Perceptions of Teachers and Students on Online Teaching and Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic: Problems and Prospects

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has impacted catastrophically every sector of the economy throughout the world. And the education sector is not left out from the devastating effects of lockdown, especially in Africa. The pandemic led to the prolonged closure of schools, consequently, teaching and learning transformed into online using internet remote communication platforms. In the light of the events, this study is pertinent to examine perceptions of teachers on the online teaching and the obstacles they faced adopting the learning through technology during period of the pandemic. The research takes a quantitative and sample survey approach. A Google Form Questionnaire was used to obtain a sample of 200 students of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in the months of March and April 2022. Data were analyzed in SPSS using Descriptive Statistics, Factor Analysis, Reliability and Chi-Square test. The result of the study indicates that on average, lecturers have a positive perception about virtual teaching amid COVID-19 for mitigating the learning gaps and shaping pupils’ future during the crisis. Nevertheless, the students faced several obstacles in the online teaching in both the technical and access difficulties which affected performance in examinations. The study concludes that the perceptions and experiences of teachers, students, and ICT staff differed, indicating the need for further research and collaboration to improve online education practices. It therefore recommends that teachers should provide clearer guidelines and support for adopting various forms of online teaching-learning modes to ensure consistency and effectiveness.