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      Perceptions of First-Year Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds on E-Learning at a South African University of Technology

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      research-article
        1 , , 2
      UnisaRxiv
      UNISA Press
      first years, disadvantaged backgrounds, perceptions, e-learning, Covid-19, university of technology
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            Abstract

            The introduction of innovative e-learning and teaching methods at universities of technologies necessitates the examining of students’ perceptions of these methods in the promotion of student success. In South Africa, the majority of first-year students are not exposed to technology-aided learning methodology during their high school career, especially those from disadvantaged demographics. The purpose of the study is to examine student perceptions regarding their experience of e-learning at a South African university of technology with specific reference to the success of first-year students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Using qualitative research methods through semi-structured interviews, the researchers discovered that first-year students from disadvantaged backgrounds are experiencing challenges in terms of access to resources such as computers, laptops and reliable internet connection. Furthermore, inadequate training on the use of online resources and unsatisfactory performance during online assessment were discovered and these are heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic. First-year students from disadvantaged backgrounds are exposed to a variety of barriers that have an adverse impact on their success. The study recommends that higher education institutes provide the necessary resources to facilitate seamless assimilation of first-year students into the new environment.

            Content

            Author and article information

            Journal
            UnisaRxiv
            UNISA Press
            26 July 2021
            Affiliations
            [1 ] Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Durban University of Technology, South Africa
            [2 ] Department of Applied Management, Durban University of Technology, South Africa
            Author notes
            Author information
            https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5619-1430
            https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6999-7975
            Article
            10.25159/UnisaRxiv/000024.v1
            f9e3c001-44df-4d34-9261-ef074ad1d7be

            This work has been published open access under Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0 , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Conditions, terms of use and publishing policy can be found at www.scienceopen.com .

            History
            : 26 May 2021
            : 30 July 2021

            The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
            Education,Social & Behavioral Sciences
            first years,disadvantaged backgrounds,perceptions,e-learning,Covid-19,university of technology

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