Assessing Academics’ COVID-19-Induced Emergency Remote Teaching Experiences Using Transformative Learning Theory

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several educational institutions were thrust into a forced culture change as learning, teaching, and assessment moved from traditional face-to-face (F2F) instruction to remote delivery with a profound effect on pedagogy. This paper uses transformative learning theory to explore various aspects of academics’ transition from face-to-face to remote teaching. Findings from an online cross-sectional survey of academics in higher education institutions ( n = 95) indicate that academics were confronted with a disorienting dilemma that challenged previously unquestioned teaching experiences, beliefs, and values upon transition to remote teaching. This was followed by reflection, adoption, and implementation of different modes of instructional delivery. The results indicate statistically significant differences in critical reflection, openness, and teaching differently based on race. As higher education institutions transition to a “new” phase of instructional delivery, re-thinking professional development and support for the transformed academic in a new operating environment that remains prone to disruptive events becomes imperative.

Transforming Rural Teaching

“…Hoggan and Finnegan (2023) define transformative learning as a process that affects people's experience, conceptualisation, and interaction with the world. Transformative learning recognises that learners have different assumptions, expectations, and beliefs that help them make sense of their world (Mabwe et al, 2024). Transformative learning grounds this study since it has been recognised to be a crucial means of ensuring that education can contribute to the transformation and attainment of sustainable development (Hoggan & Finnegan, 2023;United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2023).…”