Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Zambian Lecturers’ Experiences of the Transition to Online Instruction

Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Zambian Lecturers’ Experiences of the Transition to Online Instruction | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Zambian Lecturers’ Experiences of the Transition to Online Instruction Carole Phiri-Chibbonta, Roberta Muchangwe, Elastus Mambwe This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5813152/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 14 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The global outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) brought a myriad of challenges to higher education. At tertiary institutions worldwide, the closure of campuses and the migration to online instruction came as an unplanned consequence for faculty members and students. For lecturers teaching various journalism and mass communication (JMC) programmes in Zambia, moving to online course delivery meant abandoning the long-held policy of teaching these courses exclusively in person and navigating the various access, competence and resource challenges that many of their students also encountered. Today, it is still essential to examine how educators adjusted to the inevitable online shift and understand their experiences in the transition. This article examines the experiences of JMC lecturers at seven higher education institutions in Zambia on their shift to online instruction in the wake of the pandemic. By employing in-depth interviews with lecturers teaching both practical and theoretical courses, this qualitative study seeks to understand lecturers’ overall attitudes towards online teaching of JMC courses during the pandemic and ascertain any lessons, challenges or opportunities arising from this transition. The paper provides examples of pedagogical adaptations implemented to maintain quality whilst supporting a more diverse and, at times, larger cohort of students. Results from the study provide insights on building better online learning environments as institutions and policymakers in higher education continue to adjust to the ‘new normal’. Further, it contributes to scholarship on the impact of online learning and the pandemic on JMC education, providing much-needed insight from the global South. Journalism Education Online teaching COVID-19 Zambia Emergency Teaching Response Figures Figure 1 Introduction The outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and the subsequent lockdowns in various countries brought a myriad of challenges to higher education. As the virus spread rapidly in 2020, governments around the world were forced to close educational institutions to curb its spread. According to UNESCO [ 1 ], 177 countries implemented closures, affecting approximately 1.268 billion learners, about 72.4% of the world’s student population. At tertiary institutions worldwide, the closure of campuses and the migration to online instruction came as an unplanned consequence of the pandemic for faculty members and students. The impact of this was presumably significant in the Global South. Badr and Elmaghraby [ 2 ] have summed up the dynamics of the experience universities in the Global South have had in the move to online instruction because of the pandemic’s disruption. These include the slow movement in policies towards online learning, severe infrastructural challenges that delay and affect implementation, limited support for students from underprivileged and marginalised backgrounds, and a widespread culture that ensures significantly low acceptance of new technologies. The emergency shift to online education necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly presented unique challenges and opportunities to the global South’s tertiary education sectors, demanding alternative teaching methodologies and strategies, including the need to explore different approaches to curriculum design and delivery as well as investigating ways of maintaining excellence despite having limited resources [ 3 – 8 ]. Challenging as the emergency shift was, the encounter also presented some unique opportunities, such as the acceleration of digitalisation in teaching and learning and the exploration and implementation of different curriculum design and delivery approaches. In Zambia, this also describes the experience of educators in the fields of journalism and mass communication. Compared to other more purely academic subjects, instructors in journalism and mass communication (JMC) faced the challenge of moving to online course delivery during the pandemic. This occurred in a context in which there had been “less research on pedagogical approaches for online courses” within these fields which requires “high levels of authentic or experiential learning”[ 9 ]. For lecturers teaching various journalism and mass communication programmes in Zambia, this meant, among other things, abandoning the long-held policy of teaching these courses exclusively in person and navigating the various access, competence and resource challenges that many of their students also encountered. This scenario included remote online teaching and hybrid teaching through various platforms such as Moodle, Google Meet, and Zoom. This study takes a much-needed retrospective look at the experiences of JMC lecturers at seven training institutions in Zambia on their emergency shift to online instruction in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. By employing in-depth interviews with lecturers teaching both practical and theoretical courses and exploring a large corpus of literature, this qualitative study specifically seeks to understand their perceptions and preferences towards online teaching processes, methods and platforms. It seeks to determine the lecturers’ overall attitudes towards online teaching during the pandemic and ascertain any lessons, challenges or opportunities arising from this emergency transition. Additionally, it interrogates journalism training institutions’ strategies to help their students cope during the pandemic amid limited resources. The study contributes to scholarship on the impact of online learning and the pandemic on journalism and mass communication education, providing much-needed insight from the global South. It further highlights the strategies and resources journalism schools need to implement to prepare for unknown futures. Online Teaching and Learning Online teaching is broadly defined as “a context in which at least 80% of the course content is delivered online through the Internet” [ 10 ]. In this teaching approach, the student and teacher are separated by physical distance from one another. Instead of traditional classroom settings, online learning utilizes digital platforms and the internet to enhance educational results and provide users with access to online tools and facilities [ 11 ]. This distance education approach involves students not physically attending the university, with course materials and evaluations delivered to them electronically. In contrast, traditional delivery models typically involve students being physically present on campus and engaging in face-to-face interactions with academics and their fellow students. Higher education now incorporates online learning as a fundamental aspect, typically presented through online platforms referred to as Learning Management Systems (LMS) or Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). This is achieved through various devices such as computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones with internet connectivity, allowing students access to learning methods and environments, thereby giving them the flexibility to learn and interact with their instructors from anywhere [ 12 ]. The two modes of online learning are synchronous and asynchronous [ 13 ]. Snychronous or real-time online learning facilitates direct communication between instructors and students during classes via video conferencing or online chat rooms. In contrast, asynchronous online learning enables lecturers and students to exchange information and interact outside of the actual online class via thread discussions and email correspondence. Independent learning and skill development are key benefits of online learning, ultimately contributing to a lifelong learning process [ 14 ]. For students, online learning offers increased flexibility and the convenience of accessing course materials, as well as a more personalised learning experience [ 15 ]. Numerous studies have examined how universities in developed nations, which have access to dependable and well-established information technology infrastructure, resources, and support, have adjusted their teaching methods in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the same is not the case for higher education institutions in the Global South, where poor IT infrastructure, lack of financial resources and technical support, and modest IT skills for educators and students are critical challenges for online learning [ 16 ]. In many developing countries, the cost of merely purchasing digital devices such as laptops and smartphones remains relatively high. Therefore, it is not an understatement to assert that these challenges, arising from limited access to technology and the internet, particularly in the Global South, have been exacerbated due to the recent COVID-19 lockdowns and shift to online learning. Beaunoyer, Dupéré and Guitton [ 4 ] contend that the new teaching method has revealed deep-seated digital disparities and variations in digital proficiency that are intricately linked to social, economic, and cultural environments. Dhawan's SWOT analysis of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 14 ] uncovered similar obstacles, also encompassing issues with time management, distractions, frustrations, anxiety, and confusion, as well as limited personal and physical interactions, unequal ICT distribution, and subpar educational quality. E-learning and instruction are thought to have a beneficial effect on both students and staff. Kulal and Nayak [ 17 ] argue that faculty and students generally have optimistic views about online classes, a notion also supported by Seok et al. in 2010, who found a positive correlation between students' and faculty's perceptions of teaching and learning. Research by several other studies [ 14 , 18 – 20 ] suggests that students generally have a positive outlook on e-learning, despite the difficulties that come with it. Its use has become even more widespread as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has consistently demonstrated that student achievement is comparable in both face-to-face and online educational environments, yet faculty continue to express concerns about the varying instructional methods. Research by Wingo, Ivankova and Moss [ 21 ], discovered that faculty members tend to become accustomed to online teaching as they acquire more experience within the online environment. Additionally, Wingo, Ivankova and Moss found that institutions that offered “mentoring, training, support, and recognition” were particularly appreciated by faculty members who taught online. [ 21 ] A similar study conducted by Sims and Baker [ 22 ] observed that it is essential to understand and address faculty perception on online education in order to guarantee that instructors are proficient and adequately prepared for teaching in a classroom setting. Faculty pointed out that key skills for success in online teaching include managing grades, time management, and having the technical know-how for course management systems, developing online assignment and basic computer skills. The research findings showed that, generally, instructors believed while course standards had remained mostly the same in both online and offline settings, student participation and achievement decreased during the pandemic, and student satisfaction with the shift to online instruction was very low. While various past studies have shown the numerous positive and negative factors that might impact faculty motivation to teach online in other contexts [ 23 ], there appears to be a lack of published research on faculty attitudes towards online education in Zambia as it relates to journalism, media and communication studies. It must be noted that many higher education institutions in Zambia are still in the process of implementing online education and the pandemic may have only accelerated this process. However, to this date, no research has investigated JMC lecturers' views on teaching remotely and online during the pandemic in Zambia. This study seeks to address this research gap. Emergency Response Teaching (ERT) Undoubtedly, the spread of COVID-19 profoundly impacted educational systems and created challenges, resulting in the closing of many schools and universities. In Zambia, all educational institutions, from pre-schools to universities, were ordered to close immediately on March 17, 2020, to control COVID-19 infections and facilitate effective pandemic management [ 1 ]. Authorities had to consider distance learning strategies, such as online classes, as a substitution for face-to-face learning to mitigate the impact of this situation and ensure that students continue to learn amidst the rising COVID-19 prevalence rates and deaths. This move was made regardless of how much staff or institutions were prepared for the shift online. Online learning was implemented in different ways. For some universities, online learning was adopted as an already existing, well-structured avenue to facilitate teaching and learning. For others, it was implemented as Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT), a temporary mitigation meant to avert the teaching and learning challenges caused by the pandemic. In the latter perspective, online teaching is seen as “a complex process that requires careful planning and determination of aims to create an effective learning ecology” [ 24 ], meaning that it is more than merely uploading material to a given platform in response to a crisis. Even in cases where there is some planning or design, ERT falls short of this understanding, suggest Hodges et al. [ 25 ]. Proponents of the ERT perspective, such as Bozkurt and Sharma [ 24 ], argue that the idea behind its implementation is not to recreate a robust education ecosystem online but to provide an avenue that facilitates learning and teaching in times of crisis. Notwithstanding the applicability of the rich ERT perspectives, the move to online teaching in the JMC field in Zambia has accelerated the implementation of online learning systems for many universities and programmes. Sadly, this quickened implementation has not been without challenges as previously highlighted by Badr and Elmaghraby [ 2 ]. Teaching Journalism Online The growth of the media and journalism industry poses a challenge for training institutions to keep up with the changes and simultaneously meet the demands of the industry and the academic world. For instance, the advent of digital technologies, which have significantly impacted the journalism industry worldwide by changing traditional journalism practices, has led to an industry-wide transformation aimed at bridging the gap between traditional journalism and the changing nature of journalism practice [ 26 ]. While the industry battles to bridge this gap, journalism training institutions have also faced the challenge of adapting their curriculum to the needs of the digital age. Recent years have seen the rise of online education globally, driven by advancements in computer technology and increased use of technological tools. Consequently, digital technologies have become integral to teaching and learning, demonstrated by the widespread adoption of e-learning platforms and social media platforms