ERIC Number: EJ880678
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Feb
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0268-0513
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Available Date: N/A
Digital Learning Management Systems in Africa: Myths and Realities
Unwin, Tim; Kleessen, Beate; Hollow, David; Williams, James B.; Oloo, Leonard Mware; Alwala, John; Mutimucuio, Inocente; Eduardo, Feliciana; Muianga, Xavier
Open Learning, v25 n1 p5-23 Feb 2010
This paper reports on a survey of 358 respondents across 25 African countries into their usage of learning management systems. It concludes that while there are some enthusiastic advocates of such systems, the reality is that most African educators as yet have little knowledge about, or interest in, their usage. There remain very considerable infrastructural constraints to be overcome before they can be widely adopted for open and distance learning across the continent, and there is still reluctance in many institutions to develop systems that can enable learning resources to be made available in this way. This does not mean that the potential of high-quality digital learning management systems should be ignored in Africa, but rather that much more sustained work needs to be done in human capacity development and infrastructural provision if African learners are truly to benefit from the interactive learning experiences that such systems can deliver. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Instructional Design, Management Systems, Distance Education, Foreign Countries, Educational Technology, Computer Uses in Education, Computer Attitudes, Internet, Misconceptions, Computer Literacy, Teacher Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
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Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Africa
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