Experiences of University Students with E Learning for Teacher Preparation during the COVID 19 Epidemic at a Higher Education Institution in Eswatini

E Learning was adopted by most universities and colleges worldwide to provide students with ongoing education during the COVID 19 pandemic and is here to last even after the pandemic is over. This study sought to explore the experiences of the students at a higher education institution in Eswatini during the COVID 19 pandemic. The study was based on the following objectives Establish the experiences of higher education students in e learning during the period of COVID 19, determine the challenges faced by the students in e learning during the period of COVID 19 and recommend how e learning may be sustained even after the pandemic. The study was underpinned by the diffusion of innovation theory and was located in the interpretivist research paradigm which followed a qualitative research approach where a phenomenological research design was applied. The study conveniently selected a sample of fifteen 15 fourth year students doing teacher education at a university in Eswatini. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study reveal that e learning was the most appropriate teaching and learning process during the COVID 19 pandemic and has benefits that make it sustainable after COVID 19. This study concludes that students are able to learn at the comfort of their homes due to the flexible nature of e learning. However, despite the positive impact of e learning there are some challenges students face which include limited physical contact and collaboration. The University should try by all means to provide the students with tools for effective teaching and learning. Based on the findings and conclusions, the study recommends that students should be provided with digital tools, trained adequately and get constant updates of software features. The study also recommends that for e learning to be sustained even after the pandemic the university should provide modern technology tools and keep updating the software as well as widen the internet broadband for effective teaching and learning. Sithulisiwe Bhebhe | Thamsanqa Maseko | Davison Makondo "Experiences of University Students with E-Learning for Teacher Preparation during the COVID-19 Epidemic at a Higher Education Institution in Eswatini" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-5 , August 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd50513.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/education/50513/experiences-of-university-students-with-elearning-for-teacher-preparation-during-the-covid19-epidemic-at-a-higher-education-institution-in-eswatini/sithulisiwe-bhebhe