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Online and face‐to‐face learning: Evidence from students’ performance during the Covid‐19 pandemic

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  • Carolyn Chisadza
  • Matthew Clance
  • Thulani Mthembu
  • Nicky Nicholls
  • Eleni Yitbarek

Abstract

This study investigates the factors that predict students' performance after transitioning from face‐to‐face to online learning as a result of the Covid‐19 pandemic. It uses students' responses from survey questions and the difference in the average assessment grades between pre‐lockdown and post‐lockdown at a South African university. We find that students' performance was positively associated with good wifi access, relative to using mobile internet data. We also observe lower academic performance for students who found transitioning to online difficult and who expressed a preference for self‐study (i.e. reading through class slides and notes) over assisted study (i.e. joining live lectures or watching recorded lectures). The findings suggest that improving digital infrastructure and reducing the cost of internet access may be necessary for mitigating the impact of the Covid‐19 pandemic on education outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Carolyn Chisadza & Matthew Clance & Thulani Mthembu & Nicky Nicholls & Eleni Yitbarek, 2021. "Online and face‐to‐face learning: Evidence from students’ performance during the Covid‐19 pandemic," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 33(S1), pages 114-125, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:afrdev:v:33:y:2021:i:s1:p:s114-s125
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-8268.12520
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    1. Mikael Søndergaard & Fuyuko Takita & Ingrid Van Rompay-Bartels, 2023. "International Students’ Perceptions towards Their Learning Experience in an International Network Seminar in Japan: During and Post the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-16, May.
    2. María del Carmen Valls Martínez & Pedro Antonio Martín-Cervantes & Ana María Sánchez Pérez & María del Carmen Martínez Victoria, 2021. "Learning Mathematics of Financial Operations during the COVID-19 Era: An Assessment with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(17), pages 1-21, September.
    3. Hanadi Mohamed AbdelSalam & Maura A. E. Pilotti & Omar J. El-Moussa, 2021. "Sustainable Math Education of Female Students during a Pandemic: Online versus Face-to-Face Instruction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-12, November.
    4. Maura A. E. Pilotti & Khadija El Alaoui & Hanadi M. Abdelsalam & Rahat Khan, 2023. "Sustainable Development in Action: A Retrospective Case Study on Students’ Learning Before, During, and After the Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-17, May.

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