Exploring the Unexpected Transition to Online Learning Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic in an Ethiopian-Public-University Context

Abstract

In this paper, we present the initial changes and continuing challenges that are faced by teachers and students due to the unexpected transition to online learning from the COVID-19 pandemic at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. For this, the authors applied a phenomenological-case-study design, collecting qualitative data from purposively selected Ph.D. students (n = 10) and teachers (n = 4), examiners (n = 2), as well as the postgraduate coordinator. The results indicate that the teachers experienced some difficulties in effectively using learning technologies. Moreover, the students were overburdened with increased accountability and excessive challenges. However, the institutional capacity to support was relatively minimal. Despite these odds, the study participants showed higher levels of willingness and completed the program successfully. The study participants reported moderate satisfaction with their personal and professional experiences. The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity to remind universities and colleges about the essential skills that students need in this unpredictable world, for example, informed decision making, creative problem solving, and adaptability.

1. Introduction

Since the emergence of COVID-19 in December 2019, higher education (HE) around the world has encountered unprecedented crises [1,2]. The applications of emergency protocols to control the spread of the coronavirus was followed by restrictions, closures, and a sudden transition from face-to-face learning to remote and digital learning [3]. Due to this, students, academic staff, and administrations have been forced to comply with the guidelines and recommendations set by government agencies, and students have been encouraged to continue learning remotely and online [4].

The impact of long-term school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be seen and will be in the months and years to come. While solving the immediate problems that are happening due to COVID-19 sounds pressing, preventing the coronavirus disease from happening again has crucial long-term consequences [5]. Hence, finding ways to respond to the immediate problems while, at the same time, looking for long-term solutions, are equally critical [6].

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption to everyone in the HE sector, but postgraduate students are the most vulnerable cohort [7]. For example, postgraduate students may face a disastrous fall in income due to COVID-19, and this pandemic may hit hard for many of them who have families and dependents. This may cause not only disruptions to their study and research plans [8], but also to their mental health [9]. With regard to postgraduate students, the research shows that family, friends, teachers, and peers provide emotional, technical, and tangible supports [10,11], but they were also sources of stress [12,13,14], and particularly for those who struggle to balance the personal–professional boundaries of life. Hence, a humane, supportive, and respectful response from the HE sectors is crucial [15].

Ph.D. students and their virtual learning, teaching, and assessment have recently become the center of the quality debate following the COVID-19 pandemic [16]. This is particularly true in universities in Ethiopia, as students, parents, and the public have become increasingly doubtful about virtual learning, and suspicious about the potentials of the technology in serving the learning, teaching, and assessment functions as well as face-to-face learning does [17,18].

Regardless of this, we know little about the responses and factors that account for the problems in virtual learning, teaching, and assessment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, what remains unclear is how and why the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the ecology of learning, teaching, and assessment, and how students, teachers, and department heads respond to this pandemic. In this study, the authors strived to clarify these issues, following an ecological-system-theory perspective. The Ph.D. student learning, teaching, and assessment in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction were considered as the central phenomena for in-depth scrutiny and broader examination due to the prominence of the current debate given the apparent hesitation towards and reduced interest in online or virtual learning.

The purposes of this study were to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, to learn from the changes in practices, and to highlight the challenges of using technology for the learning, teaching, and assessment of Ph.D. students at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. On the basis of the findings, the study explicates the pedagogical implications of the changes in the learning environment due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, the following guiding research questions were formulated:

• How does COVID-19 affect the personal and professional lives of Ph.D. students in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia?
• What is the nature of virtual learning, teaching, and assessment in the provision of courses and managing the research advising and assessment of Ph.D. students in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia?
• What challenges have created problems in the application of virtual or technology-based learning for course provision and research advising and assessment?

