID-19. Background The COVID-19 pandemic changed the mode of delivery from face-to-face or blended learning to fully distance learning. The introduction of the Disaster Management Act (2020) in South Africa forced all institutions of learning to close their doors and move to teaching and learning online. We, therefore, needed to investigate whether the students at an Open Distance Learning (ODL) institution had access to the necessary devices and to see how they responded to fully online learning. Subsequently, this prompted a need to investigate student access to and competence in online learning in a fully ODL space during COVID-19. Since COVID-19 is a recent occurrence, little is known about how students experienced a (forced) move to fully online learning. In South Africa specifically, much less is known about fully online learning. Methodology The structured web-based survey was sent to all registered Bachelor of Education and Postgraduate Certificate in Education students. The structured questionnaire asking questions about students' access to devices and their experiences of learning in a fully online mode, was administrated through Google Survey forms. There were 2,858 responses received. Descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis were used to uncover findings. Contribution This paper sets out student teachers' experiences of learning in a fully online mode during COVID-19 in a developing country such as South Africa. These experiences as representative of the global South, are previously unknown to scholars and can assist in designing future fully online programs in this context. Findings Access to affordable data is an obstacle for students to access the learning management system. Students felt that the university took a long time to distribute laptops and also indicated that they lacked a suitable and stable internet connection. The digital divide was made more apparent and significant during COVID-19 although students indicated that they did develop necessary digital competencies. Recommendations for Practitioners Practitioners in Open Distance Learning should understand students' context regarding access to tools and connectivity when designing courses. Recommendations for Researchers Researchers should explore theoretical framings to understand issues related to online education when access to tools and connectivity is limited. Impact on Society The digital divide was exacerbated by COVID-19. Students and communities need support to move to online modes of engagement. Future Research More studies of a qualitative and mixed-method nature should be conducted to fully understand student teachers' context and challenges with online learning. Further research that includes student responses using non-digital means needs to be explored.

Academic experiences of "zoom-Fatigue" as a virtual streaming phenomenon during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This phenomenological exploratory multiple-case study design was conducted at an open distance e-learning university and a traditional contact residential university, and it was found that the participants viewed video conferencing under the COVID-19 lockdown period as an exhausting experience. A second major finding revealed that the participants were empowered with digital literacy skills to use video conferencing effectively. The current findings add to a growing body of literature on video conferencing with a focus on Zoom fatigue. Further research might explore the lived Zoom experiences of administrators, students, and a larger group of faculties over a longer period. The study findings must be considered when planning and implementing video conferencing for academics and students in open distance e-learning contexts. This study showed that video conferencing is one tool in the emergence of a digital zoom revolution that has radically changed the workspace. The evidence from this study suggests that Zoom fatigue is a reality check for work-related health management. © 2021 IGI Global. All rights reserved.

Academic support under COVID-19 lockdown: what students think of online support e-tools in an ODeL course

Purpose: This paper aims to explore student teachers’ views related to the online academic support e-tools used under the COVID-19 lockdown. Design/methodology/approach: Mapping a pragmatic research approach, an explanatory mixed methods design was used for the study. Findings: Empirical evidence revealed that student teachers were satisfied and experienced the academic support tools as being positively applied to their online learning. Furthermore, it is reported that student teachers preferred the discussion forum as the most appropriate academic support e-tool in the course under coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown. Research limitations/implications: This exploratory pragmatic study extends the knowledge of the online academic support e-tools for an open distance e-learning (ODeL) context that was used under COVID-19 lockdown. This study provides additional evidence concerning a revised academic support frame for an ODeL online learning context. Research limitations: small sample size was used, and therefore caution must be applied, as the findings might not be transferable to a similar context. The current study has only examined a teacher education course and could not be generalised to similar conditions as those under COVID-19 lockdown. This exploratory research has raised many questions that require further investigation. More research is required to determine the efficacy of the academic support e-tools with regard to student learning in other online courses and contexts. Practical implications: The student teachers that participated in this study were empowered to using the academic support e-tools to support them under COVID-19 lockdown. The discussion was mostly preferred academic supportive e-tool as an engaged, participatory and communicative platform for accelerated learning in the teaching methodology of economics course. Originality/value: A noteworthy contribution was made in the design and testing of the reliability of methodological tools, which could be replicated in blended and ODeL contexts. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.