for facilitating interaction and information exchange. Journalism is typically taught as a professional field in a traditional hands-on classroom environment. Differing from other courses with a more purely academic focus, it places a strong emphasis on experiential learning. In contrast to traditional learning methods, experiential learning occurs when individuals learn and grow through personal experiences and direct involvement, rather than through classroom instruction and theoretical study. In essence, students acquire knowledge by engaging in practical activities, specifically through hands-on training in journalism skills courses [ 26 ]. Theoretical courses such as Media law, journalism ethics, and media history that focus on teaching students about journalism as an institution [ 27 ] or a global community of practice [ 28 ] can be seamlessly adapted to a remote or online environment, whereas skills courses require significant adjustments to be successfully translated. This then becomes the primary challenge of teaching some JMC courses online. Hands-on courses frequently permit students to gain practical experience in videography, video editing, news graphics creation, newscast production, print design, and web design, skills that necessitate equipment or software typically unavailable to many students in their own homes. Journalism instruction typically involves students creating work in a collaborative environment, either as interns or student employees within media companies or in a simulated newsroom setting, as noted by Valencia-Forrester [ 29 ] and Young and Gitlow [ 30 ]. Given the scarcity of resources, especially in the global South, it is hardly surprising that teaching journalism entirely online poses significant challenges, particularly for courses focusing on journalism skills. There are concerns about the quality, consistency, and authenticity of online journalism courses offered by universities. Acknowledging the expanding importance of online learning in higher education in light of society's rising interaction with advanced communication and technology tools, serious concerns exist for both faculty and students. The central concern explored in this article is the impact on journalism education in Zambia resulting from the abrupt and often unplanned shift of universities to online learning. Journalism Education in Zambia Scholarship has established that the history of journalism education in Africa shows that a country took on either the European or American model or a combination of both depending on their relations or ties with the West. Murphy and Scotton [ 31 ] describe it as having developed in the context of a relationship of dependency on resources of the industrial West. Journalism education in Zambia is taught within tertiary institutions and has largely been linked to the development of the country’s media industry. Since the liberalisation of the media landscape in the 1990s, Zambia’s media has grown immensely from a state of only one privately (and church-owned) newspaper, two state-owned newspapers and one radio station to a media industry diverse in type, ownership and coverage [ 32 ]. The increased demand for higher education, as witnessed by the proliferation of private universities now offering media training in the country, is attributed to the observed industry growth. Before this, only two state institutions, The University of Zambia (UNZA) and Evelyn Hone College Arts and Applied Sciences, offered journalism training at bachelor’s degree and diploma level, respectively. Today, Zambia has over six institutions offering journalism training at undergraduate and postgraduate levels while others offer communication-related degrees but some of their students and graduates get opportunities to work in media houses as journalists [ 33 ]. As in many parts of the world, JMC training and certification in Zambia exists at various levels that range from certificates of attendance, usually obtained from training workshops, to accredited certificates, diplomas, bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Further, these training programmes or courses are provided by different institutions, including local and international civil society organisations, as well as both public and private colleges and universities [ 14 ]. The curriculum in Zambia is also usually split into theory and practice, even though the divide is not always clear and often times, the practical side is limited by factors such as limited resources and in adequate student attachment places in the industry [ 34 ]. Theoretical Framework Various theories have been helpful to the scholarly understanding of online learning, which has become a major aspect of present-day teaching and more ubiquitous since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. For this study, we found Michael Graham Moore’s Theory of Transactional Distance worth cogitating because of what it helps explain. Moore’s Theory of Transactional Distanc e (or TDT) formulates a broad framework of distance education pedagogy that demonstrates that it should be more concerned with pedagogical distance and not geographical distance [ 35 , 36 ]. According to Moore [ 37 ], the transactional distance refers to “a psychological and communication space to be crossed; a space of potential misunderstanding between the inputs of instructor and those of the learner.” Moore suggests the need to bridge the communication and cognitive distance that exists due to distance or remote learning. According to Delgaty [ 36 ], TDT has been hailed as an essential perspective in explaining distance learning and has been used in different studies over the years [ 38 , 39 ]. Jung [ 40 ] argues that TDL “provides a useful conceptual framework for defining and understanding distance education in general and as a source of research hypotheses more specifically”. Our interest in this theory is based on two critical contextual assumptions. Firstly, journalism education at the tertiary level in Zambia has almost entirely occurred in person with a long-held belief that it is the best way to teach it, and secondly, the pandemic outbreak created a physical distance that made traditional instruction challenging to attain. That said, it was important for lecturers to find ways of addressing the transactional distance factors highlighted if instruction during the pandemic was going to be possible. Furthermore, our application of this theory is confined to the foundational reality that the shift to online teaching was primarily in response to the pandemic crisis. This means that while the propositions of TDT are applied to distance learning in whatever form it may take, the examination that this article conducts is ultimately about how that transactional distance was negotiated in the context of an emergency response to teaching. Given the literature and theoretical underpinning, this study sought to investigate how Zambian JMC lecturers construct and interpret their experiences of transitioning to online teaching during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, including the challenges, opportunities, and strategies employed to support both lecturers and students. Specifically, the study asked the following research questions: RQ1 What perceptions, attitudes and challenges did JMC lecturers in Zambia have towards online teaching processes, methods and platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic? RQ2 What opportunities did the move to online teaching during or following the COVID-19 pandemic bring for JMC lecturers? RQ3 What lessons and strategies emerged from Zambian JMC lecturers’ online teaching experiences, especially during the COVID-19 crisis? Methodology This study adopted a qualitative research methodology that seeks to systematically explore, investigate, and learn about the phenomenon and elucidate any meaning ascribed to the phenomenon [ 41 , 42 ]. Qualitative research was critical to our examination because it enabled us to obtain and make sense of the subjective experiences of lecturers, with which we were able to form a deeper understanding of the impact of the shift to online teaching of journalism and mass communication courses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed as the primary data collection tool. The questionnaire was used to achieve the desired level of understanding, nuance, and multi-dimensional view and meaning of the subject, gleaned from in-depth interviews [ 43 – 45 ]. A few quantitative questions were included to gather specific information such as demographic data, years of service, the preferred teaching mode and institutional affiliation to complement our understanding of the qualitative data. Sampling, a process through which participants or cases that will be a part of a study from a larger group [ 46 , 47 ], was done purposefully. We first used purposive sampling to identify the higher learning institutions and then also to identify potential respondents from each of the sampled institutions. The questionnaire was sent to a total of 25 lecturers from 7 institutions, and we obtained a total of 19 responses that encompassed all seven institutions. The names of the institutions and the number of respondents is reflected in Table 1.1. Table 1 - List Universities and Number of Interviews Higher Education Institution Lecturers Interviewed Location University of Zambia (UNZA) 5 Lusaka Mulungushi University (MU) 2 Kabwe Evelyn Hone College of Arts and Applied Sciences (EHC) 3 Lusaka Zambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM) 3 Lusaka Rusangu University (RU) 3 Monze Cavendish University (CU) 2 Lusaka Zambia Catholic University (ZCU) 2 Lusaka/Kalulushi The semi-structured questionnaire was created online using Google Forms, and the link was shared with the sampled lectures. This method was convenient given the locations (distances) of the institutions and because the study was conducted during the aftermath of Zambia’s third wave of COVID-19 infections when the rates of infections were still very high. All interviews were conducted between May 20 and June 10, 2022. The data from the responses was analysed thematically. According to Braun and Clarke [ 48 ], thematic analysis is a method used to identify, analyse and report patterns within a data set so the data can be organised and easily described. The themes were guided and categorised by the five key research questions. These thematic areas are represented by the five segments of the result sections presented below. The need for ethical approval was waived off by the Departmental Ethical Review representative, who sits on the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee of the University of Zambia, because of the adequate ethical safeguards that were outlined in the proposal, especially the informed consent requirement and the study information provided in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, no risks or harm to the participants and their institutions were identified. The study was thus conducted in accordance with the University's acceptable ethical principles. Informed consent was obtained from the lecturer participants whose views were included in this study write-up. The consent specifically covered the use of their views in this research project. Due to the pandemic, respondents were contacted beforehand via phone call or email to ensure they consented to participate in the study and understood its goals. The details on the nature of the study, how the collected information would be used, and confidentiality assurances was included in the consent request. Results Nineteen lecturers responded (3 female, 16 male). Their teaching experience ranged from 2 years to 31 years. The following is a breakdown of the findings based on the key research questions. Experiences, Perceptions and Challenges of Online Teaching From the interviews, the experience of shifting to online teaching instruction was varied. Although all the lecturers were instructed to shift to teaching online immediately after the COVID lockdown measures were announced on March 17, 2020, only a few stated that they could do so there and then. The rest of the respondents took between two weeks to six months to make the shift. Further, the pace of shifting online was somewhat related to the lecturers’ level of preparedness to teach online, which slightly varied. Most were unprepared because they had no prior experience with online teaching, which was entirely new. For instance, one lecturer stated: I was not prepared to shift to the online environment immediately. It took time to resolve issues regarding the platform for the lectures. I needed to adapt the mode of delivery to suit the new environment (L10, interview). The few lecturers (4) who were prepared had prior experience by virtue of already being engaged in blended learning and thus adapted easily. As one of them said: It was not a big challenge as we were used to blended teaching learning for Distance Learning students. During residential classes some students opted to the online arrangement...so it was not something new to me as I had already been conducting such online classes before the advent of COVID. (L13, interview) While most of the lecturers felt unprepared for online teaching, all the lecturers indicated that most of their students were equally unprepared to transition to learning online with them. The students’ unpreparedness manifested in the challenges encountered, which ranged from poor access to the internet, not knowing how to use the platforms, and lack of finances to use the same platforms. The study data also showed that while the individual lecturers’ experiences of teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic were different, their perceptions of the support from their institutions during the shift to online teaching equally varied. On the one hand, some lecturers felt the institutional support, which included the provision of data bundles or training to use Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Moodle and Educare, was insufficient. On the other hand, others believed that the support was adequate and helpful in getting them to teach online. Below are some examples of some statements relating to institutional support. The institution performed very well as the process was coordinated effectively with the minimum facilities made available, including bundles and talktime for lecturers. Further, there was accountability, reporting and follow up mechanism which ensured all parties were performing their responsibilities as required (L03, interview). The institution did not do much apart from availing a platform for online learning. We could not access any other support that may have been available at the main campus (L10, interview). Further, it was found that even if the seven JMS schools could provide a wide range of digital and training tools, finding suitable software and learning apps was a more individualised process. This was greatly influenced by what the lecturers considered convenient for themselves and their students. Although all the institutions had an LMS, the lecturers found it easier to use Zoom and Google Meet, which they consider user-friendly platforms. The results of this study also show that based on their experience of teaching journalism online during the pandemic, most lecturers would instead prefer to teach face-to-face than online. Others, though fewer, prefer the blended approach, and none stated that they preferred online teaching solely, as show in Fig. 1.. The lecturers attributed their choice to the challenges they encountered while teaching online, including inadequate institutional support during the transition. Overall, the perceptions of online teaching were mainly positive, except for the challenges the lecturers encountered during the