CHALLENGES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ONLINE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN KENYA

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

The covid 19 pandemic caused a disruption in the education system in Kenya and the whole world, instutions had to get a way of continuing with the learning process without involving the learners physically, online learning which had not been explored in the previous years was now the only option remaining for the universities in Kenya and around the world. The paper analyzes how online learning was implemented and what were the challenges and achievements of the online learning. And the way in which students adapted to the new method of instruction. Universities adopted the online learning using online learning platforms such as zoom meeting, Microsoft teams, WhatsApp groups and other platforms which enabled the online interactions between the learners and the teachers, the online learning to a large extent was successful as students were able to attend classes, make presentations and sit exams online leading to a smooth process of learning. Students and teachers experienced various challenges in using the online platforms as this was a very new idea, some students and learners lacked a stable network to carry out the online classes, this made the students and teachers to at times miss classes. Lack of a reliable source of electricity also affected the online classes as the electricity would go off without prior notice, truance on the part of student where some skipped classes out of their own wish. The challenges not withstanding online learning has achieved more in the learning process as the interaction between the teacher and learner has been improved through the use of live classes and video conferencing, this has led to universities adopting full online courses especially those that do not require practical training. However, improvements are to be introduced in the online learning such as providing recorded lessons for every lesson attended. Virtual libraries to be improved to include all materials needed for the course being studied. It has therefore been proven that online learning is a as equally effective as the face-to-face learning.