The South African Department of Higher Education has emphasised the use of online learning (e-learning). Educational technology resources were used for e-learning, replacing face-to-face learning during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Consequently, with this transition and new developments in learning technologies, early career academics (ECAs) in one of the universities in South Africa faced various challenges in teaching language modules online. This qualitative case study intended to explore the experiences of ECAs in teaching language modules at a university during the transition from face-to-face to online learning. Data is generated from five ECAs who were purposively and conveniently sampled from the School of Education using reflective journals, and one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) theory is used to guide the study towards understanding ECAs’ knowledge of technology, content, and pedagogy during online teaching of language modules. The Findings indicate that some of the ECAs expressed that online learning was not effective. The majority maintained that the online learning approach was effective. Nevertheless, there were numerous limitations, such as accessibility to technological devices (laptops), and language teacher’s state of readiness in adapting to the new approach. Therefore, more professional development programmes should be conducted and studies highlighting ECAs experiences. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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