A Reflection on Implementation of Posthumanist Pedagogy in Polytechnics in Zimbabwe during COVID-19 Era

Abstract

The COVID-19-induced lockdown resulted in the closure of learning institutions and subsequent intermittent college attendance as a way of preventing the spread of the virus. In Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation Science, and Technology Development instructed tertiary institutions to adopt online learning in addition to face-to-face learning as a way of ensuring that learning continued during COVID-19 restrictions. There was a shift from exclusively humanist education, where humans have been believed to be the only agents in the teaching and learning process, to posthumanist education, where technology was used as a tool for learning. This study explored the organisational preparedness of TVET institutions to take on board posthuman pedagogy when online learning was blended with face-to-face learning. This was a qualitative study that used observations and in-depth interviews to collect data on the institutional preparedness of two randomly sampled TVET institutions to embrace posthumanist education. Ten randomly sampled lecturers were interviewed to elicit their views and experiences of implementing blended learning, which is largely ingrained in posthuman pedagogy. An observation was made on the suitability of technological infrastructure to support blended learning. Ten randomly selected students from each institution participated in focus group discussions to elicit the organisational preparedness of institutions for blended learning. Results showed that the institutions were not ready for blended learning. Lecturers and students were not equipped or skilled to use online technologies. The infrastructure to drive online learning was inadequate. Inadequacies in the internet infrastructure affected their understanding and acceptance of online learning.