This article draws on a case study of an international master’s degree programme in educational quality and leadership for senior professionals in sub-Saharan Africa. It reflects the experience of adapting a blended learning approach to a purely online format in response to pandemic-induced lockdowns and travel bans in 2020–2021. Based on this case study, the authors propose a model for a change of perspective in transformation processes targeting underserved adult students which combines insights from complex problem-solving with culturally responsive teaching (CRT). The article highlights the vitality of intentional changes of perspective reified through systematic communication with relevant stakeholders, networks and (new) partners. The authors demonstrate that managing change has instructional, operational and emotional components. Their article contributes to the scholarship on lifelong learning by offering in-depth reflection on a rapid transformation process addressing reflexivity, resources and ethics of care as key dimensions.