The Covid-19 pandemic raised concerns regarding the adaptableness of the education sector and its ability to provide high-quality distance education. In recent years, the developing countries have emphasized distance education that led to the widespread implementation of e-learning. The use of technologies has enhanced access to quality e-learning opportunities. In this pursuit, international adjunct faculty can be part of the gig economy. This chapter explores how educational institutions in developing countries work with international adjuncts with the recent implementation and development of e-learning in higher education. It provides an overview of successful online learning implementation and development in developing countries by focusing on international adjunct effectiveness. The experiences and perceptions of international adjunct faculty in terms of e-learning will increase knowledge of the present educational progressions for professors, educators, and university administrators.
TopIntroduction
The world of education is undergoing significant evolution which causes a significant shift in course delivery, access to resources and teaching technique. Many challenges within the educational arena are being addressed through the new developments of technology, forever changing the framework of modern universities. Long gone are the days when a teacher, at the center of the educational process, provided a guide and a compass for students who were at times passive recipients. The notion of knowledge recipient was forever changed as the digital generation opens new opportunities for educators and technology leaders to re-think their approaches. Students who were forced for centuries to have physical access to learning resources are now able to take advantage of ongoing changes in the world of education and technology and access content at their disposal accelerating their own learning process. However, while the technological advancements are changing the world of education globally, there are still many areas of the world struggling with providing students with basic resources for the effective learning process to take place.
The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed the education environment and fundamental components of education in recent years. It has caused distance education for teachers and students that led to the widespread implementation of e-learning as a means of continuing education. E-learning is described as teaching and learning that takes place through electronic instruments and digital platforms between teachers and students (Roffe, 2004). Teachers and students communicate with each other through technological devices including video conferencing applications and modules. Online education was a more conventional trend in the education systems of industrialized countries.
During pre-pandemic times, e-learning was very limited in developing nations. The educational organizations in the developing world refrained from encouraging or advocating this educational model (Sofi-Karim et al., 2023). The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the failure of schools in several developing nations. Inevitably, the education progression was dormant, or, in many settings, lock downs were imposed with lengthy closure of schools and other education institutions. In 186 countries, there were 1.2 billion children that were affected by school closure during the pandemic (Li & Lalani, 2020). Therefore, the developing world initiated educational reform and invested in information communication technology (Bao, 2020). E-learning implementation and development revolutionized the way developing countries educate their students.
Notwithstanding the Covid-19 pandemic hindered education worldwide, online learning and technology advanced the learning system. Educational institutions and faculty implemented online resources to maintain their educational journey through computers, video, and the Internet (International Labour Organization, 2020). These communication technologies largely supported e-learning systems as useful sources of information and communication (Habes et al., 2019). To support distance learning, many developing nations started television broadcasts during the pandemic (UNHCR, 2020). The necessity to prioritize e-learning is a “paradigm shift in education” (Sultan Alam, 2020). The educational predicament ensuing from the Covid-19 pandemic created uncertainties about the future of students, but it also emphasized the importance of e-learning implementation and development. Muhaisen (2020) mentioned that e-learning is a resourceful means to overcome educational barriers. Students and faculty in developing countries need to accept the e-learning format which supports continuing education because education today is accessible through online learning systems (Ali, 2019). The Covid-19 pandemic caused an educational crisis resulting in a strategic shift from traditional learning to e-learning implementation and development in developing nations.