Paper Title
TEACHING SOCIAL RESEARCH METHODS IN AN ONLINE ENVIRONMENT: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract
Abstract - The COVID-19 pandemic has forced higher education institutions to adapt to online teaching, presenting both challenges and opportunities. This paper discusses the teaching Social Research Methods in an online environment at the University of Pretoria. The paper presents the changes in the social context of teaching, highlighting the shift from small postgraduate classes to large undergraduate classes (N = 551). The paper then describes the teaching philosophy based on self-determination theory, which focuses on facilitating intrinsic motivation in students. An overview of the course and assessment is provided. Some qualitative themes about students’ experience are provided (n = 297). Finally, the paper considers some implications of the approach on students’ experience of the course. Keywords - Online Teaching, Social Research Methods, Self-Determination Theory, Achievement Motivation, Mastery Approach, Performance Approach