The study context

Bahir Dar University (BDU) is the second-largest university in Ethiopia. In the current academic year, BDU consists of 53,000 students at different levels and programs. The university has more than eighty Ph.D. programs and 130 MA/MSc programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the university campus was closed, and students were sent to their homes. However, the Ethiopian Ministry of Education (MOE) has set strategies to address the challenges in education that are due to the COVID-19 pandemic. University instructors were directed to use all available learning and study resources to reach students. This included using the Internet to communicate with students about courses and assignments and preparing handouts and sending hard copies. However, such attempts of university instructors were hampered by several factors, such as the absence of Internet services in remote rural areas, and the absence of postal services and mobile networks. To compensate for these challenges, the Ministry of Education (MOE) covered semester courses in crash programs. The university aggressively utilized the recommended strategies to prevent the expansion of the pandemic, including maintaining distance, using masks, and washing hands. Within the university community, the pandemic has brought about some opportunities to innovate technologies, such as those used for hand washing, preparing alcohol and sanitizers, and preparing masks, within the university.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Perceptions and Experiences of Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Considering the closure of campuses and the endorsement of social distancing as a preventive and precautionary measure against COVID-19, the mode of teaching, learning, and advising of university students has changed from a conventional face-to-face framework to a remote and online one. While those who experienced this changed framework reported remote learning, personal convenience, and accessibility as benefits of the changes, they also expressed some limitations, including instructional inefficiency and difficulty in maintaining academic integrity that matched the effective instructional processes in the face-to-face modality [19]. Moreover, existing studies on the benefits of COVID-19 indicate that the professors have improved their online teaching skills since the lockdown period, and that online learning was a viable option during the COVID-19 pandemic seasons, with the software and online study materials being used to support online learning [20].

Regardless of the multiple benefits brought about from online learning to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic crises, most students still prefer in-class learning. This is primarily because they felt that the social aspect and the learning benefits from face-to-face interactions with instructors and peers cannot be fully duplicated in the online learning environment [21,22]. According to their views, this could mean that online learning was less interactive and less beneficial compared with face-to-face classes.

2.2. The Positive Outcomes of Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Previous research on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the teaching, learning, and advising of postgraduate students points out that the students were satisfied with the teaching that they experienced on specific online platforms for grading systems, assessment options, training workshops, and online technical support [23]. Study findings also show that participants were highly satisfied with the different features of the online-learning-delivery mechanisms, such as Google Hangouts, Google Classroom, and LMS (Moodle), for course management and assessments [24].

The significant predictors of student satisfaction with online education among university students during COVID-19 were self-regulated learning, Internet self-efficacy, learner–content interaction, learner–learner interaction, and the number of theoretical courses offered online [25]. A similar study among postgraduate students in China shows that the students’ satisfaction with online learning platforms was impacted by their computer self-efficacy and the perceived ease of use and usefulness of the platforms, and the observed association between these components was moderated by regional differences [26].

Empirical evidence shows significant positive correlations between academic achievement, the quality of online classes, workspace conditions, and positive relationships with other students and teachers [27]. Peer interactions and course design have the most salient impact on students’ attitudes [28]. Similarly, the teacher performance and perceived benefits of the online course were found to be positive predictors of student satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic [29]. Hence, the online learning experience is a useful option during emergency conditions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

2.3. Opportunities and Challenges of Online Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an opportunity to introduce digital learning [30]. Many individuals and universities took advantage of innovation and implemented alternative education systems and assessment strategies [31]. For most HEIs around the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the speed of digitalization, digital ways of conducting academic and research experiences, and new ways of learning, teaching, and advising students in universities worldwide [32]. In developing-country contexts, such as Pakistan, the transition to online learning has encountered several adversities. For example, it is reported that online learning brought about technical issues and intensified inequalities in the desired results, where a vast majority of students did not have access to the Internet [33]. As the same authors note, the lack of face-to-face interaction with the instructor, response time, and absence of traditional classroom socialization were the other critical issues highlighted by postgraduate students. On top of this, most postgraduate students raised concerns regarding: the absence of institutional support and the poor quality of online instruction, which led to unsuitable study environments; the unavailability of electricity; and connectivity issues [34].

There are numerous challenges encountered at the personal and institutional levels when making efforts to cope. For example, a study among postgraduate students in China shows that Chinese university students felt that online learning was stressful and affected their health and social lives [26]. Moreover, another study investigating the impacts of COVID-19 on students’ learning identified that that e-learning was satisfactory in acquiring knowledge but was not effective in terms of clinical and technical skills [23]. Postgraduate students and academic or research staff members have similar views regarding the challenges and opportunities of COVID-19 [35].

Similarly, at the institutional level, the reported challenges to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic include communication, student assessment, the use of technology tools, the online experience, and pandemic-related anxiety issues [32]. One of the main challenges of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in the global HE space has been how to optimize the online learning design to ensure that it is fully realized [36]. Despite these challenges, most of the students and academic or research members believed that the COVID-19 pandemic boosted their confidence in the effectiveness of online learning in HE [37]. Furthermore, the e-learning satisfaction levels were better among students in developed countries compared with those in developing countries [23].

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Study Design

This study used a phenomenological-case-study design that amalgamated phenomenology with the case-study method, allowing the researchers to understand and make sense of the intricate behaviors and practices of online learning, teaching, and assessment, and the essence inherent in the system [38]. This phenomenological case study has been used in HE research to explore the lived experiences of students [39]. In this design, the case studies are anchored in real-life situations, and they result in a rich and holistic account [38] of online learning as a particular phenomenon under study.

