“It’s like listening to an audiobook”: University of Botswana Students’ Lived Experiences and Views about Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The abrupt shift to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic put a strain on the education sector the world over. Using the social constructivist theory, this study postulates that faceto- face teaching and learning does not seamlessly translate to online instruction both in terms of pedagogical practice and learner experiences. This study explores students’ experiences with the quality of online learning during the pandemic. Data were collected through focus group discussions with undergraduate students across seven faculties. A thematic analysis of the responses reveals that participants mostly reported negative experiences with online learning arising from factors such as lack of compatible digital devices and conducive virtual class learning spaces. This study provides rich data that contributes to an understanding of students’ experiences with online teaching and learning during the pandemic and thus, provides insights into how lecturers’ online pedagogical practices influence students’ perceptions on the quality of online learning.