Instructor Support Services: An Inevitable Critical Success Factor in Blended Learning in Higher Education in Tanzania

Autor/inn/en	Raphael, Christina; Mtebe, Joel S.
Titel	Instructor Support Services: An Inevitable Critical Success Factor in Blended Learning in Higher Education in Tanzania
Quelle	In: International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 12 (2016) 2, S.123-138 (16 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1814-0556
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Blended Learning; Educational Technology; Technology Uses in Education; Online Courses; Teaching Methods; Technology Integration; Mixed Methods Research; Questionnaires; Semi Structured Interviews; College Faculty; Faculty Development; Technological Literacy; Likert Scales; Integrated Learning Systems; Distance Education; Experience; Faculty Workload; Electronic Libraries; Barriers; Tanzania + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Unterrichtsmedien; Technology enhanced learning; Technology aided learning; Technologieunterstütztes Lernen; Online course; Online-Kurs; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Fragebogen; Fakultät; Technisches Wissen; Likert-Skala; Distance study; Distance learning; Fernunterricht; Erfahrung; Digitale Bibliothek; Elektronische Bibliothek; Tansania
Abstract	The adoption of blended learning to widen access, reduce cost, and improve the quality of education is becoming prevalent in higher education in sub-Saharan Africa and Tanzania in particular. University of Dar es Salaam and the Open University of Tanzania offer various blended learning courses using Moodle system via regional centres scattered across the country. Despite the success of these courses, instructors' support has been unsatisfactory and habitually ignored regardless of the fact that institutions have established IT Units to provide such services. This study investigated the effectiveness of instructors' support services as a major success factor to the delivery of blended courses using mixed method design using questionnaire and semi-structured interviews from 65 instructors teaching blended learning courses at the University of Dar es Salaam and the Open University of Tanzania. The study revealed that lack of both technical and pedagogical support has been critical factors inhibiting instructors from facilitating blended courses effectively via the LMS. The findings from this study have a number of important lessons and implications for similar institutions running blended learning or wishing to implement blended learning specifically in sub-Saharan Africa. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology. University of the West Indies Open Campus, Dave Hill, St. Michael BB11000, Barbados. Tel: 868-663-9021; Fax: 868-645-9741; Web site: http://ijedict.dec.uwi.edu/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01