Abstract
In 2020, universities faced a period of unprecedented disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many universities in South Africa decided to continue their academic programmes by devising emergency plans for remote teaching and learning. This had a significant impact on both staff and students at contact universities. However, socio-economic issues compounded the challenge of remote teaching and learning, with some students forced to study in less than ideal conditions at home, without access to typical campus resources. Within the South African context, social inequalities and affordable access to quality internet and devices suitable for learning remain considerable challenges in higher education. The aim of this chapter is to consider a South African university’s pedagogical responsiveness to the global coronavirus pandemic, with a particular focus on contextual and digital access challenges. This chapter reviews the adoption of teaching with low-bandwidth (or low-tech) strategies to overcome digital access challenges in this complex educational context. It then analyses the impact thereof on students who had to quickly transition to a completely new way of learning during a period of great uncertainty. Finally, some considerations are proposed for low-tech teaching and learning strategies for future disruptions.
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Appendix: Low-Tech Remote Teaching Self-Evaluation
Appendix: Low-Tech Remote Teaching Self-Evaluation
When creating a low-tech remote course, consider the following minimum quality standards:
Content creation | ✓ |
I have adapted my existing content for remote teaching with “low-tech” or low-bandwidth options. | |
My course material has been chunked into smaller pieces to make it more suitable for remote learning. | |
I provide clear navigation and instructions about what students need to do and which technologies are required. | |
I provide low-tech options and materials in multiple formats, such as text documents or PowerPoint slides with slide notes for all my course materials. | |
I have captions and transcripts available for video or audio lectures. | |
I have compressed my video and other files to be smaller before uploading. | |
If students need to download files, I specify how big the files are. | |
Learning activities | ✓ |
I have designed activities that students can do without a computer or do not need to be online for (even if they have to submit the activity evidence online later). | |
I am using tools my students are familiar with, and if new tools are used, step-by-step instructions are provided. | |
I have checked what my course site and activities look like on a mobile device. | |
Learning community and communications | ✓ |
I have informed my students of which (if any) websites are zero-rated (no mobile data charges). | |
I have determined my students’ access and barriers and tried to make provision where possible to address these. | |
I have “online” office hours or spaces for students to ask questions and receive answers on a regular basis (using a variety of methods). | |
I have provided clear instructions for where students can get help with administrative, technical and academic queries on my course site. | |
Assessment | ✓ |
I have designed the first assessment not to be for marks, to allow students to become comfortable with using the technology for the first time. | |
Assignment requirements and submission dates are displayed in one place on my course site and are clearly communicated to students if they have to change. | |
The assessments I have designed are realistic for students, given the time and access constraints in a remote context. | |
I allow students to submit multiple formats of assessments. | |
I provide flexible submission dates or allow students to submit in different ways. |
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Krull, G.E. (2022). Learning with Low Tech: Challenges of Moving to Remote Learning in a Time of Disruption. In: Walton, E., Osman, R. (eds) Pedagogical Responsiveness in Complex Contexts. Inclusive Learning and Educational Equity, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12718-2_4
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