transition. However, all the respondents understood the circumstances that led to the switch, noting how online teaching could work in better circumstances. For instance, one lecturer noted the following also to show how it was a challenge for practical courses: It is a challenge, especially because of the limited resources sometimes available to the third world university, and also the tackling of practical journalism. For example, after teaching the students about how to frame TV shots, I had to ask them to use their Camera phones for the practice sessions and try to assess them out of what they had done with such crude personal tools, and when they had learnt about radio they again had to use their own sometimes very crude tools to show their ability (L17, interview). The study shows that while some lecturers believe that teaching journalism online is a good idea, which needs to be encouraged because learning can take place from anywhere, others felt that teaching the practical aspect presents more of a challenge. The most persistently stated challenge (with the highest mode) was the poor or limited access to appropriate technologies. It was felt among the instructors that lack of access to appropriate technologies made the transition difficult. Coupled with this is the challenge of internet access and connectivity limitations that students and lecturers experienced. Included within access is the issue of the cost of internet connectivity, which the lecturers observed was a significant challenge for their students. The following are some statements from the respondents. The systems we are using were relatively new and lacked some facilities… Students were technologically behind as others lacked facilities like laptops. Others didn’t even know just how to log in… Video editing software needed to be acquired to enable students to carry out practical exercises (L10, interview). For example, in Print and Electronic Editing, an assignment would be given at 6 hours and submitted at 18hrs. A number of issues arose: firstly, high chance that some students will not see the assignment (this was the period in which load shedding was at its peak); secondly, students will mobilise themselves, or their seniors, set up a meeting place to do the assignment together or someone else does it for them; thirdly, it was impossible to assess the progress that students were making in the course. Certain productions had to be suspended indefinitely because most of the students did not have the equipment e.g. cameras to undertake the activities (L11, interview). For practical courses it has been difficult to give students practical assignments especially so, since they didn’t have the necessary equipment. Further not all students had smart phones that they could use for audio and visual recordings (L15, interview). Despite the stated challenges, the lecturers acknowledged that teaching journalism online, like any other course, can be successfully achieved using a combination of available tools. The curriculum for face-to-face teaching can be adapted to online teaching. Once the challenges of technology and access to it are resolved, most of what can be done physically is possible online. Opportunities Brought by Online Teaching of Journalism Several aspects were identified as opportunities that the move to teaching online brought about. To begin with, the lecturers felt that online learning made it possible to teach new courses that had not been taught before. Similarly, an opportunity to teach old courses differently also arose. Some lecturers believed that online learning eased time management and made it less time-consuming for them to conduct assessments. The convenience of easy time management and working from home was advantageous because it gave lecturers time to prepare for classes. According to some respondents, online teaching allows lecturers to be innovative. Without guidelines, lectures felt free to try new approaches and techniques. Additionally, several respondents noted how online teaching presented an opportunity for lecturers to learn new skills and overcome technology fears. Some lecturers stated that learning how to use the platforms boosted their tech know-how, and they felt up to date with modern technology. Further, the technology allowed them to interact with students in a way they had never done before. As one of them said: This opportunity gave me confidence to interact with these online platforms and to catch from being technophobia free. I have learnt how to host a class, share the screen etc It also kept me on my feet in preparing for the lessons. It feels good to move with the current trends (L08, interview). Online teaching also allowed the lecturers to direct students to other materials they would not usually use. For example, YouTube meant there was always a video the lecturers could link to in their lessons. Strategies used in the transition and lessons learned In order to help students transition to online learning, some lecturers opted to email students the lecture notes and presentations. Some lecturers used the instant messaging application, WhatsApp, to share course information. Students were also asked to work in groups, and technically advanced or equipped members could assist others. However, some decided to re-teach all practical courses face-to-face after the lockdown was lifted. Given the access and equipment challenges, some lecturers encouraged the students to use their mobile phones to practice their learning. For example, one lecturer observed that he ensured that the students could use their phones to undertake news gathering and other practical assignments in sources such as Photojournalism where they could use the phone to practice techniques such as picture composition and framing. Some students did not have the right hardware such as computers. Instead, they relied on mobile phones. We tried to use other forms of communication to facilitate teaching but there were incidences of some students missing some lessons (L10, interview). The critical lessons captured from the lecturers’ experience of teaching both theoretical and practical journalism courses online are reflected in five key areas: a. The Need for New Approaches to Teaching : For example, some lecturers felt that collaborative learning worked better because it dealt with the need to engage the students through the online learning sessions, was participatory, and encouraged peer learning. Others suggested teaching that was more descriptive (especially for theoretical courses), more accepting of audiovisual content, adaptive to scenarios (less rigid), and more time-sensitive (short in order to maintain student attention). b. Technologies’ Must be Embraced : Several respondents agreed that students and lecturers in the Zambian context needed to accept that the various technologies available to them were helpful and needed to be embraced. This view was made in light of what one respondent called a ‘wrong attitude’ towards technologies by both lecturers and students, the latter of which seemed to abandon online classes more often. Besides the Edtech platforms, other respondents agreed that mobile phone technologies (smartphones and the applications) were a good alternative to the regular technologies used in face-to-face learning. Because “practical courses are almost impossible to deliver if students do not have access to equipment”, as one respondent put it, mobile phones emerged as suitable alternatives that need to be embraced in contexts such as Zambia, which is resource-poor. c. Student Challenges Loom Large : Another lesson learned from the respondents is acknowledging that many student-related challenges prevent the effective use of online teaching. For instance, lecturers are cognisant of the access challenges many students face due to the digital divide. Further, some lecturers needed to be responsive to these dynamics because of the students’ varied backgrounds, social economic status and experiences. For example, one respondent highlighted the need to be flexible with timetables and to encourage student participation and peer engagement in learning processes. Some students require peer-mediated learning to grasp the lesson material. In the absence of a group environment, the pace of learning is affected (L01, interview). d. Preparation : Another observation or lesson concerns the need for preparation. Some respondents felt that online teaching required more preparation from lecturers because they needed to ensure that the class was interesting to students. Preparation included finding suitable teaching material that was appropriate for the platform and other teaching aids that they could use to give demonstrations. e. Platform Concerns : A final lesson learnt related to how accessible and usable the platforms were. Lecturers observed that the systems were usually not always stable and available for all students due to network connection challenges and system failures. Some lecturers proposed the development of backup systems that would work in the case of failures or provide software to students and lecturers that would enable them to work remotely, even if they could not access the platforms. A recommendation made in this regard was the need for universities and colleges to collaborate a lot more, especially when developing content and platforms responsive to the institutions’ shared needs. Apart from these lessons, the lectures also noted the need for creativity on the part of instructors to keep the lessons interesting, as well as the need to explore the possibilities of having journalism schools collaborate more in teaching online so that they can share the resources available to each institution. Discussion The current study presents the perceptions and experiences of journalism and mass communication lecturers at selected tertiary institutions in Zambia regarding their transition from teaching journalism face-to-face to teaching it virtually in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that the journalism lecturers’ perceptions and experiences were optimistic despite the sudden transition to online teaching being overwhelming for them and their students, who were accustomed to face-to-face teaching. Although most of the lecturers supported the move to online teaching, they could not easily migrate online due to several challenges. Prominent among these challenges is not only their lack of preparedness to shift online but also that of their students, who equally failed to shift to the online environment with them. Such a finding is not surprising. As Lepp et al. [ 49 ] observe, in instances where educators have to transition to online teaching, most of them are conceivably unprepared and untrained for this shift. As Lepp et al. [ 49 ] observe, in instances where educators have to transition to online teaching, most of them are conceivably unprepared and untrained for this shift. This lack of preparedness and training is a significant limitation to online teaching, especially in developing countries like Zambia, where education resources are not as abundant. Research has demonstrated that student outcomes in traditional and online classrooms are comparable, yet faculty members continue to express concerns about the various teaching methods. According to a study by Wingo, Ivankova & Moss [ 21 ], most faculty members gradually adapted to teaching online as their experience within the online environment grew. Faculty members who taught online were pleased when institutions offered them “mentoring, training, support,” and acknowledgement of their achievements. [21, p28] This study revealed that certain obstacles, such as an unsuitable home working environment, insufficient institutional capacity, and a lack of understanding about online teaching, made the transition significantly more difficult for some lecturers. Previous research [ 20 , 50 ] supports the current findings, which suggests that difficulties encountered in online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic are largely attributed to insufficient technical expertise and inadequate internet connectivity. It's clear that sufficient training and prior knowledge or experience are key elements in making a smooth transition to online teaching during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar studies by Murgatroyd [ 51 ] and Rapanta et al. [ 20 ] also show lecturer's pedagogical shortcomings in teaching online. Murgatroyd [ 50 ] clearly focuses the lecturer’s need of pedagogical content to teach online which seemed to be lacking when the transition occurred. However, it must be acknowledged that some journalism lecturers had already been leveraging online resources to teach and were able to integrate an extensive range of technology-enhanced learning solutions into existing frameworks when the directive to transition to exclusively online instruction was issued. For instance, webinars could be delivered via Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, Google Meet, online educational platforms, and mobile phone apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram. While the findings of this study indicate that most of the lecturers thought that shifting to online teaching was a good move to avoid disruption to learning during the pandemic, they still did not perceive the transition as an easy process. The realisation that they could not merely shift their course material online but had to redesign or make extensive adjustments to suit online delivery presented many challenges. More specifically, the lack of awareness of the basic principles needed to design and facilitate meaningful learning experiences in the online format created additional challenges for faculty [ 20 ]. Concerns regarding adaptability also arise, as not all components of the traditional educational process (types and forms of classes, educational materials, etc.) remain effective when transferred to the online environment. Not only is online teaching the best way to ensure teaching and learning continue during pandemics or crises, but it is also a necessary skill to be acquired by educators in their professional trajectory to be competitive in effective pedagogical methods, particularly those that involve the use of technologies. Therefore, despite the COVID-19 pandemic introducing challenges to journalism education when all universities were forced into emergency remote teaching [ 52 ], it also presented unexpected opportunities and benefits to lecturers working remotely. One such benefit, also pointed out by Roblyer et al . [ 53 ], was an increased focus and delivery of only essential course content. Lecturers had the opportunity to revamp their courses and focus on crucial content. Another reported benefit of working remotely for lecturers was flexibility. The lecturers could work from home and combine their academic work with multiple other responsibilities in their lives [ 14 ]. Even though some felt that teaching remotely was forced, there was still an appreciation for the opportunity to continue teaching in a different environment from the physical classroom, thus giving them the power of creativity in delivering their lessons. During the transition, the focus appeared to be on managing the moment to support the teaching of students, given the circumstances of no face-to-face interaction. The lecturers had to adapt their pedagogical practices to suit the online learning environment, although they were primarily limited to only uploading existing teaching resources to their respective learning management systems. It appeared that the ERT context did not give them time to consider how students would adapt to this new approach to teaching. A lesson that emerges here is that academics must support student needs in their learning. In this study, the support for student learning