South African teachers’ engagement in Teach Online: A case study about short course design

Abstract

In the developing world numerous barriers hinder teachers uptake of the pedagogical and technological skills needed to teach online. This study sought to contribute to an understanding of effective programme design for developing such skills in such contexts by exploring the engagement of a cohort of South African teachers (n=97 initially, decreasing to n=25 across the programme) in a pedagogically and technologically moderately advanced 80-hour short learning programme (SLP). The research is guided by research questions regarding the retention and engagement across the SLP and design elements that affected these. A description of the SLP is given in terms of the teaching, social and cognitive presences included, as well as Chickering and Gamsons seven principles of good practice. Data were collected regarding the numbers of participants engaging in activities across the duration of the SLP. In addition, 20 of the participants who completed the SLP volunteered to answer a questionnaire with 31 Likert-scale items regarding engagement levels, and 3 open-ended items concerning their experiences with the SLP. Content analysis was performed, and findings were interpreted using collaborative cognitive load theory. The findings show high attrition levels, particularly during the registration and orientation processes. High engagement levels were found for those who managed to complete the SLP successfully, with approximately equal representation of these teachers from schools serving richer and poorer communities. The design description and derived recommendations are likely to be of value to designers of online SLPs, particularly within the developing world context, and particularly while the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates use of online teaching. Recommendations are inclusion of (1) participation marks to promote engagement in collaboration;(2) short videos to clarify (a) the nature of the SLP up-front and (b) engagement instructions.