Reliability components of online teaching and learning tools in Lesotho Higher Education Institutions

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.