3.2. Study Participants

In this study, the samples consisted of volunteer Ph.D. students (n = 10), teachers (n = 4), examiners (n = 2), and the postgraduate coordinator. The Ph.D. student participants, as well as teachers and examiners, were male participants. All Ph.D. student participants enrolled in the department of Curriculum and Instruction during the date-collection period were male students. This shows a gender disparity in postgraduate programs.

3.3. The Study Context

The researchers conducted this study in the context of the Education and Behavioral Sciences college program, offered by a public university with a national quality assurance agency classification of “1st generation university”. The researchers pursued this study with the Ph.D. students between May and June, 2020, Semester II, using a Ph.D. course in Qualitative Research, a Seminar in Curriculum and Instruction, and dissertations for Ph.D. students in Curriculum and Instruction. Before the data collection, the authors asked for the study participants’ consent for voluntary participation in the research study. This was facilitated by offering to provide the study participants with a clear description of the purpose, scope, and intended outcomes of the research.

3.4. Study Instruments: Semistructured

One-on-one online interviews were used to understand the personal experiences of each interviewee in relation to the phenomenon of the unexpected transition to online learning. The interview questions were framed on five domains, including the enablers, changes, challenges, consequences, and recommendations for a better future. Each group of participants took items that belong to them. Hence, the specific group of interviewees faced the same types of questions, but they may have been different from the other groups.

3.5. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

In this study, the authors used an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) [40]. The IPA is a qualitative approach that aims to provide detailed examinations of personal lived experiences [41]. When this is applied in the current study context, it means that IPA could facilitate a detailed examination of the phenomena of virtual learning, teaching, and assessment in the Ph.D. program at Bahir Dar University. This helps to depict the realities as they are experienced by the people involved in the processes.

The prime focus of IPA is producing detailed accounts of individuals’ lived experiences, rather than one prescribed by pre-existing theoretical preconceptions, and recognizing that this is an interpretative endeavor, as humans are sense-making organisms [42]. IPA is a useful methodology to explore topics that are complex, ambiguous, and emotionally laden. In this regard, the suitability of the analysis method for the purpose of this study is justifiable.

The authors coded each transcribed interview line by line [43]. As categories emerged, we used a constant comparative method to compare, refine, expand, or delete categories as needed [44]. We took all the data that are categorized as Ph.D. students, teachers, examiners, and department heads’ perspectives and conducted an additional analysis by revisiting and recording the data and categorizing the themes. Once we analyzed all the interview data and identified the major themes, we then focused more closely on specific themes and developed concept maps that would guide us in preparing reports [45,46]. Six broad categories emerged from the analysis of the qualitative data; Figure 1 presents a hierarchical map.

As shown in Figure 1, the six major themes included: (1) areas of strengths; (2) the new normal; (3) actual practices with an online platform; (4) initial changes and implementation challenges; (5) the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic; and (6) recommendations for a better future.

4. Results and Discussion

The results of the study focused on the technology, pedagogical, and quality-assurance components of the online course delivery, and a research-milestone assessment of postgraduate students at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia.

4.1. Areas of Strengths

4.1.1. Positive Attitude and Commitment to Remote and Virtual Learning

As the study participants reported, they used online technologies as prime tools for teaching, learning, and assessment purposes. Moreover, they used mobile technologies to leverage communications among students, teachers, and examiners.

Almost all the study participants viewed online learning, and particularly for Ph.D. students, as critically important. Of course, switching from face-to-face to online learning is not easy, as it requires a lot of pedagogical changes [47]. However, most of the interviewed instructors had the opinion that online learning is as worthy as face-to-face learning. One teacher interviewee stressed that online learning is preferable to face-to-face learning in that students have enough time and can retrieve and download documents for further reading. In view of this, the second teacher portrayed that the Zoom meeting is an important approach to be adapted for HE teaching, learning, and assessment, for the very reason that students can record the interactions and lectures. This idea was strongly supported by all of the Ph.D. students who participated in the interview. They reported that the Zoom technology, especially, was the most utilized in Ph.D. proposal and dissertation defenses: “After completing the defense, we were able to repeatedly listen and correct the comments forwarded by the examiners” (SI8). The study participants felt that online or virtual learning was an inevitable option.

