Browsing by Author "Mtebe, Joel S."
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Item Accessibility and Usability of Government Websites in Tanzania(The African Journal of Information Systems, 2017-09-28) Mtebe, Joel S.; Kondoro, AronThe government of Tanzania has been embracing information systems specifically websites to enlarge access to government services, lower administrative costs, and to increase public participation in decision making. As a result, almost every ministry, department, and agency (MDA) has developed a unique website. However, most of existing websites were developed without sufficiently considering users’ needs which indicates that they do have some usability and accessibility problems. This study used the SortSite tool to evaluate accessibility and usability of government websites taking a sample of 22 websites. The report from the SortSite tool was then checked against the W3 WCAG accessibility standards and Section 508 guidelines, and usability issues based on the US Federal (Usability.gov) guidelines. The results show that most of websites have many accessibility and usability problems that hinder citizens from using them. This study provides recommendations on how to improve usability and accessibility of these websites.Item Are Animations Effective Tools for Teaching Computer Science Courses in Developing Countries ? The case of University of Dar es Salaam(Curriculum and Instruction, 2012) Mtebe, Joel S.; Twaakyondo, Hashim M.Teaching computer science courses is a big challenge to majority of teachers in developing countries institutions. Most of these courses consist of abstract concepts where traditional pedagogical methods such as lectures and textbooks cannot be suited to enable students understand them. It becomes even more challenge due to the fact that majority of these institutions are faced with large class sizes while teaching facilities are few. Although several solutions have been proposed to alleviate these problems such as increasing student-computer ratio, improving teaching pedagogy and increasing number of teaching staff, the problem still exists. In this paper, we propose the use of computer animations as instructional tools so as to enable students learn difficult concepts in developing countries institutions. We conducted a pilot study at University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) to determine if the use of animations can enable students to learn difficult concepts easier and master course contents. The study revealed that 67% of respondents (of 108 students) indicated that animated courses enabled them to grasp difficult concepts more easily. The study also found that the process of developing animations improves the quality of course design. However, it is essential to incorporate pedagogical and instructional design principles in the whole process of developmentItem Challenges and Instructors’ Intention to Adopt and Use Open Educational Resources in Higher Education in Tanzania(Higher Education, 2014) Mtebe, Joel S.; Raisamo, RoopeHigher education in Tanzania like in many other Sub-Saharan countries suffers from unavailability of quality teaching and learning resources due to lack of tradition, competence, and experience to develop such resources. Nevertheless, there are thousands of open educational resources (OER) freely available in the public domain that can potentially improve the quality of existing resources or help to develop new courses. The uptake and reuse of these resources in higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Tanzania has been very low. The study applied the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model to elicit instructors’ intention to adopt and use OER in teaching. The paper also investigated challenges that hinder instructors to adopt and use OER. A sample of 104 instructors selected randomly from five HLIs was collected and tested against the research model using regression analysis. The study found effort expectancy had significant positive effect on instructors’ intention to use OER while performance expectancy, facilitating conditions, and social influence did not have significant effect. Challenges that were found to hinder instructors to adopt and use OER are discussed. The findings of this study will help those who are involved in OER implementation to find strategies that will maximize OER adoption and usage in higher education in Tanzania.Item A decade of technology enhanced learning at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Challenges, achievements, and opportunities(International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology, 2017) Mtebe, Joel S.; Raphael, ChristinaFor a decade past, integration of technology in teaching and learning has been received with both apprehension and skeptism from academics and student majority at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). The study recounts real, professional and practical experiences, challenges, and opportunities of integrating educational technologies using available official documents and reports covering real practical experience in the period of ten years at UDSM . The study identifies gaps th at need to be worked upon to unleash full potentials brought by educational technologies at the university. The study recommends more support to early adopters committed to initiating blended learning programs, strengthening and expanding existing blended distance programs as well as seeding new ones and building capacity in developing and testing more reliable blended distance program innovations.Item A decade of technology enhanced learning at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Challenges, achievements, and opportunities(International Journal of Education and Development using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT), 2017-08-31) Mtebe, Joel S.; Raphael, ChristinaFor a decade past, integration of technology in teaching and learning has been received with both apprehension and skeptism from academics and student majority at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM). The study recounts real, professional and practical experiences, challenges, and opportunities of integrating educational technologies using available official documents and reports covering real practical experience in the period of ten years at UDSM. The study identifies gaps that need to be worked upon to unleash full potentials brought by educational technologies at the university. The study recommends more support to early adopters committed to initiating blended learning programs, strengthening and expanding existing blended