An Assessment of Ghanaian Colleges of Education Readiness for e-Learning Given COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This paper investigates how Ghanaian colleges of education students are responding to the rapidly changing educational structures, instruction and pedagogy given COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly, we focus on the readiness of students for online learning, and the level of support tutors and administrators are offering to ensure a smooth transition. We present the critical hurdles that need to be addressed for successful adoption and implementation of e-learning programmes. The study adopts a mixed-method approach to examine students’ involvement and perspectives in online teaching and learning in higher education given COVID-19 pandemic. The nature of this study is descriptive, explanatory and evaluative. Primary data were collected through an online survey conducted from March 1 to August 30, 2020, with a total of 506 respondents from all the forty-six (46) public colleges of education in Ghana. Our findings show increased adoption of e-learning as a result of the pandemic. However, access, lack of clear policies on acceptable use of ICT, poor technological infrastructure, financial constraints, lack of e-learning knowledge, inadequate support and training have led to a slow-pace in adapting to the new norm.