The results from previous research show mixed views, reflecting positive and negative perceptions of the participants involved in online learning. Our results support the positive views that students’ and teachers’ increasing commitment and conviction to engage in online or virtual learning was very relevant under the COVID-19 conditions. For example, in a previous study, those who experienced online learning reported remote learning, comfort, and accessibility as benefits of the changes to online learning due to COVID-19 [19]. Moreover, in another study, the researchers report that the professors had improved their online teaching skills since the lockdown period, and that online learning was a viable option during the COVID-19 pandemic seasons, with software and online study materials being used to support online learning [20].

4.1.2. Opportunity for Capacity Building

As the study participants reported, they used online technologies as prime tools for teaching, learning, and assessment purposes. Moreover, they used mobile technologies to leverage communications among students, teachers, and examiners.

It was clear from the qualitative interview data that most of the study participants did not have experience in using technology for learning purposes. If they did so, it was for the sake of maybe video calling for personal purposes or interviews when the need arose for one-on-one communications. Regardless of this, almost all the study participants had a positive view about the need for virtual learning, and particularly these days, as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the world to look for any possible alternatives to continue HE operations. A couple of interviewed teachers described their positive views on the inevitability of virtual learning as a possible response to maintain HE operations at the time of lockdown, and they suggested that it must continue, even after the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The other teacher interviewee added:

It is a must to join online teaching and advising, because many universities and companies are moving to online system so that our university need[s] to [pay attention to] practice; but technologies need other infrastructures that must be avail[able].

(SI1)

Similarly, another teacher interviewee emphasized: “COVID-19 is a coincidence for the world, and we need to change our fate positively through adaptation and preparation” (SI2). The Ph.D. program coordinator clearly explained the importance of technology in education to minimize the problem of a shortage of qualified professors in the field. He stated that, when professors across the globe were asked to examine Ph.D. students, they were not interested in traveling long distances for the sake of course provision and dissertation examination due to travel discomfort and fear of security. However, the application of the technology has triggered an interest in experienced professors sharing their experiences while remaining at home.

4.1.3. Enablers: Support Services

Some study participants went through a staff development workshop in preparation for virtual classes following the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to how to use the technology to manage teaching and learning. Moreover, some said that they participated in a special training opportunity that was available for synchronous and asynchronous online materials. The university had some material and social support in terms of providing one round cotton mask and 100 mL of sanitizer. Concerning the existence of online services, teachers have almost all the digital communication services at the institution. There was also information sharing about the COVID-19 pandemic for the purpose of awareness raising. One teacher (TI4) explained:

“We expect the university [to be accountable for offering] training program for this new technology, but I don’t know why it simply informed us to start to teach. It was very essential. However, we [supported] each other [to learn how] to operate that new technology.”

The teacher participants reported that they used all available technologies, including video conferencing, to process the teaching–learning program. In terms of software technologies and communication tools for virtual learning, the study participants used variants of the virtual technologies.

4.1.4. Software Technologies Used

The technological resources and tools that the study participants reported as facilitating virtual interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic at Bahir Dar University included a list of resources and tools. For example, the students used communication channels such as email, video, audio online classes, and video conference, for the teacher-to-learner and learner-to-learner interactions. Of the different resources/tools, the most widely used for video conferencing were the Zoom and MS Team meeting online-available services.

4.1.5. Communication Tools Used

Different communication devices were used for the purposes of facilitating interactions between the teacher and students, or between students and students. As the study participants reported, using emails, text messaging, mobile calls, and available social media apps such as Facebook and telegram were common practices for the sharing of learning resources.

The requirements for e-learning integration include the following: the use of projection equipment; the use of e-learning methods to teach and administer tests and exams; the harmonization of course content for e-learning and face-to-face learning during the design phase; and the incorporation of 3D pictures and online audio and video conferencing classrooms, among others. These are lists that are included in a framework for the integration of e-learning in higher education institutions in developing countries [48]. The list of items that the interview participants reported are in line with what has been stated in the requirements for e-learning integration. However, maximizing the e-learning methods and creating course content for e-learning need further attention.

The number of support services, technologies, and communication tools used among the participants of this study were similar to the services and tools utilized among postgraduate students, teachers, and advisers elsewhere [22]. However, more efforts are needed to further develop, train, and improve infrastructure facilities to support online learning in the future [31].

4.2. The New Normal

There are several things that have become the new normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Bahir Dar University Ph.D. Curriculum and Instruction program. On the basis of the responses collected from the study participants, we categorized the new normal into shared- and unshared-new-normal categories. Accordingly, there are things in the shared-new-normal category (for example, safety measures). However, under the unshared category, there are issues as to the new normal for students, new normal for teachers, and new normal for administrators. Figure 2 illustrates the list of items in the new-normal categories.