needs is seen through the strategies the lecturers (and journalism schools) implemented to help their students cope with the sudden transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. These strategies include emailing course material to students, creating course-specific WhatsApp groups for discussions instead of utilising the LMS implemented, and adopting other teaching formats such as posting short instructional videos online. In this regard, most of the respondents in this study were inclined to teach asynchronously instead of synchronously to suit their students’ learning preferences. As Rosales [ 54 ] observes, an online teaching model’s success depends on key stakeholders’ cooperation. In the same vein, notable among this study’s findings is that most lecturers support a blended teaching and learning approach going forward. Blended learning is a broader category that combines traditional face-to-face learning and e-learning [ 55 ]. Conclusion This study examined the perception and experiences of journalism and mass communication (JMC) lecturers at five training institutions in Zambia on their shift from face-to-face teaching in the traditional classroom to online instruction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study demonstrates how the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought the importance of technology to the fore, and that education in emergencies, such as such as the pandemic, generally relies on basic technological access. The journalism schools used pre-existing education technology infrastructure to deploy remote teaching strategies in multiple ways. The data from this study indicates that all five journalism training institutions were quick to harness the virtual space and to plan for practical online teaching and learning in response to the COVID-19 restrictions. Similarly, journalism education witnessed a radical change in its delivery structure, shifting from physical face-to-face classroom delivery to online virtual interactions. Not only did the sudden onset of COVID-19 require adopting a different approach and strategy, as evident from this study, it necessitated distinct changes to the structure and mode of educational delivery. These changes were inevitable as journalism education can only be effectively delivered online if certain conditions are established and adhered to. In order to cope with the changes, journalism lecturers in Zambia have had to adapt to the new normal by adopting new ways of teaching that involve flexibility in their usual routines and searching for alternative ideas when the usual way of doing things does not work. Additionally, not all components of the traditional educational process (types and forms of classes, educational materials, etc.) remain effective when transferred to the online environment. In as much as this study shows the lecturers’ confidence that remote teaching of journalism in Zambia is feasible, their view is that not all remote teaching strategies successfully reach students or deliver learning. For instance, some lecturers struggled to ensure maximum student participation due to adopting approaches unsuitable to local circumstances. While their institutions provided online (digital) solutions, some of their students could not access those solutions due to a lack of appropriate devices or connectivity constraints. Given that poor internet connectivity – which affects access to mobile network-based data and teaching and learning applications – was a significant challenge, we recommend that universities (and in this case, journalism training institutions) collaborate with network providers to facilitate connectivity for both lecturers and students. A primary limitation to this study was the small sample size caused by the restrictions imposed on recruiting respondents. However, this does not detract from the valuable shared experiences and the lessons gleaned in the process, as highlighted in this discussion. Declarations Acknowledgements We acknowledge the academics and instructors who provided the insights that informed this study. Their service during the pandemic is appreciated. Funding The authors received no direct funding for this research. Author contributions All authors, C.P., E.M., and R.M., contributed to manuscript writing. C.P. drafted the initial manuscript. C.P. and E.M. contributed to the conceptualization, literature review, methodology, ethical approval and discussion. R.M. contributed to the data analysis, discussion and conclusion. C.P., E.M., and R.M. edited, reviewed, and contributed to the finalization of the manuscript. Informed consent Participants give their informed consent to participate in the current study. Consent for publication All authors gave their consent for the publication of the manuscript. Competing interests The authors report there are no competing interests to declare. Data Availability The data that support the findings of this study is not publicly available. Respondents opted not to have their data publicly shared. However, the data are available from the corresponding author, E.M., upon reasonable request. Ethical statement Ethical approval was waived by the Departmental Ethical Review representative, who sits on the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee of the University of Zambia. Upon review, all procedures and protocols met institutional ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, who were informed that participation in the survey was voluntary and that they would not be identifiable in the research write-up. Informed consent Participants give their informed consent to participate in the current study. Consent for publication All authors gave their consent for the publication of the manuscript. Competing interests The authors report there are no competing interests to declare. Funding The authors received no direct funding for this research. Author contributions All authors, C.P., E.M., and R.M., contributed to manuscript writing. C.P. drafted the initial manuscript. C.P. and E.M. contributed to the conceptualization, literature review, methodology, ethical approval and discussion. R.M. contributed to the data analysis, discussion and conclusion. C.P., E.M., and R.M. edited, reviewed, and contributed to the finalization of the manuscript. Data Availability The data that support the findings of this study is not publicly available. Respondents opted not to have their data publicly shared. However, the data are available from the corresponding author, E.M., upon reasonable request. References UNESCO. COVID-19: Reopening and Reimagining Universities, Survey on Higher Education through the UNESCO National Commissions. UNESCO; 2021:36. Badr H, Elmaghraby S. How higher education faculty in Egypt perceive the effects of Covid-19 on teaching journalism and mass communication: Perspectives from the Global South. Journal Mass Commun Educ. 2021;76(4):394–411. Adedoyin OB, Soykan E. Covid-19 pandemic and online learning: the challenges and opportunities. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5813152","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":426436254,"identity":"73e03df5-ebaa-4338-8940-0851960dceea","order_by":0,"name":"Carole Phiri-Chibbonta","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Zambia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Carole","middleName":"","lastName":"Phiri-Chibbonta","suffix":""},{"id":426436255,"identity":"946bd18a-a079-486e-a25b-decf512e1c6a","order_by":1,"name":"Roberta Muchangwe","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Zambia","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Roberta","middleName":"","lastName":"Muchangwe","suffix":""},{"id":426436256,"identity":"d4d7a367-b122-4381-b019-0da5042bcbba","order_by":2,"name":"Elastus Mambwe","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACdgSTDYhtiNDCDMQHEFrSSNdymLAOfmbmx58/ttUx6LafTnvMU3E+cTv/4QeMP3Nwa5FsZjOTONh2mMHsTO52Y54ztxN3NhwzYJDchluLAVAxw8G2AwxmB3K3See23U7ccLDBgMEQjxb7w+yfPxwEOszs/Fugln/nEjccZv/AkIjPFmYeA6DDmBnMboBsaTiQuOEYjwHDQTxaJA7zlEmcOXeYx+zG2+3Gf44lG284w1NwsBGPFv729s0fKsrq5MzO5257OKPGTnbD+eMbH/7EowUGeFB4BwhrGAWjYBSMglGADwAAp/RXM0AnfbsAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"University of Zambia","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Elastus","middleName":"","lastName":"Mambwe","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-01-12 10:38:06","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5813152/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5813152/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":79073344,"identity":"ab8bdbb2-55d0-44d3-af54-5a4e15e26692","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-24 06:38:20","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":13882,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePreferred of Mode of Teaching\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5813152/v1/c3e24b14d4596cf3a2a13ac2.png"},{"id":79073505,"identity":"c3060330-1010-40b1-a5d9-4ce490d57f2a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-24 06:38:43","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":762571,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5813152/v1/38c9542e-535a-485b-aeaa-7203b2018d21.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Zambian Lecturers’ Experiences of the Transition to Online Instruction","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and the subsequent lockdowns in various countries brought a myriad of challenges to higher education. As the virus spread rapidly in 2020, governments around the world were forced to close educational institutions to curb its spread. According to UNESCO [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e], 177 countries implemented closures, affecting approximately 1.268\u0026nbsp;billion learners, about 72.4% of the world\u0026rsquo;s student population. At tertiary institutions worldwide, the closure of campuses and the migration to online instruction came as an unplanned consequence of the pandemic for faculty members and students. The impact of this was presumably significant in the Global South. Badr and Elmaghraby [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e] have summed up the dynamics of the experience universities in the Global South have had in the move to online instruction because of the pandemic\u0026rsquo;s disruption. These include the slow movement in policies towards online learning, severe infrastructural challenges that delay and affect implementation, limited support for students from underprivileged and marginalised backgrounds, and a widespread culture that ensures significantly low acceptance of new technologies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe emergency shift to online education necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly presented unique challenges and opportunities to the global South\u0026rsquo;s tertiary education sectors, demanding alternative teaching methodologies and strategies, including the need to explore different approaches to curriculum design and delivery as well as investigating ways of maintaining excellence despite having limited resources [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR4 CR5 CR6 CR7\" citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]. Challenging as the emergency shift was, the encounter also presented some unique opportunities, such as the acceleration of digitalisation in teaching and learning and the exploration and implementation of different curriculum design and delivery approaches. In Zambia, this also describes the experience of educators in the fields of journalism and mass communication.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompared to other more purely academic subjects, instructors in journalism and mass communication (JMC) faced the challenge of moving to online course delivery during the pandemic. This occurred in a context in which there had been \u0026ldquo;less research on pedagogical approaches for online courses\u0026rdquo; within these fields which requires \u0026ldquo;high levels of authentic or experiential learning\u0026rdquo;[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. For lecturers teaching various journalism and mass communication programmes in Zambia, this meant, among other things, abandoning the long-held policy of teaching these courses exclusively in person and navigating the various access, competence and resource challenges that many of their students also encountered. This scenario included remote online teaching and hybrid teaching through various platforms such as Moodle, Google Meet, and Zoom.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study takes a much-needed retrospective look at the experiences of JMC lecturers at seven training institutions in Zambia on their emergency shift to online instruction in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. By employing in-depth interviews with lecturers teaching both practical and theoretical courses and exploring a large corpus of literature, this qualitative study specifically seeks to understand their perceptions and preferences towards online teaching processes, methods and platforms. It seeks to determine the lecturers\u0026rsquo; overall attitudes towards online teaching during the pandemic and ascertain any lessons, challenges or opportunities arising from this emergency transition. Additionally, it interrogates journalism training institutions\u0026rsquo; strategies to help their students cope during the pandemic amid limited resources.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study contributes to scholarship on the impact of online learning and the pandemic on journalism and mass communication education, providing much-needed insight from the global South. It further highlights the strategies and resources journalism schools need to implement to prepare for unknown futures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOnline Teaching and Learning\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnline teaching is broadly defined as \u0026ldquo;a context in which at least 80% of the course content is delivered online through the Internet\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. In this teaching approach, the student and teacher are separated by physical distance from one another. Instead of traditional classroom settings, online learning utilizes digital platforms and the internet to enhance educational results and provide users with access to online tools and facilities [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. This distance education approach involves students not physically attending the university, with course materials and evaluations delivered to them electronically. In contrast, traditional delivery models typically involve students being physically present on campus and engaging in face-to-face interactions with academics and their fellow students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHigher education now incorporates online learning as a fundamental aspect, typically presented through online platforms referred to as Learning Management Systems (LMS) or Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). This is achieved through various devices such as computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones with internet connectivity, allowing students access to learning methods and environments, thereby giving them the flexibility to learn and interact with their instructors from anywhere [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe two modes of online learning are synchronous and asynchronous [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. Snychronous or real-time online learning facilitates direct communication between instructors and students during classes via video conferencing or online chat rooms. In contrast, asynchronous online learning enables lecturers and students to exchange information and interact outside of the actual online class via thread discussions and email correspondence. Independent learning and skill development are key benefits of online learning, ultimately contributing to a lifelong learning process [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e]. For students, online learning offers increased flexibility and the convenience of accessing course materials, as well as a more personalised learning experience [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumerous studies have examined how universities in developed nations, which have access to dependable and well-established information technology infrastructure, resources, and support, have adjusted their teaching methods in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the same is not the case for higher education institutions in the Global South, where poor IT infrastructure, lack of financial resources and technical support, and modest IT skills for educators and students are critical challenges for online learning [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. In many developing countries, the cost of merely purchasing digital devices such as laptops and smartphones remains relatively high. Therefore, it is not an understatement to assert that these challenges, arising from limited access to technology and the internet, particularly in the Global South, have been exacerbated due to the recent COVID-19 lockdowns and shift to online learning.