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Eruption of the COVID 19 pandemic era in the preceding years has resulted at learning being infused with technology, hence the emergent of new terminologies or prefixes like ‘e’. For the purposes of this paper, eLearning has since been regarded as an essential aspect targeted towards effective schooling. Teaching-learning approaches had to be re-looked at as universities were held in predicaments to engage on online contact sessions through blackboard as a Learning Management System (LMS). This is a software application that necessitates diverse areas, but not limited to, administration, documentation, automation, delivery of educational courses and training programs. It is for this reason that this paper aims to examine whether Blackboard learning has any substantial influence in relation to learner academic attainment. Little is noted by literature on predicaments entangling rural schooling environments for implementation of eLearning. Examination was administered through a qualitative research approach, embedded in a case study design. Three purposefully nominated teachers from a university located in a rural Eastern Cape Province setting were interviewed as participants. It was divulged by the findings that (i) connectivity glitches, thus having an impact on (ii) contact session attendance, as well as (iii) limitation of eLearning related soft skills, were the major hiccups to this emergent learning platform. As authors we therefore conclude that both teachers and learners are held liable to fully acquaint themselves on eLearning, hence the digital world. This paper recommends for alterations and re-inventing of teaching-learning approaches, thereby curbing situations of rural-urban digital variations.

This paper aims to investigate whether e-learning has any significant influence on academic attainment. From this time, little is noted by literature about training teachers towards attaining the necessary skills needed for digital e-learning applications. Investigation for this paper was conducted through a qualitative research methodology. Authors decided to use this method with a concern of understanding the behaviour of humans as per teacher perspectives, leading to obtaining better understanding of underlying motives. For this qualitative investigation, three conveniently selected secondary school teachers from a rural school in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were interviewed. Engaging with the participants through administration of the interview schedule assisted authors in obtaining reach data due to contained questions that had a specific element of being open-ended. A fundamental finding revealed that teachers across all subjects have since embarked at focusing on (i) learner-centered practical approaches to allow determined e-learning engagements, thus having an impact on (ii) learner turnout. On noting this perspective from the teacher participants, it is recommended that as citizens held up in the technological revolution, there seems to be a need for teaching-learning approaches to be altered. This study, therefore, concludes that as a means to enable enhanced learner attainment, rural versus urban digital variations be addressed