Promoting Learners' Engagement and Motivation in a Technology-Mediated Learning Environment During COVID-19 and Beyond

Introduction

The outbreak of the COVID 19 pandemic emerged in December 2019 and caught the world by surprise. Several sectors and industries were impacted by the SARS-CoV-2 virus hence resulting in closure of businesses and movement control restrictions. Only a few essential services such as telecommunications, banking, health, utilities, cleaning, and food supplies were authorized to function but under stringent regulations (Diong et al., 2023). Consequently, one of the sectors which was significantly affected following the lockdown was the education sector. Many higher learning institutions and schools were forced to close due to strict regulations from the government in order to limit the transmission of the virus. Statistics revealed that more than 98% of the world’s student population, that is, over one billion students, have been affected by school closures (Chiu, 2022). The pandemic led to educational institutions cancelling or postponing face-to-face classes in a view to safeguard the safety of all stakeholders (instructors, learners, and supporting staff).

This lockdown was seen as a nail-biting situation for learners and instructors. Educators who had been complacent in teaching face-to-face classes had to transition to online delivery overnight, on very short notice. Moreover, some higher education learners had prior experience with online distance learning, however, there were many others who were never exposed to such type of learning and delivery. Most of them were provided with minimum training on the online teaching tools, software and pedagogies. Additionally, irrespective of whether an individual had prior experience with online distance learning, the COVID 19 outbreak forced learners and instructors alike to quickly embrace the diverse technologies in the learning and teaching process. For instance, many instructors in particular struggled to transform and adapt their content and activities for online delivery since they were apprehensive about the learners’ engagement, active participation and ability to remain focused and motivated during online classes. Most of the instructors lacked trust in the learners and were constantly concerned about their lack of confidence, commitment, passive behaviour and attitude behind the camera (Bahar et al., 2020). While many learners enjoyed embracing technology, their discipline and engagement in remaining attentive during the online sessions were a major concern for instructors.

In a similar vein, this paradigm shift in education posed numerous challenges not only to instructors (changing faculty roles, transition to online from offline, communication barriers, time management, preparation and teaching styles) but also other obstacles related to infrastructure (network stability, device and digital tools suitability), online learners (learners’ expectations, readiness, technology incompetence, network and speed issues, interaction and participation in online courses), content development (development of new material, innovative ways to deliver content and provide feedback), institutional factors (professional-pedagogical training, support for digital tools, troubleshooting team, online counselling facilities), and motivational factors (mental well-being, isolation, stress) (Mahande and Akram, 2021; Kebritchi et al., 2017; Siddiquei & Kathpal, 2021).

E-learning can be particularly challenging to handle since the learning process demands greater thought and care when dealing with learners from diverse calls of life and backgrounds Consequently, instructors and some learners were on edge throughout this transition. Diong et al (2023) reported that some higher education learners do not have prior exposure to digital learning as compared to a few others. In light of the general crisis the pandemic caused, many educational institutions were forced to review their technological infrastructure, teaching methods, tools and techniques to provide a flexible, safe and positive learning environment to the students (Ashour et al., 2021; Zhao et al., 2021). This led to unwelcome shock and pressure amongst instructors and learners as it was unplanned and unexpected.