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeaunoyer, Dup\u0026eacute;r\u0026eacute; and Guitton [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e] contend that the new teaching method has revealed deep-seated digital disparities and variations in digital proficiency that are intricately linked to social, economic, and cultural environments. Dhawan's SWOT analysis of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e] uncovered similar obstacles, also encompassing issues with time management, distractions, frustrations, anxiety, and confusion, as well as limited personal and physical interactions, unequal ICT distribution, and subpar educational quality.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eE-learning and instruction are thought to have a beneficial effect on both students and staff. Kulal and Nayak [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e] argue that faculty and students generally have optimistic views about online classes, a notion also supported by Seok et al. in 2010, who found a positive correlation between students' and faculty's perceptions of teaching and learning. Research by several other studies [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR19\" citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e] suggests that students generally have a positive outlook on e-learning, despite the difficulties that come with it. Its use has become even more widespread as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch has consistently demonstrated that student achievement is comparable in both face-to-face and online educational environments, yet faculty continue to express concerns about the varying instructional methods. Research by Wingo, Ivankova and Moss [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e], discovered that faculty members tend to become accustomed to online teaching as they acquire more experience within the online environment. Additionally, Wingo, Ivankova and Moss found that institutions that offered \u0026ldquo;mentoring, training, support, and recognition\u0026rdquo; were particularly appreciated by faculty members who taught online. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA similar study conducted by Sims and Baker [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e] observed that it is essential to understand and address faculty perception on online education in order to guarantee that instructors are proficient and adequately prepared for teaching in a classroom setting. Faculty pointed out that key skills for success in online teaching include managing grades, time management, and having the technical know-how for course management systems, developing online assignment and basic computer skills. The research findings showed that, generally, instructors believed while course standards had remained mostly the same in both online and offline settings, student participation and achievement decreased during the pandemic, and student satisfaction with the shift to online instruction was very low.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhile various past studies have shown the numerous positive and negative factors that might impact faculty motivation to teach online in other contexts [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e], there appears to be a lack of published research on faculty attitudes towards online education in Zambia as it relates to journalism, media and communication studies. It must be noted that many higher education institutions in Zambia are still in the process of implementing online education and the pandemic may have only accelerated this process. However, to this date, no research has investigated JMC lecturers' views on teaching remotely and online during the pandemic in Zambia. This study seeks to address this research gap.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eEmergency Response Teaching (ERT)\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eUndoubtedly, the spread of COVID-19 profoundly impacted educational systems and created challenges, resulting in the closing of many schools and universities. In Zambia, all educational institutions, from pre-schools to universities, were ordered to close immediately on March 17, 2020, to control COVID-19 infections and facilitate effective pandemic management [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. Authorities had to consider distance learning strategies, such as online classes, as a substitution for face-to-face learning to mitigate the impact of this situation and ensure that students continue to learn amidst the rising COVID-19 prevalence rates and deaths. This move was made regardless of how much staff or institutions were prepared for the shift online.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnline learning was implemented in different ways. For some universities, online learning was adopted as an already existing, well-structured avenue to facilitate teaching and learning. For others, it was implemented as Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT), a temporary mitigation meant to avert the teaching and learning challenges caused by the pandemic. In the latter perspective, online teaching is seen as \u0026ldquo;a complex process that requires careful planning and determination of aims to create an effective learning ecology\u0026rdquo; [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e], meaning that it is more than merely uploading material to a given platform in response to a crisis. Even in cases where there is some planning or design, ERT falls short of this understanding, suggest Hodges \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]. Proponents of the ERT perspective, such as Bozkurt and Sharma [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e], argue that the idea behind its implementation is not to recreate a robust education ecosystem online but to provide an avenue that facilitates learning and teaching in times of crisis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotwithstanding the applicability of the rich ERT perspectives, the move to online teaching in the JMC field in Zambia has accelerated the implementation of online learning systems for many universities and programmes. Sadly, this quickened implementation has not been without challenges as previously highlighted by Badr and Elmaghraby [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTeaching Journalism Online\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe growth of the media and journalism industry poses a challenge for training institutions to keep up with the changes and simultaneously meet the demands of the industry and the academic world. For instance, the advent of digital technologies, which have significantly impacted the journalism industry worldwide by changing traditional journalism practices, has led to an industry-wide transformation aimed at bridging the gap between traditional journalism and the changing nature of journalism practice [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. While the industry battles to bridge this gap, journalism training institutions have also faced the challenge of adapting their curriculum to the needs of the digital age.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRecent years have seen the rise of online education globally, driven by advancements in computer technology and increased use of technological tools. Consequently, digital technologies have become integral to teaching and learning, demonstrated by the widespread adoption of e-learning platforms and social media platforms for facilitating interaction and information exchange.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJournalism is typically taught as a professional field in a traditional hands-on classroom environment. Differing from other courses with a more purely academic focus, it places a strong emphasis on experiential learning. In contrast to traditional learning methods, experiential learning occurs when individuals learn and grow through personal experiences and direct involvement, rather than through classroom instruction and theoretical study. In essence, students acquire knowledge by engaging in practical activities, specifically through hands-on training in journalism skills courses [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. Theoretical courses such as Media law, journalism ethics, and media history that focus on teaching students about journalism as an institution [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e] or a global community of practice [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e] can be seamlessly adapted to a remote or online environment, whereas skills courses require significant adjustments to be successfully translated. This then becomes the primary challenge of teaching some JMC courses online.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHands-on courses frequently permit students to gain practical experience in videography, video editing, news graphics creation, newscast production, print design, and web design, skills that necessitate equipment or software typically unavailable to many students in their own homes. Journalism instruction typically involves students creating work in a collaborative environment, either as interns or student employees within media companies or in a simulated newsroom setting, as noted by Valencia-Forrester [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e] and Young and Gitlow [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. Given the scarcity of resources, especially in the global South, it is hardly surprising that teaching journalism entirely online poses significant challenges, particularly for courses focusing on journalism skills.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere are concerns about the quality, consistency, and authenticity of online journalism courses offered by universities. Acknowledging the expanding importance of online learning in higher education in light of society's rising interaction with advanced communication and technology tools, serious concerns exist for both faculty and students. The central concern explored in this article is the impact on journalism education in Zambia resulting from the abrupt and often unplanned shift of universities to online learning.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eJournalism Education in Zambia\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScholarship has established that the history of journalism education in Africa shows that a country took on either the European or American model or a combination of both depending on their relations or ties with the West. Murphy and Scotton [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e] describe it as having developed in the context of a relationship of dependency on resources of the industrial West.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJournalism education in Zambia is taught within tertiary institutions and has largely been linked to the development of the country\u0026rsquo;s media industry. Since the liberalisation of the media landscape in the 1990s, Zambia\u0026rsquo;s media has grown immensely from a state of only one privately (and church-owned) newspaper, two state-owned newspapers and one radio station to a media industry diverse in type, ownership and coverage [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe increased demand for higher education, as witnessed by the proliferation of private universities now offering media training in the country, is attributed to the observed industry growth. Before this, only two state institutions, The University of Zambia (UNZA) and Evelyn Hone College Arts and Applied Sciences, offered journalism training at bachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree and diploma level, respectively. Today, Zambia has over six institutions offering journalism training at undergraduate and postgraduate levels while others offer communication-related degrees but some of their students and graduates get opportunities to work in media houses as journalists [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs in many parts of the world, JMC training and certification in Zambia exists at various levels that range from certificates of attendance, usually obtained from training workshops, to accredited certificates, diplomas, bachelor\u0026rsquo;s and master\u0026rsquo;s degrees. Further, these training programmes or courses are provided by different institutions, including local and international civil society organisations, as well as both public and private colleges and universities [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e]. The curriculum in Zambia is also usually split into theory and practice, even though the divide is not always clear and often times, the practical side is limited by factors such as limited resources and in adequate student attachment places in the industry [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTheoretical Framework\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVarious theories have been helpful to the scholarly understanding of online learning, which has become a major aspect of present-day teaching and more ubiquitous since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. For this study, we found Michael Graham Moore\u0026rsquo;s Theory of Transactional Distance worth cogitating because of what it helps explain.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoore\u0026rsquo;s Theory of Transactional Distanc\u003cem\u003ee\u003c/em\u003e (or TDT) formulates a broad framework of distance education pedagogy that demonstrates that it should be more concerned with pedagogical distance and not geographical distance [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. According to Moore [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e], the transactional distance refers to \u0026ldquo;a psychological and communication space to be crossed; a space of potential misunderstanding between the inputs of instructor and those of the learner.\u0026rdquo; Moore suggests the need to bridge the communication and cognitive distance that exists due to distance or remote learning.