Lecturers and Students’ Level of Preparedness on the Use of Online Technologies in thePost-COVID-19 Era: A Case of Three Zimbabwean Universities

Abstract

This study sought to assess the level of preparedness of lecturers and students in higher education
institutions on the use of online and other innovative educational technologies in teaching and
learning in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. Preparedness for this study focused on both
structural and psychological preparedness. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 led
to the adoption of online and other innovative educational technologies for teaching and learning
as institutions tried to minimize direct contact with students. The use of online learning in
Zimbabwe was, however, not wildly institutionalised in most universities. The study employed the
constructivist paradigm, qualitative approach and a phenomenology design. The study was
underpinned by the Technology Acceptance Model as propounded by Davis (1989). Three
universities in western Zimbabwe were involved in the study. The sample comprised thirty
university students and nine university lecturers who were purposively selected. The participants
responded to open-ended questionnaires via WhatsApp. All ethical issues, particularly informed
consent, the right to anonymity and confidentiality, were guaranteed. The results of the study
revealed that lecturers and students’ level of preparedness to use online technologies in the postCOVID-19 era was low, although they had positive views about the perceived usefulness of online
technologies. It was also revealed that most lecturers did not possess the skills required for online
teaching and, therefore, experienced demotivation. Challenges of lack of proper technological
gadgets such as computers and laptops/smart phones, WIFI and reliable internet connectivity, were
reported in the universities studied. The study recommends the following: that more workshops be
done for both lecturers and students on how to effectively use online platforms for teaching and
learning; that universities should use a hybrid of teaching methods which consist predominantly
of online teaching pedagogies and a bit of traditional face-to-face lectures to ensure a smooth
transition to online teaching; and that more studies be carried out to assess the level of preparedness
on the use of online technologies in other educational institutions of Zimbabwe and using different
groups of participants.