Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Part One

The impact of covid-19 on online teaching in relation to the use of ICT according to primary teachers’ perceptions in sub-Saharan Africa.

Contents Chapter One 3 I. Introduction 3 II. Research background and gaps 3 III. Purpose of study 4 Chapter Two 5 Literature review 5 1. Effectiveness of e-learning program 6 2. Barriers to e-teaching and learning programs 6 3. ICT integration for online teaching 8 Chapter Three 9 I. Methodology 9 1. Research problem 9 2. Research questions 9 3. Sample/participants 10 4. Research design and tools 10 5. Data collection 10 6. Data analysis 10 7. Ethical consideration 11 II. Implications of the study 11 Conclusion And Recommendations 12 References 13

Chapter One

I. Introduction

The covid-19 pandemic has had far-reaching consequences in the professional, cultural, economic, and social aspects of our lives. The risk of infection led to social distancing which affected the conventional teaching and learning methods all over the world. This led to the concept of online interaction, learning, or teaching. For the first time, educational systems all around sub-Saharan Africa faced a challenge to adapt to online teaching methods. The education system in sub-Saharan Africa is beginning to embrace digital transformation and the use of ICT in education from the start of the pandemic. Before the pandemic, primary and secondary schools in sub-Saharan Africa barely used information and communication technology (ICT) tools in their educational activities. The changes in the use of conventional means of teaching to the use of ICT in schools not only affected the students but also their teachers. Teachers have been struggling to adapt to online learning and teaching skills.

Online teaching is an important aspect of improving the quality of education. It is a way that will allow for integrating all populations without any physical, status, or geographical restrictions. Lapitan Jr et al. (2021) defines online teaching as an innovative method of instruction that will allow learning to take place using computers or any other ICT resources. Since its incorporation in the 20th century, the concept has overlapped to include online or distance education, online courses, e-learning, and blended learning. The role of ICT in education cannot be downplayed as it has significant benefits to both the students and teachers (Agrawal & Mittal, 2018). However, there has been a huge challenge associated with online teaching and learning in sub-Saharan Africa. The main problem being the challenge of access to ICT facilities and lack of enough capabilities. The integration of ICT in learning and teaching is in the early stages of implementation in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper investigates the impact of covid-19 on online teaching in relation to the use of ICT in sub-Saharan Africa according to the perception of primary teachers. Dissertation Project Completed Sample

II. Research background and gaps

Baker and Peeley (2019) revealed that apart from students, teachers also face a lot of limitations and challenges in education brought by covid-19. One of the biggest challenges brings the increased school burden on the teachers. Unlike the 8 hours of physical teaching, teachers are now supposed to work for over 12 hours to stay connected for online teaching. Furthermore, the communication and interactions between students and teachers have not been direct and unlike face-to-face interactions, it can become complex and unsatisfying. In most cases, teachers and students do not feel satisfied by online interactions as they may not be able to engage sufficiently or seamlessly. Lack of serious engagements has led several students and teachers to be affected psychologically, with others facing depression and anxiety. Numerous teachers in sub-Saharan Africa have not adapted to the innovation and technology to engage in online classes. Most of the teachers do not have the technological skills to carry out online education. Investigating these challenges will be helpful in understanding how to resolve them.

III. Purpose of study

This paper aims in understanding how the challenges of implementing ICT in sub-Saharan Africa could be addressed effectively. ICT use in learning and teaching through online platforms would help improve education equality and also improving the quality of education. The findings of this research will form a basis where legal decision-makers and policymakers can use in finding effective solutions towards educational challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.

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Chapter Two

Literature review

The emergence of the covid-19 pandemic has brought about huge challenges in every aspect of life. It has influenced the emotional, physical, psychological, and mental aspects of children and teachers in relation to the operation of the education system. Different case studies, research articles, reports, and researchers have discussed the impact of covid-19 on online learning. Covid-19 is said to have brought the major disruption and will be recorded in human history. Since the outbreak of the pandemic and after all the schools were closed, the education of over 1.6 billion students all over the world was disrupted significantly. Over 75% of the students were unable to continue with physical or normal education that they were using before. Research by d’Orville, (2020) revealed that this disruption and shift caused by the pandemic affected the concentration and performance of students significantly.

