Perceptions and innovations of academics in an open distance e-learning institution

The issue of academic support remains a significant area of concern within open distance e-learning (ODeL) institutions. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceptions and innovations pertaining to academic support, specifically in the academic language and literacy in English module (ENGX). Grounded in the social presence theory, the study investigates the pivotal role of social presence in promoting students’ engagement and academic success in ENGX module. The findings reveal that while lecturers generally hold a positive view of academic support in online higher education institutions, there is room for further enhancement, considering students’ expressed dissatisfaction. The findings also shed light on students’ apprehensions regarding limited engagement, accessibility challenges, and the pressures associated with misusing chat generative pre-trained transformer (ChatGPT). In contrast, lecturers emphasized the significance of fortifying presence and engagement to mitigate issues such as plagiarism. The pedagogical purpose of the paper is to enhance the understanding of academic support within the context of ODeL and explore innovative approaches to improving the educational experience in such a context.