COVID-19 and Implementation of Online Learning in Ghana: Perspectives of Undergraduate Students in Higher Education Institutions

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted teaching and learning in higher education institutions globally and Ghana is no exception. Educational institutions have had to adapt to new models of teaching as well as engagement of students through the use of technology with a purpose of enabling continuity in academic work. Using the connectivism learning model and a purposive sample of eighteen undergraduate students from six public and private higher education institutions, this paper explored their perspectives about institutional adaptation of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data collection procedures included in-person or phone semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study indicate that though the majority of higher education institutions did not have adequate structures to smoothly transition teaching and learning online during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were able to adapt and make do with available technology that suited a majority of students for teaching and learning to continue. Participants revealed challenges encountered during online teaching and learning to include inadequate network bandwidth that was further impacted by one's location, data insufficiency, and inconsistent online scheduling by faculty members which affected student availability. It was also noted that there were variations in the ways higher education institutions implemented online learning to aid student academic engagement, teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, there is therefore a call for the promulgation of a policy to standardize the delivery of online learning in higher education institutions in Ghana. [For the full proceedings, see ED625421.]