Baseline Study on Technology-Enabled Learning at the University of Kabianga

Abstract

This report presents the findings of a baseline study conducted at the University of Kabianga (UoK), Kenya. The study’s aim was to establish the status of access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for teaching and learning at UoK. The research purpose was to assess the university’s readiness to implement technology-enabled learning (TEL) by adopting a systematic approach of policy formulation, capacity building and infrastructure improvement. The survey’s findings will aid in identifying the gaps in the TEL skills of UoK’s students and lecturers, as well as inform and support UoK’s TEL policy development process. The baseline study consisted of three surveys: a questionnaire on faculty use of technology for teaching and learning, a questionnaire on learners’ use of technology and a questionnaire to assess the current TEL environment and enabling policies. These tools were developed by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and are available in the Technology-Enabled Learning Implementation Handbook (Kirkwood & Price, 2016). The three surveys were administered with the use of LimeSurvey. The numbers of respondents were 640 learners and 61 lecturers. The baseline study established that UoK had a total score of 120 on institutional preparedness, which represents emerging preparedness. It was observed that UoK had low scores on Policy, Strategic Plan and Documentation, making these priority areas for the university to implement TEL. UoK provides Internet access to both instructors and learners in some areas of the university. However, learners felt they should have Internet access in more places, including their hostels, to improve the TEL experience. Learners had positive perceptions about using technology in their learning, but they indicated the need for greater bandwidth and for more desktop computers to be available in non-ICT courses. In addition, they desired more learning support from the ICT departments and lecturers. The study also established that lecturers have positive attitudes towards the use of TEL. However, they have concerns about a lack of faculty training on TEL and a lack of time to develop courses for delivery using technology. Although the university has a reasonable ICT infrastructure, only 60% of lecturers are using blended learning. In addition, despite the university providing Internet access, and a significant percentage of learners having smartphones, only 60% of learning at UoK is blended. Overall, this report analyses the current situation at UoK for TEL implementation and identifies gaps among instructors and students. These gaps can be addressed through TEL training for lecturers and students, as well as the development of a TEL policy and implementation strategy. Key findings, conclusions and recommendations are provided in Chapter 5