Emergency Remote Teaching Amid Global Distress: How did Ghanaian Teacher Educators Respond, Cope, and Plan for Recovery?

• In Event: Impact of COVID-19 on Education in Africa

Proposal

Introduction
There has been a transition from in-person to remote teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the uncertainty that is associated with this transition, teachers continue to develop alternative approaches to teaching and learning (Mian & Khan, 2020; Mulenga & Marban, 2020). Especially in institutions of higher learning, digital technologies are the ultimate medium for emergency remote teaching and learning (Keefe, 2020). Regardless of this, the ongoing pandemic continues to present significant gaps in effective teaching and learning, attracting various scholars to explore how teachers respond and cope with this shift across contexts (Mohammed et al., 2020; Nae, 2020; Trust & Whalen, 2020). Although there are a plethora of studies in this direction, the research focus has been on the global North. Little is known about the experiences of higher education teachers in low-income countries such as Ghana. In this study, we explore the experiences of Ghanaian teacher educators (henceforth, teachers), on their transition to emergency remote teaching. This study answered the question: What are the remote teaching and learning experiences of teachers in Ghana?
Emergency Remote Teaching
Hodges et al. (2020) coined emergency remote teaching. They defined it as a temporary change in the way teaching and learning are delivered in response to a crisis. It differs from traditional "online teaching and learning" because it focuses less on simulating the controlled educational environment of the classroom. It provides students with a quick and dependable way to get temporary access to course materials and instructional support, especially in the case of emergencies (Hodges et al., 2020; Joshi et al., 2018; Rush et al., 2016). Although the use of technology for in-person, distance, and remote teaching and learning has existed since the early 1980s (U.S. Department of Education, 1996), the widespread closing of schools due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic makes it one of the preferable instructional media for education continuity.
Methods
This study used a qualitative transcendental phenomenological approach. Since we sought to understand the emergency remote teaching experiences of teachers, this design was considered appropriate. We used purposive criterion sampling to select teachers who participated in online teaching during COVID-19. Twenty-five (n=25) teachers were selected from 15 teacher training institutions in Ghana. Ethical clearance was obtained from teacher training institutions that were selected for this study. Data were collected through unstructured one-on-one online interviews on zoom, which lasted for 40 to 60 minutes.
Data Analysis
Data were analysed using Moustakas’s (1990) four systematic inductive data analysis procedures: (a) horizontalization, (b) clusters of meaning, (c) structural description, and (d) essential and invariant structure (or essence). We thoroughly and carefully read each of the transcripts of each participant to familiarise ourselves with the data, highlighting the key patterns and themes. Horizontalization was then conducted by highlighting significant statements or quotes that offer understanding of teacher experiences. These significant themes were used to describe the context that shaped remote teaching experiences.
Findings
Online Instructional Pedagogies
Most of the teachers (n=21) delivered their lessons asynchronously and described instructions as mostly teacher-centred. The telegram platform did not allow them to involve their students. They pre-recorded parts of their lessons and posted them on telegram for students to respond. Although they shared lesson notes with their students in advance, most of them (n=22) mentioned that online teaching did not contribute to effective student engagement.
Student attendance and classroom engagement
Online teaching contributed to a high rate of student absenteeism, making students unable to fully participate in the online lessons. The teachers attributed students’ absenteeism to the lack of computers and smartphones, poor internet access, and the high cost of data bundles. Students often lag behind their peers who could access online lessons.
These anecdotes suggest that while teachers were ready to support their students to benefit from learning virtually, certain conditions did not allow maximum student attendance and participation.
Teacher capacity and emergency remote teaching preparedness
We found that the move to emergency remote teaching was a new experience for most teachers. They had limited and/or lacked the expertise in delivering online lessons, especially for those who believed “to be born before computer”. None of the 25 teachers had prior online teaching experience. This hindered their confidence and ability to integrate different teaching strategies.
Despite the limited expertise in online teaching, most of the teachers sought support from other colleagues teachers when they faced challenges. A mathematics teacher shared that his department adopted team teaching strategies – they divided the lessons among themselves and took turns teaching aspects of the lesson through Zoom Teleconferencing, suggesting that the teachers used team teaching to complement each other’s skills. This contributes to creating a community of practice that fosters peer learning among teachers.
Challenges
The teachers faced challenges the digital access divide that exists among the students. They shared that most of the students did not have access to the internet, smartphones and computers, making it difficult for them to participate in online teaching and learning. Although some schools provided smartphones to students, the cost of internet bundles made it difficult for the students to engage in online lessons. Emergency remote teaching was time-consuming, pressurised and increased the workload of teachers. They had to record and post weekly video and audio content for students. These affected their mental health, without receiving any mental health support from their institutions.
Scholarly Significance
This study contributes to the literature on how higher education instructors responded to emergency teaching and learning. Our findings indicate that teaching and learning in Ghana in COVID-19 have been teacher-centred. This was attributed to several challenges: the unsuitability of the online platforms, the lack of parental and school support, inadequate online instructional resources, and unfamiliarity with online instructional platforms. Our findings also draw the attention of stakeholders to develop appropriate strategies to control the indicated challenges and highlight the need to embrace several online instructional platforms that encourage student-centred learning. It also draws stakeholders’ attention to ensure advanced preparation of instructors regarding online instructions, giving this technological age to supplement face-to-face educational delivery.

Authors

• Kenneth gyamerah, Faculty of Education, Queen's University

• David Baidoo-Anu, Faculty of Education Queen's University

• Eric Atta Quainoo, Beijing Normal University

• Daniel Asamoah, Universiti Brunei Darussalam

• Ernest Ofori Sasu, ADA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

• Ernest Yaw Amoateng, Western Michigan University