Planting the seeds of innovative e-learning platform in higher education institutions in Ethiopia: The case of ET online college

Abstract

Many institutions of higher education systems worldwide are transitioning from face-to-face modality to e-learning as a means of solving issues of limited resources and access to quality education. One of the crucial prerequisites for the successful implementation of e-learning is a careful consideration of emerging technologies and the underlying pedagogy of how learning takes place using a virtual platform. In practice, however, this consideration is often a neglected aspect in developing countries’ context, and this neglect results in several challenges in academic setups. This study identifies and evaluates clusters of e-learning features and implementation strategies in use and challenges sought at the ET Online College located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The features of these strategies are briefly discussed, as well as how these strategies evolved during the implementation processes. The college’s e-learning components have achieved merits for quality by their primary users (online students, e-course instructors, and technology, instructional design, and curriculum experts), web designers and graphic designers, and administrators within the college. These also achieved acceptance nationally by the larger key stakeholders. The findings and recommendations of the study can be used as empirical evidence-base to help policymakers strategically think about the implementation of e-learning in the Ethiopian Higher Education institutions, and other similar contexts at large.

Evaluating the effectiveness and implementation of an online professional development program for health professional educators: The case of Jimma University

“…Our interpretations suggest that the process of contextualizing HDP within the Institute of Health through the online platform is, in the end, a local phenomenon that results from a variety of factors, such as the pedagogical needs and values of teachers, institutional capabilities, and local challenges (Chisholm et al, 2012;Tadesse et al, 2021). This pilot study highlights the significance of a number of factors in the online PD process (Zelelew et al, 2022). At the end of the day, we must recognize that the online HDP designs are not separate entities; rather, they are integrated into the institutional systems throughout the implementation.…”

“…Over the past ten years, there has been ample documentation of the exponential expansion in the usage of technology and the availability of software applications (apps) for PD among HE teachers. The literature on technology integration in HE indicates that rather than focusing on how technologies can be utilized for PD, there is a growing emphasis on how technologies are employed for teaching and learning purposes (Feldacker et al, 2017;Zelelew et al, 2022).…”

Acceptance of e-Learning and Associated Factors among Postgraduate Medical and Health Science Student's at First Generation Universities, Amhara Region, 2023 Using Modified Technology Acceptance Model

“…To address the issues of scarce resources and access to high-quality education, many higher education systems around the world are moving from face-to-face to online learning. Examining emerging technologies and the underlying pedagogy of how learning occurs on a virtual platform is one of the essential prerequisites for the successful implementation of e-learning (14). Modi ed TAM is the most commonly used theory in existing e-learning technology studies to understand the acceptance of e-learning (15).…”