The COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities for Blended Teaching and Learning at One State University in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to analyse lecturers’ and students’ perceptions on the effect
of blended teaching and learning (BTL), following university closure due to COVID-19 pandemic
induced-lockdown. The pandemic brought unprecedented effects on teaching and learning at state
universities in Zimbabwe. To save education, BTL was adopted at one state university across all
its schools. The study was motivated by the fact that the severity of a pandemic does not rest in its
effects but, rather, on effective policy responses to the same. As such, effective policy responses
should be informed by scientific research. Thus, a qualitative research paradigm informed the
study. In addition, online questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection using a
sample of 30 respondents, constituting 6 lecturers and 24 students. The principal result was that
on average, lecturers are more positive on BTL than students. WhatsApp was a popular online
teaching and learning platform before and during COVID-19, for both lecturers and students.
Major challenges to BTL were lack of technical support and access to internet services. The study
also established that students and lecturers were for the continuation of BTL after the pandemic,
but with improvements. Consequently, the university is recommended to promote student
awareness on the benefits of blended learning and develop its own online teaching and learning
platform