Most current definitions of blended learning refer to a blend of online and face‑to‑face instruction. It seems that few authors notice the irony that the definition of blended learning does not include the concept of learning at all. The problem with these definitions is that they are devoid of theory and thus lead to trial‑and‑error research. This paper argues that the definition of blended learning should be built around learning theory and should refer to a blend of direct instruction and learning‑by‑doing. The paper reports on research conducted to validate a model that puts behavioural and constructivist learning at right angles and considers if the two can occur simultaneously. The model is then placed in the context of a framework of knowledge management and from there a definition is derived that includes context, theory, methodology and technology.

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Towards a New Definition of Blended Learning

Over the past two decades, e-learning has become an increasingly important field of study that has attracted scholarly and policy makers’ attention. Many developing nations have embraced e-learning as a tool to enhance accessibility and affordability of higher education. During the COVID-19 lockdown period, many universities across the world were forced to embrace online teaching and learning to circumvent lockdowns, social distancing and other public health interventions put in place to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Consequently, this study sought to establish students’ experiences with the e-learning mode during the COVID-19 lockdown in Namibia. The paper discusses the results of an online survey of 137 undergraduate students about their experiences using e-learning technologies during the COVID-19-induced university closures. An online survey instrument was created on Google forms and a link distributed to students through WhatsApp class groups. Quantitative data were presented through frequency tables and figures, whilst we adopted thematic content analysis to analyse qualitative data. The results of the survey indicate that mobile devices remained the primary computing device used to access academic information. An analysis of the study results led to the emergence of five themes, viz, e-learning system accessibility, e-learning platform layout, resources to access Internet and network, isolation and home environment that captured student challenges with online classes. This paper argues that e-learning is still faced by a myriad of challenges that need to be addressed if it is to be a success. Furthermore, we advance the argument for mobile learning as a viable option for Africa due to the ubiquity of mobile devices.

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Investigating the E-Learning Challenges Faced by Students during Covid-19 in Namibia

The Sage Handbook of E‐learning Research

Some institutions of higher education in Kenya have adopted e‑Learning with the aim of coping with the increased demand for university education and to widen access to university training and education. Though there are advantages that accrue from adopting e‑Learning; its implementation and provision has not been smooth sailing. It has had to contend with certain national, organisational, technical and social challenges that undermine its successful implementation. This paper therefore aims to present a literature review of the challenges faced in the implementation and provision of e‑Learning in universities in Kenya. The scoping review method was used to identify and analyze the literature of the e‑Learning challenges. Some of the challenges revealed include: lack of adequate e‑Learning policies, inadequate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, the ever evolving technologies, lack of technical and pedagogical competencies and training for e‑tutors and e‑learners, lack of an e‑Learning theory to underpin the e‑Learning practice, budgetary constraints and sustainability issues, negative perceptions towards e‑Learning, quality issues, domination of e‑Learning aims by technology and market forces and lack of collaboration among the e‑Learning participants. These challenges need to be addressed to minimise their impact on implementation and delivery of e‑Learning initiatives in institutions of higher education in Kenya. This analysis of the e‑Learning challenges forms the basis for the ongoing research that seeks to explore and establish possible strategies to address some of these challenges.

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e-Learning Challenges Faced by Universities in Kenya: A Literature Review.

E-learning studies are becoming very important today as they provide alternatives and support to all types of teaching and learning programs The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on educational systems has further increased the significance of e-learning Accordingly, gaining a full understanding of the general topics and trends in e-learning studies is critical for a deeper comprehension of the field There are many studies that provide such a picture of the e-learning field, but the limitation is that they do not examine the field as a whole This study aimed to investigate the emerging trends in the e-learning field by implementing a topic modeling analysis based on latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) on 41,925 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2000 and 2019 The analysis revealed 16 topics reflecting emerging trends and developments in the e-learning field Among these, the topics “MOOC,” “learning assessment,” and “e-learning systems” were found to be key topics in the field, with a consistently high volume In addition, the topics of “learning algorithms,” “learning factors,” and “adaptive learning” were observed to have the highest overall acceleration, with the first two identified as having a higher acceleration in recent years Going by these results, it is concluded that the next decade of e-learning studies will focus on learning factors and algorithms, which will possibly create a baseline for more individualized and adaptive mobile platforms In other words, after a certain maturity level is reached by better understanding the learning process through these identified learning factors and algorithms, the next generation of e-learning systems will be built on individualized and adaptive learning environments These insights could be useful for e-learning communities to improve their research efforts and their applications in the field accordingly

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Investigation of Emerging Trends in the E-Learning Field Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation

Despite the significant growth and development of e-learning we still do not have a relevant theory specifically stipulated to guide the practice up to date. The design, implementation and delivery of e-learning have been informed by the 20th Century classical theories of learning namely: Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism. In 2005, we saw the inclusion of the Connectivist theory of learning for the digital era. However, certain lacunae exist in these classical learning theories that need further examination and explanation. This research study therefore seeks to identify the contributions of the classical learning theories to e-learning as well as establish the gaps that exist in these theories in their application to e-learning with a view of extending the connectivist theory into an e-learning theory using the Grounded Theory (GT) Methodology.

Formulating an e-learning theory: a grounded theory approach

People need food, energy and water for survival and prosperity. However, it is a challenge to meet the demand for these necessities because urbanization and climate change impacts are destroying food, energy and water systems. Resource optimization in one sector can undermine security in another due to competition for the same resources. Therefore, multiobjective optimization approaches have been used to understand the complexity associated with the Food, Energy Water Nexus. However most of these approaches focus on either maximizing resource production or minimizing resource consumption in the FEW Nexus. Maximizing production and minimizing consumption of resources simultaneously are two conflicting objectives that have not been well addressed by existing multiobjective optimization approaches. Therefore, it is difficult for these approaches to recognize feedback and cascading effects occurring in the FEW Nexus due to the interdependencies of the food, energy and water. For Sustainability of the FEW Nexus to be achieved, sustainable consumption and production of the resources within it need to be emphasized. Therefore, a novel multiobjective optimization approach that can explore alternative ways of both maximizing production and minimizing consumption simultaneously is proposed. This approach can be implemented using an Agent Based Evolutionary Algorithm as future work.

A Multiobjective Optimisation Approach for Sustainable Resource Consumption and Production in Food-Energy-Water Nexus

We are proposing a SIG as an extended forum to build a sustainable network and resource repository for practitioners and researchers engaged in community centered collaborative design in developing countries. In structured discussions and an open cross-cultural dialogue, we attempt to build a practical and theoretical foundation based on success and failure stories, challenges and systematic approaches to such HCI. We will explore specific themes around time, trust and values, expectation management and transferability/ sustainability of localized projects. We intend to explore how to document and transform lessons learned into systematic approaches to be deployed in different contexts.

Daniel Orwa Ochieng

Papers

e-Learning Challenges Faced by Universities in Kenya: A Literature Review.

Formulating an e-learning theory: a grounded theory approach

A Multiobjective Optimisation Approach for Sustainable Resource Consumption and Production in Food-Energy-Water Nexus

Community centered collaborative HCI design / research in developing countries

Evaluating the sustainability of mHealt h systems in developing countries: the knowledge gap