14-18 Nov: Adoption and diffusion of technology in Afrikan countries

Presenter: Tutaleni I. Asino, Ph.D. , Assistant Professor, Educational Technology, School of Educational Studies, College of Education, Oklahoma State University

Format: Asynchronous discussion from 14 – 18 November +   Live online meeting on Thursday 17 November (14:00 Abuja time/ 15:00 Cape Town time/ 16:00 Nairobi time). Using a case study on factors that influence the diffusion process of mobile devices in Botswana and Namibia, this seminar engages participants in a conversation on how to study diffusion and adoption of technology in Afrikan education.

tutaleniprofileAfrikan countries such as Botswana and Namibia are experiencing a surge in mobile device usage (Aker & Mbiti, 2010; Mbarika & Mbarika, 2006), where everyday use of tablets and mobile phones has spread rapidly at unprecedented rates (ICT Update, 2008; Kalba, 2008). In these countries, mobile devices are used for mobile banking (accessing bank accounts, paying for utilities and credit cards; Brown, Cajee, Davies, & Stroebel, 2003), mobile health (diagnosing disease, patient monitoring, accessing health information, awareness campaign), and mobile life (social communication and entertainment; Donner & Tellez, 2008; Semali & Asino, 2013).  However, the diffusion of mobile devices that has occurred for everyday use, health, and business applications has not occurred in educational environments.

A common belief held in many Afrikan countries (and globally) is that there is value in utilizing technology for educational purposes. Reports from the African Union, the Southern African Universities Association and the Association of African Universities provide evidence of commitments from Afrikan nations to make technology in education an integral part of educational systems. Yet, when in comes to understanding the diffusion of innovations on the continent, the often repeated phrase is that “there is little research.”


Tutaleni I. Asino, Ph.D.  is an Assistant Professor of Educational Technology in the School of Educational Studies at the College of Education in Oklahoma State University. His research interests include diffusion of innovation, adoption and use of Emerging technologies and Learning environments, Mobile Learning, Design for Mobile Devices, Indigenous knowledge, STEAM, Comparative International Education, and the role of culture in the development and evaluation of learning technologies.


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9 Nov: Learning from Las Vegas: Reportback from the AECT Convention

Presenter: Dr Nicola Pallitt, Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching

Format: Webinar on 9 November at 1 pm (SA time)

npmediaWhat happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? This year the AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology) conference organisers decided to break this code with their 2016 theme ‘Learning from Las Vegas’. In this reportback session Nicola will share what happened in Vegas and share some reflections and learnings related to this conference experience. Over the past year, the AECT has made a significant effort to promote scholarship, best practices, and leadership in the creation, use, and management of technologies for effective teaching and learning. e/merge Africa recently became an affiliate organisation. This session will also discuss what this means for e/merge Africa members. This reportback is therefore also a virtual celebration – come and join the party.


Dr Nicola Pallitt is a member of the e/merge Africa team. She enjoys networking and meeting EdTech practitioners and researchers from across the globe. Nicola is passionate about online facilitation, social media and educational technology in general. She also co-teaches on postgraduate courses in Educational Technology in the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at the University of Cape Town.


Thank you to those of you taking part in this session. View or re-view Nicola’s report back here (introduction by Catherine Fortune)

7-11 Nov: Academic Workload Planning for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Universities

Dr Juliet Inegbedion, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)

Format: There will be one 1 hour online session on Monday 7 November at 1:00 pm (SAST) and asynchronous discussion from 7-11 November.

Dr Juliet Obhajajie InegbedionAcross Africa conventional universities can only provide places for a tiny fraction of students who meet all the entrance requirements so open and distance learning widens access to university education. The Nigerian Federal Government established the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in 2002 to provide access to those who seek quality education at the university level through flexible learning.

The quality of the programmes and courses depends on the academics who plan the programmes, develop the curriculum, manage courses & programmes and carry out administrative duties. It is observed that the academics often complain of work overload. It also appears there is a mix-up in integrating the mode of planning workload in the conventional universities into the open and distance education universities. This may be attributed to inadequate spread in the duties assigned, which if not checked could affect the quality of teaching and learning. This study seeks to examine NOUN policy on the workload framework, workload planning and the implications for teaching and learning. The outcome of this study will not only be beneficial to NOUN but every other open and distance education institution which faces similar challenges.

Dr Juliet Obhajajie Inegbedion is a specialist in educational planning with special interest in economics of education, e-learning, open and distance education and instructional design.  She has served as resource person at both national and international levels in these areas, and always willing to impart knowledge.  She is currently a Senior Lecturer in National Open University of Nigeria in the Faculty of Education