Navigating Online Learning: Lived Experiences of Young Adult Students in a Historically Disadvantaged South African University

The transition from face-to-face to online learning has been problematic, particularly for historically disadvantaged universities (HDUs) shaped by infrastructural inequalities in South Africa. Grounded in connectivism theory, this study explores the lived experiences of young adult students’ navigating online learning at an HDU in South Africa. Adopting a qualitative interpretative phenomenological approach, the study purposively selected 20 young adult students from the institution. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Two primary themes emerged: students’ experiences and navigation of online learning, and perceived strategies and support mechanisms to enhance online learning. The findings reveal that young adult students’ learning experiences are significantly constrained by limited access to critical nodes (such as digital devices), weak network structures, and unstable connectivity. These challenges disrupt the flow of information within learning networks, thereby hindering meaningful academic engagement. Despite these constraints, young adult students demonstrate forms of navigational agency in attempting to connect to available learning resources. This study contributes to the literature and theory by extending connectivism theory into a Global South context, illustrating how digital inequality undermines the formation and sustainability of learning networks in HDU. It moves beyond viewing online learning challenges as purely technical issues, instead framing them as structural and pedagogical limitations. The study recommends that HDUs develop policies that seek to strengthen network connectivity through targeted institutional interventions, including strategic partnerships with telecommunications providers to subsidize data costs and improve access to digital devices for socio-economically disadvantaged students.