Effectiveness of Online Mathematics Learning during Covid-19: Empirical Evidence from a Tertiary Institution in Ghana

Abstract

This study investigated undergraduate mathematics students' perception of the effectiveness of strategies employed in learning mathematics online in the Covid-19 era. The study was grounded in a pragmatic paradigm, using a sequential explanatory design with questionnaires and interview guides as the research instruments. A simple random sampling technique was used to select three hundred and seventy-nine (379) third-year undergraduate mathematics students within the central region of Ghana. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation, and percentages, whiles the qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The findings of the study revealed that the combination of video, audio, and text-based materials in the online mathematics lessons was the most effective online instructional delivery strategy that the students perceived, whiles limited interaction between lecturers and students in online lessons was rated as the least effective in supporting their online learning. Also, access to the Internet for online lessons was the topmost challenge to online learning of mathematics experienced by undergraduate mathematics education students during the Covid-19 era. The study concludes that undergraduate mathematics students' perceptions of the effectiveness of online instructional delivery strategies are key for successful online mathematics learning; hence educators and institutions should ensure its success. The study recommends that Mathematics lecturers be trained continuously on effective strategies for online instructional delivery. Additionally, the telecommunication industry should improve network connectivity in the country, and universities should make their online learning platforms accessible without data to mitigate students' challenges with internet data.