Re-Envisioning Pedagogy in the Lens of Asynchronous and Synchronous Learning in Higher Education Amid COVID 19 Pandemic in Kenya

Abstract

Higher Education institutions have faced many challenges since the onset of COVID 19 pandemic with closures that extended to more than three months. Coronavirus pandemic pushed universities to switch to online classes from the conventional traditional pedagogies. While the work to transition face-to-face instruction to online environments would mean a lot of technological preparedness among lecturers, students, infrastructure; these initiatives have at the same time lead to established familiarity with the necessary technological tools, and teaching approaches with online learning. Universities have taken up the initiative to re-plan, re- design and re-develop in-house capacity building structures and develop off campuses courses and distance learning in order to meet the diverse learning needs of the students and pedagogical needs of the faculty. Among these initiatives is re-envisioning pedagogy in the lens of asynchronous and synchronous learning in higher education amid COVID 19 Pandemic. This paper has analyzed reflections on asynchronous and synchronous pedagogies and learning during faculty capacity building sessions from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Out of these reflections are recommendations that other universities in the global arena can apply for quality in the teaching-learning processes in institutions of higher learning.