Analysis of the available literature shows that the closure of schools and shift to online teaching and learning applications led to several students and teachers missing their classes. Jena, (2020) states that the main reason for missing classes was a lack of online education infrastructure. The sub-Saharan Africa region was affected immensely by this technological shift. Many schools and learners in sub-Saharan Africa lack internet connectivity and digital devices that are important in online teaching and learning. Colleges, universities, and even primary schools’ personnel accept that they face huge challenges in carrying out online learning and teaching. Many teachers who were new to online teaching cited that the continuous use of ICT technology for teaching was ruining their interest and concentration. Similarly, sticking on the screen for over 12 hours posed other major challenges in balancing the work-life and therefore putting them under depression and stress (Obeidat et al., 2021). Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Research indicates that ICT is the best solution to various challenges that are experienced through physical learning. However, the students’ and teachers’ expertise towards the interaction with information and communication technology used in online teaching and learning affects its effectiveness significantly. One of the most commonly used ICT tools is the Microsoft team. Microsoft team provides a platform where teachers and students can interact with ease and also provides the flexibility needed for learning. Such ICT tools provide solutions that address challenges that were faced by students in physical learning. Teachers make interfaces interactive and remove the limits that present interactions with their students. However, Pokhrel & Chhetri, (2021) suggests that e-learning and other ICT teaching tools could provide the expected results only if the technologies are used or utilized efficiently. With the implementation of ICT in online teaching, simultaneous teaching should be promoted and despite the differences, communication should be seamless without any challenges or disruptions. Literature from different researchers reveals that online teaching and learning is an option that will help improve the situation of learning of more than a billion full-time learners all over the world. Dissertation Project Completed Sample

1. Effectiveness of e-learning program

E-learning is very beneficial for the improvement of the quality of education in sub-Saharan Africa, however, if it is not used effectively, these benefits may not be realized (Letseka et al., 2019). Students from developing countries and more specifically sub-Saharan Africa score much lower than developed countries in terms of online teaching and learning. The research was done by Starcher, (2021) in the United States revealed that students who used online learning performed better than those students who engaged in face-to-face sessions, while those engaged in blended learning performed much better than the two. However, sometimes students may use online learning but do not engage actively with the tutor or service. This limits the effectiveness of online teaching and learning significantly. Since the transition to online learning, most institutions were not able to train their teachers and students to use educational technologies. In some countries, instruction was delivered through platforms such as Skype and Microsoft team, where most students and teachers did not understand how to use them.

2. Barriers to e-teaching and learning programs

The identified barriers of online learning and teaching include; lack of access to reliable internet and electricity connectivity, rejection of e-learning by the administration, lack of ICT skills, inadequate infrastructure, and high costs. The startup costs for online learning in sub-Saharan Africa are relatively high. This is mainly because of the high cost of purchasing ICT equipment and installing ICT infrastructure adaption of online learning. The gadgets and technology needed for effective online learning may not be cheap, hence affecting the implementation of online teaching. Therefore, limited funding in an institution will affect the provision of online education. The cost of online education in sub-Saharan Africa is mainly more costly to develop and deliver than using face-to-face classes.

A research carried out by Mtebe and Raisamo, (2017) revealed that 68% of the teachers reported that they lacked access to computers, while 73% reported that they could not access reliable internet. With help of ICT tools, teaching and learning can be done at anytime and anywhere. However, inadequate access to computers, studying materials, and technology in sub-Saharan Africa leaves some students marginalized, which affects the effectiveness of online teaching and learning significantly (Mukuni, 2019). Mtebe and Raisamo, (2017) concluded that only 5 out of 22 students in Africa could access internet connectivity and computers at home.

