Lessons Learnt from Teaching and Learning During Disruptions

Abstract

Student protests that are associated with disruption of teaching activities occur sporadically in many countries. Such events usually have a negative impact on teaching and learning, but also provide the impetus for experimentation and renewal of practices. During the student led protest movement #FeesMustFall in South Africa in 2016, three campuses of the University of Pretoria were closed for normal activities for an extended period and most teaching activities went online almost overnight. This study reports on insights gained about the affordances and weaknesses of the online learning environment using self-report data from both lecturers and students. A thematic approach was used to analyse the lecturers’ reflections on challenges faced and lessons learnt. The findings exemplify the resilience of lecturers as they embraced blended learning and their willingness to experiment and improve their practice. A mixed-methods approach was used to explore the student experience of the blended learning offering of first-year organic chemistry. The sample was stratified based on prior performance to uncover possible differences between subgroups. The pre- and post-chemistry e-learning surveys, comprising open and structured response questions, were completed by 1166 and 565 respondents, respectively. Inductive analysis of free response data generated themes on the student experience. A negative correlation was found between preference for online learning and performance, which is a reason for concern. The results offer useful pointers for instructional design of blended organic chemistry courses, but they also raise questions about equity and students’ metacognitive awareness in a virtual learning environment.

Appendix: Seven Items from the Pre-course Survey Coded for Online Preference

Responses to seven items in the pre-survey were coded as indicated below. The sample was divided into three groups of roughly equal size (high, medium and low) based on their scores for OL preference.

Question 6 (Multiple Choice):

If you have used Connect platform previously, rate how well it assisted you to master the course(s) (e.g. MLB or PHY).

	Not used connect before	1. Not at all helpful	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10. Very helpful
Code	0	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	3	3	3

Question 7: (Multiple Choice):

If you have used Learnsmart previously, rate how well it assisted you to master the course.

	Not used learnsmart before	1. Not at all helpful	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10. Very helpful
Code	0	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	3	3	3

Question 9 (Multiple Choice) (coded in conjunction with Question 17):

If there is something you do not understand in class, how do you prefer to get additional information?

	Online	Textbook	Lecturer	Tutor	Classmate	Another person	Unanswered
Codes for OL preference	3	1a	1	1	1	1	0

^aCoded as 3 if students selected e-book in Question 17

Question 13 (Multiple Choice):

When studying for a semester test, I will rely on online material for my learning:

	Never	Rarely	Usually	Always	Unanswered
Codes for OL preference	1	2	3	4	0

Question 14 (Multiple Choice):

Which type of compulsory tutorial do you think would help you understand the course better?

	Class tutorials	Online tutorials
Codes for OL preference	1	3

Question 15 (Multiple Choice):

Which type of compulsory tutorial do you think you would enjoy more?

	Class tutorials	Online tutorials
Codes for OL preference	1	4

Question 17 (Multiple Choice):

Do you prefer to read from a (i) paper-based book; (ii) e-book?