eLearning – Can it improve graduate employability?

eLearning is being used in many universities across Sub-Saharan Africa not only to address a shortage of academic teaching staff, but also to scale up pedagogical change and strengthen opportunities for graduate employment.

Highlighting the work of the Partnership for Enhanced and Blended Learning during the 14th International Conference and Exhibition on ICT for Education, Training and Skills Development, or eLearning Africa 2019, held in Abidjan from 23-25 October, Dr Rhoda Gitonga, principal coordinator of content development at the Kenyatta University’s digital school of virtual and open learning, said six lead partner universities – Kenyatta University, Makerere University, Open University of Tanzania, State University of Zanzibar, Strathmore University and University of Rwanda – are developing course materials with the assistance of blended learning experts from the University of Edinburgh and Commonwealth of Learning, among others.

Gitonga said three other leading universities will be added to the group that will continue developing accredited blended learning course materials to be used in another 18 universities in the region that are members of the Partnership for Enhanced and Blended Learning network.

Graduate employability

The main objective of the project, led by the Association of the Commonwealth Universities and funded by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID), is to enhance teaching quality in order to improve student outcomes and graduate employability.

Gitonga said each of the leading universities is developing a course. “Kenyatta is currently developing a course in entrepreneurship, while Makerere is working on research methodology and design for business,” said Gitonga. A biochemistry course is being developed at University of Rwanda, critical thinking at Strathmore, numerical analysis at Open University of Tanzania and IT teaching methods at State University of Zanzibar.

However, new projects for transforming the quality and relevance of the higher education curricula are being implemented elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa. Last year, DFID’s Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education, Innovation and Reform (SPHEIR), launched a four-year innovative pedagogy initiative projected to reach over 7,000 students and 1,000 academic staff in more than 30 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa.

In an interview at the conference, Joseph Hoffman, a team leader at SPHEIR, told University World News that Pedagogical Leadership in Africa (PEDAL) is currently building on an existing partnership of 13 universities across seven countries, using eLearning and other interactive strategies to entrench innovative pedagogy within social science programmes.

“We are using a combination of teaching tools that include digitally enabled case studies, flipped classroom and simulations that maximise learning outcomes,” said Hoffman.

Teaching staff are trained to create the appropriate environment for practical application of online and other interactive technologies for holistic teaching and learning experiences, he said.

Health crisis

Led by King’s College London, a SPHEIR project dubbed 'Prepared for Practice', is tackling Somaliland’s health crisis with the help of eLearning.

According to Hoffman, the breakaway state has about 200 doctors, 1,300 nurses and 340 midwives serving a population of more than 3.5 million, falling short of the World Health Organisation’s recommended minimum threshold of 23 health workers per 10,000 persons.

To alleviate the shortage, King’s College London is working with Amoud University, Edna Aden University and the University of Hargeisa to support the training and accreditation of 25% of Somaliland’s health faculty through an eLearning masters programme in health education.

The 'Prepared for Practice' project has also designed undergraduate courses in nursing, radiology, medical technology and midwifery. “Teaching is conducted through an online digital educational platform that enables Somaliland medical students to be taught part of their undergraduate courses by lecturers from King’s College London,” said Hoffman.

Within the SPHEIR eLearning portfolio is another project known as 'Transforming Employability for Social Change in East Africa' or TESCEA, that is working in partnership with four universities – Mzumbe University and University of Dodoma in Tanzania, and Uganda’s Gulu University and Martyrs University – to improve the employment opportunities of about 3,000 graduates by 2022.

TESCEA has developed critical thinking and problem-solving modules that are taught through interactive eLearning continuing professional development platforms. “There is also a toolkit for lecturers featuring an open, online course to allow academics across the region to access training, advice and mentorship on curricula and pedagogical change,” said Hoffman.