distance programs as well as seeding new ones and building capacity in developing and testing more reliable blended distance program innovations.Item Deployment and Adoption Strategy of Cloud Computing for Blended Learning in Higher Education Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa(IGI Global, 2015-08-03) Mtebe, Joel S.; Kissaka, Mussa MMany higher education institutions in sub-Saharan Africa have been blending traditional face-to-face delivery with various Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to meet the strong demand for higher education as well as to improve the quality of traditional campus programs. Despite the increased adoption of various forms of blended learning in the region, the cost of acquiring and managing ICT infrastructure remained to be the biggest challenge. While cloud computing can provide powerful computing at a fraction of the cost of traditional ICT infrastructure, its potential to enhance blended learning in higher education in sub-Saharan Africa is unexplored. This chapter proposes deployment and adoption strategy of cloud computing to enhance blended learning services in the region. This work contributes towards helping higher education in sub-Saharan Africa to understand cloud services and to make plans for successful migration of computing services into cloudItem Determinants of the Successful Diffusion of Technology Innovations in Higher Education Institutions in Africa: A social network approach(Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, 2014) Mtebe, Joel S.; Kandiri, JohnThis study investigated how the institutional social networks of project coordinators and/or team leaders contributed towards the success or failure of the 26 technology innovation diffusion projects that were implemented under the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa Educational Technology Initiative across seven higher education institutions in Africa. The study used 105 questionnaires, 34 face-to-face interviews and 19 focus group discussions to survey respondents who were involved in the implementation of technology innovations. The study found that the appointment of institutional project coordinators and/or team leaders and the selection of team members were key to the success of technology innovation diffusion. Additionally, institutional coordinators and/or team leaders who inclined more to the centre of their institutional social networks proved to be a significant factor in the success of technology innovation implementation in their institutions. The findings of this study have significant implications for those involved in implementing educational technology innovation in higher education institutions in Africa, and may well be helpful for funders, project teams, and university management.Item Developing and Piloting Interactive Physics Experiments for Secondary Schools in Tanzania(Educational Methods, 2015-09) Msoka, Vidate C.; Kissaka, Mussa M.; Kalinga, Ellen Charles; Mtebe, Joel S.Students in secondary schools in Tanzania have been facing difficulties in conducting laboratory experiments. This has been due to acute shortage of laboratory facilities and poor teaching methodologies. Consequently, students perceive science subjects as not attractive, difficult and irrelevant to understand the world around them. An interactive physics experiment was developed and piloted in two schools with 157 students to investigate whether interactive experiments can be used as an alternative to physical experiments. Results show that students found the interactive experiment was easier and more efficient than physical experiment and therefore, can be used as an alternative to physical experiments.Item Developing and using animations and simulations to teach computer science courses: the case of University of Dar es Salaam(2012) Mtebe, Joel S.; Twaakyondo, Hashim M.Concepts in computer science courses are among the most complicated to teach in developing countries institutions. This is because majority of developing countries' institutions are faced with large class sizes while teaching facilities are few. Although several solutions have been proposed to alleviate these problems such as increasing student-computer ratio, improving teaching pedagogy and increasing number of teaching staff, the problem still exist. Therefore we conducted a pilot study at UDSM determine if the use of animations and simulations can enable students to learn difficult concepts and master course contents. The study has revealed that 67% of respondents (of 108 students) indicated that animations and simulations in courses enabled them to grasp difficult concepts more easily. The study also found that the process of developing animations and simulations improves the quality of course design. However, it isessential that the pedagogical and instructional design principles be incorporated in the whole process of course development to realize the benefit and usefulness of the developed animations.Item Developing Multimedia Enhanced Content to Upgrade Subject Content Knowledge of Secondary School Teachers in Tanzania(2015-11-20) Mtebe, Joel S.; Kibga, Elia Y; Mwambela1, Alfred A.; Kissaka, Mussa M.The failure rates and lack of interest amongst students in science and mathematics in secondary schools in Tanzania is a serious problem. The Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) implemented a project to enhance and upgrade the pedagogical knowledge and subject content knowledge of teachers in selected difficult topics in science and mathematics in secondary education. This article reports on the process involved in the development of multimedia enhanced content that involved teachers, facilitators, and technical staff. The developed content was evaluated for its satisfaction using a sample of 72 experts that included teachers and instructors after using the content for 10 days. Generally, respondents were satisfied with the quality of the developed multimedia enhanced content. However, accuracy had a minimum percentage of users’ satisfaction with 37%. This shows that the majority of the content had spelling and grammatical errors that were supposed to have been corrected before producing the final product. Although this is ongoing work, we believe that the lessons learned from our efforts can be useful to similar organizations planning to develop multimedia enhanced content for educational purposes.Item eLearning Cost Analysis of On-Premise versus Cloud-hosted Implementation in Sub-Saharan Countries(Management Information Systems and Higher Education, 2014-04) Mtebe, Joel S.; Raisamo, RoopeThe cost of acquiring, managing, and