Abstract
With the exception of Burundi, all Sub-Saharan African countries imposed quarantine lockdowns and, as a result, temporarily closed educational institutions. This affected approximately 9 million young people in the tertiary education sector of Sub-Saharan Africa (Agyepong et al., 2020). It is essential to explore how one private higher education institute transitioned successfully towards online learning and the quality assurance measures implemented to facilitate the process. This research study sought to determine what quality assurance measures were implemented by the institution during the COVID-19 lockdowns and explore how the challenges faced were addressed. The importance of determining the answer to these pertinent questions stemmed from the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic was a global event that affected tertiary institutions the world over, with a total estimated 222 million tertiary students (99%) being forced out of their institutions due to lockdown restrictions. A qualitative approach was undertaken in the form of a case study, which covered a sensitive time period of transition during the lockdowns. Ten research participants were selected based on the role that each participant served at the time. Through individual interviews with research participants, the key quality assurance measures were discovered, and the relevant strategies implemented to address identified challenges were described. The findings of this research study suggest that despite the belief that quality assurance measures can be seen as burdensome for academics, the right approach of inclusivity and active participation of all members can go a long way in successfully transitioning towards the online space. The implications of this study could provide informative insight for institutions that are seeking to begin their transition toward the online space.