Students’ perceptions on the use of LMS at a Lesotho university amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

The world was drastically changed by the 2019 outbreak of the novel Coronavirus pandemic. Teaching and learning practices had to be revised and reconceptualised in order to salvage the education process. As many countries, Lesotho included, were forced into lockdown to curb the rampant spread of the virus, educational institutions, most of which originally operated uniquely on face-to-face mode of delivery, were faced with a glaring need to swiftly adopt pure online teaching and learning, including the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS), in order to save the academic year. However, this proved to be a challenging move for all stakeholders involved, hence the purpose of this article is to explore students’ perceptions regarding the use of an LMS at one Lesotho university amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Using an interpretive case study, ten participants who are at third year of their university studies were conveniently selected from a larger sample of 21 students. Email conducted reflective activities and LMS focus group discussions were used for purposes of data generation. Thematic analysis was used to interpret and analyse data, which was framed by Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) theory. The findings of the study indicated that students’ factual perceptions (content knowledge) and social perceptions (technological knowledge) are influenced by their habitual perceptions (pedagogical knowledge). Students’ unique experiences with the LMS proved to have a bearing on the content acquired and on the efficiency of technological knowledge in the attainment of goals. The study recommends that institutions of higher learning adopt a flexible approach towards online learning by formally integrating students’ preferred informal and personal digital platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. Students’ lived experiences and personal identities may be taken into consideration in navigating the new ‘norm’ while producing new and relevant knowledge. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.