Abstract:

The strategy as position is one of the five stratagems in Mintzberg's 5Ps strategy model. It is intended to ensure a conducive environment where the intended product is developed in the business sector. In education, this strategy would be intended to ensure a conducive environment for students to learn. A conducive environment includes software, hardware, skilled lecturers, documents, the internet, electricity, access to technologies, safety, ergonomics, and leadership. Globally, online learning was an option during lockdown and shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was commended as successful in cushioning the academic activities during the year 2020. However, it is also established that not all the students benefitted from online learning during the lockdown, locally and internationally. In South Africa, although the government had provided free Wi-Fi to all university students, students from remote rural areas were confronted by diverse challenges including, poor internet connectivity, not having access to 21st-century devices, and load shedding. Similarly, in the study university, student teachers did not have access to the 21st technology devices that are rolled out at school for interaction in class.

The purpose of this paper was to explore the impact of strategy as position on the students at a study university of technology in South Africa in the School of Education. The question posed in this paper was: To what extent can the strategy as position for e-learning impact the students in the School of Education? To respond to the research question, the qualitative interpretive study was used to collect data. Data were collected from 95 participants using observation, semistructured interviews, open-ended questions and document analysis. Atlas. ti was utilized to analyze data. Four primary documents were uploaded a-on the system. These instruments yielded 181 codes which were clustered into 22 categories. The findings revealed that the students did not have the 21st-century tools to interact in the lecture halls. It was also established that some of the students used their smartphones to capture the slides of the PowerPoint presentation. The findings also showed that very few lecture halls have adequate technologies. It is recommended that the 21st-century electronic devices be incorporated as the stationery for students to be positioned for active participation in the teaching and learning environment, to be empowered on the use of the emerging technologies and the internet connectivity be prioritized for students to learn anytime and anywhere.

Keywords:

Strategy as position, student teachers, 21st-century devices, e-learning, COVID-19 pandemic.