Status of e-learning Quality in Kenya: Case of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Postgraduate Students

Kennedy Hadullo,Robert Oboko,Elijah Omwenga

doi:10.19173/irrodl.v19i1.3322

Abstract

There is a substantial increase in the use of learning management systems (LMSs) to support e-learning in higher education institutions, particularly in developing countries. This has been done with some measures of success and failure as well. There is evidence from literature that the provision of e-learning faces several quality issues relating to course design, content support, social support, administrative support, course assessment, learner characteristics, instructor characteristics, and institutional factors. It is clear that developing countries still remain behind in the great revolution of e-learning in Higher Education. Accordingly, further investigation into e-learning use in Kenya is required in order to fill in this gap of research, and extend the body of existing literature by highlighting major quality determinants in the application of e-learning for teaching and learning in developing countries. By using a case study of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), the study establishes the status of e-learning system quality in Kenya based on these determinants and then concludes with a discussion and recommendation of the constructs and indicators that are required to support qualify teaching and learning practices

Highlights

Introduction and BackgroundAccording to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), many countries are currently overseeing a massive expansion of higher education through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs)
A case was chosen from Kenya because e-learning has been recently implemented in most public universities
Findings confirmed that there are about eight quality issues that influence e-learning in Kenya and in other developing countries

Summary

Introduction

Introduction and BackgroundAccording to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), many countries are currently overseeing a massive expansion of higher education through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Improving quality is one the most significant challenges for Higher Institutions of Education (HEIs), in developing countries. This is as a result of enrollment expansion characterized by a range of weak inputs such as weak academic preparation for incoming students, lack of financial resources, inadequate teaching staff, poor remuneration of staff, and inadequate staff qualifications (Johanson, Richard, & Shafiq, 2011; United States Agency for International Development [USAID], 2014; Aung & Khaing, 2016). A related study (Chawinga, 2016) in Malawi on increasing access to university education through elearning observed that the greatest obstacles to e-learning use were: Lack of academic support (77.6%); Delayed end of semester examination results (75.5%); Class too large (74.3%); Delayed feedback from instructors (72.6%); Failure to find relevant information for studies (67%); Poor learning materials/manuals (33.1%); and Lost assignments and grades (19.5%) Studies in Kenya confirmed that there are quality issues linked to inadequate ICT and e-learning infrastructure, financial constraints, expensive and inadequate Internet bandwidth, lack of operational e-learning policies, lack of technical skills on e-learning and e-content development by teaching staff, inadequate course support, lack of interest and commitment among the teaching staff, and longer amounts of time required to develop e-learning courses (Tarus, Gichoya,& Muumbo, 2015; Makokha & Mutisya , 2016).

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Results

Conclusion