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to Delgaty [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e], TDT has been hailed as an essential perspective in explaining distance learning and has been used in different studies over the years [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e]. Jung [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e] argues that TDL \u0026ldquo;provides a useful conceptual framework for defining and understanding distance education in general and as a source of research hypotheses more specifically\u0026rdquo;. Our interest in this theory is based on two critical contextual assumptions. Firstly, journalism education at the tertiary level in Zambia has almost entirely occurred in person with a long-held belief that it is the best way to teach it, and secondly, the pandemic outbreak created a physical distance that made traditional instruction challenging to attain. That said, it was important for lecturers to find ways of addressing the transactional distance factors highlighted if instruction during the pandemic was going to be possible.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFurthermore, our application of this theory is confined to the foundational reality that the shift to online teaching was primarily in response to the pandemic crisis. This means that while the propositions of TDT are applied to distance learning in whatever form it may take, the examination that this article conducts is ultimately about how that transactional distance was negotiated in the context of an emergency response to teaching.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGiven the literature and theoretical underpinning, this study sought to investigate how Zambian JMC lecturers construct and interpret their experiences of transitioning to online teaching during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, including the challenges, opportunities, and strategies employed to support both lecturers and students. Specifically, the study asked the following research questions:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRQ1\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat perceptions, attitudes and challenges did JMC lecturers in Zambia have towards online teaching processes, methods and platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRQ2\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat opportunities did the move to online teaching during or following the COVID-19 pandemic bring for JMC lecturers?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eRQ3\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat lessons and strategies emerged from Zambian JMC lecturers\u0026rsquo; online teaching experiences, especially during the COVID-19 crisis?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methodology","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study adopted a qualitative research methodology that seeks to systematically explore, investigate, and learn about the phenomenon and elucidate any meaning ascribed to the phenomenon [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e42\u003c/span\u003e]. Qualitative research was critical to our examination because it enabled us to obtain and make sense of the subjective experiences of lecturers, with which we were able to form a deeper understanding of the impact of the shift to online teaching of journalism and mass communication courses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA semi-structured questionnaire was developed as the primary data collection tool. The questionnaire was used to achieve the desired level of understanding, nuance, and multi-dimensional view and meaning of the subject, gleaned from in-depth interviews [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e43\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e45\u003c/span\u003e]. A few quantitative questions were included to gather specific information such as demographic data, years of service, the preferred teaching mode and institutional affiliation to complement our understanding of the qualitative data.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSampling, a process through which participants or cases that will be a part of a study from a larger group [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e46\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e47\u003c/span\u003e], was done purposefully. We first used purposive sampling to identify the higher learning institutions and then also to identify potential respondents from each of the sampled institutions. The questionnaire was sent to a total of 25 lecturers from 7 institutions, and we obtained a total of 19 responses that encompassed all seven institutions. The names of the institutions and the number of respondents is reflected in Table\u0026nbsp;1.1.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"colspec\"\u003eTable 1 - List Universities and Number of Interviews\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"652\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 5.83717%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59.447%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHigher Education Institution\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.4393%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLecturers Interviewed\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 20.2765%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLocation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 5.83717%;\"\u003e\n \u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ol\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59.447%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eUniversity of Zambia (UNZA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.4393%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 20.2765%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLusaka\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 5.83717%;\"\u003e\n \u003col start=\"2\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ol\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59.447%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMulungushi University (MU)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.4393%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 20.2765%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eKabwe\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 5.83717%;\"\u003e\n \u003col start=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ol\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59.447%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEvelyn Hone College of Arts and Applied Sciences (EHC)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.4393%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 20.2765%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLusaka\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 5.83717%;\"\u003e\n \u003col start=\"4\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ol\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59.447%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eZambia Institute of Mass Communication (ZAMCOM)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.4393%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 20.2765%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLusaka\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 5.83717%;\"\u003e\n \u003col start=\"5\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ol\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59.447%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eRusangu University (RU)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.4393%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 20.2765%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMonze\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 5.83717%;\"\u003e\n \u003col start=\"6\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ol\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59.447%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCavendish University (CU)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.4393%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 20.2765%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLusaka\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 5.83717%;\"\u003e\n \u003col start=\"7\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ol\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 59.447%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eZambia Catholic University (ZCU)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 14.4393%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 20.2765%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLusaka/Kalulushi\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe semi-structured questionnaire was created online using Google Forms, and the link was shared with the sampled lectures. This method was convenient given the locations (distances) of the institutions and because the study was conducted during the aftermath of Zambia\u0026rsquo;s third wave of COVID-19 infections when the rates of infections were still very high. All interviews were conducted between May 20 and June 10, 2022.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data from the responses was analysed thematically. According to Braun and Clarke [\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e48\u003c/span\u003e], thematic analysis is a method used to identify, analyse and report patterns within a data set so the data can be organised and easily described. The themes were guided and categorised by the five key research questions. These thematic areas are represented by the five segments of the result sections presented below.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe need for ethical approval was waived off by the Departmental Ethical Review representative, who sits on the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee of the University of Zambia, because of the adequate ethical safeguards that were outlined in the proposal, especially the informed consent requirement and the study information provided in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, no risks or harm to the participants and their institutions were identified. The study was thus conducted in accordance with the University\u0026apos;s acceptable ethical principles.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInformed consent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ewas obtained from the lecturer participants whose views were included in this study write-up. The consent specifically covered the use of their views in this research project. Due to the pandemic, respondents were contacted beforehand via phone call or email to ensure they consented to participate in the study and understood its goals. The details on the nature of the study, how the collected information would be used, and confidentiality assurances was included in the consent request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eNineteen lecturers responded (3 female, 16 male). Their teaching experience ranged from 2 years to 31 years. The following is a breakdown of the findings based on the key research questions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eExperiences, Perceptions and Challenges of Online Teaching\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the interviews, the experience of shifting to online teaching instruction was varied. Although all the lecturers were instructed to shift to teaching online immediately after the COVID lockdown measures were announced on March 17, 2020, only a few stated that they could do so there and then. The rest of the respondents took between two weeks to six months to make the shift. Further, the pace of shifting online was somewhat related to the lecturers\u0026rsquo; level of preparedness to teach online, which slightly varied. Most were unprepared because they had no prior experience with online teaching, which was entirely new. For instance, one lecturer stated:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI was not prepared to shift to the online environment immediately. It took time to resolve issues regarding the platform for the lectures. I needed to adapt the mode of delivery to suit the new environment\u003c/em\u003e (L10, interview).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe few lecturers (4) who were prepared had prior experience by virtue of already being engaged in blended learning and thus adapted easily. As one of them said:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIt was not a big challenge as we were used to blended teaching learning for Distance Learning students. During residential classes some students opted to the online arrangement...so it was not something new to me as I had already been conducting such online classes before the advent of COVID.\u003c/em\u003e (L13, interview)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile most of the lecturers felt unprepared for online teaching, all the lecturers indicated that most of their students were equally unprepared to transition to learning online with them. The students\u0026rsquo; unpreparedness manifested in the challenges encountered, which ranged from poor access to the internet, not knowing how to use the platforms, and lack of finances to use the same platforms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study data also showed that while the individual lecturers\u0026rsquo; experiences of teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic were different, their perceptions of the support from their institutions during the shift to online teaching equally varied. On the one hand, some lecturers felt the institutional support, which included the provision of data bundles or training to use Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Moodle and Educare, was insufficient. On the other hand, others believed that the support was adequate and helpful in getting them to teach online. Below are some examples of some statements relating to institutional support.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe institution performed very well as the process was coordinated effectively with the minimum facilities made available, including bundles and talktime for lecturers. Further, there was accountability, reporting and follow up mechanism which ensured all parties were performing their responsibilities as required\u003c/em\u003e (L03, interview).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe institution did not do much apart from availing a platform for online learning. We could not access any other support that may have been available at the main campus\u003c/em\u003e (L10, interview).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFurther, it was found that even if the seven JMS schools could provide a wide range of digital and training tools, finding suitable software and learning apps was a more individualised process. This was greatly influenced by what the lecturers considered convenient for themselves and their students. Although all the institutions had an LMS, the lecturers found it easier to use Zoom and Google Meet, which they consider user-friendly platforms.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe results of this study also show that based on their experience of teaching journalism online during the pandemic, most lecturers would instead prefer to teach face-to-face than online. Others, though fewer, prefer the blended approach, and none stated that they preferred online teaching solely, as show in Fig.\u0026nbsp;1.. The lecturers attributed their choice to the challenges they encountered while teaching online, including inadequate institutional support during the transition.