This qualitative case study examines the challenges that influence the effective teaching and learning of Geography and Environmental Studies through Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL) at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). Semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis were employed to solicit information from twenty students and four…

Open distance learning has helped produce quality teachers and has functioned as an alternative to qualifying underqualified and unqualified educators. This article problematises the effectiveness of mentoring and its strategies in the context of open distance learning using the case study of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education offered by the…

Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) has come up with the technology platform known as MyVista which can be used to fulfil teaching and learning activities online. However, it appeared that when the MyVista platform became fully operational from 2017, both students and staff members faced a lot of challenges. To investigate these challenges, this study…

The focus on Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has given people an alternative to acquiring and developing skills in areas of their choice especially those related to their jobs. While its introduction was met with different responses, it could be noted that in some cases ODL has been viewed with scepticism and in others it has been received with…

Historically, in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, Standards 3, 4, 5 and 6 would teach during the school term and attend teacher training during the school holidays. This was mostly in Missionary institutions. Later, these organisations changed into full-time teacher training institutions. Then teacher training lasted two years. Students would…

The teaching and designing of modules at Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) is the principal responsibility of a single body of teaching staff, although some authors and content reviewers could be sourced from elsewhere if they are not available in ZOU. This survey, through a case study, examines the involvement of lecturers and staff in the…

Students with Hearing Impairment (HI) are experiencing learning problems in most institutions of Higher Learning in Zimbabwe. Access to colleges and universities is limited and where they are accepted, there are no facilities to cater for their needs, hence there is need to develop learning materials that enable these students to learn effectively…

The study sought to establish how student involvement could enhance student retention, persistence and success in Open and Distance Learning at Zimbabwe Open University for it to become a world class university. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) systems in Sub-Saharan Africa institutions are grappling with fiscal challenges of low state funding and…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges facing Open and Distance Learning students at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU). The study was conducted at ZOU Masvingo Regional Campus. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The main data collection techniques were questionnaires and structured interviews,…

This study highlighted some of the major challenges that Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) academic staff experiences in connection with Information Communication Technology (ICT) implementation. It employed a qualitative paradigm rooted in a case study research design focusing on ZOU Academic Staff at the selected Faculties. It purposively sampled…

The market dynamics in distance education has precipitated phenomenal growth opportunities in enrollments and e-learning. The purpose of the paper was to develop a strategy for sustained quality delivery mode of distance education progammes that precipitate massive enrollments and e-learning in an open and distance learning (ODL) institution using…

There have been concerns about the teaching and learning modes in both conventional and Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions globally. Such concerns emanate from issues of quality and standards in education. In view of such concerns, the study examined the teaching and learning modes in Open and Distance Learning (ODL). These were…

Zimbabwe Distance Open University is enrols students from both urban and rural settings. The majority of students living and working in rural areas have limited or no access to computers and electricity as a result the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the learning process is very limited. Though government has realized the…

Quality in distance higher education is one of the main concerns among institutions today. This study sought to explore students' experiences with quality tutorials in ZOU an open and distance education institution. The study employed the descriptive survey design and generated both quantitative and qualitative data using a questionnaire with both…

One of the issues that have continued to attract the attention of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) educators, scholars and researchers at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) is the question of quality in the assessment of students' research work. This study was part of a series of studies, into issues of quality, currently being conducted at the…