Educational Disruptions during the COVID-19 Crisis in Small Island Developing States: Preparedness and Efficacy of Academics for Online Teaching

Autor/inn/en	Seetal, Isma; Gunness, Sandhya; Teeroovengadum, Viraiyan
Titel	Educational Disruptions during the COVID-19 Crisis in Small Island Developing States: Preparedness and Efficacy of Academics for Online Teaching
Quelle	In: International Review of Education, 67 (2021) 1-2, S.185-217 (33 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Seetal, Isma)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0020-8566
DOI	10.1007/s11159-021-09902-0
Schlagwörter	Educational Change; COVID-19; Pandemics; Online Courses; Foreign Countries; Developing Nations; Universities; Web Based Instruction; Readiness; College Faculty; Access to Computers; Internet; Electronic Learning; Technology Uses in Education; Barriers; Technological Literacy; Self Efficacy; Teacher Education; Experiential Learning + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Bildungsreform; Online course; Online-Kurs; Ausland; Developing country; Developing countries; Entwicklungsland; University; Universität; Web Based Training; Fakultät; Technology enhanced learning; Technology aided learning; Technologieunterstütztes Lernen; Technisches Wissen; Self-efficacy; Selbstwirksamkeit; Lehrerausbildung; Lehrerbildung; Experiental learning; Erfahrungsorientiertes Lernen
Abstract	COVID-19 has caused a global rush of universities to transfer their courses online to maintain continuity in student teaching and learning. The study presented in this article investigated the preparedness of academics in Small Island Developing State (SIDS) universities for shifting to emergency online teaching. To examine the impact of preparedness and other factors on the efficacy of academic staff in performing their work duties during the pandemic, the research team collected data from 75 respondents who filled in a questionnaire. In addition, they conducted semi-structured online interviews with a subsample of 5 respondents. They found that most academics had the necessary tools and infrastructure to teach online, including access to reasonably fast internet connections. However, many of them lacked adequate training in applying the use of technology to teaching, which limited their preparedness for developing e-learning activities. Thus, the study found that, insufficient competence in using educational technologies and inadequate university support impacted academics' work efficacy significantly. This impact was less pronounced for staff who had prior online teaching experience, which suggests that their pre-pandemic experiences lessened their dependence on support for online teaching when the sudden need arose. The authors' thematic analysis similarly found academics' uneven familiarity with technology and the need for more "at-the-elbow" technological support during crises to be significant, as well as a need for more leadership to deal with complex situations. Based on their findings, the authors conclude that greater preparedness for online teaching -- and thus improved efficacy -- might be achieved through a balanced mix of independent learning (by doing) on the part of academic staff and customised and targeted formal professional learning (through training provided by the university). (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01