As shown in Figure 2, the list of shared new normal include: safety measures, including wearing a face mask; washing hands frequently; using hand sanitizer; and social and personal distancing. The new normal for students includes: increased accountability, which they were forced to take on due to virtual inconveniences and decreased teaching interest. As well, they reported that they had an excessive burden due to online presence and the completion of numerous assignments and submissions. From the teachers’ perspective, the reduced volume of assessment was taken as a new normal due to virtual learning. Moreover, teachers took extra measures to accomplish the examination of students Ph.D. research proposals and dissertations. For example, the external and internal examiners exchanged different variants of feedback and questions as a backup plan.

While the online learning started as “emergency remote learning” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, further investments are needed to overcome limitations and further scale up the level of use. Students are required to possess certain skills, such as the skills of problem solving, critical thinking, and, most importantly, adaptability to the changed conditions. Furthermore, HEIs must build resilience into their systems to ensure and prioritize the acquirement of these skills among the students [49]. For this, it is relevant to provide professional development opportunities to teachers and advisors on the how to of online learning, teaching, advising, and designing online sessions with reduced cognitive loads and increased interactivities [19]. As the COVID-19 lockdown eases, there is a need for improvement in the methods employed in e-learning and more blended learning opportunities.

4.3. Actual Practices with the Online Platform

4.3.1. Virtual Learning for Courses and Seminars

As per the views of the interviewed students, switching to virtual learning created an additional burden on them due to the fact that teachers fully dumped the inconveniences of virtual learning, and the corresponding lack of electronic learning resources, onto the students, and left the challenge to them instead of helping them. Currently, we are trying to teach and communicate with different people who are separated by distance through technology.

4.3.2. Virtual Learning for Courses and Seminars

Most of the interviewed teachers reported that they struggled to use the virtual or online platforms for the teaching of courses and seminars and for advising Ph.D. students’ research. Of the different software available for these purposes, the teacher participants often used Zoom meetings and the MS meeting application, which are freely available. In addition, they also used email, telegram, and text messaging via their mobiles and laptops. The teachers often used both video and audio conferencing through teacher-to-learner and learner-to-learner interactions.

While implementing their online courses, almost all of the interviewed teachers’ understanding of the roles of teaching was the same as what they did for their prior face-to-face courses. The professional literature suggests that online courses not only need different instructional and technical tools [50], but also a different type of pedagogy, which is termed e-pedagogy [51]. From the current study, the opposing viewpoint is that, while the pedagogical strategies remained intact during the teaching of online courses, it was the medium and instructional tools that changed. In our study, the participants reported how pedagogy remained the exclusive variable that was affected by the transition to an online platform. This was confirmed by the findings in the literature in this field.

Upon their reflection, the interviewed teachers reported that their experiences in transitioning from face-to-face to online platforms left them with several challenges and, hence, it was a burden for them to smoothly engage as they did for face-to-face teaching. This contradicts the findings of previous research that report that the added advantages of online teaching made teachers more efficient and effective, even with their role shifting to the facilitator. While that study was situated in a college of education, most participants were already pedagogical experts, yet online teaching further advanced their skills. They used more explicit instruction for clarity, enhanced content with new instructional tools and aids, and became more intentional about social interaction. In this study, none of these advantages were reported by the interviewed participants.

When teaching online, teachers find themselves in the role of the learning facilitator rather than the lecturer or teacher, and this change is one for which many faculty find themselves unprepared [52]. In the present study, it seems that the opposite happened, as the shift to the role of facilitator was not included by most, and was still uncomfortable for a few, as they devoted more to course coverage than to facilitating students’ learning.

Students taking responsibility for their learning is what is usually expected, and particularly at the postgraduate level [53]. However, how that responsibility is operationalized and the volume of burden that students can shoulder need attention, as these determine whether the teachers were teachers rather than facilitators of student learning. Most of the interviewed students had the opinion that the teachers were teachers rather than facilitators. While several teachers employed a teacher-centered strategy for teaching online, they still perceived their role as being a teacher in the traditional classroom. However, after teaching online, the role of the facilitator did not appear. Instead, the interviewed participant teachers viewed their role as teachers, as they used to be in face-to-face classrooms.

