The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown affected almost every aspect of the society including everyday life. There was need for everybody to adjust to the new normal that was not pleasant and comfortable. Nigerian higher institutions were not left out in this unpleasant situation as some of these institutions had to move quickly from the traditional face-to-face teaching method to virtual learning during the lockdown. The distance learning tool used for online teaching was dependent on the choice of the institution. Many faculty members had little or no experience with virtual learning; however, management of institutions were able to quickly train these staff on tools for distance learning. Our research questions were mainly focused on getting feedbacks from students and teachers on their experiences, issues, successes, etc. following online teaching.
Result from our study revealed that faculty members of the various universities have gained knowledge and experience on distance learning tools. However, there is need for faculty members to understand all features of these tools so as to have a more interactive section with students when teaching online. One of the challenges of online teaching as noted by both students and teachers was the limited interactions they had with one another, and this limited interaction negatively affected student satisfaction significantly. Hunter et al. (2003) have previously proposed that for effective distance learning, student–student as well as student–teacher interaction is fundamental. One way to improve on the interaction between students themselves and also with their teachers is to encourage both the students and teachers to use the discussion forums in their various distance learning tools. Also, the student can create a WhatsApp group strictly for academic purposes where discussion can be done via text or voice notes. Students claimed that virtual classrooms are ineffective because they are easily distracted. Distractions are part of life, and it is the duty of the student to manage or cut off from every form of distraction. This distraction may be more prominent in students with large families or those using their smartphones for online classes. Some of the ways students can limit distraction is to attend lectures with their laptops instead of smartphones, decrease accessibility to phones during lecture hour and parents/guidance should be a source of encouragement to their children. Most teachers claim that explaining complex scientific ideas or concept to students online was difficult. In order to make complex ideas simpler, teachers can upload or post a pre-recorded detailed explanation of these concepts for students to watch before the actual virtual lecture.
A fair number of students claim they did not gain all knowledge and skills expected in some courses taught virtually. One possible reason for this claim may be due to distractions as well as limited student–student and student–teacher interactions. While students agree that the number of assignments was too many and instructions were unclear, teachers favoured more assignments and oral examinations. Result from our study showed that these perceived large number of assignments and unclear instructions negatively influenced student’s satisfaction significantly (p < 0.05). Although many distance learning tools provide platform for online examinations, teachers tend to have negative perception as students are not invigilated and malpractice becomes inevitable (Kaczmarczyk 2011). Indeed, our survey showed that many teachers believe that there is an increase in tendency for examination malpractice when assessment was conducted virtually. Students were not in favour of oral examination, and some of the reasons may be they usually involve wide scope, difficult to prepare for and revision is sometimes less effective (Alqurshi 2020). Our findings also showed that teachers agree it was difficult assessing student’s abilities and performance with distance learning tools and that grades were not an accurate reflection of student’s knowledge. Aside the possibility of cheating during virtual examination, one other possible reason for the teachers opinions may be most of the assessments were multiple-choice questions which are quite easy to answer. Alternative methods of assessments involving assignments, essays, reports, quizzes, oral assessments, etc. are highly encouraged. Also, problem-based learning (PBL) as part of student-centred teaching strategies is also a suitable method and it is highly encouraged in distance learning (Alqurshi 2020). Some benefits of problem-based learning are that it promotes exchange of ideas among students and encourages independence, unlike traditional face-to-face teaching where students tend to memorize lecture materials (Camp 1996). Many teachers believe that these alternative methods of assessment enhanced student’s skills and that it should be used more often in traditional face-to-face teaching, especially in courses that are assessed using multiple-choice questions. These alternative methods of assessment can easily be aligned with course learning outcome as it focuses on student’s performance and quality of work done.
Our survey revealed that teachers believe that students have gained higher marks during online assessment when compared with traditional face-to-face teaching. Indeed, teacher’s response was in agreement with our findings which revealed that students had statistically significant (p < 0.05) higher marks during online assessment (COVID-19 lockdown) when compared with the previous session (traditional face-to-face teaching). Our result is in agreement with Alqurshi (2020), where the author observed higher marks in all courses during COVID-19 lockdown when compared with previous sessions that were not taught virtually. The fact that during COVID-19 lockdown, a fair number of assessments were multiple-choice questions and students can sometimes find answers to questions online may be a possible explanation for the higher marks gained by students. One of the ways to manage these discrepancies in scores is to utilize more of problem-based learning which would encourage critical thinking and make it less easy to find answers online.
Some students fear that virtual learning may decrease their practical skills, hence affecting their chances of employment. It is actually expected that science students doing practical-based courses would fear loss of practical skills since they were mostly taught alternative to practical skills virtually. It is therefore encouraged that practical classes be organized post-lockdown for these set of students. Student’s chances of employment would not be affected by online lectures as distance learning using virtual learning tools has been embraced worldwide. We observed that students in their fourth year were less satisfied with the way the institution managed educational processes during the lockdown when compared with students in first to third year. One reason for this observation may be the higher level tends to be more difficult and sometimes involves more practical sessions. Generally, some of the findings from this study were in agreement with the study conducted in Saudi Arabia by Alqurshi (2020) on pharmaceutical education during the COVID-19 lockdown. Statistical analysis revealed that poor network connection influenced student’s satisfaction negatively during virtual learning. Therefore, there is need for the government and telecommunication industries to improve on network coverage and broadband services.
Recommendations
Thankfully, pandemics are rare. The last pandemic that affected the world occurred in 1918. However, there are some events aside pandemics and diseases such as war and crisis that can result in shutting down of schools and other places of learning. One example is the Nigerian civil war (1967–1970) which had a huge impact on educational institutions. Hence, there is need for educational institutions to develop contingency strategies and methods that may be useful for emergency teaching and remote learning. These strategies may include:
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A short course addressing the usage of online learning management systems: Zoom, Google Classroom, Edmodo, etc. should be added to the school’s curriculum.
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The National University Commission of Nigeria should develop a document outlining student friendly teaching strategies as well as assessment methods. This document may be useful during emergency teaching.
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Practical classes should be organized for practical-based courses post-lockdown.
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When possible, revision session for all courses taught online should be organized and traditional assessment method utilized post-lockdown.
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Sufficient timelines should be given for students to complete required assessments and submit assignments. These timelines should be designed based on students program and level.
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Infrastructure for distance learning should be improved especially in public universities.
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Most students in higher institutions in Nigeria are from humble homes and are unable to afford a laptop or smartphones, while some of them reside in regions with poor Internet connections. Therefore, the universities should lend laptops/tabs to students from the university library with clear instructions that these devices must be returned after the lockdown or pandemic crisis.
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High-speed Internet and equipment facilities should be made available for students in their residence outside campus.
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Network providers should improve on their Internet coverage and broadband services as well as subsidize data subscription for students and teachers.
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Faculty members should be trained on the usage of online learning management systems for effective teaching and assessment strategies. Also, technical support should be provided for all staff.
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Aside emails and other traditional means of communications, online learning management systems should be integrated into the normal daily teaching routine. This would facilitate students–teacher understanding of these tools.
Study limitations and strengths
The main limitation to this study was the method of data collection. The survey aspect of this study was dependent only on students and teachers with Internet connection; hence, those living in regions without access to the Internet may have been omitted. Also, due to lack of interest, some persons involved in virtual learning may have intentionally decided not to respond to the questionnaires.
The strength of this study was on its sample size which included all students irrespective of study program and year. Also, an opening question of if participants were involved in virtual learning was used to omit those not fit for this study. Similarly, participants who did not fill their program and demographic details completely were omitted from this study.