With the spread of [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19, education and training institutions around the world have moved towards online instruction to ensure the continuity of learning for students at a distance. Transition to an online environment poses special challenges in the delivery of [technical and vocational education and training] TVET courses, which involve the development of hands-on skills as well as theoretical learning. The transition poses further challenges for developing countries in terms of the preparedness of training systems and the availability of digital technologies for
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With the spread of [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19, education and training institutions around the world have moved towards online instruction to ensure the continuity of learning for students at a distance. Transition to an online environment poses special challenges in the delivery of [technical and vocational education and training] TVET courses, which involve the development of hands-on skills as well as theoretical learning. The transition poses further challenges for developing countries in terms of the preparedness of training systems and the availability of digital technologies for online teaching. This paper presents the findings of research concerning the readiness and prevalence of Botswana Private Tertiary Education Providers (BAPTEP) for using online teaching platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A quantitative research design was used to gather data from a purposive sample of 119 participants from 4 BAPTEP colleges, comprising 18 TVET lecturers and 101 TVET students. Online questionnaires containing both closed-ended and open-ended questions were used, both to respect social distancing requirements and to obtain responses quickly. Descriptive statistics were then used to analyse and present the results, which exposed significant gaps in the preparedness of institutions, lecturers and students. Most BAPTEP institutions were not prepared in terms of having e-learning platforms in place, whilst most lecturers lacked preparation and training in using the online platforms to deliver emergency remote teaching. The results also revealed that many students encountered challenges to engaging in e-learning owing to lack of internet connectivity, lack of a computer or laptop, and inadequate training in the use of their college's online learning platform. Based on the findings, the paper makes recommendations for supporting the transition to online teaching of TVET courses in Botswana.
Published abstract.
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