4.3.3. Virtual Assessment for Courses and Research

Some interviewed participants pointed out the advantages of the online platform in terms of minimizing distance and cost barriers, and particularly for external examinations of dissertations. For instance, external examiners can evaluate the dissertations without moving to host institutions. Doing so reduces the costs associated with accommodation, catering, and per dimes. At the same time, it benefits the evaluators to use their time effectively by decreasing their journey days to host universities. Given these benefits, the study participants strongly supported the need for transitioning to online platforms. Moreover, this idea was strongly supported by the Ph.D. coordinator, as stated earlier. However, they warned that the university studied should pay special attention to infrastructures, including 24 h available electric power and an Internet connection; empowering students; and providing professional development opportunities to teachers for effective and sustainable implementation.

As the interviewed students reported, the process of dissertation examination was a bit strange, as the student who was in his/her final defense session faced an online PPT presentation as well as an online evaluator for the first time. Some students who attended a virtual defense session had the opinion that such an experience had a double challenge: that of grappling with the substantive content of the Ph.D. dissertation, and the technical aspects of presenting PPTs via Zoom meetings.

One interviewee teacher who participated as a chairperson for the Ph.D. dissertation defense had several safety measures so that he asked the external examiners to send their comments and questions in advance of the virtual defense session. Moreover, the internal and external examiners who were in their homes or offices in different locations experienced challenges.

For example, the interviewed external examiners reflected that experiencing an online evaluation session for a Ph.D. dissertation defense for the first time created some level of frustration and uncertainty. Due to this, the examiners prepared even for the worst with a mobile-phone defense session in case the Internet connectivity was interrupted. Some of the examiners reported that they used mobile phones to communicate summarized questions and comments and final results. They also experienced interruptions amid the defense session due to a power outage. This created a prolonged delay and wait time, which was resolved with patience and by switching locations to a place where the external examiners could obtain Internet access. As one of the external examiners stated: “I moved from the university to the city in search of internet service believing that my questions, comments and results are taken as measure component of the examination.”

In terms of practice, some HE teachers did not feel as comfortable teaching online as they did face-to-face teaching. For example, one of the interviewed teachers commented: “teaching online is not as comfortable as teaching face-to-face” (TI3). In support of this, another teacher interviewee (TI4) added: “In my nature, I do not like to teach sitting alone; my experience is teaching students [standing up] in front of my students, face-to-face, even, my idea flows well when I stand and move around my students”. Another teacher stated: “teaching online removes the emotional part of teaching. I personally want to teach with emotion. However, the absence of students in the classroom has minimized my energy to teach.” (TI2.)

In a previous study, the researchers explored the experiences of ten faculty members who developed and taught an online course that they had previously taught in a face-to-face classroom. According to the findings of that study, the researchers drew three conclusions, including [54].

One of the interviewed teachers (TI4) pointed to the level of negative effect that happened in his personal life as follows:

[My] family and I suffered from fear of COVID-19, we [did not] go out of home, commodities’ price [became higher and higher], [while] social communication [was] minimized…; …although there are power outages and internet interruptions, covering my topic [made] me satisfied; in this regard, I can say technology plays a great role.

As per the evidence collected from the interview participants, one of the most affected aspects of the Ph.D. students’ major activities was the research process. Unless students had the opportunity to collect data earlier, before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was entirely impossible to obtain data due to a complete shutdown. Moreover, some of the interviewed teachers reported that they did not diversify their assessments due to technological limitations and a lack of preparedness.

In a previous study, the researchers highlight the best practices available to provide high-quality online support to students during their research undertakings for an Online Doctorate in HE programs. They also highlight aspects of effective online doctoral supervision, which is characterized by socialization, freedom, and healthy relationships between the advisees and advisors [55].

Previous studies concerning the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on postgraduate students’ teaching, learning, and advising experiences indicate that the students were satisfied with the teaching conducted, which used specific online platforms for grading systems, assessment options, training workshops, and online technical support [25,26,29]. The current study provides supporting evidence that the learning, teaching, advising, and assessment practices were handled by using the online platform. Specifically, our results demonstrate that, in online-platform learning, assessment became more relevant to the students.

4.4. Intial Changes and Implementation Challenges

4.4.1. Initial Changes: Personal and Professional

• Financial pandemic and uncertainty;
• More demands for online presence and PPT presentation via Zoom meetings;
• Long hours of working in front of a computer screen;
• Many hours of sitting home due to lockdown and searching for study materials.

Initial changes: Institutional

• Online or virtual registration;
• The learning, teaching, and assessment environment (Zoom meetings and MS meetings) (from classroom to office or home);
• More demands for online presence and PPT presentation via Zoom meetings;
• Long hours of working in front of a computer screen;
• Many hours of sitting home due to lockdown and searching for study materials.

4.4.2. Implementation Challenges at the Individual and Institutional Levels

Individual

• Problem of balancing personal and professional lives;
• Family, peers, and friends becoming sources of stress due to lengthy stay at home.

