Findings from the Comprehensive Evaluation of Blended Learning (CEBL) uptake at Makerere University have revealed that most students have welcomed the blended mode of learning.
At least 51% of the respondents that took part in the CEBL survey are ready to embrace blended learning.
The findings were disclosed in a workshop held at Makerere University CEDAT auditorium on September 29th, 2022.
According to Mr. Arthur Mugisha, the project’s principal investigator, the respondents were evaluated on five grounds: how they used blended learning (BL), how they found BL, how their peers found BL, how BL can be made exciting and if they understood the BL pedagogy.
Of the total respondents, 36% found blended learning exciting. This is because, among other reasons, it gave them the freedom to cheat and pass exams.
Whereas those that weren’t happy with blended learning cited reasons such as high costs, network and system glitches as well as lack of gadgets.
Most respondents also noted that lecturers were not readily available during online lectures.
Speaking at the project’s dissemination workshop, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, the deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of finance and administration said that some lecturers are not flexible because they are used to the old method of teaching through which they were taught as well.
“As soon as you get your first degree, which is a good degree, maybe first class or upper second, we’re given a class to teach. And so what you do, in many cases is you use the methods that were used on you. If the lecturer was throwing handouts, possible, that’s what you’re also going to start doing. Because that’s what you’ve been exposed to,” the DVC said.
Prof. Alinaitwe further recommended that lecturers should be induced into education before being given a class to lecture.
“I studied in Sweden and one of the requirements says that to be a senior lecturer and above, you must have done a course in education. Whether you are an engineer like me, or whether you are a doctor, a medical doctor, you must do a course in education,” Prof. Alinaitwe noted.
Just like students, most lecturers faced quite a number of challenges in the initial implementation stages of blended learning.
Makerere University students have on many occasions protested the blended mode of learning, with the most notable being the February 7th, 2022 protest in which a one Richard Ssebuganda, a medical student at Makerere University lost his right hand palm to a teargas canister explosion.
The Comprehensive Evaluation of Blended Learning (CEBL) project suggests a number of solutions to challenges students and lecturers face with blended learning.
CEBL project recommends an increment in funding the Institute of Open Distance and Elearning, an evaluation of post graduate programs on BL, teaching lecturers on blended learning, reducing audio and video content and encouraging lecturers to complete the syllabus.
