Transitioning to blended learning during COVID-19: Exploring instructors and adult learners' experiences in three Ghanaian universities

Teaching and learning in higher education have increasingly become digitalized and associated with innovative pedagogical methodologies over the past decades. Following the sudden onset of the pandemic in March 2020, several studies tended to focus on traditional students' experiences with emergency remote education while literature is scarce on non-traditional students (or adult learners) pedagogical experiences in Distance Education contexts. Using a qualitative case study approach, this study explored how digital technologies mediated instructors' and adult learners' educational experiences during COVID-19 and their first-time experiences with blended learning. Between October 2021 and July 2022, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 40 adult learners and 20 instructors in three selected public higher education institutions (HEIs) in Ghana. Data analysis followed Braun and Clarke's (2012) thematic analysis approach. The results showed that the transition to blended learning was supported by the adoption and integration of varied virtual online technologies. The themes highlight the positive and negative impacts of technology in mediating the educational experiences of instructors and adult learners in blended learning environments. The themes which reflected both instructors' and adult learners' experiences were enhanced course delivery and pedagogy, competency development, technological issues and poor-quality pedagogy. Blended learning facilitated by technology could be the ‘new normal learning’ post-pandemic for adult learners pursuing Distance Education in Ghana. The study recommends the implementation of agile strategies and policies by HEIs to ensure sustainable quality education in distance learning.

Practitioner notes

What is already known about this topic

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the adoption of innovative pedagogical approaches in higher education contexts.
• Technological transformations in information and communication technology (ICT) have enhanced remote teaching in higher education institutions globally.
• The educational experiences of educators and learners differ in blended learning contexts.

What this paper adds

• Instructors and adult learners' positive experiences with navigating a variety of web-based technologies during the educational process are negatively impacted by technological difficulties during online instruction.
• Participants' experiences of blended learning are mixed with a preference for face-to-face dimension of blended learning instead of the online dimension.
• The paper identifies four themes that characterize instructors and adult learners' experiences with technology-enhanced learning including enhanced course delivery and pedagogy, competency development, technological issues and poor-quality pedagogy.

Implications for practice and/or policy

• The study provides evidence-based information on the relevance of digitizing distance education for sustainable development and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for distance education students. The research recommends that higher education institutions (HEIs) implement agile policies to facilitate a seamless shift to distance learning.
• HEIs may adopt open distance learning frameworks to streamline 21st century pedagogical and learning practices in distance-blended learning environments for quality course instruction.
• The study highlights the potential distance learning modalities that HEIs can consider for Distance Education students to sustain effective quality teaching and learning.