Navigating Emergency Remote Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic began in the late months of 2019, and by Spring of 2020, in an effort to limit transmission of the virus, schools across the globe closed and transitioned to emergency online teaching. This disrupted the schooling for over 80% of the students worldwide. While the move to online teaching and learning was inevitable, many learners, especially in rural and remote areas, found that online schooling had certain challenges due to lack of access, lack of resources, lack of infrastructure, unavailability of devices, and a lack of qualified teachers who can assist with online learning. To be able to transition to online teaching, teachers too had to adjust their instructional strategies and pedagogies. How did teachers and students navigate this sudden shift to online teaching and learning?