Some students still struggle with remote learning

Since the implementation of government regulations to curb the spread of the Coronavirus in South Africa, various educational institutions have been following health protocols to curb the spread of the virus, and teaching moved to a remote environment across South Africa and the world.

Although universities quickly adapted to the remote learning environment and some clear advantages emerged, such as increased online support for students and higher attendance of online classes, some students still face difficulties to adapt to this environment. 

The university library is one university institution that has adapted to the remote learning period to assist students during their studies.

“We are quite well equipped to assist students with any issue that they might have,” said Gerda Beukman, librarian at Ferdinand Postma Library, who has been working at the library for seven years. 

Beukman believes the Coronavirus pandemic has not really impacted the library negatively, since the library is still available for students.  “The security system ensures that students abide by the necessary protocols, such as wearing masks, sanitising and social distancing between computer and study areas,” she said.

Despite the steps taken by the library and the NWU to assist students, some students still struggle.

Vukile Senama, an IT student, said some of the struggles at home in his case are a lack of electricity, computer devices, data and study materials. He said there are days when his data has run out and he cannot participate in group discussions, log in to Zoom meetings or to do research.

Another student has problems because of electricity cable theft. “I always have issues with staying on track with my assignments since the cable in my location constantly gets stolen, leaving us with no electricity for a whole day and sometimes even more,” said Zintle Mokoena, a human resource management student at the NWU. 

Mokoena explained that even though she does have the option to go back to Potchefstroom, her parents do not want her to return since she has is asthmatic and her condition could get critical if she is infected with the Cornavirus. “They feel it’s best for me to stay at home, in an environment where I am not surrounded by random people.”

Keagon Maitland, a human resources management student at the University of South Africa (Unisa), said, “I was severely impacted by all the restrictions that came with the initial Covid-19 lockdown. Being a long-distance student also means needing accommodation away from home which will enable me to do my studies better, so not having access to a library for extra information and consistent internet access makes things quite difficult.” 

NWU has a special web page available to assist students who are experiencing challenges in the remote learning environment. The web page contains practical information for students and tips to succeed. There are also links for students who need support.

The eFundi site is zero-rated for all students, even conditionally registered students, therefore students can access lessons and recordings of class videos for free even when their data has run out.