By Laura Milanyi
E-learning has become an increasingly popular new approach to teaching and learning in most institutions of higher learning in Kenya. ICT technologies provide distinct advantage to learning by revolutionizing every aspect of learning.
Adoption and use of ICT in schools can promote collaborative, active and lifelong learning, increases students’ motivation, offer better access to information and shared working resources, deepen understanding, help students think and communicate creatively.
The Kisumu National Polytechnic in collaboration with development partners embarked on a journey to develop an e-learning system. Our e-learning system is at its implementation and final stage.
During the development process we experienced a range of issues that guided the development of the e-learning system to fit The Kisumu National Polytechnic’s learning environment. The following issues were considered during the development process.
- Ease of access to information in the e-leaning platform.
- Interactivity amongst and between learners and trainers.
- Ability for the lessons to be conducted from a remote location by the trainers.
- E-learning content to be more timely, consistent and dependable with potential for re-use.
- Support for student centred e-learning paradigm that allows students to learn at their own pace.
- Increase access and enthusiasm to learning and training opportunity.
- To lower cost and improve cost-effectiveness of educational resources.
- Scalability; e-learning system solution that is highly scalable to accommodate an increased number of students and trainers.
- Facilitates management of student records and tracking students’ progress.
We already trained the departmental ICT champions on how to use the e-learning platform. The departmental champions will thereafter train other members (trainers and learners) of their respective departments on how to use the system.
The writer is a communication officer at Kisumu National Polytechnic
