e-Learning – Time for a paradigm shift

In Tanzania 12 cases of COVID-19 infection had been confirmed as government temporarily suspended academic activities at schools and universities across the country as a way to curb the spread.

At the University of Dar es Salaam, staff and students have been encouraged to continue most of the core functions, including face-to-face teaching and research activities such as student-supervisor contact, through email exchange.

It must be mentioned that the rapid increase in reported cases of COVID-19 has threatened the tenets of higher education including internationalisation and, specifically, international research collaborations, students’ mobility and academic conferences and workshops.

East Africa region

As COVID-19 rapidly spread, the closure of schools and universities was timely, but this has meant disruption to the academic calendar for both kinds of institutions.

In the case of the East African countries of Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan, all early COVID-19 cases were linked to travellers from out of Africa rather than from within the region. This was no doubt a relief to most universities in the region since mobility of East African students between regional educational institutions is significant, with Uganda and Kenya remaining preferred destinations for these students.

Tenable option

Given the current COVID-19 threat and the uncertainty about when the crisis will end, e-learning obviously remains a tenable option to enable both universities on one hand and students on the other to complete the university’s almanac and consequently avoid unnecessary delays in study programmes and-or graduation.

It must be mentioned that e-learning is not a new phenomenon in Tanzania as the Open University of Tanzania has been offering its study programmes purely by distance-learning mode since its establishment in 1992. Likewise, the oldest university in Tanzania, the University of Dar es Salaam, has put various initiatives in place using information and communications technology (ICT) to facilitate e-learning.

This includes a dedicated centre – the Centre for Virtual Learning – which aims to use technology to support the traditional face-to-face study programmes and ICT-mediated distance programmes. However, the centre currently lacks a broader mandate to implement ICT plans. Furthermore, at the moment, each university operates its own learning management system (LMS) which has led to the duplication of time, money and effort. Therefore it is crucial to have an integrated online platform for easy participation and quality assurance.

E-learning

While the number of e-learning programmes has been increasing within Tanzanian universities and across the globe, the COVID-19 outbreak makes it imperative to enhance e-learning platforms to avert any future delays in study completion at universities due to unforeseeable pandemics such as the current one.

Students can access e-learning platforms via their smart phones and tablets. At this stage, the most critical aspect should be on students accessing course materials and sessions with course lecturers through such platforms – as happens in the conventional lecture sessions on campus. Lecturers can send resources in the form of web links and educational videos and students can easily submit assignments at an agreed date.

Generally, e-learning provides simple, flexible and extra learning opportunity to students amid the crisis.

Much has been achieved in terms of basic infrastructure to support e-learning at universities and there are ongoing online study programmes such as the Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) Online and Master of Engineering Management (MEM) at the University of Dar es Salaam. However, numerous factors still hinder efforts.

Firstly, poor internet connectivity and power outages make it difficult to access the learning management system. Secondly, e-learning and programmes are mainly donor-funded, rendering them unsustainable in the event of a donor pulling out.

Implications of e-learning

As the world gears towards the fourth industrial revolution, creativity becomes something of a compulsory skill. Coupled with advances in ICT, e-learning provides an avenue for both university lecturers and students. However, in African universities the majority lack the latest ICT facilities to accommodate increasing numbers of enrolled students, and e-learning opportunities are not effectively utilised.

It is therefore imperative for universities to adjust their policies on programme delivery and assessment, in particular by pushing forward assignment submission dates, designing user-friendly interactive platforms, including mobile-friendly sites, as many users might use handheld devices to view content. In collaboration with telecommunication companies and other corporates, universities should offer financial support to students who do not have access to the requisite resources.

Conclusion

Generally speaking, universities are starting to enjoy the benefits of an enabling environment to support e-learning; for instance, through the availability of basic infrastructure, including fibre optic networks connecting various academic buildings on campus, and local area and wireless networks (hotspots), which provide greater access to e-learning opportunities.

Therefore, the key issue in ensuring uptake of e-learning is a paradigm shift away from conventional modes of course delivery – talk-and-chalk – currently practised in almost all academic units, and towards e-learning. Importantly, regular quality check mechanisms should be put in place to address challenges as they emerge for the sake of continuously improving course delivery.

Simon Ngalomba is a lecturer in the department of educational foundations, management and lifelong learning in the School of Education at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. He can be reached at: simonngalomba@yahoo.com.