The Student Factor in building an e-learning culture: Experiences at the University of Botswana
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Date
2008-06
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Academic Publishing Limited
Abstract
This paper presents findings of a small study on the prevailing characteristics
and preferences of university students that can be linked to their motivation to adopt and
sustain e-learning as their key learning strategy. The qualitative case study was carried out
through a questionnaire survey, interviews and classroom observations of third year
students enrolled in a five-year degree programme in design and technology at the
University of Botswana. The university has embarked on a deliberate path of technological
transformation through the University of Botswana e-learning initiative (UBel) which has
been significantly supported by the institution’s management (Thurab-Nkhosi et al 2005).
In this study, students were taken through a variety of learning activities incorporating
internet-searches, group work and peer presentations, media-enhanced lectures, and
guest lecturing. Through these activities, the students were encouraged to discover and
communicate their strengths and preferred learning styles in an attempt to inform their
readiness and motivation to embark on full-scale e-learning as desired by UBel.
Owing to various reasons, the bottom-up approach to organizational transformation and
innovation diffusion is often less explored because of, among others, problems of
feasibility and expediency. The largely imported e-learning technology is often assumed
transferable and appropriate for all students, regardless of background, orientation and
aspirations. While e-learning is indeed suitable for the maturing and independence-
seeking university learners who need more guidance than shepherding, few academics
appear to understand who their students are, and which of their characteristics can be
useful to bring about identified change in the learning and teaching processes. It has been
suggested that university students, the most sensitive section of society, are open to ideas
and have unsettled minds looking for change, while the universities they attend are centres
of revolutionary ideas (Dibaj 2000). There are opportunities to derive from this. For their
part, higher education students in Botswana have been, and are being, shaped in the
realm and mindset of the prevailing socio-cultural environment around them. Being citizens
of a fast economically developing country with a rare ‘inborn’ multi-party democracy
described as ‘an oasis of tolerance and non-violence amid civil strife and political chaos’
among its neighbours (Rule 1988), Botswana university students are likely to portray
situation-consistent behaviours and attitudes towards learning in general, and e-learning in
particular. The findings of this study suggest that the surveyed students were largely
expressive but unempowered knowledge and information recipients whose intellectual
potential and multiple intelligences (Pritchard 2005) were not being fully exploited. They
preferred less challenging learning tasks only because they were used to them, but would
otherwise welcome active, interactive and information-rich experiences in their learning,
with e-learning as a definite favourite.
Description
Keywords
Preferred learning style, Student characteristics, Transformation, Empowerment
Citation
Phuthi N., and Molwane O. (2008). The Student Factor in building an e-learning culture: Experiences at the University of Botswana.