Exploring the E-Learning Experiences of Academic Staff at a South African University

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (1 & 2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mncedisi Maphalala ◽  
Nhlanhla Mpofu
Keyword(s):  
Staff Development ◽  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Resident Students ◽  
E Learning

While there is evidence of a burgeoning research output on academic staff’s e-learning acceptance and usage in universities, there is a paucity of studies that seek to understand the South African experience. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of academic staff with the uptake and use of e-learning innovations in teaching and learning in the context of a university in South Africa. Theoretically, the study was underpinned by activity theory. The study was qualitative in nature and an exploratory single case study design was employed. The participants comprised six purposively selected academic staff at a South African university. In the study, we used semi-structured interviews to gather the data required to answer the research questions. We analysed data using an inductive thematic framework following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) approach. The following themes emerged from the analysis: challenges with technology infrastructure and internet accessibility on campus, technical support for students and staff, staff development and training, difficulty in creating e-learning content, and challenges with non-resident students. Based on the findings we recommend an increased interactive and context-dependent e-learning support system for academic staff. In addition, to accelerate the acceptance and effective use of e-learning technologies there is a need for collaborative and peer-oriented activities that develop the knowledge of academic staff.

scholarly journals Barriers and Opportunities of E-Learning Implementation in Iraq: A Case of Public Universities

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Al-Azawei ◽  
Patrick Parslow ◽  
Karsten Lundqvist
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Advanced Stages ◽  
Barriers And Opportunities

<p class="2">Although the implementation of e-learning initiatives has reached advanced stages in developed countries, it is still in its infancy in many developing nations and the Middle East in particular. Recently, few public universities in Iraq have initiated limited attempts to use e-learning alongside traditional classrooms. However, different obstacles are preventing successful adoption of this technology. The present research aimed to highlight challenges that hinder effective implementation of e-learning in Iraq and recommend possible solutions to tackle them. A total of 108 respondents voluntarily participated in this research. They consisted of academic staff (N=74), professors in charge of e-learning (N=3), and undergraduate students (N=31). Three methods were used to collect data: a survey instrument, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups. Data was then analyzed and reported quantitatively and qualitatively. This provided in-depth understanding to the current status of e-learning in public Iraqi universities and highlighted major hindrances of its successful application. Based on this analysis, the study proffered many recommendations that should be considered in order to fully benefit from e-learning technologies.</p>

scholarly journals Academics’ Experience of Implementing E-Learning in a South African Higher Education Institution

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mncedisi Christian Maphalala ◽  
Olufemi Timothy Adigun
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Technical Support ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
E Learning ◽  
And Training

This study sought to explore the experiences of academics with the use of e-learning to support teaching and learning at a South African university. The theory underpinning the study was the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The study adopted a qualitative design using ten purposively selected academic staff and one IT specialist at a South African university. Semi-structured interview was used to gather the data that were used to answer the research questions. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The following themes resulted from the analysis: technical support and training for e-learning; Information Communication Technology infrastructure and internet accessibility; uptake of e-learning and the use of the Learning Management System; content development for e-learning; and evaluation of teaching effectiveness using e-learning. Based on the findings, periodic updates and training on the new changes should be made to the university’s e-learning platforms, provision of timely technical support to academics in order to sustain positive user experiences of e-learning were recommended.

scholarly journals Doing staff development: Practices, dilemmas and technologies

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Hannon
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Development ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Learning Technology

<span>Online learning technologies now pervade higher education institutions, and the convergence of teaching and learning onto technological systems has created new work practices and a demand for staff development. Educational developers are located at a nexus between the institutional and pragmatic imperatives, from which tensions and incongruencies emerge and need to be resolved in daily practice. In this paper, this nexus is explored by analysing accounts of educational development practice from one institution, based on interviews with educational developers. This paper considers staff development practices in higher education in response to the processes of change associated with learning technology, and the strategies used to resolve incongruencies and conflicts that emerged from these practices were analysed. The discourse analytic method of "interpretative repertoires" (Potter &amp; Wetherell, 1987) is used to explore the resolution of dilemmas in practice. In this case study, two contrasting repertoires are used to account for staff development: one that 'enables' academic staff in their use of learning technologies, and another which 'guides' staff in their online teaching towards specified technologies. The intersection of the two repertoires in the institution presented dilemmas for educational developers. The responses to these contexts and the implications for educational development are explored.</span>

scholarly journals The Practicing Academic: Insights of South African Architectural Education

