Emerging online pedagogical needs of university lecturers in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic: The voices from Zimbabwe

Abstract

This qualitative multiple case study was undertaken to establish the online pedagogical needs of university lecturers following the sudden Covid-19 induced transition from face-to-face to online teaching and learning. From a population of 25 universities, a purposive sample of two universities and 16 lecturers was studied in-depth. Data was generated through in-depth interviews and Focus Group Interviews and analysed thematically. Theoretically, the study employed van Dijk’s (2005) Resources and Appropriation Theory (RAT). The abrupt shift to online pedagogy created an online pedagogical skills vacuum that undermined the effective implementation of online teaching and learning. Most lecturers found themselves incapacitated to facilitate online teaching and learning without training in online pedagogy. They also failed to effectively implement online pedagogy due to limited or no access to digital devices, internet connectivity challenges, incessant electricity load shedding, and high data bundle tariffs. The principal emerging pedagogical needs of lecturers are digital resources and online pedagogy.