maintaining ICT infrastructure is one of the main factors that hinder educational institutions in Sub-Saharan countries to adopt and implement eLearning. Recently, cloud computing has emerged as a new computing paradigm for delivering cost effective computing services that can be used to harness eLearning. However, the adoption of cloud computing in higher education in Sub-Saharan countries is very low. Although there are many factors that may influence educational institutions to adopt cloud services, cost effectiveness is often a key factor. Far too little is known on how much the use of cloud computing can be cost effective in delivering eLearning services. This paper compares the cost of hosting eLearning services between on-premise and cloud-hosted approaches in higher education, taking Tanzania as a case study. The study found that institutions can significantly reduce the cost of eLearning implementation by adopting a cloud-hosted approach. The findings of this study serve as a base for educational institutions seeking cost effective alternatives to implement eLearning in developing countriesItem Enhancing the Quality of Computer Science Education with MOOCs in Sub-Saharan Africa(Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2016-02-02) Mtebe, Joel S.; Kissaka, Mussa M.The quality of computer science education in higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa is reported to be poor. This is due to acute shortage of well-trained faculty members, irrelevant and outdated curricula, and poor teaching methodology. Although several interventions exist to improve the quality of computer science education in the region, there have not yet been many attempts to systematically adapt and integrate Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in computer science education. This chapter presents approaches that can be used by faculty members to adapt and integrate MOOCs in order to enhance the quality of computer science education. These approaches are the first steps towards helping faculty members and institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa to utilize the potential of MOOCs to improve the quality of computer science education and to equip students with employable skills for both local and international IT industry.Item Exploring the Potential of Clouds to Facilitate the Adoption of Blended Learning in Tanzania(Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education, 2013) Mtebe, Joel S.Item Factors Influencing Teachers’ Use of Multimedia Enhanced Content in Secondary Schools in Tanzania(2016-02) Mtebe, Joel S.; Mbwilo, Betty; Kissaka, Mussa M.Tanzania is faced with a severe shortage of qualified in-service school science and mathematics teachers. While science and mathematics account for 46% of thecurriculum, only 28% of teachers are qualified to teach these subjects. In order to overcome this challenge, the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT) implemented a project to use multimedia-enhanced content to upgrade subject content knowledge of science and mathematics teachers in secondary schools. A total of 70 topics and 147 subtopics were developed and enhanced with various multimedia elements. The content was used to train 2,000 in-service science and mathematics teachers from secondary schools in 19 selected centers countrywide. However, the presence and availability of this content does not automatically guarantee that teachers will use them. For this content to improve teachers’ subject content knowledge, they must be accepted and used by teachers in secondary schools. This study examines factors affecting teachers’ acceptance and prolonged use of developed multimedia-enhanced content using the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) as a research framework. A sample of 1,137 teachers out of 2,000 was collected and tested against the research model using regression analysis. With exception of performance expectancy, all other factors had a statistically significant effect on teachers’ acceptance and use of the developed content. The government and other stakeholders can use these findings to develop strategies that will promote acceptance and use of the developed content in secondary schools in Tanzania.Item Heuristics for Evaluating Usability of Learning Management Systems in Africa(2015-04-22) Mtebe, Joel S.; Kissaka, Mussa M.The adoption and use of various Learning Management Systems (LMS) to enhance education in Africa is becoming common. However, the majority of institutions have been adopting these systems without conducting usability evaluations. As a result, users tend to find these systems not easy to use, learn and do not meet their learning objectives. At the moment, there is relatively small and inadequate heuristics that can be used to evaluate LMS taking into account both system features and didactic effectiveness. This study presents a comprehensive heuristics usability that consolidates interface usability, didactic effectiveness and motivation to learn. The heuristics were validated through expert evaluation of the University of Dar es Salaam and Shuledirect systems. The proposed heuristics managed to uncover several usability problems. The findings from this study have shown that the proposed heuristics are appropriate and effective to be used for evaluating LMS deployed in Africa.Item Instructor Support Services: An Inevitable Critical Success Factor in Blended Learning in Higher Education in Tanzania(IJEDICT, 2016) Raphael, Christina; Mtebe, Joel S.The adoption of blended learning to widen access, reduce cost, and improve the quality of education is becoming prevalent in higher education in sub-Saharan Africa and Tanzania in particular. University of Dar es Salaam and the Open University of Tanzania offer various blended learning courses using Moodle system via regional centres scattered across the country. Despite the success of these courses, instructors’ support has been unsatisfactory and habitually ignored regardless of the fact that institutions have established IT Units to provide such services. This study investigated the effectiveness of instructors’ support services as a major success factor to the delivery of blended courses using mixed method design using questionnaire and semistructured interviews from 65 instructors teaching blended learning courses at the University of Dar es Salaam and the Open University of Tanzania. The study revealed that lack of both technical and pedagogical support has been critical factors inhibiting instructors from facilitating blended courses effectively via the LMS. The findings from this study have a number of important