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nischolan Pillay ◽  
◽  
Yashaen Luckan ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Research Output ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Architectural Education ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Arts ◽  
University Of Berlin

Architectural education, in the past had a grounding in a strict apprentice or pupillage method of training architects. The apprentice was someone who worked or trained under a master that transferred skill through a “hands on” approach. Architecture was regarded as one of the arts and there was no formal training to qualify one as an architect. It was through the acclaimed Vitruvius that the architectural profession was born. Vitruvius had published “Ten Books on Architecture” that led to an attempt to summarize professional knowledge of architecture and in doing so became the first recognizable architect. The architectural profession spread throughout Europe in the mid-16th century and the builder and architect became two distinct characters. Although architecture had become a profession, it wasn’t up until the late 17th century that architecture became an academic pursuit through an institutionalized educational system known as École des Beaux Arts, however the pursuit of a strict academic scholar was not the focus. At the beginning of the 1800’s, The University of Berlin in Germany forged the fundamental research and scholarly pursuit. Architecture, like the professions of medicine, law etc. became a system of academic pursuit where professors concentrated deeply on academics first and professional work second. It is through the lens of history we can decipher how architecture became an academic discipline almost de-voiding it of its vocational nature. In its current standing, various universities place a high emphasis on research output from their academic staff. Presently, architecture schools in South Africa recruit lecturers on their academic profiles, rather than their vocational experience. The approach of which has devalued the input of industry into education. It has been noted that there has been an increase in an academic pursuit rather than a professional one for the lecturers that teach architecture. This research explores the views of academics on architectural education, teaching methods and the importance of practice at South African universities. The authors of this research provide an auto-ethnographic insight into their invaluable experience of being academics at two large Universities in South Africa and concurrently run successful practices. The research makes use of a mixed method approach of secondary data from literature and semi-structured interviews posed to academics. Initial findings reveal that academics are pushing the industry to play a part in the education of architects; however, the extent must be determined. If industry plays a role in the education of architects, what factors are considered and how does this inter-twine with the academic nature of training? What strategies are academics employing to make sure students are vocationally well trained and academically capable? Another important question to ask is what qualities make an academic architect in the 21st century?

scholarly journals Enabling learning through technology: some institutional imperatives

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey McCartan ◽  
Barbara Watson ◽  
Janet Lewins ◽  
Margaret Hodgson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
Higher Education Funding ◽  
Institutional Practice ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Technology Programme

The imminent completion of many Teaching and Learning Technology Programme (TLTP) projects means that a considerable number of courseware deliverables will soon be available to Higher-Education (HE) institutions. The Higher Education Funding Council's intention in funding the Programme (HEFCE Circulars, 8/92, 13/93) was to ensure their integration into academic curricula by providing institutions with an opportunity to review their 'teaching and learning culture' with regard to the embedding of learning technology within their institutional practice. Two recent workshops, conducted with a representative sample of newly appointed academic staff in connection with the evaluation of materials to be included in a staff development pack whose purpose is to encourage the use of IT in teaching and learning (TLTP Project 7), strongly suggested that the availability of courseware alone was insufficient to ensure its integration into educational practice. The establishment of enabling mechanisms at the institutional level, as well as within departments, was crucial to ensure the effective use of learning technology.DOI:10.1080/0968776950030115

scholarly journals Contextually responsive and knowledge-focused teaching: disrupting the notion of ‘best practices’

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (SI) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceclia Jacobs ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Staff Development ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
Good Teaching ◽  
Approach To Teaching ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Higher Education Teaching

