Online learning at the Durban University of Technology during the COVID-19 pandemic : Insights on openness and parity of participation

Abstract

Online learning can be seen as a way to broaden educational provision. The South African Department of Higher Education and Training is turning to open learning approaches (such as online learning) to provide cost-effective mass enrolment in post-school education. This study adopts a qualitative approach to explore how online learning may be opening up education at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The chapter shares the experiences of three staff members and one student, gathered via online interviews and WhatsApp chat discussions undertaken during emergency remote teaching (ERT). Although online learning is a strategic objective at DUT, it was not yet at full-scale implementation before the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The national lockdown thus accelerated the institution’s plans to take teaching and learning online. This research uses Nancy Fraser’s (2005) conception of social justice as parity of participation to examine the extent to which online learning creates ‘participatory parity’ economically, culturally, and politically for students at the DUT’s Steve Biko Campus. The data suggests that economic challenges need to be addressed at national levels, while issues of cultural inclusivity and student and staff representation in decision-making can be addressed at an institutional level. Significantly, this study contributes towards the limited empirical research that exists around examining the extent to which online learning and ERT responded to participatory parity of staff and students at South African higher education institutions.