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOverall, the perceptions of online teaching were mainly positive, except for the challenges the lecturers encountered during the transition. However, all the respondents understood the circumstances that led to the switch, noting how online teaching could work in better circumstances. For instance, one lecturer noted the following also to show how it was a challenge for practical courses:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIt is a challenge, especially because of the limited resources sometimes available to the third world university, and also the tackling of practical journalism. For example, after teaching the students about how to frame TV shots, I had to ask them to use their Camera phones for the practice sessions and try to assess them out of what they had done with such crude personal tools, and when they had learnt about radio they again had to use their own sometimes very crude tools to show their ability\u003c/em\u003e (L17, interview).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study shows that while some lecturers believe that teaching journalism online is a good idea, which needs to be encouraged because learning can take place from anywhere, others felt that teaching the practical aspect presents more of a challenge.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most persistently stated challenge (with the highest mode) was the poor or limited access to appropriate technologies. It was felt among the instructors that lack of access to appropriate technologies made the transition difficult. Coupled with this is the challenge of internet access and connectivity limitations that students and lecturers experienced. Included within access is the issue of the cost of internet connectivity, which the lecturers observed was a significant challenge for their students. The following are some statements from the respondents.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe systems we are using were relatively new and lacked some facilities\u0026hellip; Students were technologically behind as others lacked facilities like laptops. Others didn\u0026rsquo;t even know just how to log in\u0026hellip; Video editing software needed to be acquired to enable students to carry out practical exercises\u003c/em\u003e (L10, interview).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFor example, in Print and Electronic Editing, an assignment would be given at 6 hours and submitted at 18hrs. A number of issues arose: firstly, high chance that some students will not see the assignment (this was the period in which load shedding was at its peak); secondly, students will mobilise themselves, or their seniors, set up a meeting place to do the assignment together or someone else does it for them; thirdly, it was impossible to assess the progress that students were making in the course. Certain productions had to be suspended indefinitely because most of the students did not have the equipment e.g. cameras to undertake the activities\u003c/em\u003e (L11, interview).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFor practical courses it has been difficult to give students practical assignments especially so, since they didn\u0026rsquo;t have the necessary equipment. Further not all students had smart phones that they could use for audio and visual recordings\u003c/em\u003e (L15, interview).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite the stated challenges, the lecturers acknowledged that teaching journalism online, like any other course, can be successfully achieved using a combination of available tools. The curriculum for face-to-face teaching can be adapted to online teaching. Once the challenges of technology and access to it are resolved, most of what can be done physically is possible online.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOpportunities Brought by Online Teaching of Journalism\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeveral aspects were identified as opportunities that the move to teaching online brought about. To begin with, the lecturers felt that online learning made it possible to teach new courses that had not been taught before. Similarly, an opportunity to teach old courses differently also arose.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome lecturers believed that online learning eased time management and made it less time-consuming for them to conduct assessments. The convenience of easy time management and working from home was advantageous because it gave lecturers time to prepare for classes. According to some respondents, online teaching allows lecturers to be innovative. Without guidelines, lectures felt free to try new approaches and techniques.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, several respondents noted how online teaching presented an opportunity for lecturers to learn new skills and overcome technology fears. Some lecturers stated that learning how to use the platforms boosted their tech know-how, and they felt up to date with modern technology. Further, the technology allowed them to interact with students in a way they had never done before. As one of them said:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis opportunity gave me confidence to interact with these online platforms and to catch from being technophobia free. I have learnt how to host a class, share the screen etc It also kept me on my feet in preparing for the lessons. It feels good to move with the current trends\u003c/em\u003e (L08, interview).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnline teaching also allowed the lecturers to direct students to other materials they would not usually use. For example, YouTube meant there was always a video the lecturers could link to in their lessons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003eStrategies used in the transition and lessons learned\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIn order to help students transition to online learning, some lecturers opted to email students the lecture notes and presentations. Some lecturers used the instant messaging application, WhatsApp, to share course information. Students were also asked to work in groups, and technically advanced or equipped members could assist others. However, some decided to re-teach all practical courses face-to-face after the lockdown was lifted.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eGiven the access and equipment challenges, some lecturers encouraged the students to use their mobile phones to practice their learning. For example, one lecturer observed that he ensured that the students could use their phones to undertake news gathering and other practical assignments in sources such as Photojournalism where they could use the phone to practice techniques such as picture composition and framing.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSome students did not have the right hardware such as computers. Instead, they relied on mobile phones. We tried to use other forms of communication to facilitate teaching but there were incidences of some students missing some lessons\u003c/em\u003e (L10, interview).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe critical lessons captured from the lecturers\u0026rsquo; experience of teaching both theoretical and practical journalism courses online are reflected in five key areas:\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ea. The Need for New Approaches to Teaching\u003c/strong\u003e: For example, some lecturers felt that collaborative learning worked better because it dealt with the need to engage the students through the online learning sessions, was participatory, and encouraged peer learning. Others suggested teaching that was more descriptive (especially for theoretical courses), more accepting of audiovisual content, adaptive to scenarios (less rigid), and more time-sensitive (short in order to maintain student attention).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eb. Technologies\u0026rsquo; Must be Embraced\u003c/strong\u003e: Several respondents agreed that students and lecturers in the Zambian context needed to accept that the various technologies available to them were helpful and needed to be embraced. This view was made in light of what one respondent called a \u0026lsquo;wrong attitude\u0026rsquo; towards technologies by both lecturers and students, the latter of which seemed to abandon online classes more often.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBesides the Edtech platforms, other respondents agreed that mobile phone technologies (smartphones and the applications) were a good alternative to the regular technologies used in face-to-face learning. Because \u0026ldquo;practical courses are almost impossible to deliver if students do not have access to equipment\u0026rdquo;, as one respondent put it, mobile phones emerged as suitable alternatives that need to be embraced in contexts such as Zambia, which is resource-poor.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ec. Student Challenges Loom Large\u003c/strong\u003e: Another lesson learned from the respondents is acknowledging that many student-related challenges prevent the effective use of online teaching. For instance, lecturers are cognisant of the access challenges many students face due to the digital divide. Further, some lecturers needed to be responsive to these dynamics because of the students\u0026rsquo; varied backgrounds, social economic status and experiences. For example, one respondent highlighted the need to be flexible with timetables and to encourage student participation and peer engagement in learning processes.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSome students require peer-mediated learning to grasp the lesson material. In the absence of a group environment, the pace of learning is affected\u003c/em\u003e (L01, interview).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ed. Preparation\u003c/strong\u003e: Another observation or lesson concerns the need for preparation. Some respondents felt that online teaching required more preparation from lecturers because they needed to ensure that the class was interesting to students. Preparation included finding suitable teaching material that was appropriate for the platform and other teaching aids that they could use to give demonstrations.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ee. Platform Concerns\u003c/strong\u003e: A final lesson learnt related to how accessible and usable the platforms were. Lecturers observed that the systems were usually not always stable and available for all students due to network connection challenges and system failures. Some lecturers proposed the development of backup systems that would work in the case of failures or provide software to students and lecturers that would enable them to work remotely, even if they could not access the platforms. A recommendation made in this regard was the need for universities and colleges to collaborate a lot more, especially when developing content and platforms responsive to the institutions\u0026rsquo; shared needs.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eApart from these lessons, the lectures also noted the need for creativity on the part of instructors to keep the lessons interesting, as well as the need to explore the possibilities of having journalism schools collaborate more in teaching online so that they can share the resources available to each institution.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe current study presents the perceptions and experiences of journalism and mass communication lecturers at selected tertiary institutions in Zambia regarding their transition from teaching journalism face-to-face to teaching it virtually in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results show that the journalism lecturers\u0026rsquo; perceptions and experiences were optimistic despite the sudden transition to online teaching being overwhelming for them and their students, who were accustomed to face-to-face teaching. Although most of the lecturers supported the move to online teaching, they could not easily migrate online due to several challenges. Prominent among these challenges is not only their lack of preparedness to shift online but also that of their students, who equally failed to shift to the online environment with them. Such a finding is not surprising. As Lepp \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e] observe, in instances where educators have to transition to online teaching, most of them are conceivably unprepared and untrained for this shift. As Lepp \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e49\u003c/span\u003e] observe, in instances where educators have to transition to online teaching, most of them are conceivably unprepared and untrained for this shift. This lack of preparedness and training is a significant limitation to online teaching, especially in developing countries like Zambia, where education resources are not as abundant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch has demonstrated that student outcomes in traditional and online classrooms are comparable, yet faculty members continue to express concerns about the various teaching methods. According to a study by Wingo, Ivankova \u0026amp; Moss [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e], most faculty members gradually adapted to teaching online as their experience within the online environment grew. Faculty members who taught online were pleased when institutions offered them \u0026ldquo;mentoring, training, support,\u0026rdquo; and acknowledgement of their achievements. [21, p28]\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study revealed that certain obstacles, such as an unsuitable home working environment, insufficient institutional capacity, and a lack of understanding about online teaching, made the transition significantly more difficult for some lecturers. Previous research [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e] supports the current findings, which suggests that difficulties encountered in online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic are largely attributed to insufficient technical expertise and inadequate internet connectivity. It's clear that sufficient training and prior knowledge or experience are key elements in making a smooth transition to online teaching during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilar studies by Murgatroyd [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e51\u003c/span\u003e] and Rapanta et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e] also show lecturer's pedagogical shortcomings in teaching online. Murgatroyd [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e50\u003c/span\u003e] clearly focuses the lecturer\u0026rsquo;s need of pedagogical content to teach online which seemed to be lacking when the transition occurred. However, it must be acknowledged that some journalism lecturers had already been leveraging online resources to teach and were able to integrate an extensive range of technology-enhanced learning solutions into existing frameworks when the directive to transition to exclusively online instruction was issued. For instance, webinars could be delivered via Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, Google Meet, online educational platforms, and mobile phone apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhile the findings of this study indicate that most of the lecturers thought that shifting to online teaching was a good move to avoid disruption to learning during the pandemic, they still did not perceive the transition as an easy process. The realisation that they could not merely shift their course material online but had to redesign or make extensive adjustments to suit online delivery presented many challenges. More specifically, the lack of awareness of the basic principles needed to design and facilitate meaningful learning experiences in the online format created additional challenges for faculty [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. Concerns regarding adaptability also arise, as not all components of the traditional educational process (types and forms of classes, educational materials, etc.) remain effective when transferred to the online environment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot only is online teaching the best way to ensure teaching and learning continue during pandemics or crises, but it is also a necessary skill to be acquired by educators in their professional trajectory to be competitive in effective pedagogical methods, particularly those that involve the use of technologies. Therefore, despite the COVID-19 pandemic introducing challenges to journalism education when all universities were forced into emergency remote teaching [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e52\u003c/span\u003e], it also presented unexpected opportunities and benefits to lecturers working remotely. One such benefit, also pointed out by Roblyer \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e53\u003c/span\u003e], was an increased focus and delivery of only essential course content. Lecturers had the opportunity to revamp their courses and focus on crucial content.