Institutional

• A feeling of insecurity and emotional disconnection;
• Difficulty with Internet accessibility;
• Power shortages and poor Internet connectivity.

4.5. Consequences of COVID-19 Pandemic

4.5.1. Perceived Positive Consequences

Technology has made interpersonal communication much easier during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the interviewee participants reported that online or mobile communications made it easier for them to ask one another through telephone and online to obtain materials and social communication.

• Using technology supports in many aspects;
• Skills adopted;
• Learning how to use software for learning and research supervision purposes. For example, Zoom Meetings, MS Team meetings, scheduling, the value of time and self-confidence.

Encouraging signs of the adoption of the technology and a moderate level of satisfaction. Because of this, most of the teachers responded that they were not satisfied with their personal and academic lives. A scale from 0 to 10 values was given to teachers to respond to their level of satisfaction in terms of their personal and academic lives, and, on average, they responded with average results on both issues, which means that the study participants had a moderate satisfaction level for the changed virtual platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

4.5.2. Perceived Negative Consequences

Being distracted from meaningful learning. Most of the student interviewees felt that they were distracted from meaningful learning. This was mainly as a result of increasing academic burden due to reduced access to virtual resources and a declining commitment to learning, which were compounded by a lack of concern and relevant support for student learning by the department.

Limited or minimal practices of virtual learning, teaching, and assessment. The impact of COVID-19 on the personal and academic lives of postgraduate students is not easy, as the fates of these students depend on their successful graduation with high grades. Financial burden had several implications for the postgraduate students, as this doubled down on their economic constraints.

Likewise, most of the teacher interviewees faced difficulties in adopting online or virtual platforms due to technical difficulties or a lack of familiarity with using online platforms. Some of the interviewed teachers felt that they were dehumanized due to the virtual environment; that they lost several ingredients of face-to-face teaching, for example, body language, reading the facial expressions of the students, and changing pace and sequence, moving around the room so that they maintain proximity to the students’ feelings; and a lack of class control. Additional challenges included:

• Failure to use the Internet for nothing more than email communication before the COVID-19 pandemic;
• If virtually engaged, it was for the purpose of email conversation and document exchange;
• They did not diversify assessments due to technological limitations and a lack of preparedness.

On their part, the students had several negative consequences that they faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the student interviewees had the view that the strange nature of virtual platforms, coupled with the lack of relevant university infrastructures and poor Internet use, are serious challenges. As they reported, these resulted in consequences, including fear, loss of confidence, and technical difficulties in virtual presentations.

The reported challenges sought in this study are similar to the postgraduate students’ and teachers’ experiences in other universities more globally [22,56,57]. The challenges associated with the availability of energy and access to the Internet, as well as the closure of campuses and the endorsement of social distancing as a preventive and precautionary measure against COVID-19, are similar to the experiences sought elsewhere [58,59].

4.6. Recommendations for a Better Future

The interviewed teacher participants suggested that the university should take some of the challenges of effective online learning very seriously. For example, the university has to make sure that the Internet has an uninterrupted network for everyone. Moreover, online material production needs a camera, a special studio for recordings, and smart boards. Overall, most of the study participants had the view that the university should explore the possibilities of using diversified technological tools for learning, teaching, and assessment purposes. In addition, the university should intensify relevant professional development opportunities for teachers and empower Ph.D. students. On top of that, the university could be prepared by providing continual support, both at the personal and professional levels.

Many of the study participants believed that the institution should pay special attention to establishing the required infrastructures and facilities for virtual learning. Figure 3 includes a summary of the comments that the study participants gave for improved infrastructure and facilities.

As clearly indicated in Figure 3, the university should strive to improve infrastructure and facilities on three fronts. These include access to the Internet, virtual learning resources, and relevant software. Moreover, most of the study participants strongly recommended the need to focus on the virtual environment as a central component of the university academic program. Moreover, the study participants highlighted the importance of student empowerment in creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving. Other recommendations included the provision of professional development opportunities for teachers to learn and practice various e-learning and e-assessment methods, together with continual support both on the e-pedagogical and technological fronts.

5. Conclusions

In this study, the authors explored the professional and personal experiences of Ph.D. students in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. For this, the authors, approached current Ph.D. students, teachers, examiners, and the department head with a semi-structured interview. Accordingly, in this worst time, and as a novel technology for the university, the instructors’ initiation in helping students, and the commitment of the university to proceeding with the teaching–learning program, need to be admired. In other words, the process of teaching, learning assessments, and paper works are ongoing and the program was covered, despite some inconveniences.