lessons and implications for similar institutions running blended learning or wishing to implement blended learning specifically in sub-Saharan Africa.Item Instructor support services: An inevitable critical success factor in blended learning in higher education in Tanzania(2016-08-18) Raphael, Christina; Mtebe, Joel S.The adoption of blended learning to widen access, reduce cost, and improve the quality of education is becoming prevalent in higher education in sub-Saharan Africa and Tanzania in particular. University of Dar es Salaam and the Open University of Tanzania offer various blended learning courses using Moodle system via regional centres scattered across the country. Despite the success of these courses, instructors’ support has been unsatisfactory and habitually ignored regardless of the fact that institutions have established IT Units to provide such services. This study investigated the effectiveness of instructors’ support services as a major success factor to the delivery of blended courses using mixed method design using questionnaire and semi- structured interviews from 65 instructors teaching blended learning courses at the University of Dar es Salaam and the Open University of Tanzania. The study revealed that lack of both technical and pedagogical support has been critical factors inhibiting instructors from facilitating blended courses effectively via the LMS. The findings from this study have a number of important lessons and implications for similar institutions running blended learning or wishing to implement blended learning specifically in sub-Saharan Africa.Item Integrating ICT into teaching and learning at the University of Dar es Salaam(Curriculum and Instruction, 2011) Mtebe, Joel S.; Dachi, Hillary A.; Raphael, ChristinaSince 1985, Tanzania has been undergoing significant political and economic changes from a centralized to a more market-oriented and globally connected economy. The University of Dar es Salaam1 (UDSM) has responded to these changes by reviewing its legal status, vision, and functions, particularly those related to research, teaching, and public service. UDSM’s Five-year rolling strategic plan, 2006/07–2010/11 (2006) spells out its transformative strategy and programme. The aims are to increase access to higher education, improve the quality and output of research and publications, improve the quality of teaching and learning, including curriculum design and delivery strategies, improve the number and quality of consultancy and services, and increase the number and productivity of UDSM’s linkages with other institutions focusing on civic engagement and social responsibility. This report focuses on the use of technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of educational processes and outcomes at UDSM and highlights one of the key lessons learned: innovations in the sphere of teaching and learning need to take cognizance of and address factors in the broader national and institutional contexts, as well as those relating to the readiness of individual staff to accept change. In other words, both first-order barriers (including access to hardware and software, technical and administrative support) and second-order barriers (i.e., those intrinsic to individuals, such as their readiness to accept change and their belief systems about teaching and technology) (Ertmer, 1999) provide challenges to access and uptake of e-learning.Item Investigating Perceived Barriers to the Use of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education in Tanzania(Curriculum and Social Inquiry, 2014) Mtebe, Joel S.; Raisamo, RoopeThe past few years have seen increasingly rapid development and use of open educational resources (OER) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in developing countries. These resources are believed to be able to widen access, reduce the costs, and improve the quality of education. However, there exist several challenges that hinder the adoption and use of these resources. The majority of challenges mentioned in the literature do not have empirically grounded evidence and they assume Sub-Saharan countries face similar challenges. Nonetheless, despite commonalities that exist amongst these countries, there also exists considerable diversity, and they face different challenges. Accordingly, this study investigated the perceived barriers to the use of OER in 11 HEIs in Tanzania. The empirical data was generated through semi-structured interviews with a random sample of 92 instructors as well as a review of important documents. Findings revealed that lack of access to computers and the Internet, low Internet bandwidth, absence of policies, and lack of skills to create and/or use OER are the main barriers to the use of OER in HEIs in Tanzania. Contrary to findings elsewhere in Africa, the study revealed that lack of trust in others’ resources, lack of interest in creating and/or using OER, and lack of time to find suitable materials were not considered to be barriers. These findings provide a new understanding of the barriers to the use of OER in HEIs and should therefore assist those who are involved in OER implementation to find mitigating strategies that will maximize their usage.Item Investigating students’ behavioural intention to adopt and use mobile learning in higher education in East Africa(Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research, 2014) Mtebe, Joel S.; Raisamo, RoopeRecent penetration of mobile technologies and its services in East Africa has provided a new platform for institutions to widen access to education through mobile learning. Mobile technologies provide learners with flexibility and ubiquity to learn anytime and anywhere via wireless Internet. However, far too little research has been conducted to investigate factors that contribute towards students' adoption and use of mobile learning in East Africa. We applied the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to investigate students’ behavioural intention to adopt and use mobile learning in higher education in East Africa. A sample of 823 students selected from five higher learning institutions was collected and tested against the research model using regression analysis. The results showed that, four factors: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions had significant positive effects on students’ mobile learning acceptance with performance expectancy being the strongest predictor. These findings will enable those who are involved in the implementation of mobile learning to develop mobile services that are relevant and acceptable to learners in higher education in East Africa.