e-Learning, Face-to-Face Learning and the Stake of Student-teacher Relations in the Post- COVID 19 Era in Nigeria

Abstract

The global outbreak of the COVID 19 Pandemic in 2019 led to the imposition of lockdown as well as physical and social distancing policy by governments and international community. This also inadvertently triggered the revolution of E-learning which necessitated the minimal use of the traditional face-to-face classroom and resort to virtual classroom instruction during the lockdown all in the bid to ensure that school activities were not interrupted. The impact and rapid expansion of e-learning remains quite overwhelming and prominent even in the post pandemic era. It has significantly altered the nature of educational policies and pedagogical approaches in terms of class room communication and instruction as it affects student-teacher relations. While Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilitated the ascendancy of e-learning no doubt, the outbreak of the COVID 19 Pandemic has further propel its rapid expansion in the 21^st century. However, the utility of E-learning was discovered out of the necessity to check the spread of the pandemic. Aside from the fact that it is disburdening compared to the traditional face-to face teaching and learning, it also saves time, energy and resources as well as convenient to manage especially in times of violence conflict and insecurity, non-Clement weather, etc. But then, E-learning gives only limited room for effective interaction, instruction and communication between students and teachers to occur. This constitutes one of its prominent pitfalls which is quite detrimental to the teaching learning process.  This has further deepened the preexisting lacuna between teachers and students in Nigerian schools which poses a threat to the realization of the broad goals and objectives of teaching and learning. However, the hybridization of E-learning and face-to face learning offers a better alternative and outcome so as to break even or to strike a balance between the two as well as to meet up with the complex challenges of teaching and learning in the 21^st century.  This research is largely theoretical and it utilizes the theory of social interaction to explain the problem at stake.