Abstract:

This paper explored digitally mediated learning of accounting students amid COVID-19 pandemic in a university of technology in South Africa. Lecturers and students have encountered several challenges during digitally mediated learning. The study adopted critical emancipatory research in which purposive sampling was used to select the participants. The sample comprised four lecturers and four students. The study answered the following research questions: What challenges are experienced by accounting lecturers and students during digitally mediated learning amid COVID-19, and how can digitally mediated learning be enhanced in the context of COVID-19? The findings of the study suggests that lecturers were not prepared and trained to teach digitally; there was ineffective teaching owing to poor internet infrastructure that hampered the quality of teaching and learning, and some lecturers lacked competency in digital application. Students who could not handle technology demands experienced anxiety, poor academic performance and dropped-out of the university. Most students resided in the townships, which were predominantly occupied by blacks. These areas had poor internet infrastructure with slow internet speed and low bandwidth. These problems contributed to students’ stress and demotivation which led to poor academic achievement. To minimize the challenges of this nature, the study suggests continuous training of lecturers in the effective use of digital technology. Municipalities should prioritize the installation of digital infrastructure in the townships.

Keywords:

Accounting, COVID-19, digitally mediated learning, online learning, online teaching.