E-learning has been widely regarded as a mode of delivery that offers possibilities for increasing access and improving quality in higher education institutions. This paper reports on the results of an assessment of the readiness for the implementation of this novel initiative among lecturers and students in the Faculty of Education at the National University of Lesotho. Surveys were administered to students and lecturers in the Faculty of Education which revealed high levels of readiness in relation to attitudes and awareness towards e-learning and areas of immense challenges emerging from institutional constraints as well as conceptual shifts required for a successful implementation of the initiative. The researchers recommend a clearer commitment by the university, including an explicit financial budgeting, as well as continuing professional development and technical support to e-learning implementation if the initiative is to realise its full potentials for improving the teaching and learning experiences in the university.

1. Assessment of E-learning
Readiness
Thabiso Nyabanyaba
Faculty of Education
National University of Lesotho

2. Introduction and context
 From HE massification to knowledge era
 Policy shift (Samoff)
 A move from Worldbank pressure on basic education
spending
 Increasing quality of HE
 HE move away from ivory tower
 Exclusive
 Autonomous
• paradox
 Increasing enrolments
 Declining HE spending
 Calls for accountability

3. Theoretical considerations: Learner at the centre
 ICT as more than instruments
 More than just increasing access
 More than just decreasing distance
 More than reducing cost
 Distributing notes, readings and presentations
 Paradigm shift
 Cognitive developments for learning
 Socio-cultural focus on diversity of learners
 Definition
 Using multimedia and Internet to improve learning quality
 Facilitating access and remote exchanges and collaborations
 Impact on lecturer-learner relationship
 Facilitating learner independence from lecturer
 New ways of interacting
 Youth in technology-savvy take the lead
 Increasing possibilities for problem-solving inquiry-based learning
 Improving assessment of higher-order thinking skills

4. Benefits of E-learning
 Improving interaction between
 Lecturer and learners
 Learner and learner
 Learner and learning
 Increasing delivery flexibility
 Learners at their own pace
 Mitigate interruptions of socio-economic context (Sophie
– Nyabanyaba, 2009)
 Poverty
• Young boys hired to herd animals
 HIV/AIDS
• Growing girls looking after sick family members
 Exposing young adults to technology

5. E-learning challenges and possibilities in
developing countries
 Challenges
 Material
 E-resource availability
 E-connectivity
 Unreliable electricity
 Conceptual/psychological
 Technology apprehensive generation
 E-learning paradigm
 Possibilities
 Pervasiveness of cellphones
 Obsession of donor countries with e-learning
 Unlike previous donor-driven initiatives

6. Critical questions
 How ready is the Faculty of Education to adopt
e-learning ?
 What is the understanding and attitudes of lecturers and
students towards e-learning?
 Access to basic technology for successful e-learning?
 Lecturers and students’ basic skills for e-learning?
 Extent of innovative approaches for quality e-learning?

7. Theoretical model

8. Methodology and participants
 Explorative survey of readiness
 Relationship between characteristics and readiness
 75% of students girls, except in B Sc Ed where only 40%
 General NUL pattern where girls dominate except in science
Students Lecturers
Programme Total Qualifications Total
Gender B Ed BSc Ed Unspecified Masters Doctorate
Male 35 28 3 66 3 1 4
Female 104 19 8 131 3 7 10
Total 139 47 11 199 6 8 14

9. Results: technology & skills
 Students and staff
generally access
electricity
 Except students at
night
 Students and staff have
PCs and smartphones
 Students struggle to
access internet even
during day
 Staff have very basic
online skills even less
than students
 Students online skills
more on social media
than e-learning
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
E
le
c
tric
ity
C
e
llp
h
o
n
e
S
m
a
rtp
h
o
n
e
O
w
n
P
C
Advanced
Basic
Minimal
None

10. Innovative practices
 Staff overrated their
innovative practices
 Students reported
significantly fewer
explorations and
PowerPoint slides
than staff
 Students reported
no use of
 Prior learning
 Interactive
approaches
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
In
n
o
v
a
tiv
e
S
lid
e
s
E
x
p
lo
re
Missing
Unsure
Constantly
Mainly
Minimally
Not at all

11. E-learning preparedness and benefits
 Everyone expressed
excitement about e-learning
initiative
 Generally great excitement
among staff but a few
apprehensions
 Funding was seen to be
greatest challenge
 Impact
 Access to increased LSM
 Stimulating environment
 Students
 Less notes
 Lecturers
 Flexibility of delivery
 Access across distance
 Research and collaborations
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
ExcitedFunding
Im
pact
Greatly
Fairly
Slightly
Not at all

12. Student differences
Technology access and skills
 Boys readier than girls
 Girls more for social media than online learning
 Those on campus residence reported access
 But on campus reported less e-learning awareness
Less science students with phones
 But more science comfortable with e-learning
activities including PowerPoint

13. Conclusions
 Possibilities
 Excitement for academic benefits
 Wider access and more varied and interactive learning
 Worries about poor resources and lack of support
 Lecturers
 Reaching more learners and reduced workload
 Learners
 Accessing LSM and reducing tedious note-taking
 Challenges
 Poor outlook for financial and on-going support
 Significant lag in technology and applications among staff
 Implications
 Lecturers need examine and act on innovative approaches
 Need for support towards theories and paradigm shift