Exploring the impact of the use of technologies on accounting lecturers’ pedagogy during online teaching.

Abstract

The adoption of online learning by many institutions has become essential since December 2019, when COVID-19 cases began to manifest all over the world. South Africa's lockdown, which began on March 26, 2020, compelled higher education institutions to employ alternative teaching strategies and offer online support to students. Academic activities had to continue during this crucial period, even though students and lecturers were not in the typical classroom setting. This study sought to explore the impact of the use of the effects of technology on TVET accounting lecturers' pedagogy during online teaching under COVID-19 conditions. The study was guided by the interpretive paradigm, and adopted a case study design with a methodological approach because it had a qualitative design. Purposive sampling was used to select 12 accounting lecturers and convenience sampling was used to select the research site. Data was generated via questionnaires, observations, and interviews. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framed this study at a theoretical level. Age, lecturers' level of experience, and openness to learning were the three constructs used to build the conceptual framework in the UTAUT model. The main findings revealed that accounting lecturers had access to a variety of technological tools, but they preferred to use the laptop and internet. The use of technologies impacted accounting lecturers’ pedagogy in terms of instructional design, teaching, and personal growth. Technology has changed how they use their in-depth subject knowledge to design stimulating lessons and tasks that have inspired student centred learning. Since they needed to improve their familiarity with technology, their knowledge of it and content, as well as their understanding of best practices and online teaching pedagogy, lecturers created their own learning communities. The factors that constrain accounting lecturers’ use of technology in the classroom was determined to be a lack of training for online teaching.