Question

"Limitations of network connectivity and access

The economic and institutional shutdowns prompted by the outbreak of the COVID-
19 pandemic completely changed the teaching and learning trajectory in South
African higher education, and affected the possibility and progress of students’
learning. In our study, participant responses reflected that while national lockdown
was not solely responsible for the downturn of events, in effect it made an already
bad situation worse. Essentially, it exposed national inequalities, inefficiency of
government processes and institutional weaknesses already extant before the onset
of the pandemic. One of the main concerns raised by both students and lecturers
was the lack of digital literacy (technical skills), which is critical in higher education
globally in the 21st century".
Using the paraphrasing toolbox, paraphrase the text. Add least one reporting verb

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to teaching and learning in South African higher education due to limitations in network connectivity and access. While the national lockdown exacerbated existing issues of national inequalities, government inefficiencies, and institutional weaknesses, it also highlighted the importance of digital literacy in higher education. Both students and lecturers expressed concerns about the lack of technical skills necessary for learning in the 21st century. As reported in our study, the pandemic was not the sole cause of these challenges but rather intensified an already difficult situation.