Teaching, Learning, and Assessment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID pandemic raises several questions in terms of the adaptability of the higher education sector and its readiness to act , while providing the same quality of delivery as face-to-face classes. This mixed method study investigated academic perceptions of the forced change of delivery and the effects on the quality of teaching, learning, and assessment. This study identified that many African academics, though not having formal training in digital pedagogy, rated themselves as more than average in their ability to adopt technology for the online environment. The most effective online tools adopted during this crisis was Zoom and WhatsApp with the LMS tools mostly adopted for assessment purposes. The major factors that affected African students' ability to engage online included lack of access to connectivity and devices, technological competency, and emotional and social factors. The study reinforced the need to consider all the pillars proposed by the Khan framework.