Arrangements for Online Engagements of Distance Learners in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

Though the concept and practice of distance learning appear to be a recent emergence that is associated with higher education, it has been in existence for over six decades and pre-dates the independence of Ghana, which took place on March 6, 1957. Before the University of Gold Coast, now the University of Ghana was established in 1948 (University of Ghana, 2020a), higher education could only be accessed via Fourah Bay University in Sierra Leone or by correspondence which was the first generation of distance education known to Ghanaians. Correspondence courses were rather offered by educational institutions in Britain such as Rapid Results College, University Correspondence College and Wosley Hall. Today, we have a combination of both public and private educational institutions, offering distance learning programmes across the globe.

Distance education is a term used to describe a mode of learning mostly between geographically apart individuals who essentially use technological tools such as print, audiotapes, videotapes, radio, television, internet media and all forms of multi-media systems to transmit knowledge, communications amongst and between students and teachers and the management of the education process (Anderson & Rivera-Vargas, 2020, p. 209). It is, however, worth noting that the best distance learning approach is the one that reduces the presence of the physical distance or student isolation in the teaching and learning processes. Thus, the more the interaction or engagement between the learner and the teacher, the better. But, all these must be moderated by some form of technology to reduce the human interface during the interactions.

In the Ghanaian context, distance education has been embraced to the point that Lakai, Ankomah-Asare and Nsowah-Nuamah (2016) recorded that nine tertiary institutions were offering distance education programmes. Out of the nine, four were public institutions while the remaining five were private. One of the highest points in Ghana’s efforts at providing learning at a distance occurred around 2013 when myjoyonline (2013) reported that Ghana was ranked number one in Africa by the International Telecoms Union Report, concerning the number of people using or connected to mobile broadband. This was necessitated by the massive strides that had been made with the adoption of mobile technologies as a conduit for distance learning. Consequently, Larry (2016) reported that by the end of 2015, Ghana’s mobile voice penetration rate had surged to 128%, a percentage that surpassed projections by telecommunication experts.

From the above, distance education in Ghana has made significant gains in its mission of making quality education more accessible and relevant to meet the learning needs of Ghanaians to enhance their performance and improve the quality of their lives (Government of Ghana, 2002). However, these gains and expected progress have been hard-hit by the Coronavirus or COVID-19 Pandemic, which has been spreading rapidly across the world, since December 2019. As noted by Parker (2020), the virus has affected everyone and has left a strain on education and all other aspects of life. The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) (2020) estimated that over 90% of the global student population has been sent home and has been staying out of school since the pandemic assumed a global crisis status in March 2020. The UN Ghana (2020) estimates the figures of children and youth who are out of school due to the COVID-19 pandemic at 1.6 million, globally. By May 6, 2020, UNESCO (2020) estimated that as many as 177 countries had closed schools because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of schools forms part of concerted efforts by world leaders and institutions to fight the spread of the virus.

Based on the global efforts to curtail the spread of the pandemic, the President of the Republic of Ghana, on 15th March 2020 announced a series of measures to curb the spread of the virus in Ghana (myjoyonline, 2020). He announced the closure of all schools and an institution of social distancing as well as enhanced personal hygiene protocols. The President, however, directed the ministries of Education and Communication to ensure that they roll out distance and remote learning programmes for all students (Aciafrica, 2020). The President’s directives are in line with the proposition by the COL (2020) that there is a need for some form of technology or media to restore communication between teachers and students. It also resonates with Corbera, Anguelovski, Honey-Rosés, and Ruiz-Mallén’s (2020) advocacy for the need to learn new ways of operating within the educational landscape.