Challenges Faced by Distance Education Students of the University of Education, Winneba: Implications for Strategic Planning

Abstract

Over a decade now, Distance Education (DE) has become ubiquitous in the Ghanaian educational system. Four public universities in Ghana are currently running DE programmes in addition to a few private universities. Effective DE programme demands that strategic planning be made at all times. Such planning could be done well if challenges confronting learners on the programme are identified and addressed. This paper sets out to explore and provide an up-to-date picture of the challenges faced by DE students in their quest to study at the university level. Specifically, the study focused on students of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) as a case study. UEW is one of the nine public universities in Ghana which has been involved in distance education for teachers at the pre-tertiary level. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative research designs with interviews and questionnaire as the data collection techniques. One hundred and fifty-six students comprising sixty-eight males and eighty-eight females responses out of initial three hundred were received which is equivalent to a response rate of 52%. This constitutes the sample size for the study. Among the challenges identified were-institutional, instructional, social, psychological, and financial. The findings of the study, it is expected, will be utilized instrumentally and conceptually in informing policy directives by public universities presently involved in DE programmes. Further, private and potential providers of DE programme in the country stand

A Comparative Investigation of Assessment Practices in Distance and Online Learning Undergraduate Mathematics in Nigeria

“…Moreover, a similar challenge, in terms of availability and connectivity of the Internet can be observed among the institutions used in this study. The DLI students especially lamented their inability to access internet for their studies, confirms Ohene and Essuman (2014) assertion that the cost of accessing the Internet is still very high in most African countries compared to developed countries. Hence, the quantitative and qualitative results showed that the participants need better access to resources (Internet) for effective mathematics learning.…”

Instructional Delivery and Students’ Experiences with Distance and Online Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics in Nigeria

“…This shows that the instructional material should be able to carry out the task of an instructor to a reasonable extent. To achieve this, Ohene and Essuman (2014) advocate coordinated teamwork among instructional designers, educators, online media developers, and graphic designers, working together to create a good environment for learning. For the course materials to have an effective impact on students' experiences, the instructors should understand their needs while designing the materials.…”

“…One of the major problems facing ODL programmes in Nigeria is that its practices stem from conventional teaching and learning and ID application involves variations and copies of face-to-face methods of teaching and learning (Tapfumaneyi, 2013). Ohene and Essuman (2014) made assertion that course materials could, in some cases, constitute a barrier to distance and online learning if they are not specifically and well-modified for effective learning. It is against this background that this paper investigates current experiences of the students learning mathematics in both DLI and NOUN, to contribute to the scarce empirical research in this area in Nigeria.…”

Online Learning in Egyptian Universities Post COVID-19 Pandemic: A Student’s Perspective

“…It would be possible for distance educators to enhance their teaching skills and styles by focusing on the difficulties and challenges encountered by students [14,15], especially in the era of Covid-19 that mandated the use of online learning and blended learning by universities [16]. Afterwards, universities have shifted from an entirely online system to blended learning, which has then become an accepted system in higher education [17,18].…”