The 21st century has
equipped the education sector with technological advances that assist and take
learning to another level, from game-stimulated learning to interactive
learning online, and using artificial intelligence further enhances the
learning experience. Higher Education Institutions were embracing and using
technology to deliver courses but the pace of online course development was
gradually gaining momentum. This momentum further increased during the Covid-19
pandemic (Maphalala & Adigun, 2021).
E-facilitation had become a norm during the
Covid-19 pandemic. It served as a way forward for higher education institutions
as restrictions were placed on the movement of staff and students. Online
learning and teaching enabled higher education institutions to continue with
the facilitation of classes. In addition to this, online learning was further
assisted with the use of online apps and learning platforms (Karachristos et al., 2020).
Usage of Open Education Resources (OERs) and
Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) presented a lot of opportunities for staff
and students to better equip themselves in pursuit of delivering quality
education. OERs were heavily relied on by teaching staff as it ensured that
students could access these learning materials free of charge and at a time
convenient to them. MOOC allowed staff to get trained and share ideas with
colleagues from all over the world. From a teaching staff perspective both OERs
and MOOC were extremely helpful in delivering courses online while maintaining
quality. I myself have attended a few which helped me to design authentic
assessments and rethink about online course designs, how to develop the course
so that students remain engaged and motivated to learn (Wolf et al.,
2018).
Educational pedagogies are changing at a very
fast pace and this requires appropriate training and upgrade for staff,
students, administrative staff and higher educational institutional
infrastructure. Practices in Higher Education Institutions will need to embrace
technology as a way forward despite the challenges that may be faced.
Contexualising online learning to suit the different learning needs of students
especially those with special needs has to be prioritised (Coughlan et al., 2021).
E-facilitation requires instructors to design
courses that are learner centered, Pacific conscious and context conscious. The
aforementioned needs to be discussed in the case of higher education
institutions in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) as the students in the
Pacific have different learning needs in comparison to students in other parts
of the world. Students in the Pacific have limited access to resources
(electronic gadgets used to access on-line learning platforms) and learning
materials. The geographically isolated and scattered islands add more
challenges for e-learning facilitators. Internet accessibility, high cost of
accessing the internet and network coverage add to the existing woes of PICs
students trying to learn online.
Despite the many challenges faced in the PIC's
students strive to learn, explore new opportunities to enlighten and broaden
their knowledge. This thirst for knowledge can be satisfied by engaging in
improved online learning and e-facilitation. The multiple stakeholders in the
PIC's need to work together to ensure that the education sector can continue to
provide education by embracing technology which is the way forward.
References:
Coughlan, T., Goshtasbpour,
F., Mwoma, T., Makoe, M., Tanglang, N., Bonney, S., & Biard, O. (2021).
Making digital decisions: A Guide for harnessing the potential of online
learning and digital technologies.
Karachristos, C., Kouvara,
T., Orphanoudakis, T., Stavropoulos, E., Batsi, Z., & Chronopoulou, M.
(2020, November). Defining e-learning facilitation-The Greek case study.
In Proceedings of ICERI2020 Conference (Vol. 9, p. 10th).
Maphalala, M. C., &
Adigun, O. T. (2021). Academics' Experience of Implementing E-Learning in a
South African Higher Education Institution. International Journal of
Higher Education, 10(1), 1-13.
Wolf, F., Curran, F., Pflaum,
E., & Ramic, H. (2018). Education for Sustainability: Integrating Climate
Change and Energy into Lifelong Learning Initiatives for Small Island
Developing States. In Climate Literacy and Innovations in Climate
Change Education (pp. 1-18). Springer, Cham.
