ADVANCING SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION USING ONLINE LEARNING IN SOUTH AFRICA: Challenges and Prospects

The impact of COVID-19 on higher education institutions has been unprecedented. For the first time in the history of social work education in South Africa, some institutions had to teach social work using online platforms during the COVID-19 lockdowns. In this chapter, the authors used secondary literature and shared their experiences as social work educators at a higher education institution in Johannesburg, South Africa. This chapter is aimed at discussing how this institution adapted to online learning space in response to the teaching and learning challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is germane to note that the responses of South African higher education institutions to COVID-19 were varied and limited in some ways, owing to the social and economic circumstances pertaining in Africa and in South Africa. The institutions assumed the additional responsibility of ensuring participation, inclusion, and fair treatment of their students during online teaching and learning sessions. This was in line with the profession’s principle of social justice, which the authors also used as a theoretical framework for this chapter. In conclusion, the authors provide recommendations on how higher education institutions could improve their adaptability to eventualities such as COVID-19.