Challenges of Online Learning in Developing Countries

One aspect I wanted to focus on for this week's topic regarding international perspectives is the impact of online learning in developing countries. I decided to explore Google Scholar and came across a very interesting article by Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih and colleagues (2020) titled Responses to Covid-19 in Higher Education: Social Media Usage for Sustaining Formal Academic Communication in Developing Countries. This article highlighted many other challenges I should have considered during the pandemic, especially regarding international perspectives and experiences with online learning. I knew that the experiences in the United States were highly challenging. Still, we had far more resources than developing countries to transition to online learning and instruction because of the access to learning management systems. However, most developing countries did not know how to continue learning and teaching safely, with no alternative resources and solutions like online learning systems. In Sobaih et al. (2020), faculty were left to discover social and digital media platforms they could introduce to their students to maximize their learning experiences because face-to-face learning was not an option. Faculty chose free options for students as they felt it was the institution's responsibility to create these opportunities for students to continue to learn. However, institutions felt it was left to the faculty. How do you think U.S.-based higher education institutions can support higher education institutions in developing countries, specifically in online learning management systems and social and digital media usage in learning spaces? How can developing countries gain resources and access to digital learning platforms? What are your thoughts on the article? (If you have time to read)

References:

Sobaih, A. E. E., Hasanein, A. M., & Abu Elnasr, A. E. (2020). Responses to COVID-19 in higher education: Social media usage for sustaining formal academic communication in developing countries. Sustainability, 12(16), 6520.

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