Inadequate background experience of online teaching and also lack of technological skills especially among teachers is one of the biggest constraints towards online teaching and learning (Shapiro et al., 2017). Tutors and teachers required for the advanced technology used in online classes will require pieces of training or hiring tutors from outside companies who already have the technological skills. According to Feldacker et al. (2017), lack of experience with online teaching is a barrier to achieving online education in sub-Saharan Africa. Many teachers and students in sub-Saharan Africa who don’t have proper experience or knowledge don’t have the support systems and technical assistance to carry out online education. According to Ngeze and Sridhar, (2019) 63% of teachers who carried out online classes in Tanzania did not have the necessary skills to use or create online educational resources.

Most faculty members and the administration reject online education as they alienate them or become skeptical about them. Many people with administrative positions in sub-Saharan Africa think that online education is time-consuming when compared to other traditional methods of teaching (Ali et al., 2018). The hesitance of the school administration and the faculty members to accept online education and not being ready to teach is a huge barrier to online learning. Slow and unreliable network or internet connection impacts the quality of online learning significantly. Instructions by teachers are delayed when a poor internet connection is used. A study by Dube, (2020) found that low speed and poor or unreliable internet connections demotivated institutions from engaging in online education. Also, rural schools and communities have difficulties funding and hiring qualified teachers who can instruct students using ICT tools. Lack of computers and internet access in homes especially in rural areas affects the viability of efficient online learning in schools. The lack of constant and reliable internet access and electricity in most rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa makes it difficult to implement online education in their schools.

3. ICT integration for online teaching

Online education and the use of ICT in education in online integration are interrelated with other educational factors such as infrastructure, training and development, teacher characteristics, curriculum, and organizational factors such as supportive framework, school culture, and leadership (Agrawal & Mittal, 2018). Teachers using ICT tools in teaching are focused on the application of technology that aids the student to learn the traditional academic subjects. Integration of ICT has significantly transformed communities and shaped their thoughts and lives. The British Colombia ministry of education in 2005 integrated ICT into their education system from kindergarten to grade 12 all through the country. Successful integration of ICT in schools in sub-Saharan Africa still faces a lot of challenges and obstacles. According to Agyei, (2021), to achieve a successful integration of ICT in teaching and learning, cultural (vision and mission of school ICT integration) and structural (availability of classroom space, ICT support, maintenance, and resources) aspects of integration must be considered. Padayachee, (2017) states that for successful ICT integration in teaching the following aspects must be met; provision of continual technological support, provision of daily lessons, provision of sufficient time, modern and new gadgets and technologies, training of teachers, and provision of ICT resources. The critical elements to be considered during ICT integration as financial issues, sustainability of resources, equitable distribution of resources, and leadership issues.

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Chapter Three

I. Methodology

1. Research problem

The emergence of covid-19 as a public health crisis has changed the way of life of everyone all over the world (López & Rodó, 2020). It has led to major educational challenges in all levels of education starting from universities to primary schools. Early in the pandemic, schools were closed and later transferred to online education. More than 1.2 billion children all over the world were not able to return to physical classes because of the pandemic. The education modes have been shifted from physical learning to online systems, which has posed huge challenges to both the teachers and students. Many students all over the world faced problems while making adjustments to online classes settings due to various reasons such as lack of understanding, poor connections, inaccessibility to digital equipment, lack of concentration, and unavailability of internet resources (Baker et al., 2019). The shift in the mode of education has impacted the education system and schools all over the world. Despite the shift in technology and innovation in schools, some institutions have not yet embraced technology and digital education. More specifically, online learning in sub-Saharan Africa is still highly underutilized. This research paper aims to investigate the perceptions of teachers towards the impact of covid-19 on online teaching, and how ICT is helping in reducing the challenges faced when partaking in online teaching. Additionally, this study will investigate the effectiveness of online teaching with regards to the available ICT tools during the covid-19 pandemic. ICT use in learning and teaching on online platforms would be helpful to maintain equality and also draws the attention of policymakers and legal decision-makers to think about solutions that could better address these challenges (Baker et al., 2019).

