Can Moodle be used as a tool to educate the masses in Africa?

Nkurunziza, Janvier (2013) Can Moodle be used as a tool to educate the masses in Africa? In: 2nd Moodle Research Conference (MRC2013), 4th and 5th October, 2013, Sousse, Tunisia.

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Abstract

This paper aims to inform and persuade stakeholders in Africa so they support instructors by meeting their online basic needs because online instruction cannot be carried out in isolation. The report is based on a piece of research which was carried out from 2010 to 2013 in Rwanda. It will focus on a teacher training institute in Rwanda, Central Africa, where instructors have been trained on how to create, develop, and manage online courses in Moodle. Firstly, the study will lay down background information which, in addition to literature review, highlights a needs analysis that was carried out by the institution and which found out that there was a great need to raise the effectiveness of instruction through Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Also, the institution wanted to meet the professional development needs of a growing teaching and student population by developing and using online educational materials beyond the classroom. Afterwards, the paper will evaluate the training, based on the project’s expected outcomes i.e. development of training materials and introduction and use of online learning materials. It will draw on instructors’ own Moodle experience, including online courses they have created on the platform and challenges they have faced during the implementation process. It will then recommend Moodle because it’s an open source and is free to customise to any context. Furthermore, though there may be low hosting cost, it has a lot of potential to reach out and educate more people, develop learning and teaching beyond the classroom. Finally, it will make suggestions to stakeholders as to what needs to be done to support instructors and learners with a view to adopt Moodle, a growing online learning environment across the world.

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