Abstract:
Electronic learning is a techno approach that brings new opportunities for teaching and
learning in many fields of education compared to the traditional classroom environment.
However, there is a dearth of research on its effectiveness in practicality and whether it
is dependable enough during teaching and learning. Thus, this systematic review aims to
provide evidence from numerous findings on the reliability components (such as functionality,
probability of success, environment, and duration) of online teaching and learning (OTL) tools
in Lesotho higher education institutions (HEIs), focusing on functionality and probability
of success only. A review of online learning tools includes Thuto, Google Meet, Google
Classroom, Zoom, Moodle, and Microsoft Teams. Technology adoption models and Siemens’
theory of connectivism underpin this review. The review covered 18 articles between 2015
and 2021. Scopus, Google Scholar, ProQuest, and EBSCO were used for data search. In
addition, selected studies were reviewed by experts in Educational Technology at the National
University of Lesotho. Some factors were found to hinder the functionality and success of
OTL tools, including lack of internet connectivity, electricity, and gadgets. As a result of this
review, OTL tools are effective to some extent in terms of functionality and likelihood of
success. However, the weaknesses of the e-learning tools outweigh the strengths of Lesotho
HEIs. Consequently, only using OTL tools could hamper the quality of higher education
in Lesotho. In HEIs, blended learning and
continuous training on e-learning tools
should be introduced for effective teaching
and learning.