The results indicate that almost all the study participants had a positive attitude towards online learning. However, changing to an online platform did not integrate with changing the teaching role from a teacher to a facilitator of student learning. Moreover, the results point out that online learning was misinterpreted as a means of availing the face-to-face learning resources, such as PPTs and some PDF materials, through email and/or telegram attachments. Due to this and other reasons, the student participants were overburdened with increased accountability and excessive challenges. Despite these odds, the study participants reported moderate satisfaction with their experiences with the online learning and supervision.

There were also challenges in that the COVID-19 pandemic made professional and personal lives difficult. For example, power outages, interruptions to the Internet, and obtaining access itself were the most critical challenges of students that needed improvement. Moreover, the students, as well as the teachers, saw the COVD-19 pandemic as a chance to develop their skill of technology utilization. On the other hand, limitations to the support of the university or the government (such as training, material support) demotivated the students as well as the teachers; in this case, the scale of satisfaction indicated that they all were moderately satisfied.

6. Implications for Theory and Practices and Limitations

6.1. Theoretical Implications

There is growing recognition that the HE environment must be viewed and studied as an ecological system. Various conceptual models have been proposed to characterize ecological systems, but new thinking is needed to guide long-term research that links the learning, teaching, and assessment with their virtual environment.

We provide pieces of evidence as to how an ecological-system theory, including individual, social, and institutional functions, constitutes a substantial means by which we can understand the changes and continual challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. A continual application of this ecological-system theory will bridge the individual, social, and institutional divides, and build a knowledge base that can be used to solve current and future pandemic challenges. Online platforms have more flexibility, but they require learners to be self-motivated [60].

It is naive to propose and test models and frameworks for the study of the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential impacts. However, the pieces of evidence in this study suggest that ecological systems that comprise the individual, social, and institutional dimensions provide a portrait of the images for the changing nature of the virtual platform. We believe that research guided by the ecological-system-theory perspective will lead to a more thorough understanding of the changing nature of virtual platforms due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The knowledge generated from addressing the pervasive problems associated with the implementation of learning, teaching, and assessment may help to mitigate the issues that originated from the COVID-19 pandemic and other similar conditions. A more integrative approach to the virtual environment of HE that bridges the individual, social, and institutional domains is very much needed to improve the capabilities to mitigate the challenges that originated from the COVID-19 pandemic and other similar conditions.

6.2. Pedagogical Implications

The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity to remind universities and colleges of the essential skills that students need in this unpredictable world, for example, informed decision making, creative problem solving, and adaptability. As well, to ensure that those skills remain a priority for all students, HE systems should be able to build resilience. Moreover, institutions should plan for delivering continual support, need-based student empowerment, and professional development opportunities for teachers.

From a practical perspective, teachers and students should develop the skills to adapt and upgrade online virtual learning and teaching. In this uncertain world, even after the catastrophic incidence of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to prepare oneself for the odds. For this, becoming more assertive and resilient is more important, and HEIs need to consider virtual learning and virtual research supervision as a unique option.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of building resilience to face various unprecedented threats, from the pandemic-induced “learning pandemic” to climate insecurity and rapid technological change. The stay-at-home orders that were imposed in the many HEIs worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic have had a huge impact on the quality of education, leading to a sharp decline in the level of student engagement and outcomes. This sharp quality decline among HE students had a lot of adversities, ruining their success in life. Unless this sharp decline is reversed, a large proportion of HE students will ultimately fall short of the essential competencies to cope with calamities. While online learning was the only option during the lockdown period, many postgraduate students saw the value of incorporating online learning into university postgraduate programs in the future [21]. However, more efforts are needed to further develop, train, and improve infrastructure facilities to support online learning [31].

6.3. Implications for Quality Assurance of E-Learning

Similar to the face-to-face platform, quality assurance should be considered as an integral part of the e-learning process. The authors believe that the findings of this study provide insight to inform HEIs, policymakers, governments, and other institutions about the demands and challenges of the transition to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic for postgraduate students and teachers. Whatever is working under the new normal needs to be up to the standard.

6.4. Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research

This study has some limitations, for example, subjectivity, bias, and generalizability issues. Regardless of this, it has the advantages of uniqueness, flexibility, and in-depth exploration, which may illuminate the ecological-system theory and stimulate further investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic in the HE setting. A focus on better theorization about the pandemic-induced learning pandemic by using a rigorous conceptual and methodological research project via modeling HE students’ learning and developmental trajectories with intensive longitudinal data would possibly scale up the quality of the work in this research.