2. Research questions

Research questions that this paper will answer are as follows;

1. What is the impact of covid-19 on online teaching in relation to the use of ICT according to teachers` perceptions?

2. How can the use of ICT contribute to reducing the challenges that teachers face in online teaching?

3. How effective is the online teaching by using ICT tools due to covid-19?

3. Sample/participants

This research is conducted in a school setting, but only teachers participated in the research. The research recruited 100 participants from both genders from four different primary schools in sub-Saharan Africa. A purposive sampling method was used for the selection of the 100 participants from the four schools to participate in the research. The selection criterion to be met was that; the teachers must be teaching in the four selected schools, they should be using ICT tools in their online teaching activities and they must be of age range between 25 years and 50 years.

4. Research design and tools

A quantitative research method was employed to answer the research questions in this study. Due to covid-19 protocols, face-to-face questioners were not possible. Therefore, online questionnaires were prepared and administered to the participants by use of email. Questionnaires were used because of their efficiency in the measurement of attitudes, opinions, behavior, and preferences (Dewaele, 2018). The questionnaire employed both open-ended and closed-ended, with responses given using Likert scales. The questionnaire is divided into four parts. The first part takes the demographic details of the participant including gender, age, grade of teaching, years of teaching experience, and the highest qualification. The second part of the questionnaire was aimed to understand the perception of teachers on the impact of covid-19 on online teaching. The third part took the teacher’s opinions on the online teaching challenges while the third part took the opinions of teachers regarding the effectiveness of online teaching in their schools.

5. Data collection

The headteachers of the four schools were contacted about the research through the gatekeeper via email. The headteacher gave consent for conducting the research and a list of teachers’ details was forwarded. After filling an informed consent, the selected teachers were sent a questionnaire through their emails to be filled. The participants were notified that the questionnaire forms were to be filled within the specified time. Reminders were sent to the participants after taking data of consenting to improve the response rate. A cover letter accompanied the questionnaire giving all the details of the research including; the purpose of the research and the significance of the research to encourage cooperation by the participants.

6. Data analysis

Data analysis for the collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. SPSS is very helpful when analyzing complex and time-consuming sets of data with just simple steps (Mccormick & Salcedo, 2017). Descriptive analysis was to analyze quantitative data through standard deviations while qualitative data was analyzed frequencies and percentiles where applicable. The significance of the perception of teachers regarding the highlighted issues was determined using the multivariate regression method.

7. Ethical consideration

All the necessary ethical considerations were followed in the research. Necessary permission was obtained from the university research ethics review board. The headteachers were contacted to give a formal acceptance for researching their schools. All the participants received an informed consent, where they were required to consent by signing it before they could participate in the research. The privacy and confidentiality of the participants were considered and guaranteed.

II. Implications of the study

This paper adds value to other prior literature on the use of online learning and ICT tools and technology in “sub-Saharan Africa. It identifies the effectiveness and challenges of online learning in sub-Saharan Africa during the covid-19 pandemic. The findings of this study highlight the main challenges faced in the implementation of online teaching and learning by understanding the perception of teachers who use ICT tools. The finding of this study is very important for legal decision-makers and policymakers in finding solutions towards achieving effective online teaching and learning in sub-Saharan Africa. Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Conclusion And Recommendations

Despite the significant investment in sub-Saharan Africa, there has still a lot of challenges affecting online teaching and learning. The main challenges include; network and electricity issues, reluctance by both students and teachers, and challenges of access to ICT. The fact that online learning plays a huge role in achieving quality education, means that every country in sub-Saharan Africa needs to integrate ICT into their education. This can only be successful and effective if rigorous and realistic efforts are put to clear all the challenges of online learning. This paper, therefore, recommends that more research be done on the challenges of ICT integration, challenges of e-learning, and effectiveness of online education in sub-Saharan Africa. Dissertation Project Completed Sample

