The purpose of this chapter is to examine the transition from traditional teaching and learning methods that rely heavily on face-to-face interaction inside lecture rooms to online distance learning in the context of the pandemic. The existing literature is systematically reviewed using the guidelines for conducting systematic information system (IS) literature reviews, with the assistance of NVivo. Diverse experiences navigating the contingency transition to distance learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The review's findings are presented in the form of various figures, tables, and graphs. It makes comparisons between the included studies' objectives, methodology, theory application, findings, perspective, and context. Additionally, the analysis compares the findings from prepared (in terms of infrastructure and training) and unprepared implementation cases. This chapter is expected to guide decision-makers in developing strategic action plans to enhance the online learning experience for instructors, students, and institutions as a whole during a crisis situation.
TopIntroduction
The Covid-19 pandemic is the unprecedented health crisis that has intricate effect on how different activities are being undertaken across the globe (Ayittey et al., 2020). This severe acute respiratory syndrome discovered during December 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan has driven the fastest changes to education sector necessitated by social distancing and self-isolation policies strongly recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), forcing all learning and teaching activities to confront an unexpected transition to wholly online learning contexts in order to avoid future expected waves (Toquero, 2020).
Consequently, countries worldwide have introduced diverse solutions to carry on teaching and learning activities. TV broadcasts, video lectures, online channels and online libraries support have been initiated in at least 96 countries (Basilaia & Kvavadze, 2020). While the educational institutions are still struggling with digital transformation challenges in order to find out optimal adaptation ways, the pandemic has principally affected their core: instructors and students (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2020). The period for the shift is undoubtedly very stressful as all learning and teaching activities, namely classes, meetings, exams, supervisions and seminars were forced to move online within very short notice, in order to adapt the challenges of the rapidly changing educational environments (Nikou & Maslov, 2021; Van Nuland et al., 2020). This sudden impact, as well as the future possible influence on education sector stresses on the need for careful study for the advantages as well as the drawbacks of online distance learning (Calonge et al., 2021).
The concept of Contingency/Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning is normally used in the literature depict the prompt and unplanned need to switch form the conventional FtoF teaching to online learning. This is different from the normal online learning, which is distinguished from the emergency online learning by having an established pedagogy, in addition to being planned, premeditated in courses design and always prepared to be delivered online (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020; Calonge et al., 2021). Thus, the contingency Remote Teaching represents the unexpected shift and swift adaptation of remote online course delivery, which is basically planned to be delivered FtoF, inside classrooms and lecture halls, and this happen as a consequence of a sudden event, such as natural disasters or during a global pandemic. Thereafter, when that sudden event is over, it is expected that all the teaching and learning activities to revert back to the planned FtoF mode. Thus, the Covid-19 pandemic requested rapid and necessary action form educational institutions and teaching staff to switch to distance online learning, in order to avoid indefinite study suspension, because students can no longer be inside classrooms (Basilaia & Kvavadze, 2020). It is important to mention here that although social distance rules and regulations may be relaxed worldwide when the virus wave recede, especially after vaccination, however, the threat of future lockdowns still exist, specifically with the new Coronavirus variants and mutations.
This incidental and unforeseen move to contingency remote learning has affected educational institutions, instructors as well as students. The unpreparedness and lack of required infrastructure have been reported as main challenges for educational institutions to suddenly switch to remote online learning and teaching. The unprepared teaching staff strived to device how to efficiently, promptly and fluently use educational technology, such as online resources, digital tools and Learning Management Systems to teach, assess and engage students in novel, predominantly with initial minimal support (Watermayer et al., 2020).
Students also have affected by this sudden transformation across the globe. It has been reported that more than 1.5 billion students had been prohibited from attending physical classes because of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and lockdowns (Strauss, 2020; Unicef, 2020). Figure 1 illustrates a screenshot of a worldwide monitoring of school closures caused by Covid-19 at the pandemic peak on April 2020. Figure 2 represents the total duration of school closure in weeks for each country since the onset of the pandemic (UNESCO, 2020).
Figure 1.
Global monitoring of school closure caused by COVID-19 (UNESCO, 2020)