Abstract:

The transition to online teaching and learning has been a new modification in South African Universities due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This has contributed to many factors that hinder the effective teaching and learning of many higher learning institutions (HLIs) in South Africa. This study investigates student and lecturer perceptions of online teaching and learning amidst COVID-19. The study adopted the integration model to guide the study, while the quantitative method was used to gather responses from 138 students and lecturers from Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) located in the Gauteng Province of South Africa for the data gathering process. The study used an online survey to look into the insight of the participants' perceptions of online teaching and learning. The study results show that students and lecturers faced more challenges than benefits in adopting online teaching and learning. Further results indicated challenges that involve online teaching and learning include ineffective information and knowledge transfer, lack of structure, interactions, and problematic technical issues in the online classes. While the limited satisfactory response from participants included recorded classes, convenience, and time management. The study suggested higher learning institutions (HLIs) adopt blended teaching modes and strategies that can be used to tackle online teaching and learning challenges.

Keywords:

Higher Learning Institutions, Online Teaching and Learning, Student Learning, South Africa.