References

Agrawal, A. K., & Mittal, G. K. (2018). The role of ICT in higher education for the 21st century: ICT as a change agent for education. Multidisciplinary Higher Education, Research, Dynamics & Concepts: Opportunities & Challenges For Sustainable Development (ISBN 978-93-87662-12-4), 1(1), 76-83. Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Agyei, D. D. (2021). Integrating ICT into schools in Sub-Saharan Africa: from teachers’ capacity building to classroom implementation. Education and Information Technologies, 26(1), 125-144.

Ali, S., Uppal, M. A., & Gulliver, S. R. (2018). A conceptual framework highlighting e-learning implementation barriers. Information Technology & People. Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Baker, C. N., Peeley, H., & Danials, M. (2019). The Experience of COVID-19 and Its Impact on Teachers’ Mental Health, Coping, and Teaching. Taylor and Francis Online, Retrieved July 14, 2021, from https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2020.1855473.

d’Orville, H. (2020). COVID-19 causes unprecedented educational disruption: Is there a road towards a new normal?. Prospects, 49, 11-15.

Dewaele, J. M. (2018). Online questionnaires. In The Palgrave handbook of applied linguistics research methodology (pp. 269-286). Palgrave Macmillan, London. Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Feldacker, C., Jacob, S., Chung, M. H., Nartker, A., & Kim, H. N. (2017). Experiences and perceptions of online continuing professional development among clinicians in sub-Saharan Africa. Human resources for health, 15(1), 1-8.

Jena, P. K. (2020). Challenges and Opportunities created by Covid-19 for ODL: A case study of IGNOU. International Journal for Innovative Research in Multidisciplinary Field (IJIRMF), 6. Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Lapitan Jr, L. D., Tiangco, C. E., Sumalinog, D. A. G., Sabarillo, N. S., & Diaz, J. M. (2021). An effective blended online teaching and learning strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Education for Chemical Engineers, 35, 116-131. Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Letseka, M., Letseka, M. M., & Pitsoe, V. (2018). The challenges of e-Learning in South Africa. Trends in E-learning, 121-138.

López, L., & Rodó, X. (2020). The end of social confinement and COVID-19 re-emergence risk. Nature Human Behaviour, 4(7), 746-755.

McCormick, K., & Salcedo, J. (2017). SPSS statistics for data analysis and visualization. John Wiley & Sons.

Mtebe, J. S., & Raisamo, R. (2017). Investigating perceived barriers to the use of open educational resources in higher education in Tanzania. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(2), 43-66.

Mukuni, J. (2019). Challenges of educational digital infrastructure in Africa: A tale of hope and disillusionment. Journal of African Studies and Development, 11(5), 59-63. Dissertation Project Completed Sample

Ngeze, L. V., & Sridhar, I. Y. E. R. (2019). Online teacher professional development in ICT integration in Tanzania: An experience report. In Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Computers in Education. Taiwan: Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.

Obeidat, A., Obeidat, R., & Al-Shalab, M. (2021). The Effectiveness of Adopting e-Learning during COVID-19 at Hashemite University. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, Vol. 11, No. 12, 1-16.

Padayachee, K. (2017). A snapshot survey of ICT integration in South African schools. South African Computer Journal, 29(2), 36-65.

Pokhrel, S., & Chhetri, R. (2021). A Literature Review on Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Teaching and Learning. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2347631120983481.

Shapiro, H. B., Lee, C. H., Roth, N. E. W., Li, K., Çetinkaya-Rundel, M., & Canelas, D. A. (2017). Understanding the massive open online course (MOOC) student experience: An examination of attitudes, motivations, and barriers. Computers & Education, 110, 35-50.

Starcher, M. (2021, March). Web-based Instruction Benefits for Students in K-12. In Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 690-696). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Dissertation Project Completed Sample

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