The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of online learning and self-directed learning to motivate and engage students. Therefore, this study sought to determine how online learning fostered self-directed learning at a South African university during this period. Higher education institutions worldwide had to shut down indefinitely following guidance from health experts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since education is regarded as a pillar of development for all countries, some means had to be found to keep teaching and learning going irrespective of the ongoing health crisis. Hence, online learning made it possible for university students to continue learning during the emergency university closure. This was a period of reckoning, however, as many students began experiencing challenges related to poor internet connectivity and accessing digital learning devices. Despite these challenges, the solution was to reach out to all students to ensure that they were not excluded from the learning process. The sudden transition to online learning meant that students could no longer follow a well-coordinated, structured learning schedule that was guided and supervised on campus; rather, online learning meant they had to become more independent in their learning. Independent learning encourages students to be proactive and independent, a philosophy aligned to self-directed learning (SDL). This study explored the experiences of third-year student teachers in navigating SDL through online learning platforms. The study was underpinned by self-directed learning theory and adopted a qualitative case study research design, generating data from ten student teachers using a Zoom App focus group discussion. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis framework. The study found that although SDL is appropriate because it promotes learning independently, the majority of student teachers encountered several challenges when adopting online learning, catching them off guard because they were not formally introduced to it.

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into higher education can revolutionise traditional learning paradigms by enhancing self-directed learning and fostering student autonomy. This systematic research paper examines the role of AI in supporting these educational shifts, analysing its impact on student engagement, personalised learning experiences and academic performance. Through a comprehensive review of existing literature, this study explores various AI-driven tools and applications that enable students to take greater control of their learning processes. The promise of AI in fostering student autonomy is significant, with key focus areas that include adaptive learning systems, AI-powered feedback mechanisms, and intelligent tutoring systems, all of which contribute to a more personalised and autonomous learning environment. The findings underscore AI’s transformative potential to reshape higher education, highlighting its ability to empower students through personalised learning pathways and cultivate essential 21st-century skills. This potential of AI to enhance students’ performance should instil a sense of optimism about the future of education.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has ushered in a transformative era in education, particularly in the context of Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL). This paper explores the role of AI-powered e-tutors and their potential to revolutionise self-directed learning among students in ODeL courses in South Africa. Self-directed learning, a fundamental pillar of distance education, requires students to be proactive, independent, and motivated. Numerous studies in the fields of AI, ODeL, and Self-Directed Learning (SDL) were reviewed, including case studies involving ODeL institutions, to understand the role of AI-powered e-tutors. This research provides practical insights into using AI-powered e-tutoring to foster self-directed learning. The study allowed for the collection of relevant literature on the given topic that fits the pre-specified eligibility criteria and answers the formulated research questions. The findings underscore the transformative potential of AI-powered e-tutors, including personalised learning experiences, adaptive feedback, real-time support, increased learner engagement and motivation, and enhanced academic performance. The paper also addresses the practical challenges and limitations of implementing AI-powered e-tutoring, such as technology access, data privacy, and the continuous improvement of AI algorithms. The study contributes to the expanding knowledge of AI in education, providing practical insights for academics, policymakers, and technology developers, equipping them with the necessary information to leverage AI to strengthen self-directed learning in ODeL environments. It also outlines the practical implications for future research and practice, highlighting the potential of AI to revolutionise distance learning and empower learners to take control of their educational journeys.

Most developing countries tend to repeat the same mistakes of under-investing in school infrastructure meant to facilitate quality education. South Africa is no exception, with a significant decline in the quality of school infrastructure inevitably posing a serious risk to the quality of education provided. This study investigates the effects of poor infrastructure provision on the quality of education. The Sustainable Development Goals pioneered by UNESCO in 2016 identified the threat posed by poor school infrastructure facilities to human rights, safety, and the right to life of teachers and learners. A qualitative research approach was used to generate and analyse data. A systematic literature review was preferred as the main source of the data-gathering process to answer the critical research question. This study built a multiple-case approach by carefully selecting peer-reviewed, scholarly publications questioning the state of school infrastructure, non-governmental organisation Advocacy group ‘Section 27’ report, education policy, and the learning process, including academic articles, research reports, books, and monographs on stumbling blocks exerting a negative impact on effective education in South Africa. This painstaking process draws its discourse and conclusion from the analysis and synthesis of information, culminating in a set of propositions developed by the author. The choice of sources led to sound empirical evidence and plausible conclusions and recommendations. The study demonstrates that governments do not pay attention to basic infrastructure and amenities to promote effective education and quality of life. Infrastructure such as pit toilets in Limpopo, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal are concerning. Again, the shortage and delays in the distribution of teaching materials and books, gang violence playing out in schools and social media harassment reported in media threaten both teachers and learners and, as such, exert a negative impact on the performance of learners referred to in this study as stumbling blocks. This has serious long-term ramifications on the effective teaching and learning environment, indirectly perpetuating total neglect and lack of accountability by the Department of Basic Education (DBE).

Despite high hopes that schools are institutions of integrity and are properly governed, very few have demonstrated this with distinction. With this article we argue that good governance depends on the partnership between schools and parents in times of emergency. The theoretical framework from Epstein’s theory of overlapping spheres of influence was used to alarm stakeholders to guard against overlapping one’s roles during an emergency. In the study reported on here we used a qualitative research method, which allows data to be collected using semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions as research instruments. The data were collected from stakeholders of school governing bodies (SGBs) and school management teams (SMTs) through WhatsApp and Zoom meetings. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. The research findings reveal, among other problems, that most parents are digital immigrants who refuse to participate in virtual platforms for fear of endorsing remote learning, and that poor teaching and learning is due to a lack of access to digital technology, data, and poor connectivity. We recommend that parents should support remote learning for learners to achieve quality education beyond the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 revolutionised the education sector across the world and forced schools to embrace online learning. Schools had to scramble for alternatives to face-to-face learning to curb the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring that learning was not disrupted. With the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic cropping up at the beginning of the 2021 academic year and a growing number of teachers contracting the virus, schools were forced to close temporarily or adjust learning models to continue with remote teaching and learning. This required schools to deal with the challenges of infrastructure and a shortage of teachers, as well as provide learners with access to technology and reliable internet connections that would allow them to study remotely and prepare teachers for online pedagogies. To this end, this study explored secondary teachers’ experiences with the transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and their readiness to embrace online learning as the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the entire globe. The study was underpinned by the technology acceptance model and adopted a qualitative research design, generating data from 10 teachers using focus group discussions. An inductive thematic framework was used during the data analysis segment. The study found that schools encountered a variety of digital complexities to overcome, such as digital literacy and online teaching capabilities, multimodal learning, postlockdown teaching and educational leadership and appropriate learning management systems.