The notion that universal ‘best practices’ underpin higher education teaching is problematic. Although there is general agreement in the literature that good teaching is not decontextualised but rather that it is responsive to the context in which it occurs, generic views of teaching and learning continue to inform practices at universities in South Africa. This conceptual paper considers why a decontextualised approach to higher education teaching prevails and interrogates factors influencing this view, such as: the knowledge bases informing this approach to teaching, the factors from within the higher education sector that shape this approach to teaching, as well as the practices and Discourses prevalent in the field of academic development. The paper argues that teaching needs to be both contextually responsive and knowledge- focused. Disrupting ‘best practices’ approaches require new ways of undertaking academic staff development, which are incumbent on the understandings that academic developers bring to the enterprise.

scholarly journals Implementation of Learning Management System: A Way Ahead on the Digital Journey in Distance Learning

Open Praxis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 329
Author(s):  
Sidra Noreen
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Management System ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Learning Management System ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Learning Management

Over a number of years, the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has encouraged and supported moves to Learning Management System (LMS) replacing aspects of paper-based and face-to-face teaching and learning including, assignments, workshops and examination. The views of learners and academics were explored to consider the advantages of the system as well as potential challenges. Twenty-two participants were involved in qualitative data gathering by means of focus group discussion and semi-structured interviews, which were comprised of 12 M.Phil students and 10 academics from the Faculty of Education. Thematic analysis was carried out by applying themes and codes. Numerous advantages were identified with the use of Learning Management System. However, it was found that the approach did face some challenges. Learners often lacked easy Internet access and the necessary skills to use new technologies efficiently. Academic staff required considerable time for the development of online materials. Major training needs arising from the findings and it was recommended that the university must consider setting up small campuses in rural areas as well as provided mandatory training and support for learners, especially those from rural areas. There is also a need for formal training for academic staff and the sharing of ways by which the new technologies can be used effectively and efficiently in enhancing all aspects of distance learning.

Media Streaming for Technological Innovation in Higher Education

2014 ◽  
pp. 691-712
Author(s):  
Moradeke Olaniyan ◽  
Deryn Graham
Keyword(s):  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Media Streaming ◽  
Sample Survey ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Learning Technology ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Streaming Technology ◽  
The University

Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) can be slow in responding to technological innovation. Streaming technology offers a competitive advantage to a HEI if appropriately adopted and integrated with the marketing strategy compared to the Push-Pull strategy: when all available technological innovation is used to push educational options to the market and the potential people pull from the market. This chapter briefly describes the concepts of e-learning and media streaming, and their relationship to HEIs. The intangible business benefits of using media streaming to enhance teaching and learning in HEIs are explored through a literature review and small sample survey. The case study of a UK university is used to represent a HEI; e-learning technology is already in use within the university, considering the integration of media streaming technology into new or existing learning technologies. The hardware and software requirements are briefly examined, and possible business concerns and risks are identified with recommendations.

Enculturation of the Utilization of Learning Management System

2010 ◽  
pp. 323-340
Author(s):  
Aida Suraya Md. Yunus ◽  
Hamidah Meseran ◽  
Zaidan Abdul Wahab
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Learning Management System ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Knowledge Repository ◽  
Extension Work ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Learning Management ◽  
The University

Universiti Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) vision is to become a university with international repute. The Strategic Plan Document 2001- 2010 includes a goal for the university to be fully wired through ICT in enhancing research, extension work, professional service, strengthening teaching and learning environment and enhancing the culture of ICT in supporting teaching and learning. Two strategies were drawn; namely (i) implement the use of one learning management system (LMS) and (ii) enhance competency of academic staff in using the LMS. It has been a practice that each faculty decides on a platform for implementing e-Learning. However, the use of various LMSs had created difficulties in the sharing of integrated database, continuous monitoring of the effectiveness of the e-Learning system, and depository of e-Learning resources in the UPM’s knowledge repository. This paper reports on UPM’s experience in adapting the use of LMS from the early 1990s until today.

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