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnother reported benefit of working remotely for lecturers was flexibility. The lecturers could work from home and combine their academic work with multiple other responsibilities in their lives [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e]. Even though some felt that teaching remotely was forced, there was still an appreciation for the opportunity to continue teaching in a different environment from the physical classroom, thus giving them the power of creativity in delivering their lessons.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDuring the transition, the focus appeared to be on managing the moment to support the teaching of students, given the circumstances of no face-to-face interaction. The lecturers had to adapt their pedagogical practices to suit the online learning environment, although they were primarily limited to only uploading existing teaching resources to their respective learning management systems. It appeared that the ERT context did not give them time to consider how students would adapt to this new approach to teaching. A lesson that emerges here is that academics must support student needs in their learning.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this study, the support for student learning needs is seen through the strategies the lecturers (and journalism schools) implemented to help their students cope with the sudden transition to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. These strategies include emailing course material to students, creating course-specific WhatsApp groups for discussions instead of utilising the LMS implemented, and adopting other teaching formats such as posting short instructional videos online. In this regard, most of the respondents in this study were inclined to teach asynchronously instead of synchronously to suit their students\u0026rsquo; learning preferences. As Rosales [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e54\u003c/span\u003e] observes, an online teaching model\u0026rsquo;s success depends on key stakeholders\u0026rsquo; cooperation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the same vein, notable among this study\u0026rsquo;s findings is that most lecturers support a blended teaching and learning approach going forward. Blended learning is a broader category that combines traditional face-to-face learning and e-learning [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e55\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study examined the perception and experiences of journalism and mass communication (JMC) lecturers at five training institutions in Zambia on their shift from face-to-face teaching in the traditional classroom to online instruction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study demonstrates how the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought the importance of technology to the fore, and that education in emergencies, such as such as the pandemic, generally relies on basic technological access.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe journalism schools used pre-existing education technology infrastructure to deploy remote teaching strategies in multiple ways. The data from this study indicates that all five journalism training institutions were quick to harness the virtual space and to plan for practical online teaching and learning in response to the COVID-19 restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilarly, journalism education witnessed a radical change in its delivery structure, shifting from physical face-to-face classroom delivery to online virtual interactions. Not only did the sudden onset of COVID-19 require adopting a different approach and strategy, as evident from this study, it necessitated distinct changes to the structure and mode of educational delivery. These changes were inevitable as journalism education can only be effectively delivered online if certain conditions are established and adhered to.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn order to cope with the changes, journalism lecturers in Zambia have had to adapt to the new normal by adopting new ways of teaching that involve flexibility in their usual routines and searching for alternative ideas when the usual way of doing things does not work. Additionally, not all components of the traditional educational process (types and forms of classes, educational materials, etc.) remain effective when transferred to the online environment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn as much as this study shows the lecturers\u0026rsquo; confidence that remote teaching of journalism in Zambia is feasible, their view is that not all remote teaching strategies successfully reach students or deliver learning. For instance, some lecturers struggled to ensure maximum student participation due to adopting approaches unsuitable to local circumstances. While their institutions provided online (digital) solutions, some of their students could not access those solutions due to a lack of appropriate devices or connectivity constraints.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGiven that poor internet connectivity \u0026ndash; which affects access to mobile network-based data and teaching and learning applications \u0026ndash; was a significant challenge, we recommend that universities (and in this case, journalism training institutions) collaborate with network providers to facilitate connectivity for both lecturers and students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA primary limitation to this study was the small sample size caused by the restrictions imposed on recruiting respondents. However, this does not detract from the valuable shared experiences and the lessons gleaned in the process, as highlighted in this discussion.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe acknowledge the academics and instructors who provided the insights that informed this study. Their service during the pandemic is appreciated.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors received no direct funding for this research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll authors, C.P., E.M., and R.M., contributed to manuscript writing. C.P. drafted the initial manuscript. C.P. and E.M. contributed to the conceptualization, literature review, methodology, ethical approval and discussion. R.M. contributed to the data analysis, discussion and conclusion. C.P., E.M., and R.M. edited, reviewed, and contributed to the finalization of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInformed consent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticipants give their informed consent to participate in the current study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll authors gave their consent for the publication of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors report there are no competing interests to declare.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Availability\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data that support the findings of this study is not publicly available. Respondents opted not to have their data publicly shared. However, the data are available from the corresponding author, E.M., upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthical statement\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthical approval was waived by the Departmental Ethical Review representative, who sits on the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee of the University of Zambia. Upon review, all procedures and protocols met institutional ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, who were informed that participation in the survey was voluntary and that they would not be identifiable in the research write-up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInformed consent Participants give their informed consent to participate in the current study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll authors gave their consent for the publication of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCompeting interests The authors report there are no competing interests to declare. Funding The authors received no direct funding for this research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthor contributions All authors, C.P., E.M., and R.M., contributed to manuscript writing. C.P. drafted the initial manuscript. C.P. and E.M. contributed to the conceptualization, literature review, methodology, ethical approval and discussion. R.M. contributed to the data analysis, discussion and conclusion. C.P., E.M., and R.M. edited, reviewed, and contributed to the finalization of the manuscript. Data Availability The data that support the findings of this study is not publicly available. Respondents opted not to have their data publicly shared. However, the data are available from the corresponding author, E.M., upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUNESCO. COVID-19: Reopening and Reimagining Universities, Survey on Higher Education through the UNESCO National Commissions. UNESCO; 2021:36.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBadr H, Elmaghraby S. How higher education faculty in Egypt perceive the effects of Covid-19 on teaching journalism and mass communication: Perspectives from the Global South. Journal Mass Commun Educ. 2021;76(4):394\u0026ndash;411.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAdedoyin OB, Soykan E. 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J Comput High Educ. 2014;26:87\u0026ndash;122.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-education","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"diedu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Education](https://www.springer.com/journal/44217)","snPcode":"44217","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44217/3","title":"Discover Education","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Journalism Education, Online teaching, COVID-19, Zambia, Emergency Teaching Response","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5813152/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5813152/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe global outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) brought a myriad of challenges to higher education. At tertiary institutions worldwide, the closure of campuses and the migration to online instruction came as an unplanned consequence for faculty members and students. For lecturers teaching various journalism and mass communication (JMC) programmes in Zambia, moving to online course delivery meant abandoning the long-held policy of teaching these courses exclusively in person and navigating the various access, competence and resource challenges that many of their students also encountered. Today, it is still essential to examine how educators adjusted to the inevitable online shift and understand their experiences in the transition. This article examines the experiences of JMC lecturers at seven higher education institutions in Zambia on their shift to online instruction in the wake of the pandemic. By employing in-depth interviews with lecturers teaching both practical and theoretical courses, this qualitative study seeks to understand lecturers\u0026rsquo; overall attitudes towards online teaching of JMC courses during the pandemic and ascertain any lessons, challenges or opportunities arising from this transition. The paper provides examples of pedagogical adaptations implemented to maintain quality whilst supporting a more diverse and, at times, larger cohort of students. Results from the study provide insights on building better online learning environments as institutions and policymakers in higher education continue to adjust to the \u0026lsquo;new normal\u0026rsquo;. Further, it contributes to scholarship on the impact of online learning and the pandemic on JMC education, providing much-needed insight from the global South.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Zambian Lecturers’ Experiences of the Transition to Online Instruction","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-03-24 06:38:10","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5813152/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-03-10T06:00:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-03-08T18:23:25+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-03-08T17:10:18+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"330086305363300095824965888977057436453","date":"2025-03-08T16:05:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"197489947459990168756720713283876918660","date":"2025-03-06T05:35:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-03-03T14:36:31+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"1456360676792857642740687237001975382","date":"2025-03-03T13:37:10+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-03-02T14:03:01+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"59201592673978220844113757412023509693","date":"2025-03-02T00:55:44+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"94063212831344008515070846548346551538","date":"2025-02-27T14:08:30+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-02-27T11:58:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-02-25T06:22:37+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-02-25T06:21:48+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Education","date":"2025-02-25T03:33:18+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-education","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"diedu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Education](https://www.springer.com/journal/44217)","snPcode":"44217","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/44217/3","title":"Discover Education","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"b44b1f0d-2c98-4019-83fa-688281e8b1bc","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 24th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-06-06T12:08:32+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-03-24 06:38:10","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5813152","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5813152","identity":"rs-5813152","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}