Towards a framework for the implementation of an e-learning policy at an African university: an actor-network theory perspective

Abstract

Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have had a significant impact on teaching and learning in the 21st century leading to their widespread use in education. This has transformed the appearance of curriculum delivery by creating new learning environments and emerging learners. E-learning through blended and online learning can be complementary or offer alternatives to traditional learning encouraging flexible curriculum delivery. E-learning breaks down restrictions to access to education, allowing any person to enrol for a university program from anywhere in the world if they have the enabling technological resources and digital literacy skills. Like most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Zimbabwe has had an increased number of students seeking tertiary education who could benefit from a technology-enhanced flexible curriculum delivery. However, the integration of technology for flexible curriculum delivery in a multidisciplinary setting is complex and challenging more so for higher education institutions in developing contexts that face unconducive contextual and environmental challenges. Despite these challenges, university management in these contexts are developing policies and interventions that allow institutions to meet the challenges of embedding technology in teaching and learning. To highlight the challenges, the required interventions, and strategies needed for the successful integration of technology for flexible curriculum delivery the study traced the implementation process of an e-learning policy at a higher education institution in Zimbabwe. The study sought to answer the following question: How do the actions of various actors in a university network affect the implementation of an e-learning policy for successful integration of technology for flexible curriculum delivery? The study used Actor-network theory (ANT) as a lens to get a better understanding of the phenomenon and adopted a critical paradigm that allows the exploration of issues and differences leading to novel and stimulating viewpoints. The research design of the study was a single case study of a university in Zimbabwe which enabled an in-depth analysis of the study through the use of semi-structured interviews and document analysis as qualitative data collection instruments. The findings show that the successful integration of technology for higher education institutions to support flexible curriculum delivery in developing contexts is a result of the actions of various actors at a university who are part of the implementation process. Through the development of an ANT-inspired Framework for Technology Integration (AFTI) that can be adopted by HEIs in developing contexts, the overall conclusion of the study is that the embedding of innovation in HEIs in developing contexts is not solely dependent on the implementation of a policy. The integration process is a trajectory that involves deliberate, purposeful, contextualised, fluid, interconnected strategies and interventions and the adoption of radical flexibility. This refers to the expansion of traditional flexibility to include multi-modal, societal relevant ways of embracing technology-enhanced curriculum delivery that leads to quality, equitable, and inclusive curriculum delivery.

The limitation of the study is that it involved a single case study and therefore focused on one context creating generalisation challenges and yet the phenomena might be experienced differently in other contexts. Therefore, comparative case studies in future studies might provide a different perspective on the research study. Furthermore, the study recommends empirical investigations of the AFTI in different developing contexts to evaluate its effectiveness.