E- Learning in Kenyan institutions of higher learning

     Leading universities and middle-level colleges in Kenya are increasingly using technology-enhanced learning to remove geographical and financial barriers to those who want to pursue higher education. The government has said it intends to increase support for the implementation of e-learning.Compared to their counterparts in other East African countries, Kenyan universities have set the pace in using e-learning and other technology-driven learning tools.

     Analysts say Kenyatta University and the United States International University have been at the forefront of mainstreaming broadbased e-learning programmes that have benefited increased numbers of students in Kenyan education system. Other universities in East African economy are following suit and also embracing this method of delivering course work

     Faculty members in both public and private universities concur that e-learning has not only expanded opportunities but also improved the quality of education in the system.Greater uptake of technology-enhanced learning in Kenyan universities has been realised against a backdrop of poor infrastructure, as well as restrictive policy and legal conditions.

     Currently most universities are using broadband connections due to a government subsidy and that the majority of the institutions encouraged e-learning. The government is said to have the intention of lowering the cost of internet to enable cash-strapped institutions to expand their e-learning programmes.In Kenya, many higher education institutions are using e-learning to realise their long-term goals of reaching a critical mass of the populace yearning for diplomas and degrees. A number of secondary schools have also invested in e-learning.Experts acknowledge a surge in demand for higher education, which can only be met through technology-enhanced learning.

     Paul Asunda, a senior lecturer at the US-based Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, hailed the role of online and multimedia-based teaching in developing countries that are grappling with huge youthful populations with an appetite for higher education.Asunda said: "e-Learning has created a niche for universities and colleges intending to reach out to populations that were previously denied higher education due to financial or geographical hindrances."According to him, e-learning guarantees flexibility to students while cutting down on travel expenses. "It is ideal for part-time students in employment," he said.

     And Joan Murumba, a librarian at Kenya Methodist University (KeMU), says e-learning has gained traction among both students and faculty as a tool for transforming teaching practices to reflect the changing dynamics of contemporary society.The uptake of e-learning among young adults in Kenya is high, though not adequate in terms of global benchmarks.Murumba says most universities in Kenya have e-learning portals and encourage the use of social networking tools to promote interaction and exchange of information among students and their lecturers.


According to officials, some universities, including Kenyatta and KeMU, have invested in fibre-optic cables to enhance e-learning.Another leading Kenyan university, Strathmore, is making use of e-learning through video conferencing for visiting professors.

Critics on the other hand say Kenyan institutions face a myriad of policy and infrastructural hurdles that undermine implementation of e-learning programmes. Some say current policies on e-learning do not entrench the practice while poor revenue bases inhibit universities from investing in ICT tools that support distance learning.

Young Kenyans agree that e-learning is crucial to building a technologically literate workforce to meet the changing demands of the information age.

Reference : University World News